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The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - (very out of date) Who's Who *pics*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

[HairOfTheDog]

Good morning all! Visit continues here though we’re going our separate ways for the day here. ecurbh had to work, so his folks are visiting a great Aunt who lives nearby, and I have a lot of work to catch up on too.

The horses think they’ve been retired.

[FrogInABlender]

The picnic in the yard sounds like fun! Show us pictures if you have them. Did you get to ride over the weekend? BladeRider and I had a nice ride out at the horse camp on Saturday but I didn’t take pictures because it’s just the same old places. TheNewTrailer got broke in good too. It had poo and pee and dirt all over it. :-( Oh well, I guess that’s what it’s meant for but it sure was pretty while it lasted. I sold the old red trailer on Sunday too, so that was even better. Now if I can just get the big 3-horse sandblasted and painted I’ll be all set. I took it and got an estimate from a painting company but BOY was it going to be expensive, so I guess it’s just going to be me, a wire brush or a grinder and a case of rustoleum. Ain’t that always the way it is?!

I also got a call from the trainer that Miss Ellie was ready to pick up so I went and got her. I haven’t ridden her yet but I probably will this coming Saturday at the big St. Jude trail ride. I’ll be interested to see how she does. It was real funny to watch all the other horses when I brought her back. They all had to crowd around the fence and sniff and blow and arch their necks, and of course when I turned her out in the pasture all hell broke loose. They all had to try to put her in her place, but Bob was especially mean to her. He kept acting like the herd stallion and running her away from the other two girls. Poor thing, I know she was tired after all that, but then again, they all were because they ripped and ran for the better part of an hour before I left. Hopefully they’ve gotten used to her by now and accepted her back as one of their own.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Good morning.

I hope your weather is good so you can ride. I am riding today with Julia. We are going about 9:30 AM to miss the heat. It’s very humid here.

I didn’t ride this weekend, but Harley did stand tied Sun. afternoon. He was fine.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

How was the volcano expedition?

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Good job selling the old one. I need to get my trailer re-painted, every winter for the last few it's been on the winter time agenda but hasn't made it to the top yet:). Charlie re-did his a few years ago. He did what it sounds like you have to do, but it came out well.

Wow...Miss Ellie wasn't at the trainers long was she? Seems like you just took her. I've always been very impressed how gutsy your are:)...riding her for the first time at a big group ride....Does your trainer take them out on trails and in groups? Looking forward to your pictures.

Here's some pictures of our picnic yesterday, we had a very nice non-stressful day laying around under the trees, playing, and taking a walk to the stream, that is just about (already) dried up.

JP and Tucker really enjoyed the playhouse, JP ran and hid in it from "monsters":), and Tucker would go in, shut the door, and sit on a little stool I put in there. We could see him thru the side. He'd sit there then come back and sling the door or window open and hang out and jabber at us then go back and sit on the stool...scary to think he who he may be impersonating:).

They all took turns on the roller coaster. Blake's cousin is spending the week with him, so she was here too.

We threw frisbees, and the kids had a game of baseball.

The we cooked hot dogs, caught toads:), and ate ice cream cones.

And just generally laid under the trees and visited.

The kids ended the day playing in the hose, and making a big mud puddle, which I didn't get a picture of.

Becky

[MissTargets]

Good Morning.

Nice pictures Becky, and it is not raining! It is suppose to rain here for the next couple of days. We sure do need it. Alison wants to go on a trail ride, but it sure looks threatening. My friends were in OK for the Appaloosa Nationals and said it rained every day. She won a fifth in non-pro yearling geldings and an 8th in non-pro most colorful at halter.

[AnAmericanMother]

Long as you don't play with the ice cream, and eat the toad!

Cute pics! I remember when mine were that little!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Yeah, the rain here has been non-stop, but I think we are in the clear for awhile, but the humidity is horrible.

Congrats. to your friends:), and hoping you and Alison get to go:). Will she ride the pony?

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

LOL:)

It’s hard to believe these little ones are my kids kids:)

Grandkids are great. By the time they were going home, the little ones were tired and getting cranky...it was nice to not have to be the one that dealt with that part of a fun busy day:)...Just hard for them at that age to realize good times have to end sometime, even when we don’t want them too.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Good morning :~)

The volcano was still there! - I haven’t uploaded the pictures yet, but probably will today :~) The lava dome in the crater has grown a lot even since last year so I thought I’d post some comparisons from years past.

ecurbh’s folks will be at their friend’s place in Sequim for the next two days, and then when they return we’ll be going to the beach house Thursday.

