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.

[tuffydoodle]

What kind of a pony is she?

[HairOfTheDog]

She's a Hackney pony by all appearances. If she was ever registered, her lineage is lost... She's just a barely broke very firey and very fancy little pony. ;~D

[HairOfTheDog]

Good morning.

Sounds like our weather here...

I am just getting around to trying to figure horse care for tomorrow. I guess we'll just have to leave out lots of hay at breakfast and put them to bed late whenever we get home. Hope the weather isn't too nasty here tomorrow.

[tuffydoodle]

She does look like a well built small horse. Doesn't have that pony look at all. How long have you had her?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

You going to the lake house for Thanksgiving?

We are all going to Jenny's. Looking forward to it.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

Thanks! I'll have to dig the picture up. It's somewhere on my other computer but who knows where.

[FrogInABlender]

Hi Cav! Was this the tornado that leveled your shop in Mississippi?

[FrogInABlender]

This is SO cool. I LOVE the picture! Thanks for posting it!
:o)

[FrogInABlender]

Yeah, that's closer. But you'll just have to see it. It's really pretty. It's like an engraved picture, like on money, where the shading is done with little dots and crosshatching.

[FrogInABlender]

Ooooo, the last one in the lower right is real close. The mane is flying like that. Thanks!

[HairOfTheDog]

I've had her goin' on three years now. She was bought at auction for a friend's six year old, kind of on a spur of the moment, but she looked so good. The next day, when the tranquilizers they had her on wore off, she was barely broke and scared to death. They had said she was six, she was really about three.

My friend Tiffney and her son really tried to make her work for them, but she bucked him off every time he ever got on. She was handled really roughly, I think, and panics easily and hard. Tiffney sent her to a trainer for 30 days and they really came a long way with her, she was pretty well broke by their standards, but they advised she was still too much pony for a beginner, and would be even after another 30 days, she is just a fast, sharp pony.

At the time, I had Bay here alone and he needed company, so Tiff gave her to me. I had a soft spot for her and didn't want to see her dumped at auction again, or sold to someone else who would get a kid hurt.

I've been working with her now for three years, off and on... I've done all I can do on the ground, lunging, ground driving... and she's settled a lot, at least working for me. She ~almost~ trusts that I am not trying to kill her. But I don't yet know how she would work for someone else. If there was an older experienced kid or small person who wanted to try her, I'd build her a round pen, and provide whatever was needed to give her a chance, I'd free lease her [here] as a project pony for someone and take her where they wanted to go, but I'm reluctant to sell her now.

I figure, more years and maybe a little arthritis, maybe she'll be a safe pony in 10-15 more years. ;~D

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Looked at your picture again:).

Somewhere someone mentioned they had a cat that sat on their horse. Reminded me I had a chicken that use to sit on the horses. The horses didn't seem to mind either.

This was back when I first started having chickens. I had this stray hen show up and start living in my barn. My husband thought she needed a companion. So, not knowing anything about chickens at the time we got a rooster form somewhere. Well 1 rooster with 1 hen is NOT a good thing. This hen after awhile started flying up on the horses to keep away from the rooster. It was the funniest thing to see. She'd just kind of ride along sitting on thier butts.:) I always wished on of the horses would step on that rooster, he was always circling the horse the hen was on. I finally got some more hens and that solved the problem.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

Aw MAN Hair, she's GORGEOUS! She's worth having around just to look at her. And it looks like she'd work her little heart out for ya.

[HairOfTheDog]

ROTFL!

[MissTargets]

I am going out of town for a few days, everyone;

Have a safe and fun Holiday!

[FrogInABlender]

LOL!!! Poor frustrated rooster. But I really feel sorry for the poor hen. I've seen roosters like that and it's hysterical. One minute the poor girl is minding her own business, scratching up bugs, the next minute she's got this crazed rooster on ther back humping and flapping away. I thought I'd die laughing the first time I saw it. Poor hen couldn't get any peace at all. (still laughing!) :oD

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, and she's done a good job of keeping Bay company and keeping him young these years before we had Cyn.

We've been sortof thinking she could be our pack-pony and carry our stuff for backcountry camping.... If we didn't mind the risk of losing all our stuff when she took off down the trail... ;~D

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I hated that rooster. The whole situation was my fault, not knowing anything about chickens. But this guy was ruthless, I'm talking 20-30 times a day. At least everytime I looked out there. The poor hen made such sad sounds too, she had no feathers on her back, her comb was all chewed up. I bashed him in the head with a bucket everytime I got the chance.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

That's why I think it's so funny that she could get up on the horse and say "Can't get me now! :~P"

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Yeah, we all use to cheer for her when we saw her up there:)

Becky