The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread 11

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

At what age can I expect the jarring to become a problem? :)

Becky

[Beaker]

I've always been curious about gaited horses, and what it feels like to ride one. What made you start off with gaited horses? Me, I just kinda "fell into" Dressage and then hunter/jumper, because that's what was around.

[Beaker]

Large groups can have a whole different set of challenges then a small group, just as going by yourself is different:)

I don't really like going out by myself because I kind of like the social aspect or riding along with someone else. Often on our trails, it's follow the leader, so that sometimes makes talking difficult, but I do enjoy the company.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I enjoy company too, for the most part.

But there just isn't that many people around for me to ride with often. I'm blessed that I don't have to work, and that I have such a great place to ride right out my front door. No hauling. Makes it easy. So I've actually developed a liking for going by myself, it's so peaceful, I can do what I want and not feel that someone is having to "keep up", or that I'm having to "keep up" :)

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

I guess that just depends on you and your bones. You probably ride often enough that you just don't get sore at all.

[Beaker]

I'm lucky that I have a barn of people to ride with and if I tell my trainer "Gee, I feel like going on a trail ride today", she'll hop on one of her horses and we'll go out. Right now it's too wet and muddy out to really enjoy things, and people have taken to blocking off trail access points, which disallows horses, but allows dirt biking kids. We end up having to bushwack through the sides to get onto the trail.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

My trails here are really muddy...and they will be worse now after today:)...When they are like this I try to stay on the ones that I won't tear up so bad. IMO, tho, the kids on their 4 wheelers/dirt bikes are causing more damage then I ever would. I've noticed that there are a lot of places that have gotten bad that never did before. We have in the last few years gotten a lot more kids riding them then use to:(

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

...What made you start off with gaited horses?

Well, I was kinda like you and just fell into it. A childhood friend of mine who lived up the street had a horse (just a regular one) and I was with her one day at the barn where she boarded and this guy had this little 14.2 bay Racking Horse named Image there and he let me borrow him to ride with my friend. I had no idea what a gaited horse was or what they were supposed to do, but I thought "Hey, this is kinda cool". But I didn't think anything more about it until he offered to sell him to me later on for little of nothing. He was getting divorced and needed to sell him so I decided to take him up on it. I had always wanted a horse but my Mom was scared to death of them and always told me that I'd never have one as long as I lived under her roof, but since I was then 21 and living on my own, it kinda worked out and I've been hooked ever since.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I meant to tell you yesterday, I got a really good deal on Gerbeara Daisy's this weekend.

I think they are about my most favorite flower. Anyway, I went into Lowe's last week to look at them and they were $5.00+ for one, and they didn't look all that healthy.

Sun. I went into Walmart and they had a whole big table of them and the sign said $1.98, and they were really nice. 2-4 blooms on each one. There were other kinds of plants on the table but only one price sign. So I picked up 5 of them. When I went thru the checkout line they rang up $3.00+ for each. I told the girl what the sign said, she checked, I was telling the truth:), so she gave them to me for the $1.98. I told her there was probably other people complaining, because there were tons of people there picking them up, I'm sure they all thought the price was good too.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

...Often on our trails, it's follow the leader, so that sometimes makes talking difficult, but I do enjoy the company.

That's the way it is on our rides. We're usually in single file and that's no problem when there's just a few of you. You can just holler back over your shoulder. But when there are 9 of us like there were this time and you're scattered out over 50 yards you don't get to talk to everybody until you break for lunch or take a rest break, which we usually do when there's a fork in the trail.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

How much experience do you have riding non-gaited horses?

I've actually only rode 1 gaited horse, a Paso Fino, and he was not well trained at all...his owner was always trying to teach him to lope:)...poor guy was so confused. And she didn't know anything about getting him collected which I would think would help with the smoothness??? He was always very strung out.

Anyway, I rode him, and didn't get the feeling it was all that smooth.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

...I'm blessed that I don't have to work, and that I have such a great place to ride right out my front door...

You can say THAT again! I'd LOVE to have that amount of trails at my fingertips. But I do like to go different places too. Each place has it's own set of challenges and that's what keeps us sharp.