It’s pouring here! Been raining pretty constant since about 5 am. I woke up when it started but went back to sleep :~)

[HairOfTheDog]

when I turned her out in the pasture all hell broke loose.

And your pictures are....?

;~)

[HairOfTheDog]

Hey the play house is pretty cool :~)

[FrogInABlender]

Wow, that’s a really cool playhouse! I would’ve loved that as a kid. The catching toads and eating ice cream would’ve been right up my ally too. There wasn’t a toad alive that was safe from me if I ever saw him. I’d pick them up and wag them around all day, and the same went for box turtles and green snakes, but I always put them back when I was done playing with them. You’re a great Grandma to do all that stuff with them!

[FrogInABlender]

Oh, and about Ellie, she was there for a month. It didn’t seem like that long to me either, but apparently she did really well. He said she pulled the wagon like she’d done it her whole life and apparently there was no quit in her when it came to hills and creeks and stuff like that. I really like the way he trains. He rides them alone and with groups and through all different kinds of terrain. When you get them back you can be assured that they’ve pretty much seen and done it all, in addition to having their gait pretty well set too. The only thing I don’t really like about him is that he really doesn’t want his horses to have any kind of personality at all. He doesn’t abuse them, but he definitely doesn’t pet them either. He wants them to do WHAT they’re told, WHEN they’re told and that’s all. And that’s a good thing I guess, because they’re very well behaved when I get them back, but they’re a little withdrawn and it takes a me a while to get the “life” back in their eyes, if you know what I mean. I’m sure that I treat my horses too much like pets, but I want them to look at me when I talk to them and to come to me when I walk out in the pasture and not just be like an automaton that I ride. If I wanted that I’d ride a motorcycle.

[FrogInABlender]

Weeeeell, I’m guilty as charged I guess. I did get the camera out, but not until after I missed all the good stuff. I got ONE still shot, but it wasn’t any good. I did take a couple of video clips but they weren’t all that good either. I’ll upload them and you can check them out if you want to.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well... I understand... I guess ~rolls eyes~

;~)

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, here's a few pictures from the visit so far - not been much horsey posted lately, Frog, you should have posted some pictures of your ride just to bring a few horses in :~D

Here's ecurbh with his folks at our little falls park here in town...

And here's ecurbh all tangled in the god leashes... ;~)

And here's the volcano from coldwater... Becky, I'll post some comparison pictures with the closeup pictures in a bit when I find them again...

Wading in the ocean...

And this is coming back from the ocean... A little deer in the median of the road...

Heh...

Ahem... do you ~MIND~?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Frog: Your trainer sounds like the kind of trainer I’d like to find if I ever needed one. Wow...pulling a wagon, that is great. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a scary thing to take a new one out after training like that. About them coming home a bit stand offish...I don’t know, I’d probably fall in the middle of you and the trainer. I think as long as at the beginning, it might be a good thing to really be strict, but once you know they have a good understanding, then you could lighten up, pretty much like what you are saying. My fear is losing their respect entirely. I don’t have the confidence to handle a horse that really misbehaves, so I try to not let little things go. But I wouldn’t want a robot either. I like to see some personality too.

Hair: The water fall picture is really nice, would make a great picture for the mantle:)

The volcano looks great. I really enjoyed seeing it.

Poor deer:(...:)

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

...And here's ecurbh all tangled in the god leashes... ;~)

Heh, I knew you loved your dogs, but making them gods is a bit extreme don't you think? ;o)

And that deer taking a whiz in the middle of the road is just hysterical. I mean, of all places, why THERE? Couldn't she have waited for a FEW more steps?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oh, forgot to add.

Julia and I had a nice ride. Quiet and slow, but it was nice to ride again, I think it’s been 3 weeks since I rode. We didn’t go far. She is trying her horse’s barefoot, and I don’t think the one she rode today will make it much. He was really gimping. She says she will come back Thurs. with her other one who she thinks can handle the rocks better. We only ran into one spot that was really boggy still, so that was good. I hated riding Harley thru too much mud and gunk. His cut looks good, but it’s still not closed all the way in one little spot, and a few of the stitches are still there. They are suppose to desolve on their own, but she said I may have to pull a few. I think the ones that are still there should stay a little longer.

Anyone know how long they should stay?

Becky