The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE

See our who's who page! ^

[FrogInABlender]

...Looks like she is already developing some personality...

Yes she is. She loves being scratched and eating grain out of your hand. My MIL has been teaching her to eat out of a bucket and it's been so funny coz she's pretty much afraid of horses, but she really seems to enjoy messing with Ellie. It's almost like she's got another grandbaby. :o)

[FrogInABlender]

I took some other pictures this weekend at the arts festival. They turned out pretty good. There was some interesting stuff there. I took quite a few of the old buildings in the downtown area and the University campus. This is the town where I grew up. I'll post some of them later when the page changes. I don't want to put too many pics on one page.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'll look forward to them. You aren't at risk of slowing me down with too many pics!

[Duchess47]

Thank you :) Weeds are growing like crazy - all the green you see is wild mustard, 2-3 feet tall, covering everything.

[FrogInABlender]

...It's a holiday weekend, and the roads and rest stops will be jammed. If he got scared and got away from them. It could turn into a real mess...

Yeah, I thought about that, but I've done it before. I just make sure I park in an area where there are no cars. But you're right, on their "Maiden Voyage" they're probably safer just leaving him in the trailer. They could stop for a lunch break and offer him some water then. That would give him time to relax for a while. Keeping their balance in a moving trailer takes a lot out of a horse.

[FrogInABlender]

Wild mustard?! You mean like mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, like the kind you can eat? I'd be out there pickin'em if it was!

[Duchess47]

Boy, hard question to answer. I've only once requested a prepurchase vet exam, and even as I did, I knew I was going to buy the horse unless he was dying. That was on one I had been trying to buy for a couple of years and when the man finally said he would sell I had moved two states away and hadn't seen the horse for a year. I just called my old vet to go look at him and let me know if he was still okay.

I don't think I would ever tell a buyer not to get a vet check, and have provided them gratis on horses I've sold site unseen to be shipped out somewhere.

It's possible that some vets feel the need to CYA so throw something in - I think buyers need to use some common sense also. Depends on what they are buying the horse for. The "possibility that a horse might have a problem at some time in the future" translates to the horse is fine, take care of him and he'll probably stay fine. No one can guarantee the future and if the buyer needs that, they need to buy a car, not a horse.

[Duchess47]

What a sweetheart - I love that color.

[Duchess47]

That would be it I guess. Tall weed with yellow flowers. I just keep looking at it thinking, hot, dry, fire hazard as soon as it dries.

[FrogInABlender]

Oh, when they start blooming, they're not fit to eat. But you're right about them being a fire hazard when they dry out. Stuff like that burns like gasoline. It sure is pretty and green right now though. Since you're having all this unusual amount of rain, I'm sure you're seeing green where you've never seen it before.

[Duchess47]

LOL - everything is green, desert, mountains, yards, driveways. We keep moving the goats and the llama around to eat down weeds and then drag or disc paddocks and pastures.

Unfortunately, none of our neighbors are doing the same thing yet so I hate to think what might happen if we get a hot dry spell and then a storm cell bringing in lightening.

[squarebarb]

Sorry to be so long in reply, it's the story of my day on this thread.

Yes, they had barbecue that various people had made at home, all the food was homemade, potato salad and beans, the traditional BBQ fixings.

Best thing was --- well, to start at the beginning. I had about 20 acres cleared of cedar 3-4 months ago. The guy that drove the machine was tiny! No bigger than me. And I have to stand twice to cast a shadow as my dad used to say. Short too.

He operated the huge machine like an expert. Got filthy from the dust, dirt, grease, etc. you could hardly see his face. Always kindly and funny. Took him lots of cold drinks.

When I unloaded Melody by the church I heard the sweetest music -- fiddle music --- coming from the outdoor stand.

And there he was! All cleaned up, with a spotless cowboy hat and a crisp shirt and polished boots, with the fiddle under his chin playing 'I'll Fly Away', with a little scratch band of relatives, playing with lovely arpeggios and gracenotes. He played and we sang for an hour. It was a great Sunday morning under the shade of the pecans, singing and then chowing down.

[CindyDawg]

The best thing might just be to insist you be there when he does the exam and gives the report, so you can have input. Just a thought.

[HairOfTheDog]

Yes, I agree that's a good idea... I'd insist on being there.

[CindyDawg]

She is so precious. She even looks like a girl horse.

[FrogInABlender]

Ok, new page, now I'll post them...

Me and my "garden" on Sunday morning. Judging by the look on my face, I was telling Lee to "Go Away"...

A tour of downtown Florence, AL...

The 1st Methodist Church across from the park...

The Am South Bank building. This building is a replica of an old local plantation that burned back in the 60's called "The Forks of Cypress". They raised race horses there back before the Civil War.

Another old home called "Colby Hall"...

and right next door, Rogers Hall...

The fountain at my alma mater, The University of North Alabama. That's my Mom and my MIL sitting there...

And just off to the right, the lion habitat...

The UNA mascot, Leo III. His mate Una (yes, her name is a little hokey) is in her den...

Me at the park...

A cool planter they had...

A really big basket...

A cool stained glass window...

Some pottery made by a local artist. I've got one of these in my office. Some people like 'em, some are creeped out by 'em. I think they look like a baby being born...

[FrogInABlender]

Sounds like a Sunday in Heaven if you ask me! :o)

[HairOfTheDog]

Those are great shots... You in your garden look gorgeous. I haven't planted any flowers yet. I kindof wonder if I will this year!

The old Southern Architecture is really neat too, thanks for sharing... If I think of Alabama, the white place with the columns is the kind of building I picture!

I think they look like a baby being born...

I do too! And I can see why some would like that and some would be a little un-nerved!

[FrogInABlender]

...I haven't planted any flowers yet. I kindof wonder if I will this year!...

Aw, ya gotta plant SOMETHING, even if it's just a fern or two. Almost everything I've got is in containers. It's just easier that way. I did turn a couple of small beds and planted some yellow pansies in one and some wildflower seeds in the other. The wildflowers haven't come up yet. It's my first attempt at growing anything from seed, so the jury's still out on how it'll look.

[HairOfTheDog]

I know, I like to plant summer flower pots... I've just been on a single minded track... 'get horse trailer and go riding'. I realize I will have time for other things, but I haven't had the energy to start anything else!

My goal earlier was to plant some corn in big containers or a raised bed... But I probably won't do that now. It's funny that with seven acres, I can't find room for a garden, but we really can't! Only place with enough sun is out in the pasture, and I can't get water out there for a garden. The rest is all treed.