The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread 11

[HairOfTheDog]

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - (very out of date) Who's Who *pics*

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!

[FrogInABlender]

...not sure if it’s going to rain or not. I’ll wait a bit, but I’m going regardless.

Good for you! Stick a poncho in your saddle bag and have fun.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

You know I don’t have a problem with my body getting rained on, I just don’t like my head getting rained on, so I am going to take my goofy rain hat:)

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Bits are confusing eh? What are you using now? I’m not sure I know.

Hope you don’t get rained on. I’m hoping it gets dry enough to mow before we’ve got to head south.

[BladeRider]

Where are you going to park?

Either Horsecamp or Pinetorch. I will have to call you tonight once I talk to Gary. You gonna want to meet? If so you want to rasp some of the boy's toes off?

[FrogInABlender]

The Horse Camp sounds good to me if that works for y’all. I’ve got sitters lined up to stay with Mother so I should be good to go. I sure need the diversion, that’s for sure.

I’ll bring the rasp and we’ll see what we can do about the toes.

[Beaker]

That with even an O ring snaffle, you do get some curb action when only pulling on one rein, if the curb strap is adjusted as it should be.

A curb strap on an O ring snaffle? I've never heard of it! There's no place for it to go. I think he was wrong there.

Western snaffles are confusing. Techincally you could consider it a snaffle, but I've seen some western snaffles with some decent shanks which are part of the definition of a curb bit.

[HairOfTheDog]

I think the definitions overlap.

Snaffle is a broken bit.
Curb is a shank with leverage.

Some have both :~)

[BladeRider]

I’ll bring the rasp and we’ll see what we can do about the toes.

Great! Jake is the one that really needs it, his edges are rough. Blades don't look to bad. I will call you tonight around, what? 8:00?

[cjshapi]

I think I’m going to root for Curlin. He’s marked nearly identically to Deuce.

Logic is not always a factor in my choices :o)

Happy Weekend everyone! Enjoy your four legged friends.

[FrogInABlender]

Call me on my cell because I may not be home yet. The afternoon sitter just called in sick so I may have to stay at Mother’s until 8 when the night time girl comes in.

[BladeRider]

Call me on my cell because I may not be home yet. The afternoon sitter just called in sick so I may have to stay at Mother’s until 8 when the night time girl comes in.

Will do. Hope she is doing better. Found out my brother (the one that had the car accident last year) had to have extensive abdominal work done. They brought muscles back together and reduced the graph and did a loop ileostomy to allow the bowel to shut down and rest. Hopefully that is just temporary (6 months)

[FrogInABlender]

He’s really had a rough go of it. I sure hope this helps him.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Just got back in, and I didn’t get rained on. We had a really good learning ride. He’s dripping. But we trotted or loped every where we could and switched back and forth often. I think he’s tired. I’m trying to decide if I want to go again with Celia, or give him a rest till tomrrow. We were going to do a long ride tomorrow but they are forecasting rain.

I’m using a bit now that is pronounced Pet-ska...I dont’ know how to spell it. It has a chain mouth piece. But the chain is big, so it is supposedly not harsh, which is what I’ve been worrying about. I’ll go take a picture.

Becky

[BladeRider]

He’s really had a rough go of it. I sure hope this helps him.

We are beginning to wonder if he will ever get out of the skilled care facility. Not much of a life for a 38 year old.

[tuffydoodle]

how far is ok city from me?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well, I’ve seen plenty of people with a leather strap on their O rings to keep it from pulling thru the horses mouth. He said if you pull on one rein it will pull the strap enough to put some pressure on the horses chin...I don’t know about that, I sort of can see it. I don’t think it would be enough to matter one way or the other tho.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I’m not really sure but I’d think about 3 hours...

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Here's what I'm using. The bottom chain is what goes in his mouth, the top one is the curb.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Huh! It really is a chain. I’ve never used one like that, but discussion of them over on the other forum indicated it isn’t severe, because it doesn’t pinch like a single joint, in fact you can’t put very concentrated pressure on the tongue with it, it’s too flexible. It works off the corners, and, the curb.

[tuffydoodle]

I saw this old man on RFD-TV one time and he really knows what he’s talking about when it comes to bits. He developed Mikmar bits. I’ve always wanted one but they are really expensive. Anyway, on the tv program he was on, he discussed several different kinds of bits, what he thinks is good and what he thinks is bad, and it all made sense. He held up a double twisted wire snaffle and said something to the effect of “if you need this, you got more problems than I can help you with on a video.” It was funny.

He also made the comment that we all made many times to that sonny freak on the horse.com site. What generally makes a bit harsh are the hands using it.

http://www.mikmar.com/history.html