We had mountain bikers on the trail with us on Saturday and THAT was really interesting. Bob hadn't seen one in a while so the first time he saw one he didn't know whether to flip, fly or go straight up. I'll bet he looked like a cutting horse he was so low to the ground and dipping and dodging for all he was worth. But the boy was very nice and stopped and let Bob get a good look at him and smelled of him and then he was fine.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Each place has it's own set of challenges and that's what keeps us sharp.

That is so true, and I keep telling Mack I need to haul Harley more then I do. He doesn't seem to get that that makes a difference. Altho I've been impressed how well Harley has done when I've hauled him I'd like to haul him more, for my peace of mind:). Everytime I do haul him, I'm expecting bad things since he doesn't go often. I have never given him enough credit, and I don't know why.

LOL...glad the kid was nice enough to stop.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

Wow, whatta deal! I'm sure they got that sign changed right quick after that.

I took a picture of my pansy bed this weekend too and meant to show it to you before now, but I had all the horse pics and I forgot about it. The Tulips really opened on up, and even though not all of them made it, they still look pretty anyways. I wanted to be sure and catch them in full sunlight and that's kinda hard for me to do during the week because when I leave and get home they're always in the shade. That's why I didn't get the front bed yet. It's not in full sun until sometime between 1 and 2. Part of this bed is in the shade even in this picture but I had to go to my in-law's for lunch and couldn't wait any longer...

[BladeRider]

I meant to tell you yesterday, I got a really good deal on Gerbeara Daisy's this weekend.

Hey ladies, I am going to put little gardens in each corner of our back yard. I want to do a "bird friendly" area. Something that will attract humming birds and other different birds. The gardens will be triangular and about 25 feet apart. I thought about putting a dwarf tree in one corner with a nesting box and in the other corner some plants that attract humming birds and sead or berry bearing plants. Any suggestions?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Wow, that is just beautiful:) Thanks for posting.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

The flower that I think that attracts hummingbirds the best is red salvia.

You should be able to look on the internet to find others that work well.

But far and away, hummingbird feeders work the best:)...Put you up a shepherds hook and hang feeders from it with flowers underneath:)...that's what I do, and I get tons of the little buggers:) Of course you have to remember to keep the feeders full.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

How much experience do you have riding non-gaited horses?

Not a great lot. I used to ride my cousin's horses when I was a kid and I could beg somebody to saddle one up for me. Other than that, it was just when ever I could wheedle my way into a ride with anybody else. Once I turned 21 and bought Image, I've pretty much had gaited horses ever since, except for 2 or 3 years when I first got married. I sold Image right before I married because I didn't know where we'd end up living or anything, but once we got settled, I bought Tennessee as a 2yr old the rest is history.

I rode a Paso Fino once myself, back when I was horse shopping before I bought Tennessee, and it was very similar to your experience. He either wasn't real set in his gait or I didn't know how to ride him because he was kinda rough. I've seen ones who appear to just glide though, so I know they're not all like that. My main complaint against them is the little bitty steps that they take. In the Fino gait they want them to take a million steps to get anywhere. And that's pure exaggeration on my part but it sure seems that way. And I know that the Largo gait is much faster and more extended, but I don't guess I've ridden with any Largo horses. All the ones I've ever ridden with were pretty slow, although their little feets were moving pretty darned fast.

Oh, and collection has everything to do with how smooth a gait is, no matter what the breed. If it gets strung out and heavy on the forehand, it's GONNA be rough.

[FrogInABlender]

Birds love sunflowers if you've got full sun back there. I bought several packs of the multi-colored dwarf ones this year but I haven't planted them yet.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well, I knew this little guy I rode was not a good example of a gaited horse. My friend who owned him unfortuanately was married to an idiot "cowboy" type, who was extremely embarrassed that his wife had gone with a breed other then QH. It was because of him she never let the horse gait and worked to make him lope...and because of him she knew nothing about collecting him up.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to trying one of your gaited horses when you come:). I've always been curious about how a good one would ride:)

Becky