The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!

[HairOfTheDog]

Free Republic has a lot of horse people that have found each other on other threads…. And since we all like to talk horses, how about a thread where it is not off-topic, but is THE topic?

A few of us thought it would be interesting and informative to have a chat thread where we can 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 last thread we had a great time and were a great help to each other working through lessons and training, horse lamenesses and illnesses, questions and challenges and always just our stories we like to tell.

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 Becky pings everyone most mornings. Let Becky (Paynoattentionmanbehindthecurtain) 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 last thread, 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.

[HairOfTheDog]

Even the mud hard:')

Even water feels hard if you hit it from high enough!

[CindyDawg]

We need Star trek boots that can lift us off and set us down:')

[elbucko]

That's too bad about your vet. The ones I feel that way about mean more to me than many of my kin. The good vets are a blessing, the great ones are minor miracles. May the Lord send him to green pastures, perfectly healthy horses and the answers to all the questions about horses that the vet didn't know in this life.

[Duchess47]

I'm so sorry to hear about your vet. Our vets are like best friends, doctors and priests rolled into one. The good ones empathize, socialize, and heal - they take payments when you can't afford the whole bill at once, they come in the middle of the night when called, hold our hands while we cry and keep us up to date on the rest of our horse community.

I didn't post anything about husband, so no - you didn't miss it. Looks like he will need to have an angiagram, which is better news than we were expecting. I'm very relieved about that.

Thanks for the ping, you guys have a good day. Another cold and rainy one here - how's that for strange. This is Nevada, cold is one thing but rain?

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, you must need rain sometimes! It's grey out here, and damp. Not raining at the moment, and Bay is guarding his ladies while they have a nap.

He never leaves them when they are laying down, and he'll come stand over me if I sit down in the pasture. That always struck me as a maternal behavior. Anyone else's geldings do this? or herd stallions?

[CindyDawg]

I was reading on herd behavior that one always stays awake and that all horses only have a few hours of deep sleep time and stay on guard for danger even while sleeping.

I see very few horses laying down at the stables though. I have never seen Okie lay down unless he just wants to roll a few times.

[HairOfTheDog]

When Bay lays down, they don't guard him.... at least the pony never did. There's no return of the favor for the boss man in my herd!

[tuffydoodle]

I slowly get up and look around to see if anybody saw my graceful dismount. Then I check for injury.

[tuffydoodle]

I'm so sorry you lost your vet. I'm sure his family is devastated.

[Beaker]

It's like my dad said about 4x4's when I got one. 4x4s don't keep you from getting stuck in the woods, they get you stuck farther OUT in the woods. ;~D
LOL. :-)My horse used to toss me all the time. It was chronic with him, and the longer I would stay on, the harder he would buck, and twist, or pull all his little tricks. When I got thrown like a discus, I was riding in the ring with a bunch of other people during a practice. I went to go by a black mare, and she swung her butt out at us to kick, and my horse said "No way!" and spun really quick. Centripital force being what is, caused me to go flying, but I was wearing spurs and one of them got caught.

In efforts not to be dragged, because I knew that as soon as I let my upper body go he would take off, I held on sideways to a chunk of mane and he kept spinning, really fast. Finally that jerked my spur free and I let go all at once, and flew a bit before I landed. It was like a figure skater twirling a partner. Except my landing wasn't as graceful. :-)

[Beaker]

Oh, and we don't have any soft ground around here. Even the mud hard:')
Eeew...

[tuffydoodle]

I was getting a mental picture of that description and it sounds like something that once it's over and you're judged ok, would get a big laugh.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Whooo Hooo. You'll never believe what just happened.

After my ride I ran to town to pick up wormers for the horses, and a man came in the feed store as I was going out. I heard him say he was looking for a horse. I hadn't left the parking lot when he came out and I asked him if he was looking to buy a horse. He said yes. I told him about Harley, he followed me home, liked the look of him and is coming back tomorrow morning to ride him:)

He said he rode alot with people on gaited horses, and knew Quarters didn't walk as fast. But I told him, and it's not an exaggeration:), that Harley has kept up with a gaited horse before and even passed it. At Robbers Cave.

He didn't flinch at my price, says he has a saddle, trailer, everything but the horse, so I would say he is a serious buyer.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Hey - great. Hope the ride goes well! And he rides trail, it sounds like?

[Beaker]

That's fantastic! :-)

[Beaker]

It did get a big laugh after the inital shock :-) Always been leary of my hammerhead spurs after that. haha.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Yeah he said he'd been to Glacier Park?? in Montana for 2 wks this summer and rode horses every day. He has been trail riding with some people in MO. and hopes to find a group closer to home.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I was reading your psot about Bay standing guard.

It's funny, my mare is the only horse that would run off after she dumped me. Last year when Rusty dumped me, I had rolled over onto my hands and knees, and he came back and was rubbing his lip on the back of my head. The other geldings that I've come off of, always hung around. But Belle, she'd take off. I'd have to go catch her down the trail a ways.

But when she was due to foal and I was sleeping in the barn, she tried several times to climb in cot with me, or standing with her head hanging over me.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Maternal instincts were developing ;~D Other horses I've had who dumped me always took off at least initially, often to go stand somewhere near, come back again, or stop to graze. Most of the time they may bolt off out of surprise or fear of punishment, but they don't ~really~ want to go off alone in a strange place either, so they just stand there.

I've only ended up on the ground once with Bay, when he fell. He jumped back up and just stood there. He was as surprised as I was that he went down.

[CindyDawg]

When I fell off on the right, dismounting (fall #4) I flipped over and looking at him. He looked back to see what I was up to and saw me on the ground and his eyes got huge and he shyed about 10 feet away and just stood there looking at me.