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Posted on 02/24/2006 9:12:25 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
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 MissTargets will now be pinging everyone most mornings. Let MissTargets 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.
Previous threads:
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - thread ONE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread EIGHT
New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!
Reversing direction. Okie has it down. I just get ahead and point and he turns. She did it once today perfectly. Once. Then it was major confusion. She will stop like we are done or turn back and forth. She just doesn't know what I want her to do. I guess I showed her once right but I don't know what I did. She is so good. I can take her in and out of walks, trots and canter with just voice but reversing direction... forget about it.
Do you use a voice command when you ask her to reverse? It may be that is all you need to do - and are you using a lunging whip to point with?
I point the lunge whip in front and point my other arm the direction I want them to go. Huh. I don't know if I'm using voice command with her.
Try to remember to give her the voice command each time, since she is listening and responding to voice commands it may be that if you omit it, she is confused as to what you want this time. Especially if she always does as asked on changing gaits and stopping.
Heading to bed. Work has been a b**ch lately so I am beat. REally working on retirement here :)
Night. It was one of those "maybe july 06 after all" work days for me too. I'm fixing to call it a night also.
That's great that the vet is coming out this morning. It's always such a relief to get the ball rolling when you have one with a problem. Waiting and watching is too darn hard.
I meant to tell you last night that Tuffy is also on isoxsuprine, 20 tabs twice a day. It does seem to help.
Has anyone tried magnets? I hear they can be a good therapy. They are putting magnets in bell boots, leg wraps and sheets.
I actually went to a trainer with Tuffy and Juma and learned how to make them reverse. you need to start out with a lead rope. When you are ready to reverse, make sure you are standing no further back than her shoulder, pull the lead rope the way you want her to go and say "turn!" You have to work on it quite a bit and they can get really good at it, even turning at the walk or trot.
I say "Tuffy, turn!" and it works but it took time to get him really responsive. I free lunge him alot.
June 2nd, last day. Four weeks vacation after that, so officially July 3rd.
Good Morning.
Ceilia's horse is way too thin. Granted he's 17, but I've seen lanky QHs that look a whole lot better than that. He's so think that his head looks too big for his body.
So um yeah... think = thin. Where's my coffee? I know it's around here somewhere.... :-D
I'll try that and the voice cue. It's obvious she was just put in rounds pens and just ran the hell out of. It has taken time. I still have not got her out of going on her own at first though. I used to say ok, you want to run, run! but I think that's what she expected. Now she stands still until I get to middle and walks, trots and lopes herself. I just sit in the middle and don't pay her any attention. When she stops she's ready. Each time I stand with her a little longer 1st though. Much better.
I don't think the gray horse looks too thin. You can't see the ribs plainly and he has plenty of fat on his butt. Needs to be cleaned up and mane pulled, probably look more normal after that.
Well, he's not ~that~ thin :~\
But he'd look a whole lot better with some more weight on him, his neck would fill out, and his quarters would be rounder. He looks like horses look on minimal feed.
I'd put him on a senior feed and good hay, and if he's already on that I'd wonder if he's had his teeth floated.
Good morning everyone :~D
Yeah, he's on the edge, IMO, of being just underweight and "thin". But I think he needs weight and more feed giving what she is going to be asking him to do. Right now he gets all the hay he wants, but only 1 1/2 cans of sweet feed a day. Can=a 3lb coffee can.
She and I had a discussion yesterday about what a horses back should look like. I don't think the back bone should show at all. The back should be flat, no ridge of back bone and no trough:). All her horses has a ridge. I was telling her last year at the CTR I talked to a lady whose horses backbone stuck up at least an inch. She was telling me her horse had a "prominent" back bone, and she had trouble finding a saddle that didn't rub sores on it. Celia agrees with this lady that it's because of genetics, they are built that way, and not because they are too thin. I think they just need more groceries. Long lanky horses are hard to keep weight on, I've had them before, they take alot of feed. Celia feeds her horses like an average size, but then talks about how big they are....
I don't know, is it genetics or not???
Becky
Well, I know she has said she has never floated teeth:\, but I did watch him and he isn't dropping any feed. So I don't know about that. She has her own hay meadow, it's pretty good pararie hay. The feed she uses is good feed, I use to feed it when I fed grain and hay, she just doesn't give them enough, IMO.
Becky
Good morning:)
Hoping for the best for your horse. Is your vet good at being on time:)? I bet with a 9:00 your his first so he should be right on time.
Becky
I'd almost guarantee he needs his teeth floated to chew properly. Even if he's not dropping feed, if he's not chewing properly, he's passing a lot of what she does feed undigested. The senior feeds are a little better than that in that they are all ground up already, instead of whole grains. In addition to that, sharp edges in his mouth wear sores in his cheeks, and they are constantly fighting a low grade infection.
By too thin, I meant too thin for what she's asking him to do.
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