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!

[FrogInABlender]

...We can't bubble wrap every buyer and every horse though.

You're right. People SHOULD be smart enough to know when something is going to be too much for them, but unfortunately a lot of them don't think that far in advance. It's kinda like the deal that used to go on with baby chicks and rabbits that use to be sold around Easter and were "set free" (to starve to death) when they got older and became too much trouble. People do the same thing with puppies around Christmas time. But you can't legislate against stupidity. Come to think of it, legislation and stupidity are most often one and the same, so we're probably better off letting people make their own stupid mistakes and learning from them, even if it means that a few horses go to inappropriate homes, rather than ending up with some stupid law that ends up outlawing the sale of ALL horses, or some other equally stupid thing.

[FrogInABlender]

Oooo, I like your flower pot there by the gate! Very nice!

[HairOfTheDog]

Them petunias have done great there this year... in the lower pot and the hanging pot on the other side of the gate. They've totally taken over the geraniums that were in there too. I think next year I'll just buy petunias :~)

[FrogInABlender]

...I think next year I'll just buy petunias :~)

That's basically what I did this year. I say go with what works! Impatiens are really good for that kind of shady spot too. The other thing I've had great success with is Lantana, both the yellow and the red varieties, but they require lots of sun so they might not do too well for you, but you can't hardly kill 'em and the bugs don't bother them either.

[HairOfTheDog]

I think it's not so much a question of legislation, as it is people encouraging good behavior. The WSU Vet school benefit we went to, that we marked trail for, I know that in past years, they had stallion services for raffle too (It's an easy high dollar thing for a stud owner to donate) and I asked about it this year... (no particular mare in mind ;~D) Because I wanted to see what stallions they had.

They said they had decided it was setting a bad example to auction off breedings, and I agree. One shouldn't decide to breed a mare to a stallion because they got it cheap, it should be a good match.

[HairOfTheDog]

That spot is shady until noon, then it's about the sunniest spot I have, so it's too sunny for impatiens, and too shady for geraniums. The petunias seem to like it just fine!

[FrogInABlender]

An equally good point.

[CindyDawg]

Agreed. A surveyor once told me, people have a right not to be restrained and to fall. (she also told me the state had a right to tag us when they do though (rolling eyes))People have a right to be stupid.
Government takes too much of that away from us as it is. We learn from our mistakes. The same about a horse raffle could be said about a new high powered sport car, a boat or winning the lottery in my opinion. They are fun, but you can get into trouble with any of them, if you aren't careful Most people don't though. I'm going to follow this and see where this horse goes:')

[FrogInABlender]

You know they've come up with an impatien that does well in sun! I've not seen them yet in any nurseries around here, but I'll be interested in trying them. Regular Impatiens are pretty easy care, although I have had a problem with spider mites getting in them this year. I figured it was the drought conditions stressing them that caused it. All of mine have just about lost all their leaves. They started out looking faded out in the leaves first, then they just all fell off. They got in my marigolds too. I didn't think ANYTHING would eat a marigold, except for maybe Japanese Beetles, but I guess I found out differently. The only things I have left that look half way decent are the Lantana, the Caladiums and the Wax-Leaf Begonias. Everything else pretty much got eat up or burned up.

[HairOfTheDog]

The same about a horse raffle could be said about a new high powered sport car, a boat or winning the lottery in my opinion. They are fun, but you can get into trouble with any of them

People can be dumb with all three, but one is a living animal that suffers the result.

[FrogInABlender]

...The same about a horse raffle could be said about a new high powered sport car, a boat or winning the lottery in my opinion. They are fun, but you can get into trouble with any of them...

Yeah, but at least with a boat or car raffle, if the owner doesn't take care of it or drives it like an idiot, the boat or car isn't going to suffer because of it. The poor horse has no choice. So there's that.

[FrogInABlender]

LOL! Well said! ;o)

[FrogInABlender]

I guess what I'm saying is that I can see both sides of the arguement. The church is just doing the best it can with a donated item, but it would have been better if the person had donated something else. In a perfect world and all that...

[HairOfTheDog]

Or if the church had just offered it for sale for a good price. Selling it is no guarantee either, but it's the $5 entry that is the sticker for me.

[CindyDawg]

I don't want to beat this to death but all the above can affect other people and animals too. I do see both sides though. There are risks with anything we do but I just prefer for people to make their own decisions and do what is best for them and their animals. Maybe a better option instead of trying to stop something others enjoy, is to attach some education to the raffles.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

The rub is under the strap that runs around the front of his ears. I just got a good look at it. It's a little more then a rub, it's more a cut, about 2 1/2 inches long, under his forelock...his forelock is all crusted with blood and goop. Now I'm not sure if it's from the thing rubbing or if he got it hung on something and pulled and it cut in....

I'm going to have to have help to doctor it, altho just in the few hours I've had the collar off it looks better. It's not running anymore. maybe giving it a chance to dry up will help more then anything.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

That does sound like he caught it on something, doesn't it.

As always... pictures would be helpful! We can always learn from looking at how an injury is handled.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

The AC man won't be here till tomorrow:(, and that's no guarantee he'll be able to fix it tomorrow...I've been to the building all morning. I had to run home to feed and get Susie...it's too hot to even leave her here, she's as use to AC as we are. Just in the few minutes I've been here I have sweat rolling everywhere...I had planned on staying here awhile, but I think I'll head back...

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Jeepers.... can you imagine how people lived there a hundred years ago without AC?

[MissTargets]

Our little trail ride turned out to be a lot longer than expected. The trails were so grown up further in the woods, that I got all turned around. We ended up coming out behind houses on the next road. A nice neighbor was out brush hogging and let us ride thru his driveway out to the road. I walked Jody, because she is not used to traffic. It was a good learning experience for her. Mail boxes, ditches, 4-wheelers, cars, dogs, the whole nine yards. It was so hot and humid, I was so overheated when we got back. It was about a half mile walk.

Tubby did great for Alison, and Jody really did well for riding in the woods where there is no trail. Over lots of down trees and mud holes. We rode about 3 hours. Bugs were really bad with this heat.

I did take the camera and took a few shots.

This is when we came out to the road. If I knew, I was going to be out in public, I would have put some make-up on. You can see Jody is a little concerned about where she is.