The Equestrian Thread.

[Lorelei]

Ok, so I have been mulling this over for a while now. We have threads galore for our kitties and pups, but nowhere for us horse owners to hang out, discuss our horses and ponies, or to share tips. Hence this thread.

I know there are horse owners and riders out there, Samantha, ShortBlonde, Equi, Belle, Rascal, and I am sure there are others, so stop by and lets have a good horsey talk.

As some of you might know, I have a newish Thoroughbred mare, Jasmine, she is a great horse but quite dominant, so I have recently been doing some Natural Horseman techniques to reinforce my leadership, this has been working really well it seems. I also have a special fondness for tiny shetland ponies, so I have owned 2 of them for some years, it is hilarious to see those 2 tiny fellas with big J the mare, she despises them and makes it quite clear that associating with them is beneath her!

I was the typical horsey child, quite fearless and would spend all my free time riding or with horses. I was finally able to realize my dream of having my own horse over 20 years ago, sadly I lost this wonderful horse, King, last year. But I was so lucky to have had such a long and great relationship with such an incredible horse, he taught me so much and in fact, he is the reason we worked so hard to be able to keep our horses at home, and that I have been able to take on rescue horses. So this thread is also my tribute to him, that I can share what he taught me and continue to learn more. Horse owners and riders can come together here, and share our experiences and knowledge either in caring or riding, anything ' horse.'

So horseowners and riders, this is your thread to discuss anything horse related - caring, riding, saddlery, health and management, behaviour, pasture management, veterinary, you name it we are interested in it and this is the place to discuss it!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Great idea Lorelei! I''ll be lurking, because since I had a bad fall resulting in spinal fracture and head injury a couple of years ago, I haven''t been back on a horse. I was lucky and I recovered, but DH is just too freaked out to cope with me riding again.

I miss it badly though and I''m going to have to get back on one of these days! In the meantime, I''ll live vicariously through you all, if that''s ok! Would love to see photos...

Jen

 

[Lorelei]

Hey Jen, I knew there would be some more folks out there who were horse people! Gosh I hear you about the accident. I no longer ride, I had a bad fall some years ago, they thought I had a spinal fracture, but I got off lightly with a badly bruised pelvis, I was on crutches for about 3 months as I fell onto sand covered concrete. Thank goodness you are ok!!!!

I know how it is though, there is nothing like riding, but then you have to weigh up the risk factor, once you have had a bad fall, it can be so hard to decide to ride again. So I completely understand and would feel the same way myself. So you are more than welcome to participate here, as I say I can't ride myself any more ( I also have severe scoliosis) but I get my horse fix from caring and loving for those I have. Maybe you could see if there is a horse rescue in your area and when you are ready, perhaps you could volunteer on occasion with grooming, helping out and cuddles! I know places in my area are always looking for volunteers, also you could help campaign against cruelty to horses with raising funds, emailing, leaflets, all sorts of things. I do this too where I can and really feel I am making a difference for those horses who aren't as fortunate as some.

But also please feel free to participate, you don't have to lurk as you are without a ' ride' at the moment, but post away as you wish!

But I am rambling on in usual fashion, you want a pic, so here is a pic of Jas that Andrey kindly resized for me a while back, she is a dark bay Thoroughbred.

As the old saying goes, she has the signs of being a good horse as she has a head like a duchess and a well rounded behind, but she has lost a lot of weight since that picture was taken and looks like the lean speed machine she is!

 

[Ellen]

Finally, a pic!

She looks very pretty Lore, but we need one of her face please.

 

[Lorelei]

I will have to try to take some decent head shots of her, she doesn''t want to know about me normally unless I have a few minty Life Savers in my pocket for her!

