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Posted on 01/02/2007 9:57:39 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
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!
The field-on-conformation cross has a good deal of variation. I've seen one of Shelley's litter mates, and he is a typical big chesty box-headed conformation boy. She's by far the smallest and lightest of the litter.
With all the conformation in Blue's pedigree (he looks like about a half-and-halfer, like Shelley) he probably will be a more compact dog than a 5/8 field dog like Ruby. Blue's momma isn't that large a dog (60 pounds) but being a boy he could turn out to be heavier. The great thing about the short-coupled dogs is that they are so agile. Shelley can turn on a dime and give you back a nickel in change in the time a lanky field dog is deciding to make the turn . . . it's why she's so good at agility. What she doesn't have without the long legs and long back is the sheer bore-ahead power of a big field dog.
Don't forget to take LOTS of pictures!
Shelley will even do it on the command, "Shelley, Grovel!"
We had enough snow to play in when Shelley was just about a year old - that would have been in February of '02. She had a splendid time trying to retrieve snowballs, couldn't figure out what happened to them when they shattered or melted . . .
Have you forgotten who you're talking to? ;~)
Anyway, I guess I'll register him as TLC's TE Blue Duck. And, lol - Bob's already calling the little girl who isn't born yet "Belle".
She is "Candlewood Rock 'n' Roll Ruby" in both associations. We'll have to see what sort of letters she can add to that.
I expect she'll add a good amount of letters to that name :)
Ok.
Bitter cold here, only about 9 degrees, but we have sun!
Good morning,
We've got the same temps. Not sure if any sun because I can't see windows where I work.
Sad news over the weekend that keeps bothering me. I helped someone buy a foundation QH last spring. Wonderful, kind horse. After 3 months of initial training, not hard miles by any stretch, he developed suspensory problems in the left front. With stall rest actually got worse. Now it's 5 months later and the "good" leg is also breaking down. Vet said it was nothing that could have been found on prepurchase. They aren't sure if it is some sort of auto-immune problem attacking his soft tissue but the prognosis is grim.
Even if he was to be a pasture potato he would hobble around and be in constant pain and that is no sort of life. The owner and I are no longer on good terms but I feel so badly for him. I keep seeing the horses big kind chocolate eye and it breaks my heart.
Sorry about the horse, I remember seeing pictures of him. Very sad.
Oh no, so sorry to hear about the QH. How old is this horse? Are you being blamed for not realizing the horse had a problem, when you "helped" with the purchase? Is the owner putting him down?
Hair, are all those trees uprooted when they blew over?
He's not quite 4. The owner is not blaming anyone, at least as far as I know. We haven't spoken for 3 months since he told me some whopper lies on another subject entirely. I don't take to liars at all and so took a pretty harsh outlook on him.
It's a freak thing that the vet said would not have shown up on a prepurchase. I suspect he will be euthanised. They could try to find a pasture home for him but the vet says quality of life will not be good as the best you can hope for him to hobble around. Palpating the ligament produces a significant reaction so I suspect there is a fair amount of pain.
Most of them yes, the big ones pull out of the ground more often than they break.
Hurrah! A lab pup at a healthy weight! You are to be congratulated. I wish every lab pup that came into the clinic was as fit. Labradors are notoriously difficult to keep at ideal body condition for two reasons. First, they often will eat anything and everything and not know when to quit and second, many owners don't realize that the stereotypical square lab is actually overweight.
As a general guideline, with any dog you should be able to see a modest waist from both the side and the top. Also, if you lightly rest your fingers behind the shoulders on the sides of the ribs, you should be able to press just enough to dimple the skin and feel ribs. They shouldn't feel like your knuckles, but you shouldn't have to hunt for them either.
Ok, there's my soapbox for the day. :)
What a shame, for a horse so young.
Yes, it really is. I know life is full of sadness sometimes but dang it this sucks.
Cableman is coming, so I will be off line for awhile. Take care.
One of the problems is that these windstorms often come with pouring rain when the ground is soft... That one in the picture had a good root system, there's a lot of BIG roots there that broke. I think it was a healthy tree... just got one gust too many. Some of the ones that do break are the sick ones, and sometimes that's the first sign they're sick, they look healthy on the outside but had a rotten middle.
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