The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread 11

[HairOfTheDog]

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - (very out of date) Who's Who *pics*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
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread TEN

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]

Oooh - we’re at 10,000.... I suppose I should make a new thread one of these days :~)

[MissTargets]

Good Morning and Welcome to Rockyridge!

Yesterday, I mowed the yard. That is the first time in weeks. Brown spots, but the clover was at least growing.

A few more shots of Amy running barrels at the fair, by the fair photographer.

[HairOfTheDog]

YEEHAW! That first shot is great action. :~)

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Debbie has some funny fencing around her runs. It’s a thin (diameter about like smooth wire), plastic non metal wire, with hot wire around the top. The run outside the stall the mare and foal are in has about 10 strands of the stuff. She’s always kept any mare with foal she has in that stall and run. I don’t know why, maybe this guy is just extra rambuctious...but she said she was afraid he’d run thru it.

This fencing is suppose to bounce horse’s back off it if it’s tight enough without injurying them....I’d say after time tho it would get brittle, and I’m thinking that may be the problem why she won’t put the baby in. Her fencing has been up for a long time.

Becky

[AnAmericanMother]

Wow! That's a great action shot!

Does that kind of launch whip the rider's head around? Seems like it would.

[MissTargets]

Just like in your jumping, you better be in tuned to the horse. Deep seat and all. So many riders get behind the horse and just hinder the movement. There were quite a few good barrel horses, but over reining and an unbalanced rider can really mess them up.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well all - we’re off to the beach house today... ecurbh’s folks have been up visiting a friend, and they’re meeting us there. They’ll stay at the beach house tonight.

Expect us when you see us!

[AnAmericanMother]

I would think over-reining would be easy to do.

In jumping, I don't consciously rein my horse to the next obstacle - I turn my head and shoulders and LOOK at it. That's enough pressure on the reins and hips to tell the mare where to go, unless we're doing something like a 180 or 270 degree turn (our trainer LOVES those darned things). Then sometimes Gracie decides that she thinks she knows where we're heading next, and if she's wrong I have to really sit down and lean on her.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Hair, have a good time.

I’m no expert and it is hard to tell for sure from one still photo, but I’ve seen horses leap like that coming out of a turn..Usually happens when the horse has not curved around the barrel, but more or less planted his front feet and swung his butt out, then to get back in line they have to kind of do a turn on the hunches, picking up their front end to get straight. They can still get good times, but do lose some turning in that fashion. But as I say, it’s really hard to tell form one still picture.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Harley and I had a nice hour’s ride this morning, but it sure is getting hot. I picked the trails that kept us in the shade. He was a bit slow and pokey:), but did very well when we trotted and loped. Didn’t do a lot, to hot, and it’s been awhile since we have rode.

I’ll get to ride in the morning again, JP won’t be coming to play:(, he put a coffee bean up his nose yesterday, and has to go to the doctor tomorrow to get it out...LOL...kids!

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I’m a bit bummed. I’m not sure what happened, but every time I’ve walked out the front door this morning, one of the baby swallows (4), is laying dead on the porch...they were way to little to be trying to fly, anyone have a clue why they would be jumping out now?

I think, but am not sure, that my cat may have gotten one of the parents yesterday, there were a few feathers on the porch, but at the time I didn’t think much about it, now I’m wondering. Maybe one parent couldn’t keep them fed well enought??? I’ve seen one come and fly to the nest...so I know at least one of them is still coming.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

I think I told you that that same thing happened to my baby swallows last year, but it was 3 at one time with mine. I have no idea why. I put them back but they didn’t stay. :-(
It’s a real bummer!

[Beaker]

Doesn’t it get dark before supper where you are in the winter time? If not, I must move to this land of eternal sunlight that you live in!

[MissTargets]

A few fell out of the nest in our barn also. Maybe they just get too big for the size of the nest, or else they other more aggressive ones push them.

That is acceleration on the first photo. They are heading for the third barrel. As you can see on the second one, Bob hugs the barrels.

[MissTargets]

I turn my head and shoulders and LOOK at it.

I got a chuckle out of that. "LOOK" is what everyone on the rail yells, when someone is running barrels. Must work!

[Beaker]

We had some swallows in the back barn this year, something pushed all the eggs out of the nest.

Somewhere in my yard, there is a downed bird's nest, or mama bird has pushed two babies out of the nest. Our very fat cat, who couldn't catch a bird if his life depended on it, brought in live baby by birds on two separate nights. One we kept in the bathroom for a bit, and its chirping alerted all of the cats who all eagerly waited outside like one would for a famous movie star.

[AnAmericanMother]

It always works! Your head follows your eyes, your neck and shoulders follow your head, and then your body turns and puts the weight on that hip or seat bone.

It's the same thing they say when beginners are staring at the ground while trotting -- "DON'T LOOK DOWN THERE -- YOU'LL WIND UP DOWN THERE!!!!"

[AnAmericanMother]

CATarazzi!

[FrogInABlender]

I can’t believe your cat didn’t kill them. Any one of mine would have “played” it to death at the very least. I hate it when they do that!

[Beaker]

That’s what I would think too. He brought it in, put it on the floor and just watched it like “OK human. DO something about it.”