 

[bee*]

Great thread Lorelei! I have a pony named Raffles. Years ago before my granny died, she wanted to get each grandchild a present rather than leave some money to us. I was horse mad and rode horses all the time so my present was a pony. I have never been so excited as the day I went out to get Raffles. He was my first main man and still is. He''s 34 now and I retired him at 30 and I got him when he was 20. We competed in everything but his speciality was cross-country as he was just so fast and so graceful when he jumped-our nick-name in all the shows was aerodynamic as he went so close to the ground when he galloped that he just flew along. I retired him at 30 as I didn''t want anything to happy to him when I was riding him and I think after all the years of being so good and winning so many competitions that he should enjoy his retirement. I go up to him every second day and take him in for a grooming (he hates it!) and for carrots (which he adores!!). Since I''ve retired Raffles, I haven''t gone horse-riding since. It sounds strange but I just can''t imagine riding another horse while Raffles is around. I am sure once I graduate from college I''ll get another horse (I see some amazing ones when I''m seeing practice), but I just adore my Rafs that I couldn''t imagine owning another one now. I don''t have any photos of him on my new camera-I''ll take some photos when I''m up next. He''s a beautiful dark bay, 14.2 and he has a white question mark on his face.

 

[Lorelei]

Bee I had a feeling you were a horse person!! Raffles sounds wonderful!!! My King was the same size as Raffles, he was a Welsh pony and so beautiful! I would love to see some pics of him sometime! Hehehe.... he sounds like my little Felix, when he sees you coming with a brush, he runs off, he HATES being groomed and loves to be filthy, even my farrier was bent double laughing at the dirty little devil with his mud encrusted person! There isn''t much chance of getting the mud off this time of year!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/23/2008 9:01:06 AM
Author: Lorelei
I will have to try to take some decent head shots of her, she doesn''t want to know about me normally unless I have a few minty Life Savers in my pocket for her!

Well what a stinker!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/23/2008 10:25:48 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 1/23/2008 9:01:06 AM
Author: Lorelei
I will have to try to take some decent head shots of her, she doesn''t want to know about me normally unless I have a few minty Life Savers in my pocket for her!

Well what a stinker!

She is all that and more!!

 

[Skippy123]

Lorelei, Jasmine is gorgeous! I love horses; you might have seen my pet cow thread, not sure but my cousins had horses. When we would go visit, which was a couple of times a month or more, I would go find the horses! My mother grew up riding horses since her family owned a ranch and she has penty of horse story's. I took some riding lessons and had friends in 4H but we lived in the city so I could not ride too often. This summer hubby and I had the chance to ride some horses and it was fun to see my hubby riding for the first time. He actually did better than me since I hadn't been on one since high school; they are quite beautiful and I always stop and admire them. The baby's are super cute too and those beautiful tails, aahhhhh!!!!

 

[VegasAngel]

Oh, I

horses & have had many in the past. My last babies were our miniature horses. I loved those little guys. We sold them years ago. Once I moved out from my fathers house the horses just sat in his yard neglected so I had him sell them. I would love to get another horse as I miss riding more than anything but it just isnt feasible. I would have to board & I know I wouldnt make it out as often as I would need to. Plus, farriers here are very expensive, as is hay, veterinary care (I did my own vaccinating, though) & riding space is very limited.

 

[somethingshiny]

I used to be quite a rider, too. I''ve never owned a horse though. I started riding when I was about 8 or 9 on my uncle''s horses. Then, when I was 14, I met my best friend and we rode everyday for several years. Training, showing, playing. They were great. When I got married and started trying to conceive, I had to stop riding because I was so prone to miscarrying. So, I''ve only ridden maybe a dozen times in the last few years. I really miss it, but I know I''ll never be able to be as involved as I once was. We want more children, and since I know it''d be hard for me to leave riding again, I don''t want to start.

I have some great memories and stories though. When I was 15 I started working at a stable. My friend and I would get there early morning, stay 15 hours, go home and do it again. Those summers were fantastic! Unfortunately, when I started college (which was only a mile from the stables), I kept missing my Calc class because I would just end up at the stables.

