The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread TEN

See our "who's who" page! ^

[HairOfTheDog]

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - Who's Who *pics*

This is a horse chat thread where we share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.

I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!

I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and MissTargets will now be pinging everyone most mornings. Let MissTargets and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.

So... like the previous threads, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.

Previous threads:

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - thread ONE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread EIGHT
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE

New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!

[Inge_CAV]

Hi Beaker! Had to give it up as it would take a couple of weeks just to get over a three day weekend. Finally I sold the horse to a lady that wanted a horse that was broke. I explained to her that the horse was as gentle as gentle could be. But it's spirit was not broken.

Congratulations on the ice cream. It is easy to make and just as good or better than storebought. Tell the skeptics that it is ok as it is made with medical grade liquid nitrogen.

(I know a little more about it, will have to explain sometime)

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Good evening:)

Busy day here.

I ordered one of these today to massage Harley with. This is what the chroipractor guy used, that I thought gave wonderful immediate results.

I don't know if I told you, the bug I brought that lost two legs on the plane, I went ahead and pulled the other two legs off and I've just been using the body:). I think it worked just as good as with the legs.

Becky

[Beaker]

I'm interested in what you know. Cryogenics is a heck of a lot of fun as long as you know what you're doing. It also surprises the heck out of tour groups!

[Inge_CAV]

I will send you a PM.

[estrogen]

Well after three years I am finally going to learn how to hook up and drive the trailer. I've been spoiled because my husband has been my chauffer and I just didn't bother learning. I see all the other ladies at the barn hitching up and taking off with their horses and I thought why not me? I want to take some trail rides with some other groups and I can't always count on my husband being available.

Is it hard to learn how to drive? I worry about backing up.

[Duchess47]

If it's a bumper pull trailer, if you put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel, the trailer will back up the direction your hand goes. :) Old farmer in Alabama told me that years ago when I got my first trailer.

[HairOfTheDog]

Backing up is a skill you can learn :~) We've gotten pretty good at it in a year, even though, lots of trips, if you plan where you need to go and how to get out well, you can park where you don't have to back up.

The position of your hand on the steering wheel Duchess mentioned is an interesting tip, I'll have to try that. It would also limit your range of motion which is a good thing... we tend to oversteer when backing. The key is to go really slow, small corrections :~)

Also good when trailering horses is just to always remember they are standing back there and don't have any hands to brace with, they hit it with their face. So every thing has to be very slow, slow acceleration, slow braking, slow cornering... Good driving keeps horses easy loaders. Rough driving makes them not want to go again. :~)

[CindyDawg]

Neat tip. I just know to turn them the direction you don't want to go:')

[Duchess47]

I loved the trick. It made backing up so easy for me. I'm spacially challenged or something I think, and can't mentally handle going opposite the direction I want to go.

Yes, good drivers make for easy loaders.

[HairOfTheDog]

The only other tip I can offer is to either turn around in the seat and look back, OR use the mirrors, but only do one or the other at first because the correction needed is reversed and you'll only get confused using a combination of both. I turn around in the seat, but our truck is an automatic with a bench seat and it's easy to turn around. Bucket seats, I'm told, it's not so easy, so you may want to learn it facing forward and using the mirrors.

It helped me to visualize that I need to push the trailer with the ball... if I were walking it, I'd know which way to push it... it's the same thing, but it feels backwards till you do it enough.

[Duchess47]

Logically, I agree with you :) Put me behind the wheel and it all flies out the window.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, then, this tip always works: turn one way... if it gets worse, turn the other way :~D

[Duchess47]

Good tip.

[HairOfTheDog]

LOL :~) When in doubt, trial and error :~)

[CindyDawg]

Another thing you can do is practice with it empty. That way you can work on getting the hang of it without worrying about the horses. I forgot where I read or heard it but someone said to put a full glass of water in the holder and don't let it slosh.

[HairOfTheDog]

Oh - hey there... I missed your post earlier with all the trailer talk. What does that thing do? Does it vibrate?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

No, the spindles just roll. It was designed so that people could massage themselves, backs, legs, etc. You hold each end and roll it back and forth over the horses back like a rolling pin. IMO, it really works. I saw a big improvement in the soreness in his back after just a few rolls of this thing. It helps loosen muscles before exercise and dissipate the lactic acid that builds up in their muscles after exercise.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Good for you:) "Pulling" the trailer is not hard at all. It goes where you go:)

I've heard about the tip Duchess gave you. I've never tried that.

I finally got the hang of backing when someone told me to use my mirrors. If you look back you have to remember to turn opposite of the way the trailer is going, if you look in the mirrors you turn towards the trailer as you see it in the mirrors. The only thing about using your mirrors, is you want to make sure you know where all the obstcles are behind and at the side the trailer:)

The best thing to do is just start doing it:). I think most people figure out what works best for them.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

...For flats, I recommend Walmart...

Yeah, that would've been nice, if I'd had the flat in Wal-Mart's parking lot, but I was about 30 miles from the nearest Wal-Mart so I was at a little bit of a disadvantage. ;o)

[BladeRider]

For flats, I recommend Walmart. They won't change the tire for you but will let you use their jack and will fix or sell you a new tire. The automotive shop is usually in the back and you can find a place away from people if you need to get them out.

We had to do that in Paducah KY once on our way to Illinois. We had to get new tires and we unloaded Queen and hubby took the Walmart jack removed the wheels, Walmart put new tires on and hubby put the wheels back on. All went pretty smoothly actually. Queen enjoyed her time out of the trailer grazing on a patch of grass.