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]

T's ok - now that the thread is all redacted it is really hard to follow. :~\

[tuffydoodle]

I found something else interesting and it has news footage posted.

http://www.ablackhorse.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11940

the video news story is here:

http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?s=5425346

Some woman has been scamming people, selling lame or nonexistent horses through equine.com.

[tuffydoodle]

"now that the thread is all redacted it is really hard to follow."

It's nearly impossible to follow, lots of posts have been deleted. From what I could figure out, it's all just a big misunderstanding, stemming from one ill-phrased question about Tom holding money that was supposed to go to Kara's fund. I never did find the original question that started it all but it sure blew up into a big hullabaloo.

[MissTargets]

Good Morning.

Sun is out and the skies are blue. Weatherman was wrong again.

[CindyDawg]

Raining here. Morning

[tuffydoodle]

Oooooo, the fur is really starting to fly now.


http://www.ablackhorse.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12199

[HairOfTheDog]

Sounds like it!

[MissTargets]

Do you think it was a scam? After looking at those pictures, I never wanted to go back to that site. Did she ask for money? It is hard to trust anyone on the net, when it comes to money. Hey, that's an idea. I will post the skinny mares pictures somewhere and ask for donations! j/k.

[HairOfTheDog]

Our project today: Take out one of the apple trees in the back forty so the horses can be put back in there.

Still loaded with apples.

The one little apple tree remains, the one we might move. It's done with apples for the year and safe... for now.

Made a vey big pile. All the branches with apples got tossed ~over~ the fence, and the thousand that fell on the ground all got raked up... Well, mostly... The horses might find a few out there if they dig.

Cyn coming out through the new gate for the first time.... Rushing through in case it bites her. ;~)

Horses digging around for apples. They found a few, but we got most of them. Not enough out there to make them sick now.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Wow. you've been busy today:) We've been bums today, done absolutely nothing.

It's interesting how your horses went right to where the apples were and started looking...:) Like kids to a candy bowl.

Any decisions yet on the new horse? any new thoughts about him?

I've been thinking some about it, but mostly about Bay. I'm still a bit surprised about the fact that your shoer thinks it's time to retire him??? This is me, but something I might try to help make the decision is take Bay on a ride without buteing him first...I know you might hesitate to do that, but I think that might give you a clue as to how close it IS time to retiring him...how a ride would effect him with no crutch...He just looked so good to me and seemed to handle the 15 miler we did very well, (other then his back and that was a whole different issue that you have fixed now)

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

I think I'll probably just let the other horse fade away, Bob won't have trouble selling him, and I'm just not ready, no room! While it'd be nice to have an up-and-comer out there to work with that would take some of the pressure off keeping Bay going longer than he should, the timing's just not right. It'd even be easier to take on in the spring than now, when I'd have more time to get him a stall and a paddock finished before the bad weather hits. (I've decided the best way to make room for another would be to turn the hay room back into a stall, and cut a door in it to the off side of the barn with it's own paddock over there)

I've taken Bay out without Buting him, even this last summer. Sometimes he's terrific, sometimes he's slow. It makes him more predictably good to do it. I probably gave him more than he needed leading up to you coming and while you were here, because I didn't want to take any chances, I wanted him to be at his best. Right now he hasn't had any in a month or more since I rode last, and he's been farting around in the pasture pretty spry, if you ask me :~)

We'll see how he does over winter, I'll treasure each ride I do have with him and see where it looks like he is in the spring.

[HairOfTheDog]

It's interesting how your horses went right to where the apples were and started looking...:) Like kids to a candy bowl.

They knew they were there, for sure! That's why I wanted them picked up before we turned them out... Even with the fence working better, I didn't trust them to stay away from them with just that little temp fence across there.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oh, well see then, I just don't agree that he's "that" close to having to retire. I can/would understand being careful of him, but retirement....nah, not even close, IMO. Even when he's buted you've said he will move away at the start slow then speed up on the return. I wouldn't let the slowness going out, cut my ride short. When he starts getting slow on the return, or actually showing a lameness, then I might start consider buteing. Buteing him much would worry me, not just because of the stomach problems, but IF there really is a problem you don't want to cover it up to where he would make it worse since he's not hurting. If it's arthritis and not navicular, he will loosen up as he goes along, and that's a good thing.

Another subject. I know I showed you all this last year, so it's kind of a repeat thing. But Harley's birthmark...I swear 2 weeks ago you could not see it. He looked like the first picture below although it was taken a month ago. But when I took him to the ride 2 weeks ago it still looked like this picture. Then today...next picture...I swear this thing showed up over night. Today is the first I've noticed, and I've been trying to watch to see how/when it showed up. He hasn't grown any winter coat yet....really strange, but interesting.

I'm wondering how much cool weather plays with it showing up. Last night, I think was one of the coolest we've had. Now I just remember tho, that the vet did say something about the small dark spots he has on his hips. Laughed and asked if he as appy....Several people around were very quick to say, that those were not appy spots:) So the spots on his hips were showing then...but the big one on his shoulder was not visible at all.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oh, and not to contradict you, but I've looked at a lot of pictures, and read somemore about the smutty gene...and this isn't really, IMO, how the pictures I've seen look.

I've wondered, if it isn't a birthmark:)

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Really strange! Looks like a different horse, not just the birth mark, he's lighter all over and the dapples he had are gone.

Could be that it becomes apparent now because he just started the coat change? Ours are getting a little fuzzy already.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I noticed to from the pictures how much lighter he is...I hadn't noticed that till I looked at the older pictures. But wow,,,in just over a month he has changed that much.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

...Several people around were very quick to say, that those were not appy spots:)

They don't even look at all like appy spots. Duchess may say I'm wrong, but I don't think you ever get dark spots on color on an appy. You'll get white spots on color and dark spots only on white. - Just grist for the mill...

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

And one more thing about how he has lightened up....I'd have to say now, that the sun doesn't fade him..I mean look how golden he is in Aug, after 3 months of summer sun, then one month later in Sept, he's all faded....

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

True... doesn't seem to be fading. Is he light in his winter coat?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

The vet did laugh and say he knew it wasn't appy, but I do get that a lot from people, asking if he has any app in him when those spots are visible.

Becky