My friend still buys, breaks, trains and sells ponies and horses. She''s ridden in rodeo for barrel-racing (15 seconds!). And, because of her, my little boy was 6 months old on his first ride. It was SOO cute. He''s now almost two and just loves the ponies.

 

[EricaR]

Are former riders allowed?

I miss riding so much. I still dream about it and have woken up in tears, just aching from wanting to be on the back of a horse. I need at least one more shoulder surgery before I''ll be able to ride again, but hopefully I can get that taken care of soon.

 

[Steel]

Where are the pictures?

I am new to ''neddies'' but my new neighbour has a beautiful ''hoss''. I just love his nose whiskers!

Lorelei, nice pic. Forget the mints, just tell Jasmine, her pic is on the internet and her butt does look big from that angle....

I am sure she will strike a pose for you.

 

[Mannequin]

Lorelei, Jasmine is beautiful! I love her color. Want to trade TBs? Mine is grey and can''t stay clean for more than five minutes, he''s like a toddler.

 

[zoebartlett]

Jasmine is beautiful! What characteristics do different horses have? I never really thought about it, but it makes sense that there would be different types (breeds, right?), just as there are many breeds of cats and dogs. I''ve never owned a horse and I''ve only gone riding a few times. I''m a scaredy-cat but I love admiring horses from the ground.

I have ALWAYS wanted a Shetland pony. Actually, we just saw one not too long ago and I asked my FI for one. He said no.

What''s the difference between a Shetland pony and a miniature horse?

 

[VegasAngel]

Date: 1/23/2008 8:23:54 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett
Jasmine is beautiful! What characteristics do different horses have? I never really thought about it, but it makes sense that there would be different types (breeds, right?), just as there are many breeds of cats and dogs. I''ve never owned a horse and I''ve only gone riding a few times. I''m a scaredy-cat but I love admiring horses from the ground.

I have ALWAYS wanted a Shetland pony. Actually, we just saw one not too long ago and I asked my FI for one. He said no.

What''s the difference between a Shetland pony and a miniature horse?

Miniature horses are their own breed. There are class A (AMHA) 34 inches & under & class B (AMHR) 34 to 38 inches. Of course you cant ride them but they pull carts which is so much fun. They are great for people who dont have the space for a full size horse but want a horse; they are also cheaper to care for. I had so much fun showing them when I was younger. Here is a horse that I miss his name is Magic Meadows Sudden Impulse

 

[Samantha Red]

What a fantastic thread Lorelei. If I ever work out how to post photographs I will post one of my beloved mare Bee!

I have been obsessed with horses since I can remember and starting riding at about 10 after years and years of hassling parents. I rode until I was about 15 when boys came on to the scence - so should have stuck with horses! I then rode on and off until I was 39 when the opportunity arose for me to get a my current horse on loan and my life long dream eventually came true. We do a bit of low level dressage, le trec, endurance pleasure rides - just fun stuff

Bee is a beautiful bright bay Welsh Section D cross, stocky but small and manageable at 14.2. She is perfect for me as she is forward going but well mannered. She loves jumping! I am very lucky because we have lovely riding where I live, but we are only 15 minutes in a trailer from Sherwood Forest which is just amazing to ride in. The yard I am at is a lovely supportive environment with great facilities.

I am depressed at the moment because the weather here in the UK has been so rubbish for weeks and it has been really difficult to ride, but I love everything about the horse thing all the same and it will soon be Spring!

 

[monarch64]

Great thread, Lorelei...so many beauties here to admire!

I grew up with an Apaloosa named Cricket...she was a beautiful horse. When I was little I thought she was purple, she just looked that color to me, isn''t that strange? When I look at snapshots of her now I see she was brown and white, but for some reason my imaginative mind always saw her as purple, maybe that was her "royal" aura as envisioned in my young mind? Anyway, I never got to ride her as I was too young and untrained, and had many other farm-related chores to help my parents with on our little farm, but my babysitter who lived next to our land rode her and boarded her Palomino horse whose name was Al Capone on my parents'' property as well. I got to live vicariously through her...she was a fantastic rider who won many competitions with him in our state.

