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Locked on 06/19/2006 8:54:08 AM PDT by Lead Moderator, reason:
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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!
Man, if I had that for a day, I could do some stuff.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2006-06-15-matz-stables_x.htm?csp=34
Trainers, owners hold dream of discovering another Barbaro
By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY
ELKTON, Md. — Stall 11 in Michael Matz's barn at Fair Hill Training Center is filled again, a symbol of the need to search for another potential superstar after the loss of what was almost surely a once-in-a-lifetime horse.
The new bay-colored occupant bears a resemblance to the previous resident, Barbaro, and he should. He is a half-brother to the Kentucky Derby champion who continues to fight for his life after his racing career ended when he shattered his right hind leg in the Preakness Stakes on May 20.
Barbaro and Man In Havana are from the same dam, La Ville Rouge. But Matz and his top assistant, Peter Brette, know that may be all they have in common.
"It's very unfair for him," Brette says of the inevitable comparisons that will be made once the 2-year-old is ready to race. "If we told him who he was, he wouldn't come out of the stable in the morning."
As determined as Matz and his staff are to move on and to make the most out of the 75 horses they still have in training, they do so with the sobering belief that another Barbaro will almost surely never enter their barn again.
The colt captured the imagination of fans and non-fans alike when he dominated the Derby by 6½ lengths to extend his perfection to 6-for-6, only to suffer a catastrophic injury after a few strides in the Preakness.
"He could very well have been Seattle Slew or Secretariat," says Matz, naming two of racing's legendary Thoroughbreds. "We'll just never know and we'll never know how it happened, either."
Matz will always be convinced that nothing other than the accident could have kept Barbaro from becoming the first 3-year-old since Affirmed in 1978 to sweep the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
"I thought the horse was going to win the Triple Crown," he says without hesitation. "As easily as he won the Derby, the way he trained, I thought he was head and heels over the other horses."
To read more go to the link above. Down farther in the story it said that Matz won't accept any more horses because he wants to be "hands-on" with all of them. I wish all trainers were like that!
Thanks :~D
They ARE pretty handy. This one belongs to my husband's older brother. It's just the right size for me. Our tractor is too big. It's a John Deere and has a cab with A/C, which would be nice, but with the front-end loader and the 10ft bushhog attached, you've REALLY got to watch where you're going. I've not gotten up the nerve to try driving that one yet. But I haven't exactly gotten the chance either. My husband and FIL have always got it doing something. They're using it to work on the bulldozer right now.
After I get done mowing, I'm gonna try my hand with the hay spear and load up 2 or 3 rolls on the trailer to take over to the mare's pasture. Then I'd like to put the bucket back on the front and take some gravel down to the barn to spread in the muddy places. I'm gonna have fun playing with it this weekend.
I just need an hour with that bucket :~)
"Wow. How big do you reckon that horse is?"
Somebody needs to put him in the dryer so's he'll shrink. :)
That's a killer saddle. I love that seat!
I mow with a tractor, too. A big John Deere for the pasture and a smaller Kubota for around the barn and house. I've run over wire a time or two, myself.
I've hit fences and trees with the hay spike. The big tractor scares me. One tiny mistake and you're dead meat. I try not to daydream when I'm using it.
The clutch on this little bugger wears me out. I've just about got to stand up and hang onto the steering wheel to push it. If it's any worse on the big tractor I don't think I could drive it. I was trying to get the corners cleaned out and was having to clutch to stop, put it in reverse, back up, clutch again, engage the PTO, put it in gear, release the clutch, pull up and mow a little strip, then do it all over again. 3 or 4 times was all my left leg would take and it was shaking then. If you did that on a regular basis, you'd have a left leg like Conan the Barbarian! ;o)
Your big tractor with the cab might be easier for you to use, as far as the clutch goes. We used to have one of those but we sold it.
The clutch on my John Deere isn't hard for me to use, I'm just afraid of making a simple mistake and killing myself, like climbing off and forgetting to put it in park first.
My biggest fear is turning the darned thing over. I HATE mowing on uneven ground and slopes. I know in my head that it takes a lot to turn a tractor over, but my butt just won't believe it.
I deathly afraid of that, too! I won't mow on a slope unless I can go straight up or down. Our driveway has a strip of grass between the concrete and a fence but there is a slope there, going down towards the fence. I refuse to mow it even though my husband assures me it's safe. Sure doesn't feel safe.
I=I'm duhhhhhh
Have you ever watched some of these crazy goobers who mow powerlines and ditches along the side of the road?! They will drive ANYWHERE. A 40 degree slope is a walk in the park to them. I'd have a heart attack if I tried that.
Hey yall
Bye, yall:')
Are you going on vacation? Did I miss you?
Those guys are nuts. I don't see why they aren't turning over.
I think she was just dropping in to talk on her lunch break and nobody was here. I was gone to Wendy's.
What are you doing here on a Sat.:)
I swear this sitting around doing nothing is more tiring then staying busy. I can't hardly get up off the couch:), my house is a mess, the garden is full of weeds...and I feel like I've ran a marathon. I don't know how much longer I can do this.
Becky
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