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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!
Those are really good pics of you and Harley. You REALLY look good with all the weight you’ve lost! Good Job! Harley looks great too. He’s really dappled out this year. Maybe he always does and I just haven’t noticed it or it may just be the light, but you can really see them. I love that 2nd pic where he’s having his “OH SH!T” moment with the sponge. You can see that he’s really got his side muscles all clinched up like he’s expecting it to bite him or hit him there. And it really says alot about his mind and your relationship that he calmed down as quickly as he did. Hopefully he’ll do well back at the creek too.
Sounds like a really nice evening ride. I always liked to ride in the evenings. It’s so much cooler and it just seems more peaceful. Where I used to live, I would even occasionally ride at night through the fields across the road, especially on full moon nights. The only time I had any trouble was when I spooked up a heard of deer and they went bounding across the field and that spooked Ol’ Tennessee and I got dumped and he went home without me. Thankfully it only hurt my pride and home wasn’t that far away.
Somewhere I have a pic of a German army farrier back between the world wars, with a big old artillery horse with his foot perched up on one of those. Beats holding it!
We sometimes have a herd come through while we're in the ring riding, and all the horses go nutz! I hate it when we're out on the trail, because everybody spooks in all directions. Even steady old Gracie jumps a mile.
Well, I’d say that stand would be worth whatever you had to pay for it. That’s really cool.
Thanks on all counts:)
I think Harley has dappled more this year then in the past, but I have no clue why.
I’m going to the creek this morning come hail or high water:), and it just might, we have chances of rain, and it’s pretty gloomy. But I’m going:), yep, I’m going, not a problem, I’m going....LOL....why is this getting to me. That one jump is all he did, and it wasn’t that bad of one ...
Becky
Well, I wouldn't call it expertise by any stretch, but it gets the job done. See my reply to Becky in post 7500 for the scoop on the hoof stand.
My horses have all jumped when deer pop up out of the brush. But once they know it’s a deer they are OK. I have deer come graze in the pasture with the horses, so they are use to them. It’s just that many times the deer wait till we’re about right on top of them to jump up and take off, heck they startle me.
Sometimes my dog will scare them up before the horse and I get to them. The horse may stop to watch the dog chase them off, but I think that’s more of just watching, not spooking.
Becky
LOL!! I'd say not! That just embarasses me to death when that happens, and they always seem to want to wave it around too. Like it doesn't get enough attention by just being there! ;o) That black Arab is gorgeous too. He's either a really big horse or those are some fairly short people in the picture with him.
LOL!! I'd say not! That just embarrasses me to death when that happens, and they always seem to want to wave it around too. Like it doesn't get enough attention by just being there! ;o)
That black Arab is gorgeous too. He's either a really big horse or those are some fairly short people in the picture with him.
I imagine you’d REALLY have to have one while working on draft horses. I mean, dang, their feet are as big as my head. Some people will only shoe big horses like that or problem horses in a “Shoeing Stock”. It’s like the stocks they have at the vets office, but it has places where you can tie each foot to a support as you’re working on it so they can’t take it away from you and the stocks keep them from getting away. I’ve never seen one used though. I’ve just heard about them from an old guy around here who likes to mess with Belgians. I think he built one.
My daughter's summer camp had two Belgians in the barn - just two great big gentle giants, you could put a four year old child on them and they'd just stand there, or walk slowly around. It was a major effort to get them to trot! My daughter liked to ride the smaller of the two on the overnight camping trail rides, she said it was like riding on a sofa.
You just need to get it out of your head that he’s going to move. Do not let that mental image cross your mind. You’re psyching him and you both out about it. Remember to breathe, it’ll relax you. A big deep breath and a long loud exhale works wonders sometimes. You’ll do fine!
We were having a similar problem on our ride this weekend with backpackers. The trail has really narrowed over the years with all the little pine saplings encroaching on it, so they could see that SOMETHING was moving down the trail, but they couldn't tell what. And to make it worse, the backpackers would politely step off the trail to let us pass, but then the horse couldn't see them at ALL, but they knew that SOMETHING was still there and wouldn't get any closer. We finally had to ask them to step on out in the trail so the horses could see them. Once the horses saw that it was a person (although a very strange hump-backed one) they were ok.
Hey Frog, remember when we were in Elkmont and that deer about ran smack into that guys horse? I am afraid if that would have been Blade I would have wound up on the ground!
Ok, I’ll keep that in mind:)
I’m off. See you later with a report.
Becky
Yeah, that was Donny, and that was about the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. It was 10 or 11 in the morning and the trail was right along side a fairly busy road and there had been several other riders that had already passed that spot when the deer just came charging across the trail. I was in front of him and the deer went between my horse and his. I heard the crashing as it came through the brush and I thought his horse was having a fit or something so I whipped around just in time to see it out of the corner of my eye. It’s a good thing it didn’t hit him or try to jump over him or he would’ve probably been on the ground too. Very strange indeed!
Hey, if you don’t get the truck fixed by this weekend and still wanna ride with us up at Elkmont I can bring Hope and you can ride her. She’s fun to ride.
I took Bob on a exercise ride down the road on Saturday after I got back from the Forest with Hope. He was really boogery at first, since I hadn’t really ridden him there at home in quite a while, especially as we were riding past the neighbor’s hog pen. Thankfully none of them decided to get up or I would’ve been in the next county before I knew it. ;o) But he settled down pretty quickly and did real well. Once he finally decides to go, he can really pick ‘em up and put ‘em down. If I’d’ve had a hat on he would’ve blown it off. I was really glad that I had the drill tek put on his shoes because he wasn’t slipping at all on the pavement. Even up and down hills. I need to exercise him like that more often. Maybe that way I could get some of that extra weight off of him that he’s put on since the grass has come out. Oh, and we had a couple of Boxers come charging out and get after us too but I made him stop and face them down and they chickened out. Then their owner stuck his head out the door and hollered at them and they went back to the porch and I was glad.
Our pony seems to be colicing... vet’s on his way. More news later.
Oh NO!!! I’ll be saying Pony Prayers for her! Hopefully some mineral oil will be all it takes to set her straight. Thanks for letting us know.
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