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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!
I see a nice land-water-land problem out there behind the boy.
Well that’s a bummer. I didn’t know that you’d made plans with anybody from over there. But an hour’s drive is nothing, to me anyways. I have to drive that long no matter where I go. Like you said, you’re probably just as well off that she didn’t come if she’s going to wimp out so easily.
So did you and Celia go ahead and ride?
He looks like he’s having a ball, in typical Setter fashion. I’m glad they let him do that.
Yeah, Celia and I just got done. We had a good ride, no pictures tho. The horses were actually being a bit frisky, they mud was horrible which doesn’t make for the smoothest ride, so there really was not much opprotunity to get the camera out. I’ll get some sometime this next week when we ride. she left her horse here.
I had gotten a PM from a poster on the horse forum that asked if I would ride with her. She was going to come but called this morning and canceled.
Becky
Not sure what kind of pond it is, it is in western Canada on Vancouver Island I think.
We’re going to go ride tomorrow, we’ll have to see about our mud :~)
Weather’s supposed to be good the next several days though... we’ve got a ride tomorrow, brother visiting for some shooting over the weekend, and hopefully our chainsaw 101 lessons on Monday :~)
The club member whose land we train on has an elaborate retrieving pond with multiple islands, peninsulas, bays, and narrow channels -- all so the dogs can practice particular setups that they might encounter at a hunt test.
This is not his pond (his is nicer and less factory-looking), but this is the general idea:
For example, suppose I was standing with my dog more or less where the camera is. Look out slightly to the right, where all the little square peninsulas point to an area of open water past the long curved peninsula in the middleground. To do a land-water-land-water retrieve, I would have the catapult throw the bird into the stretch of water in the center of those 4 peninsulas over there. The dog would have to run down the bank, swim to the long spit of land, climb out, run across it, re-enter the water, and swim to the bumper. To make it even harder, I would throw the bird onto one of those square peninsulas for a land-water-land-water-land.
Every time a dog has to get out of the water and re-enter, he loses focus and may lose track of where his mark landed. A good marking dog is like a laser, he'll go in and out of the water, over fallen trees, and through brush, but never lose sight of his mark. You can't really teach superlative marking -- it's a combination of good eyesight, good memory, and persistence. If you have a good marking dog who is reasonably obedient, you can teach the rest . . .
. . . another reason I shouldn't have spayed my Chocolate. She is an incredible marker with a hawk's eye.
Aww, I understand now. Being our dogs don’t to much water retreiving I was nto familiar with that. Makes a lot of sense. It could very well be that was a retreiving pond, I will have to ask Heidi.
It's fun, though, and on hot summer days we have been known to go in after the dogs . . .
I understand that! Most of mine love the water, even the Lakelands.
Ruby is nutso about water. She even goes out of her way to jump into puddles.
Well, have a good ride. Celia and I are riding in the afternoon.
Becky
She is a different as night and day from Blue.
Awww. She kind of looks like Cocoa, except for the ears. I will get her pic up this weekend
Oops. I need to add something. She is pretty like Cocoa was when she was a baby. Cocoa isn’t ugly but she’s not the cute , fat little puupy anymore and she’s getting lanky and has donkey ears. Belle is beautiful :’)
:) I really really want to see a picture of Cocoa.
I don’t know what’s wrong with my camera. I dropped a bunch of disposables off at Walmart last week.
Okay - I guess I can wait a bit longer huh? How’s work coming along?
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