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Thread Four: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1332664/posts |
Posted on 12/30/2004 7:01:16 PM PST 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?
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 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 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.
I work from home, and so does ecurbh at the moment, so it isn't a problem for me, and I ~still~ don't ride as much as I should!
It's just too cold to feel much like riding in winter. But when I did work full time, there'd be some months where I never saw my place in daylight, save on weekends. Some people who keep horses at boarding stables around here do better because they can ride after dark if the place has an indoor arena.
In retrospect, when I was working full time off the place, it did actually make me more efficient about coming home and spending my home time wisely, as it was more precious than the hours I waste now ;~D
Well, I've been thinking , maybe if I just pack up and go from work. I'm fine after I'm there. Sigh. I told Eddie that I would gladly stay home and meet him at the door naked with a sandwich :') He told me to keep my clothes and get to work. Reality a bummer. If things were so easy as they are in books. Oh well, working on plan B and C.
I think going straight from work would be the way to go. If mine were elsewhere boarded, that is what I would do. If you go home first, if you are at all like me, it is just too easy to stay home. Once I get home, wild horses couldn't drag me back to the car.
The behind the scenes tour would really be interesting. The Vanderbilt's story is amazing.
I don't get to ride much, maybe once a month if I'm lucky, and I don't work at all. I do have 5 kids, a large home, farm animals, etc. By the time I'm finished cleaning, laundry, feeding, etc, there's usually no time to ride. I got to ride yesterday, with ShakeNJake, but I got no work done. I have a buttload of laundry today since I didn't do any yesterday. I did have a wonderful time, though!!! It was worth it!!!
Eventually I plan to work from home but it will probably be another 2 years before I'm set up.I know when I have my own place it will be easier but lately once I'm home it's hard to get back in gear when I'm ready to wind down. I thought about when the time was right, while we are in the honeymoon stage of asking my new boss if I could come in early two days a week or even riding at daybreak but I'm just not a morning person. If I had a lighted arena I'd be riding at midnight:')
I saw the posts about log cabins. We bought 83 acres of beautiful land in southern Ohio and put a log home up and it turned out great. If I can post some pictures of it I will. (Not sure I have any on my digital camera) Now my dilemna is where do I put my horse when I go down there? I would like to fence in a pasture with a lean to , but I'm worried about keeping him pastured 24/7. He's not used to that, only about a 2 hr. pasture time at the stables. Any ideas from anyone?
Maybe you could set something up where he could go in and out. He might miss his stalls at first but I bet he would like all that extra play time.
My concern is more of him feeding 24 hrs a day...wouldn't he colic?
Don't know. Mine are out 24/7 except with really bad weather and they do ok.
With early evenings I had dropped back to a lesson during the week and then riding on weekend (I love weekends) but my trainer says it isn't enough and right now I need to be riding 3-4 times a week with preferably 2 lessons a week instead of one. She understands my time limits but just tells me that do what I can but I need to be riding more.
I know I need to ride more, Tuffy would be so much nicer to handle, I just can't. Weekends are completely out for me, that's when my kids have tons of activities.
I'm like you, if I had a lighted arena, I'd be out at midnight, especially in summer.
That's on my dream list too. I just need to speed things up and I could probably be working from home a lot sooner. I'm starting a consulting business. The place I'm working for will be my first customer. They are getting me cheap but it's going to give me the opportunity to tweak some stuff. Besides the owner has been very good to me. I just have to keep my eye on my goal at my new 8-5 job which I will prpbably love doing once I get there. They know about what I'm going to be doing on the side and are ok with it so... just need to get busy:')
I 've worked full time as a systems analyst for what seems like all my life, ever since I got out of college a billion years ago. I have trouble working in my horse time too. Especially now. We're living in a small duplex next to our property until we somehow get off our butts and build. We don't have a decent enough fence around our place that I'd feel comfortable leaving my horses there where no one can see them. So my horses are split up, with half of them at my FIL's place where my MIL feeds them, and the other half at my BIL's place where I can only manage to get by there once a day to feed on my way home from work. I'd like to ride every weekend, but I usually can't for one reason or another. Either the weather doesn't cooperate, or I can't find a riding buddy, or I have to pay some attention to my hubby so he won't divorce me. I don't know what I'd do if I had any kids. My suggestion is just do what you can, take care of 'em as best you can, enjoy 'em when you can and don't feel guilty when you can't. Life's too short.
Yeah, that's true. I could have went this evening but I was off yesterday and I have a lot of things here to close up so I'm sorting and filing at work right now. Hubby partying on the Island so it seemed a good time to catch up. Always something though, huh?
You'd need to work him up to being out on pasture 24/7. Start out with a couple of hours in the morning and afternoon then gradually increase the time an hour or so a day until he's out there all the time. Even then, it's usually not a problem unless you have extremely lush pasture or pasture that has alfalfa or vetch or clover in it or if it's early spring and the grass has put up really fast. My sister had a horse colic on vetch in one afternoon once but it was belly deep and the horse had basically been on a dry lot before then. It was her first horse and neither of us knew any better at the time but we did after that.
Where in Southern Ohio? In the Hocking Hills area? Mommadoo2 lives in the Zanesville area.
Another big and important problem with a horse suddenly being turned out to pasture is not just colic, but founder too, especially if the grass is rich.
Outside of "road founder", can they founder without colicing first?
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