The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN

See our "who's who" page! ^

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well then your decisions on what to do were all right:)

Did you meet any people you could hook up with? What did you think of the organization? Were there any idiots there:)?

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm wondering if he has a funny wither, and how much that could effect the fit of an English.

One of the widths will be right.

[HairOfTheDog]

I think I'll hear from the woman who invited us again, she's a nice lady. We rode with her, and my landlord and his wife, the one that used to own Bay. They don't belong to ~this~ chapter that we rode with today, and we'll probably end up joining the one they do belong to - that's really closer to home than this one.

I didn't see any idiots or accidents, though I saw a woman hobbling around on what looked like a recently made splint for her knee. We saw one horse, an appy, that was stopped on trail and looked to me like she was locked up. Just couldn't, or wouldn't, move. She wasn't far from being home, really, and someone rode ahead and brought some Bute up to her.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Whoa....hell, bute doesn't really start working for 12-24 hours.

How many riders were there?

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I'll catch your pictures tomorrow, I'm tired.

Night.

Becky

[RMDupree]

So glad to hear that Bay was great today!

[HairOfTheDog]

The injectable Bute works pretty fast, if she was really stoved up. She had walked in by the time we left.

[HairOfTheDog]

I wondered... what happens if a horse locks up like that and you have no medicine for it? Will they eventually recover?

[HairOfTheDog]

Meaning - if it's the QH muscle lock up condition that they can get? - Can they recover without treatment?

[RMDupree]

Oh! OK.

So to make a right, applying pressure with the right calf is correct.

Whew! I started using my legs more today, along with leaning back when he steps or walks downhill.

Poor fella was just so sad lookin' with his little boot on. But the trail leader assured me that even though it's slightly heavier than a shoe, he wouldn't be clumsy.

I disagree. He felt a bit clumsy beneath me when we were going through some really soft, damp ground. Like the boot was picking up gunk and taking him off-stride.

[HairOfTheDog]

I think it's clumsy to have two different shoes on myself, so you're probably right that he felt a little clumsy.

I don't know whether to say a word about leg in turns or not - hate to confuse you, but I use leg a little differently than Becky explained. I control the front half of the horse with the reins, and the rear end with leg. I apply more inside leg than outside leg in tight turns, picturing that if leg is applied at the girth, you're bending the horse around the leg, leg applied further back on the inside will swing the rear end out.

[Beaker]

For CTRs, like you want to do, my instincts say that an english saddle might be better for him, (are we talking about Harley?) because it's much lighter than a western saddle. You'll also want to get an english saddle pad for him too.

[Beaker]

. But if the person whining insisted on riding that horse next to the other, well, then she should have been paying better attention and not whined after the incident
The problem with some people who are just on a horse for a one time joy ride, is that they really aren't going to pay attention to you or the other horses, even if you caution them and instruct them until you're blue in the face. They just aren't interested, or they just don't care enough. And then accidents happen, and the barn gets blamed, etc etc. I've seen it countless times. But then again, there are others who do want to pay attention and take it seriously.

[Beaker]

She'll probably want an all purpose- it's less expensive then dressage saddles at any rate! :-) Dressage saddles sit you really deep, and (to me) are odd to ride in at first, and take some getting used to. But then again so do close contact because you sit kinda perched there more forward on the horse's back. You can really feel the difference between a close contact and an all purpose.

[Beaker]

Do you know anyone who rides english who you can take with you?

[HairOfTheDog]

Trail ride pictures! Today we rode on private tree farm land on a ride hosted by one of the local Back-country Horsmen chapters.

Directly in front of me is my landlord's wife Lavonne, who is riding her 30 year old Morgan mare, and, as you can see, hardly ever has her hands on the reins. It makes Bob nuts when she does this. ;~D But Bob was not there today.

This land had Ponderosa Pine planted on it.... which I think made it seem hotter than it really was today. Pines remind me of Arizona.

In front of Lavonne is My landlord Dick, who is riding his Appy Dan. He's the one who had Bay before me.

We're pretty spoiled for trails... the trails today were very rough and narrow in places, not like the state forest at all. All home-made. :~D

ecurbh coming down a hill behind me ;~D

The lady in front on the really loud leopard Appy is the one who invited us along today.

This place, the trees were so thick it really was this dark. No undergrowth... They needed thinned.

Pics from the front of the pack...

~Waves to my husband in the back there~

[Clemenza]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1462562/posts

[HairOfTheDog]

That isn't anyone we knew. :~D

[RMDupree]

Great pics! And that leopard Appy is really cool.

See how Bruce is leaning back in that pic of him & Cyn coming downhill? That's what I mentioned I was doing earlier and wasn't sure if it was right.

Glad to see that it's acceptable. :-D

As far as leg cues go, that "bending the horse around the leg" description comes pretty close to what I'm doing.

[HairOfTheDog]

Leaning back down hill helps them a lot.

That appy is very cool.