The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE

See our who's who page! ^

[1john2 3and4]

"True pace"....not sure what that is, as opposed to the gait that we're talking about with the gaited breeds. That's the only muddy part :), the rest was excellent, & does give me something else to consider....

Another thing that's nearby is a 'Cowboy Church'. I'm thinking of going over there to get acquainted. I'm sure the good people there will have alot of interesting advice & guidance.

It may be there'll be a few more 'regulars' added to this thread, as I often extol FR's virtues (such as they are:)). Work calls...I'll check back later. Thank you ALL!
john

[Beaker]

I don't like them either. My mom had one when I was a kid, and it used to drive me CRAZY when she used it in the summer. The dryer would stay off permenently, and out the clothes would go! I understand that we had to save on the energy bill, but argh. The clothes would end up all stiff and blah, and would take forever to dry. Not to mention they would go flying if not clipped properly. Plus I could never reach them, and still can't. :-)

[cowboyway]

Well, it's a makeshift clothes line that I've tied up between my barn poles. I ain't crazy about clothes lines either, but I love the way clothes feel and smell that have dried under a warm bright sun and a steady breeze. And they're also good for training horses. :~)

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Would you like to be put on the "good morning" ping list?

Becky

[CindyDawg]

I agree the fresh smell is awesome and it's an energy saver but...I spent my teenage years living in a project in downtown Ft Worth with my mom, 4 sisters, and grandmother. Why, I have no idea but my mother insisted on hanging our drawers in order of size. Baby drawers, my drawers, momma drawers and granny drawers. I got so much teasing.

[CindyDawg]

I will put one up if we ever get out in the country WHERE NO ONE CAN SEE IT THOUGH:')

[CindyDawg]

Hi. Welcome. I was just thinking about cowboy churches yesterday:')

[lysie]

Lovely pictures. Thank you.

[FrogInABlender]

Hi there, and welcome to the thread! The Kentucky Mountain Horse is a nice gaited breed. I think their gait is more similar to that of the Tennessee Walking Horse, Racking Horse, and Rocky Mountain Horse than to either of the Paso breeds. The Paso's temperament is known for it's "brio", or pride, but I'm sure some of them are less spirited than others. I would recommend any of the gaited breeds if your main focus will be trail riding. They are suitable for young or old. I recently went on a large trail ride with a 97 year old man who was riding a TWH. The gait is easy on the joints. But whatever the breed you choose, choose an older, more experienced horse to start of with. I wouldn't recommend anything under 5 years old. Just make sure it has been ridden, A LOT, and recently, and under similar circumstances that you plan to be riding in. Some older horses who have never seen the outside of an arena are more dangerous than a younger horse who has been trail ridden every weekend of his adult life. Make sure that you get a trial period of at least a week or two where you can return the horse if it doesn't work out. I'd have him checked out by your vet during this time to make sure there aren't any hidden health issues. It will cost you, but as some here can tell you, it may save you some heartache down the road. Since you're in Texas, I know you should be able to find TWH, Racking Horses and Pasos but I'm not sure how readily available the Mountain Pleasure breeds are out your way. You might check out AgDirect.com and do a search for the breeds you're interested in that are within reasonable driving distance of where you live. It will give you some idea about prices but you might get a better deal from a local breeder. Good luck, have fun, and please keep us updated on your progress. Feel free to drop in and ask questions as often as you like! :o)

[cowboyway]

Baby drawers, my drawers, momma drawers and granny drawers. I got so much teasing.

I reckon you did. :~)

[FrogInABlender]

From one of the Paso Fino home pages...

The Paso Fino gait is a 4-beat lateral gait... essentially a "broken pace"...The gait is perfect four beat, with the footfall being left hind, left front, right hind right front. The cadence of the 1,2,3,4, beat is rhythmic with equal time intervals between hoof beat. There is very little up and down movement in either the croup or the shoulder of the horse. The gait is performed at three speeds with the collection decreasing as speed increases. Paso Fino means "Fine Step"...

A "True Pace" is a 2-beat gait with the right front and right hind striking the ground at the same time, then the left front and left hind. If you want to see an honest to gosh true pace, watch a camel run. It's AWFUL!

[FrogInABlender]

...granny drawers...

LOL! I love it! One year for Christmas, my mother bought me some of those "high-water" drawers that come all the way up to the waist and they were comfortable, but my Husband didn't want me to wear them. Said they were "Granny Panties". I liked to have died laughing! But I didn't wear 'em. I didn't want to give the poor guy nightmares. ;o)

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to the thread! I see you've already gotten most of the first advice I'd give... I think riding lessons to get back into the groove is a good place to start. Try a few trainers if the first personality you meet doesn't fit. Horse people are better with horses than people sometimes, some will click well with you, and some won't... and for this little venture to stay fun, you should feel good about your teacher.

[FrogInABlender]

Hey Hair, did ecurbh happen to get that video clip uploaded?

[HairOfTheDog]

Crud... I forgot. We got up late this morning and I forgot.

[HairOfTheDog]

I rode a pacer once, a standardbred off the track that the seller said used to belong to Michael Landon. Not sure if that was true, but the pace was really weird to ride. sitting, you felt you were moving side to side more than forward.

[squarebarb]

Yes, John, welcome to the thread.

All the advice here is good, I second the idea of working volunteer in some kind of stable, with horses, for a while. Horses are grazing animals, live entirely on grasses and grains, and have a very different digestive system than cats and dogs, us.

I should have used 'gait' for the sort of uh, procedure of moving forward, let us say, of the gaited breeds; Tennesse Walkers, Pasos, Peruvians, Foxtrotters, etc. etc. It's all the same for all of the above, basically it's just a very fast walk.

Pace, on the other hand, is two legs on the same side of the horse moving forward at the same time. Never mind, as another poster said, it's like a camel. But all that later.

Just hang around horses for a while. You'll love it!

[squarebarb]

It's horrible.

And impossible to break them of it.

[HairOfTheDog]

I love the way clothes feel and smell that have dried under a warm bright sun and a steady breeze.

In my experience they just feel stiff as a board ;~D

[HairOfTheDog]

RE pacers: I think that's true, I don't think they can trot, and though the seller said he'd seen the horse canter in pasture, they are trained so forcefully not to break into a canter at the track, that it's really hard to ever retrain them to canter in bridle.