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!

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, I still like that horse... If'n I was in the market for one :~) I'd like to have him in a few years.

[Duchess47]

I was amazed watching her ride last year. She brought her stallion over and was working him in our large round pen. He's 16h and a handful but she sticks like glue. I don't know how. He's the horse she rides AERC endurance on.

[Duchess47]

He's going to be a good one. He's got a great mind, confirmation and ability. To top it off, until he's five, points he makes in the ApHC translate to money. His sire was/is nominated for the program, so all his get (if they are nominated when registered) benefit from it.

[AnAmericanMother]

He's a very good boy if that's only the second time he's been under saddle! And with a big growing boy that could be a bouncy experience. 20-30 minutes won't hurt anybody, I wouldn't think.

We bought my mare unbroken at 14, so she had already finished growing, and she was amazingly tractable, just saddled her up and rode her off. Of course, she had no idea what any signals meant, and had to find her new balance, and all that. But she's got very smooth paces, a very soft hunting trot that's no trouble to sit, and a rocking chair canter. So it's easy to look good . . . or at least as good as I can.

[FrogInABlender]

I just went over to the HH thread and clicked on the link to the HH site itself and got the whole "ACCESS DENIED to sites classified as WEAPONS" deal. So I don't know if they've tightened up their filters here or if something changed recently on HH because I used to could go there. I can still get to the Bruce -n- Dianna Gazette. Is it on the same server?

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, he looks like he'll be nice and big and strong, AND it'd be nice if I could get into the local Appy club. They have such a great private camp spot in the forest, and you have to own an appy to get in.... While camp access is not the best reason to buy a horse, but it is a nice benefit of giving all appys a second look :~)

[HairOfTheDog]

They must have tightened their filters, because we haven't changed anything. The gazette has it's own URL, so I guess that gets you around it.

[Duchess47]

He is a good kid - he's been handled since we got him at two months old (came with his mom and sister). He's really trying to understand what he's being asked but he does understand voice commands so they are combining that with leg cues now.

I've about decided (after many years participating and watching this process) that most horses are fairly easy to break and train if you handle them right. Most of them are confused of course to begin with, but enjoy the learning if they are pushed hard.

[Duchess47]

Back to work, break time over and exceeded :)

[MissTargets]

Congratulations, sounds like you're about to become the owner of three new horses :~)

Only one will be mine, I take no responsibility for the other two..lol Tractor Supply made me over $200 poorer. T posts, high tensil wire and all the goodies to put up the temp fence to divide the pasture. Plus the weed killer. I didn't do too bad at Home Depot. Just the shelving and some heavy duty garage bags. My SIL bought me breakfast at IHOP! Sure glad, I retired. Going to be a very busy lady.

[HairOfTheDog]

Be sure to document it all with pictures, you know we would :~)

[MissTargets]

His name is Tobster Bar Zip. Barn name "Toby" I have a barn cat named Toby. Guess we will have to call him that "Jefferson Horse" like Alison called him. Jeff for short..lol

[HairOfTheDog]

I'd call him "Zippy", or if that lacks dignity, "Zip" :~)

[Duchess47]

Jeff sounds good to me. Nice solid name.

[FrogInABlender]

"DaZipper" the zipper

[FrogInABlender]

Hey, I like Jeff too.

[Duchess47]

:) Some how Zip sounds like a horse that might jump out from under you.

[HairOfTheDog]

So there's that. :~)

[FrogInABlender]

I don't think I told you, but I got Miss Hope back from the trainer's on Sunday and boy does she look different. She was covered in baby fat when I dropped her off, but she's a lean, mean Racking Machine now. I was real busy this weekend and didn't have time to ride her while at his place so he rode her for me and she really looked nice. But he said that he believed she was about the boogeriest thing he'd ever had to train. He said she would see something that she'd seen a hundred times and suddenly decide that today was the day it was going to kill her and he had a devil of a time working her out of it but thought he finally had. Of course he's a bit of a control freak and his idea of a booger and mine are a little bit different. He doesn't want his horses to even look sideways if ten thousand screaming armadillos came running up out of the bushes, while I'm a little bit more forgiving. As long as they don't buck or booger so bad that they dump me, I can live with it. But anyways, I guess I'll be taking her out for a shakedown cruise this weekend with BladeRider unless something else comes up. Pictures will be forthcoming.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, I hope when she does see a booger, she remains safe for you, I'm understanding of his viewpoint, but I am reasonable as long as their response to fear is a safe and sane response. I say "you can stand and look at something a minute if you want, and, if you're Arab, you can make that blowing noise you so like to make, but then we are going on.... you can't spin, you can't buck, you can't rear, and you can't run away."