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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!
Our grass here is just barely starting to green up. Lots of bare spots too but that’s way down my list of to do things. I ordered garden plants and seeds today, after I get a garden in I’ll think about the lawn - or if I need to take horse pictures in front of the trees.
WOO HOO! P2B finally got to take her own “View from Between the Ears” pics! She has very nice looking ears by the way. And the baby sure is a looker too. I think it’s great that she’s bold enough to be out front like that, and I’m sure it’ll do worlds of good for her future trail riding confidence. I love the pic of the trail through the trees with the Spanish Moss hanging off of them. I’ve always loved that stuff. It makes things look so mysterious. The Saw Palmetto is interesting too. You must pretty near the coast to have them both. Thanks for sharing your ride with us and best wishes for a long and successful partnership with Charm!
Great pics, Texasgal. Very pretty country to ride in. Best of luck with your new horses.
Oh Becky, you are going down to the 50's and we are suppose to be in the 30's again by Thursday and a chance of snow!! It has been so beautiful here, temps in the 70's.
We have a different farrier coming in about 20 mins, so I will talk to you all later.
We had snow yesterday north of here... but not here.
Good morning all :~)
LOL ... her former owner said her ears look like rifle sights .. lol. She does keep them in alert position all the time.
The baby is VERY confident .. and loves to be out front. When I rode a couple weeks back with a friend and her gelding, the baby lead the entire way .. her first trip out! She is going to be really neat to work with.
We're about 50 or 60 miles from the coast .. but really close to the San Jacinto River .. you don't find the moss and the palmetto everywhere, but in this particular patch of "jungle" .. they are both there.
There is a small lake right there too that has the moss hanging from the trees around it .. it's very Loooooosiana looking to me!
One more thing you can’t see from the pics .. the mosquitos were eating us alive!! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek.
As soon as you hit that dense woods, they are out by the thousands. I know my girlfriend sprays deep woods OFF on her gelding before she rides. Fly spray does NOT touch them!
Once we were out in the open and the wind was blowing, we were able to get them off of us and they were gone.
Isn't that just the pits?! I guess it'll be Blackberry Winter, coz the blackberries are definately blooming. We're supposed to get the same weather too. They're even predicting a light freeze overnight from Thursday through Sunday, so I'm glad I've resisted the urge to go out and buy a bunch of bedding plants and ferns just yet. It would be a pain in the butt to be having to worry about trying to get them all covered up.
I think this is an interesting, non-controversial (at least for now:) thread on the horse forum. I’d be interested in you all’s opinions. Made me think anyway.
http://forum.horse.com/tm.asp?m=302038&mpage=1&key=;
Becky
The mosquitos are terrible here too. This time of year I like to prop the front door open, and windows (no screens) to let in fresh air. We noticed last night the house is just full of them. Had to close up and spray:( For the horse, have you ever tried the spray Pyranha, it works well for me on mosquitoes. I mean they’ll still hover around buzzing the horse, but they don’t land as much. Of course the horse doesn’t know they are not going to land on him so he can get a bit antsy from them buzzing.
I’m also finding the ticks here horrible this year already. Everytime I come in from a ride, I have to pull them off. Today I’m getting some OFF...as many as I’ve had on me, more then ever before, I’m really worried about the risk of lyme, Tick fever illness...
Becky
Yes it is the pits. I’m in the position of having to worry about plants:(...Usually, up here in the house I’ve not had problems when we get lite freezes, but they are forecasting 30,,,I guess it will depend on how long it stays that low.
Doesn’t making sure they are very watered help?
Becky
I answered over there.
We’re still a little too cold at night to have a lot of bugs... but we talked yesterday that we’ve got to start getting a little more regular spreading poo and doing our other fly management tactics.
I do the same thing, plus carry a spare can in my cantle bag. It's not so much the 'skeeters around here as the deer flys and B52 horseflys. When they bite you it feels like you've been stabbed with an ice pick, and OFF is the only thing that seems to phase them.
I don't think so. At least not for the tender stuff like begonias and impatiens. If a frost gets on them, they just seem to turn to jelly, and the ferns will turn black. You might wanna throw an old sheet on them if you've got any.
Well, I’m sitting here debating if I want to ride today...
The trails are just so soft and muddy. Several places where trees came down this winter over the trails and I have to go around. When I get off trail, he was really sinking...that worries me. The hills down to the creek are boggy, there just wouldn’t be many places to go where I wouldn’t run into this problem...am I wussing out?
Becky
Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking I’m going to have to do. I do have young impatients in. I’ve got to go get some line for the weed eater today, I think I’ll pick up a package of stakes so I can lay a cover over them without breaking them.
I don’t remember having this worry before in April. I knew I was pushing it thru March, but I was thinking last week I was safe now.
Becky
Have you decided for certain you’re not going on the CTR this month?
If so, there’s no rule that says you have to keep conditioning in mud.
No, I’m not going to the one this month:(...it’s breaking my heart, but I can’t ask him to do it, even if I could condition consistently from now till then. It’s just a very very tough ride.
Becky
Too bad the hardest ride isn’t at the end of the season.... course, I guess then it’d be too hot.
Well, I wouldn’t worry about the mud too much unless it’s like shin deep. Then you’ve got to start worry about him pulling something and hurting himself. And as far as the trees go, is there any way that you can take a folding pruning saw with you and limb them down enough that they can be stepped over. We’ve got a lot of trees down on our trails too so I always try to carry my handy-dandy little saw with me just in case because sometimes there’s a rock wall on the uphill side and a bluff on the downhill side and there’s just NOT any good way to go around. And sometimes they’ll be down on the trail but the main trunk is high enough to ride under and all you need to do is cut out the limbs underneath so you can go through, even if you have to get off and lead. I’ve even had to slide the saddle over to the side at times to make it. It’s a pain, but it’s better than losing the use of the trail.
Our weather guy had been saying all along to not plant anything until after Easter, and I guess he was right. The stakes sound like a good idea because I’ve had things freeze through the sheet when the sheet was laying right on top of the leaves.
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