The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE

See our "who's who" page! ^

[HairOfTheDog]

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - Who's Who *pics*

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!

[AnAmericanMother]

LOL! Me too!

The sound I hate most is the scraping noise that slipping horseshoes make on slick concrete . . . < shiver! >

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

With the other rider this horse was coming up on her front end, sort of like doing a roll back.

When I first got on, is all I asked her to do was STOP and stand facing the right direction. I wasn't asking her to go forward. When we were were going sidewise she was getting tapped with my spurs, she had never had spurs applied, so I was very careful about how hard I was using them:). Once she stop and faced the right direction she got petted and allowed to stand, Then I asked for one step. Then we stopped and thought about, and then one more step till she seemed like she was figureing out it was easier to go forward then fight it. I think our approaches were a lot alike:)

The rocks were sort of scary, but it was one of those things that seemed better then getting knocked off by the low branches on the other side. I've come to believe that horses really are very agile and it's takes a whole whole lot for one to go down. They can stay upright a lot better then I use to give them credit for.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

...I hate most is the scraping noise that slipping horseshoes make on slick concrete . . .

Yep, that sound is usually closely followed by the words "Oooooooh SH!T" and by then by a THUD, and then a few other choice explicatives. ;o)

[HairOfTheDog]

I still surprise myself at what I used to do on horses when I was a kid, riding down roads with cars, overpasses, underpasses, I'd never do any of that today :~]

[HairOfTheDog]

The rocks were sort of scary, but it was one of those things that seemed better then getting knocked off by the low branches on the other side.

I'll take six of one and a half a dozen of the other ;~\

[CindyDawg]

Now that I've got more daylight, you can see I'm riding more. I had such a bad day Monday. Nothing going right on the ground. I felt like just saying to hell with it and horses and going home. As soon as I got on though, it was cloud 9. I just wish I could teach my horse to dress herself:')

[HairOfTheDog]

Now that I've got more daylight, you can see I'm riding more.

Well, not exactly.... you haven't given us a single picture :~D

[Duchess47]

You can probably read SL pretty well already. Generally they are like kids - if they want to do it or are willing to do it but seen confused, it's not something they understand or can do easily. If they have the make me attitude of a two year old, they just don't want to :)

[CindyDawg]

Huh. That's kind of what I do. Maybe I even learned it from you, I can't remember. I go as far as they are comfortable. And we sit and wait. Sometimes I "squeeze" Stand all day or go forward. Just one step. Then I turn them around and walk away and then come back one more step farther. I do short term goals though. They don't have to actually go the whole way if my goal today is to get to this pole and next time to the tree etc. I will walk them thru with a lead rope when we are done to show them it's ok though.

[Duchess47]

If I ever see the end of winter here I will put it outside - it will do much better I think as long as it gets enough water and shade. Plus, out of the pot I think it will be able to start multiplying.

[CindyDawg]

I know. I can't though. I can send between the ear proof but that is about it.

[Duchess47]

I think the biggest difference is just being in a warm house. But not being cut in half meant that it didn't have to grow any new roots and had a full group of feeder roots in place.

[Duchess47]

Good morning :)

Beautiful sunny day here. If only it were warmer than 33'

[HairOfTheDog]

Whatever you can do! That's all I got yesterday, just get us some pictures...

It's like dues here :~D

[Duchess47]

Thanks. Yes, you are right. He'll fall right over if I don't harden him off first. Hot days, cold nights, no humidity - he'll think I stuck him in hell. :)

[Duchess47]

My old mare really disliked dogs and around here, a lot of the places had dogs that just ran loose. They would come out to chase us and Bob and I both would turn the horses on them. His gelding at the time had to be pushed but my mare loved it. The dogs eventually learned to stay their distance. Bob does however, always carry when he's riding and wouldn't have any problems making a problem dog a dead dog.

[FrogInABlender]

Yeah, we get cautious in our old age. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's not. On my first horse, an 11yr old Racking Horse(I was 21), I used to ride him down the apron of a 4-lane highway with 18-wheelers whizzing by, and across a bridge on that same highway. It was INSANE! There's no way I'd do that now. Then, I just never thought about all the frightful possibilities, and I guess that confidence carried through to my horse, because he never even looked twice at the traffic, or that bridge. Now I think about all the "What if's" before I do something and sometimes I think all that concern becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The horse senses my uncertainty. Sometimes I wish I had some of that ignorance/confidence back.

Oh, and of course the 21yr old body too. Might as well go for the whole enchilada it while I'm wishing!

[FrogInABlender]

... Bob does however, always carry when he's riding...

You've got the added incentive of having rattlesnakes to think about too, so I can't say as I blame him.

[CindyDawg]

I was talking to someone the other day that had had a nasty fall. We decided there were 3 types of people that come to the barn. One are people that have had a fall and get up and say yahoo. That was fun and get back on. Two are riders that have had a fall and for some reason don't give up but get back on a little smarter and a little more conservative and three the ones who fall off and say "I'm out of here" .

[CindyDawg]

Well, I'm not riding again until Thursday. I'm actually home sick today. I am going to go out and take pictures of her feet this evening though.