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Posted on 09/18/2004 6:56:23 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Well I would like a blue eyed horse but I would prefer that they weren't slanted:')
How'd he do? And how tall is he or are you 4'11" :) He really does look like a big horse.
I have noticed in a lot of pictures that yall wear sleevelees tops. Is it for comfort or better riding? I usually wear long sleeves and have to be cautious that I don't snag ny shirt on the horn when I dismount.
He reminds me of that paint that was in the TV series about the pony express - I can't remember the title of it. Really nice markings.
You can still catch stuff if you're not careful.
I'm 5'3" but he's a big boy. He's a hair under 16 hands and just recently I was using one of those tape measures that you put around their girth area and gives you an idea of their weight. I have one horse that measured to be about 1250 pounds, George the pony was 800 or so, Winnie the palomino was 1025 and the tape measure lacked about 2 inches going all the way around Tuffy. The top weight on the tape is 1350 pounds or so. That would put Tuffy well over 1400 pounds. Good thing he's gentle or I wouldn't go near him.
He did great at the clinic, the only thing that bothered him was dragging around a milk jug full of rocks. He didn't really like it following him but he took it like a man.
I notice you have him in a running martingale. Do many western riders use those?
I used one for years but switched to a German martingale because it doesn't break the line of the rein from bit to elbow. It also encourages a better head position.
The martingale's not acting in that photo, it's slack, but you can see how it pulls the horse's head down but encourages him to arch his neck and mouth the bit to avoid the downward pressure of the martingale.
It was 110 degrees that day. We were using rags soaked in ice water to stay cool. I usually just dress for the weather when I ride.
Oh, I'm not surpirsed at all. He looks 1400 lbs. It sounds like he did really well - he did it even if he didn't care for it.
I rarely use a martingale since I usually ride with just a bareback pad. I was probably just showing off that day. I don't use a flash noseband on him anymore, either. He didn't really need it.
I've never used a german martingale but I'll try anything once. I even have one, just never used it.
Oh, to answer your other question, yes, I see lots of western trainers using martingales but they call them "training forks".
How about an Australian stock saddle? Western fit but no horn.
My husband uses the running martingale to bring a head down - no, not to the knees :) but he doesn't want the arched neck.
Hadn't heard of that.
Hadn't heard of that.
We like the flexed neck, but flexed evenly throughout (no break at the poll). The photog happened to catch Gracie right before the fall of the third beat of the canter, as her neck starts to rise for the strikeout of the first beat. So he caught her head just right - that's what we like to see. The martingale's not acting hard, just enough tension to remind her where her head should be.
What a beautiful horse! Yes, the headset is perfect and what I strive for. Not too high and not too low.
It ain't pretty, but it's VERY comfortable and extremely secure.
Lecture Number 6010 that I give all the kids that show up to ride. "The saddle horn is put there for you to hang on to, even cowboys do when necessary" :) By the way, you can dally a rope around it too, and it really works for the front saddle bags for carrying water and cigarettes.
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