| This thread has been locked, it will not receive new replies. |
|
Locked on 12/30/2004 7:09:47 PM PST by Admin Moderator, reason:
Thread III: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1311311/posts |
Posted on 09/18/2004 6:56:23 AM PDT by 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.
That's about like we get here, a thin ice at night that the horses will actually break through, and it warms up during the day. We usually just have two or three cold snaps during a winter where it will stay freezing all day, and those may last a week.
My old stud will bite the crap out of you, if you give him a chance. He's stealthy about, too. No lunging at you, just slowly, steadily getting closer then CRUNCH.
He's just playing though, so I usually just bite him back. :~)
LOL - Well, I didn't turn my back on my stallion because he'd do the same thing. I'm just complacent, my ole Bay, and even the pony, do nothing pushy or dominant like that. Cyn's only fault is poor ground manners, and we're feeding her pretty well, without working her in a few weeks now, so her oats are giving her an attitude.
I need another rail over that wall though, so she can't reach over. Because those mares have gotten in this habit of lunging at each other at feeding time.
Speaking of, there was an incident at the farm next to me that I was lucky enough to witness. I was at my barn feeding the critters and I heard someone start screaming Whoa over and over again. I ran out of my barn to see what the commotion was and there was a man on the ground and a horse rearing up right in front of him. I thought the horse was attacking him but then he started screaming to turn the electricity off. That horse was tangled up in an electric wire. It was awful but didn't seem to have a lasting effect on the horse, they were riding him the next day.
Back when I was a kid, me and my cousin were riding his sister's horse bareback down a dirt road near his house. Well, the old farmer down there had decided to turn his pigs out in the freshly cut corn field next the road and in order to keep the pigs contained in the field, he had run an electric wire around the field about two feet off the ground. When we started to cross the field the horse stepped into the wire and, somehow, got the wire wrapped around his front leg. Horse started bucking and rearing and off we went on either side. Horse finally broke the wire and bolted out of there. Dumb old horse didn't even run back to his barn but ran in the other direction about 4 miles down to the river where he was finally caught and brought back home
We got in a lot of trouble, because, naturally, we took the nag without asking.
But the memory is worth the whupping.
Oh boy, my stomach started churning when I got to the pigs turned out.
I'm gonna have nightmares after that story.
I'm dying for an explanation.
We usually get about 2 weeks in January or February where it gets down below freezing every night and doesn't warm up enough during the day to thaw it much. Where I used to live, I only had a 250 hose to get water to the trough, and even though I swore I was going to disconnect all the pieces and walk the water out of the hose every time, I would invariably forget one time and then I was done for. I had to haul water to the trough two 5-gallon buckets full at the time. 4 horses can drink LOTS of water it 2 weeks, and like you say, it got REALLY old after a while. Plus, last year when Bob was a baby, he coliced and the vet said he probably wasn't drinking enough water, because the water was so cold. So I thought a heater might be a good investment.
Oh yeah! I know! We shove the hose under the house and it won't freeze that way, if we remember.
It's funny how the worst wrecks make for the best stories. :o)
It's funny how new horses will try to figure out where you fit on the pecking order. Sounds like Cyn is low man with the other horses and was trying to see if she could be higher than you.
Bluebell did that to me when I first got her and I had to do the same thing to her. She never tried anything like that again, but every now and then, you can see it cross her mind but I give her the evil eye and she remembers and thinks better of it.
Cyn needs some ground work, and probably not so long in between. She has no qualms about walking right over the top of us. For the first week of feeding routine with her, we carried a bat.
And pecking order wise, she comes out above the pony when the pony isn't protected by her stall and quick reactions to stay ~just out of reach~ That pony is cheeky. It'll never be truly over for her as long as she's got her youth. ;~D
Horses don't like pigs. If I was riding one of my horses and we saw a herd of pigs, I'd be in the next county before you could bat an eye. The horse you were riding must have been used to seeing them.
I've got 2 brood mares, Truly and Bluebell. Truly is the Alpha and REALLY exercises her authority. Grace is her 18mth old filly and when she's out of her mother's protection is subordinate to Bluebell. Hope is Bluebell's 6mth old filly and is lowest. But Grace is on her way to inheriting her mother's status and becoming 2nd Alpha. She'll still make baby mouth faces if Bluebell walks up to her head on, but she's learned that she can kick up her heels a bit when she's got her head in the feed bucket and is still next to Truly and make Bluebell move away. By the time she's grown, I bet she'll be as dominant as her mother. I get a kick out of watching herd dynamics, as long as they aren't mixing it up on top of me. I try to make sure that they know that I'm THE Alpha and they'd better watch out for ME!
Yeah, he was used to pigs, just not electrical shock.
I had a horse once that was scared of pigs. Tried to break him of it by riding him down to a pig farm near the house. Never could get him to be at ease around them pigs.
we were about to make a hasty exit when this picture was taken... (I know I've posted it before, but it seemed appropriate)
That picture puts fear into my heart. That looks like a wreck waiting to happen.
Good Luck and take your rain coat this year......
Say, it is a little dry at my place, ya got a couple extra buckets of water you could spare?
: )
I got buckets of it here :~D
So then a herd dies out?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