Some of my fondest memories growing up are of me feeding Cricket her grain, giving her Werthers'' Original candies or Lifesavers, plain old sugar cubes, or carrots, or quartered apples, of course. DH was amazed a couple years ago when I asked a horse-and-buggy driver outside a hotel we were staying in if I could feed her horse and I palmed the beautiful beast a treat. He didn''t know I was at all familiar with horses...I hadn''t really ever talked to him in depth about Cricket since she was put to rest when I was a senior in high school and my family hasn''t had horses on their land since. God, how we loved her, what a wonderful animal she was, so full of love for us, or so it seemed whenever we lavished her with attention and treats.

We raised dairy cows and had a couple of bulls...and always a few calves. Cricket took a particular liking to one of the Holstein calves one year and we used to come upon her in the shade of the woods lying down with this particular calve like it was her own baby. It was one of the most miraculous and strange things I''ve ever seen in nature...it was like she knew that calf needed a mom and she was sort of a surrogate to it.

I could go on and on about my memories of my parents'' farm forever...I wish I had photos to share but they''re all snapshots back home with my parents. Even the big red barn has been raised now and is gone, all that remains are a couple old white sheds which are beautiful in their own right, and a couple old spring fed ponds where the animals used to water. A few years I remember my dad and brother and I going down to chop holes in the ice with axes so the animals would have water to drink. Thanks for letting me reminisce!!!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Hey, I''ve been unable to reply to this thread for some reason - just like I was locked out of it! Back in now and wanted to say thanks Lorelei for inspiring me again. I''m going to volunteer at the local Riding for the Disabled Association. I''m pregnant at the moment so a little limited as to what I can actually do, but there''s always fund raising etc. I started working towards a teaching qualification, so I can do some basic teaching too, with kids and beginners, under supervision. I can''t wait to get back to it!

Jen

 

[omieluv]

Date: 1/29/2008 11:30:27 AM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
Hey, I've been unable to reply to this thread for some reason - just like I was locked out of it! Back in now and wanted to say thanks Lorelei for inspiring me again. I'm going to volunteer at the local Riding for the Disabled Association. I'm pregnant at the moment so a little limited as to what I can actually do, but there's always fund raising etc. I started working towards a teaching qualification, so I can do some basic teaching too, with kids and beginners, under supervision. I can't wait to get back to it!

Jen

Glad you are going to volunteer Jen!

When I was in college, I volunteered for a therapeutic riding program for kids suffering from autism. There was an instructor, who was trained in various forms of therapeutic exercises for the kids and there were 3 volunteers. One person guided the horse, while the other 2 stood on either side supporting the child's legs, back and front. While riding the horse, the child would perform his/her exercises, which can be physical (raising arms) or working on speech exercises.

When each child arrived at the barn, they were either cranky, irritable, frustrated with mom and life. However, when the horse was introduced, the smiles and excitement just came through. Children seemed to respond so well to the horses and got through their exercises like they were the most fun thing for them to do. Mothers would be so happy, because they would often struggle at home each day to get through their therapy. Some kids were not physically able to ride, so the child would sit or stand next to the horse and pet it during exercises. Simply touching the horse would make a huge difference. There were about 5 horses in the program and they were the most bomb proof horses I had ever seen in my life ( I believe they were morgan/QH crosses).

Though I was majoring in psychology, my focus had not been on developmentally challenged individuals, so this experience was quite a change from what I was studying. It was the most rewarding thing I have ever done and would do it again in the future and I swear I got more out of the experience than the kids did!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I spent a little time at the riding centre this weekend, getting to know people and horses. I was totally amazed by how different some of the children and young people were once they got on a pony! As you say, smiles and excitement.
There''s a real mix of horses and ponies there, from elderly patient school master types to sweet but grumpy little shetlands. The one thing they all have in common is their apparent innate understanding that the kids sometimes need a little more understanding and patience. It''s a really interesting interaction and I''m excited to see more of it all. Since I''m pregnant, I''m probably going to be limited to fundraising and light duties for now, but it''s going to be great to introduce my own little one to horses in a few years too.

