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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!
Eh - I’m upwind of it :~)
The thing about tornados is... they aren’t very big, but you never know where they’re going to show up!
Glad to see you’re alright. Keep your hatches battered :~)
yeah we checked. She has a collar with tags on. I going to post a pic with a small reward. Maybe after she has eaten up someones back yard they will be happy to “find her” for me. Either way, we have decided no more yard dogs as long as we have Cindy.
Thanks
Well, I hope someone did find her. Bob keeps telling me that labs do grow up :) eventually but I think it’s several years down the road so if someone has her, they may be happy to get her back to her owners.
LOL - I know what you mean. As much as I complain about Blue and now Belle, I’d miss them if they weren’t around. They sort of grow on you.
Both of them got into something on their run at the polo field -- maybe something dead, or just the usual horse poop. Anyhow, they are both sick and I've been washing crate pads over and over again -- but it's worth it because they are SO affectionate.
You can figure on Blue and Belle beginning to settle down around age 2 and to be the Perfect Dog by age 3 or so. Once the Labs get through the puppy sillies, they are the best trained and most reliable dogs around. Until dogs were banned from our local Home Depot (not all were as well behaved as Shelley, I fear) I used to take her shopping with me and she would walk at heel and carry my purchases for me. When we met somebody in the aisles, she would politely sit and grin around whatever was in her mouth. She really was a favorite among the employees.
Is Belle still a sweet quiet thing, or has she gotten through her adjustment period? ;-)
Had a great ride yesterday afternoon - rode for awhile in the fields and then took a lesson. Miss Gracie cast a shoe last week, and fortunately I had an EasyBoot in my tack trunk -- I had bought it the LAST time she lost a shoe, because she has rather brittle hooves and lost a chunk of hoof while she was barefoot. It usually takes the farrier a couple of days to get out here when you call him, he's good so he's usually backed up. The EasyBoot fit perfectly and protected her foot for almost a week, no problems with the boot rubbing her heels or anything. The farrier was pleased that she hadn't lost any hoof and was able to trim her up nicely, she was like 5 weeks in these shoes so he just reshod her all round as long as he was here. Funny, she lost a front shoe and ordinarily the first one she loses is the left hind (her white foot).
Anyhow, she was a good girl in class. She was a little squirrely out in the fields (it must be all that Red Cell she's getting) but she settled down nicely and did everything that was asked of her (lots of leg yieldings, shoulder-ins, and working on very precise circles). And she got to jump a new course that the trainer just set up . . . lots of goofy turns, lead changes, and then in the middle of the course a set of trot poles to an in-and-out (just to make sure that you have control!) Gracie and I both hate to trot fences, so we had a few arguments before she would come back to a trot and negotiate the poles . . . but after a couple of times she did it perfectly (much to everyone's surprise). I even got some good flying changes out of her.
We have a rider in Rolex this weekend, so everybody's heading to Kentucky (not me, I have to work).
You took a lesson...what do you learn in your lessons?
There are times I’d like to take some lessons, mostly to have some unbiased person watch me and tell me what they see:). And also, I know Harley has some training in him, pivots, rollbacks, etc, that he can do, but I’m just not good at giving the right cues. It’s been explained to me, and I’ve seen it done, but, well...I’m not getting it.
Anyway, just curious as to what you work on.
Becky
A typical one-hour lesson will start with about ten minutes of sitting trot to warm up (with or without stirrups). Starting with large (20 meter) circles concentrating on getting the horse on the bit and collected properly, we progress to 10 meter circles in the corners. Then we'll work on specific movements like shoulder-in down the long side, with the trainer standing at the corner to watch as we come down. After that we'll do posting trot with transitions up and down to/from canter, again working on various size circles as well as change of rein on the diagonal. After that we'll spend about 20-30 minutes on course as the trainer watches our jumping form. Typically low fences, around two feet, but with all sorts of odd approaches, tight turns, etc. to get us used to what we may encounter on a trappy cross country course.
About once a month we have a schooling expedition to one of the local cross-country venues, and get to actually work on jumping big fences in the open.
That sounds like it would be interesting and fun. So are other people in the ring with you taking the lesson too?
That’s one thing I’ve really liked about the CTR’s I do. At the end of the ride we get a copy of the judges score cards, and most of them will tell you what the positives and negatives are they saw, rather then just deducting points. They don’t tell you how to fix the negatives usually, but you can ask, or just go home and do it yourself.
Becky
It actually makes sense to take a group lesson if you have a good trainer, because you can work on a problem while she's coaching somebody else, so you have time to make adjustments and improve and get feedback. It's cheaper, too! < g >
Looks like rain again, but like Hair said "April showers bring May flowers!" Phlox are starting to bloom and that is a good sign.
I won't be online for a few days, so you all have a good weekend.
Sounds like a great thing. Now, can you just take them when you want, do you have to take so many a year, say, or do you just show up when you know a lesson is going to be given, and join in? In that case, how do you know they are going to work on what you need to work on?
Becky
I take a regular lesson once a week. I find it keeps me from getting sloppy!
The trainer has a scheduler who tries to make sure that everybody in the class is about the same level of ability. When I don't come on my regular day I often wind up in a class of a different ability level, but that's not really a problem. I can work around the beginners and intermediates, and riding with the big teenagers stretches me a a little, which is good. I usually ride with a class of relatively advanced riders but not the top riders who are competing at the higher levels. But I can (mostly) keep up with them if I exert myself.
:) I think Belle’s adjustment period lasted 30 minutes. She is a pushy little thing. She finally decided she could live in a crate at night BUT insists that she be released the minute the alarm goes off. She will sleep for hours in Bob’s lap but when put in her playpen or her dog run outside she becomes a terror. She shreds the paper in her playpen, turns over her water inside and outside, drags her dishes around like they are toys, etc. etc. She can howl with the best of them and has now taught Blue to do that too.
Well that all sounds really cool.
Becky
It’s cold and dreary here, Celia is suppose to be here at 1, and I’m not looking forward to it....when is it going to get warm and STAY warm...geez.
Becky
The dogs next door taught Shelley to howl, and she taught Ruby. Ruby at first was horrified at the weird noises emanating from Shelley . . . until she found out that SHE could make them TOO! Now if they happen to be outside when a train blows for the crossing, they both cut loose and have a wonderful time. Nobody else does.
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