Jen

 

[Lorelei]

I will respond more to this thread tomorrow as I am really enjoying the interest and responses, but I just wanted to say WTG Jen on volunteering for RDA!!!!

This is an organization close to my heart, and I am so glad you are going to be part of it! There is plenty you can do to help, even though you are expecting, so well done!

It is incredible how the horses and ponies seem to know exactly what to do, and how they can reach these children and make them smile and respond. I find horses so comforting to be around, they are just truly magical creatures. The other day, the sun was out for once, and my 3 were out in their paddocks enjoying themselves. The contentment coming from them was palpable and touched me immensely. They really help to remind me of whats important in life and I am very blessed to have such a close relationship with them.

Jen please keep us posted as to how things go and what you do with the RDA!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Well, next weekend I''m baking brownies for the fundraising sale! I can do that without getting tired out or sickly!

One of my friends runs a livery yard and riding school and he''s thinking about building a cross country course on his land. Has anyone ever done this? Any advice? There are a couple of companies nearby who will design and build the course, but he wants to be sure it really will be fit for purpose (bad experience having an all weather school arena built, long story). Would be interested to hear if anyone has experience of this?

Jen

 

[Beacon]

Here is a photo of one of my horses, he is a hunter named Alvin. (Showname was Senior Year). He was the sweetest, easiest to work with horse. He looks like he's sleeping over this fence! I grew up riding in Maryland and then I rode out here in California too. I have not been doing any riding for some time and I am getting the urge from time to time.

I did all the usual things, pony club, fox hunting (mock only!) hunter and even some jumper riding.

My sister lives in the UK and keeps horses on her own land, lucky gal, so she's still in the game.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Beacon, he looks like such a gentleman! And just look at that face - adorable!

Jen

 

[Fancy605]

I'm so excited for a horse thread. I have always been an avid horse lover. I do own a horse, but he still lives with my parents on their many acres of property as I have no place to keep him and won't for several years. He is a spotted saddle horse. Here's a photo of his pretty face.

 

[EricaR]

Beacon - I love how keen he is! Just look at those perky ears!

I just found out I get to ride next week! It is just a two hour trail ride but it will be my first time on a horse since I tore up my shoulder. I can''t wait, and not just because I have a *feeling* K is going to propose to me while we are riding...

 

[Lorelei]

Beautiful horsey eyecandy ladies!!!

Erica, yay for you!!! I hope you have an incredible ride and that it is definitely one to remember!!!

I hate this time of year as I am fighting mud all the way. My boots have cracked by the soles and flapping, I was leading J and they finally split, so I ended up with a soggy socked foot - yuck. So a little online shopping is in order, I have seen some very nice Ariat boots for a goodly sum! I always wear long boots as I find they keep me cleaner, but I don't like rubber welly boots as I don't feel they offer enough protection for vulnerable toes against sharp hooves!

 

[omieluv]

Date: 2/6/2008 6:11:42 AM
Author: Lorelei
I hate this time of year as I am fighting mud all the way. My boots have cracked by the soles and flapping, I was leading J and they finally split, so I ended up with a soggy socked foot - yuck. So a little online shopping is in order, I have seen some very nice Ariat boots for a goodly sum! I always wear long boots as I find they keep me cleaner, but I don''t like rubber welly boots as I don''t feel they offer enough protection for vulnerable toes against sharp hooves!

Ariat boots are so worth the price! I have a pair of paddock boots and love them to death. To save money, my friend just bought a pair of Ariat paddock boots and a pair of Ariat half chaps, which has worked out well for her during lessons.