Any avid horseback riders out there?

Partyoffive

Hi everyone

I hope you all have been able to spend time with your horses-I was at a horse show this weekend-it’s amazing the precautions they are taking for Covid and even being on ibrance and letrozale I wasn’t going to miss my kids riding-it’s their passion and since I can’t ride much I love watching them compete and the smiles on their faces. My son won a big equitation class and it made the drive,mask wearing all day and hours spent waiting all worth it. Every time I’m around our horses I feel a sense of peace and we are having great weather to make it even better. Here’s a pic of my son and his equitation horse.

AmyQ

Congratulations to your son. What an accomplishment!!

Cowgirl13

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Kjones13

going on Friday to get a ppe for this guy! Fingers crossed! He will pull double duty for me and my daughter...

Cowgirl13

Hi Kjones, thank you for posting! How nice to see this pic of your horse and your daughter. What is ppe for you horse?

Cowgirl13

Hi Kjones, thank you for posting! How nice to see this pic of your horse and your daughter. What is ppe for you horse?

Cowgirl13

Cowgirl13

runor

I am not a horse person. But I am mom to a horse person. Daughter announced at 8 that she wanted a horse. We promptly went out and bought motorbikes (dirtbikes), forget this horse nonsense, go ride this thing and be happy. Now, 20 years later, she rides dirtbikes AND horses. We have been through so many horses and so many adventures and if I got started I'd never shut up and you'd all be rolling your eyes. While I don't ride horses I have fed many, watered many, shoveled more shit than you can imagine, mended fences, loaded hay, cleaned tack, lifted feet, fetched horses running amok up the road, re-strung downed fence wire, hammered up busted fence rails, been stepped on, bit, shoved over and run down by horses (never kicked knock on wood). We have purchased trailers, saddles, portable fence panels and enough tack to start our own store. The vet knows our credit card number by heart. 

Daughter's horse journey has taken her to a place where she now starts horses. Breaks them. My heart is in my throat when she brings home wild horses, and I do mean WILD, off the range, never handled, draft cross beasts raised by indigenous people who run big herds that go for bucking stock in rodeos and if no good at that, for slaughter. She has lugged home horses that wanted nothing more than to kill her, or me, as I was often in the pen doing chores when Daughter was working. Shoveling shit with one eye peeled on that massive mare with her ears pinned in my direction. Daughter has almost given me a stroke more than once as she steps into a tiny round pen with a horse that is making plans to step on her head and pop it like an egg. But I"ve seen her enter that round pen with a horse that won't square up, won't let her get near,  is trembling and wide eyed with terror, looking for ways to go over that top rail and at the end, that horse will have a halter on. It might take 5 or 6 unrelenting hours. But that halter will be on. Then it's done. Over. Good horse. That's all for today. Brave horse.Hay and water topped up and horse left until another day. I have been poised the whole time to call 911 when that horse wheels to kill her. It's been close a few times. 

Daughter has moved away from home and we no longer have horses here. She keeps horses at a  stable now where the facilities are better and there are people to help who are not afraid of horses. (I AM afraid of horses). But I knew that my girl, who could pick up a lunge whip and rope and halter and get into a tiny space with a 1600 pound draft cross that was wild and dangerous and not be afraid and not be bullied and not be defeated .... would be safe on a date with a boy. He'd find himself tied to a tree with wearing a martingale and quick release knot. Horses made her tough and confident and kept her too broke to buy drugs. Overall, a good deal. 

cowgal

Welcome Runor! I do understand the fear some have of horses. They definitely can be intimidating. They can also be quite comforting as well. I know that some of those old cross bred buckers make pretty good pick up horses after their bucking careers are over.

bella2013

Me and my horse Duke! First time riding bareback

Cowgirl13

Wonderful! Tell us about your horse!!

cowgal

Welcome Bella! You and Duke look like you are enjoying each other.

Maryjogee

Hi fellow horse lovers, from the heart of Horse Country: Lexington KY! I’m new to the site, 57yo and am on target for BMX w TE 4/13/21, due to High Risk Family hx and two ALH excisions. I’m a lifetime rider who has done several disciplines with Hunter/jumper/foxhunter most prevalent. I would like to hear from other riders post-mx. How long til you could saddle up again? For just walking/trail-ride? Then serious hard riding/jumping? Cannot wait to get this done and get back to riding. Thanks!

Cowgirl13

Hi Maryjogee, glad you stopped by! I had a lumpectomy so I can't really speak to how long you will have to wait to ride but what I can tell you is to really work on your horse's ground manners. A lot. Don't know if you follow any of the natural horsemanship folks but I would think it would be imperative so that you aren't dragged around or constantly needing to pull back on the lead rope when you are handwalking. Personally, the ground manners have always been important to me...can't stand a horse not paying attention. I absolutely love handwalking a horse with a lot of give in the lead rope...just walking around in synch with each other. One thing I did too soon was to clean out hooves to soon and I think I pulled a stitch. Where you board are there any people who could help you a bit with things like this?

Maryjogee

Thanks so very much for that post! I am lucky that I have my now-tall daughter’s now-outgrown 15.0h TB/conn foxhunting superstar that I can use. She is “point and shoot” over most of our foxhunting ( we chase stuff for our farmers, don’t kill it) coops, and I will use her to get my mojo back. I still have a green project or two in me, just need to get back first. Just concerned about my ability to hard-rein in a puller in the next several months .🤷🏻♀️

AmyQ

I hope this video isn't breaking any rules. Make sure sound is on.

Every horse owner can appreciate this. ENJOY!!!

Amy

Cowgirl13

AmyQ, I love this! Thanks for posting.

haltsaluteatx

Thanks for the laugh. So true. I had a TB/Han mare I was riding in the outside dressage arena. A cat with a bell on the collar wandered thru the arena. When the bell made noise, she about lost it. Other times there were deer in the woods or in the grass field next to the arena and she wasn't bothered by them but an orange cat with a bell was another story.

bella2013

I saw this and just howled! Really needed a good laugh

michelle1215

I ride although my surgeon made me wait 6 weeks after surgery. It wasn't too bad as you feel so weak. I spent time with my boys almost everyday it definitely was therapy. Prepare for a mounting block you lose those muscles we take for granted LOL

Elderberry

Hi Horse People: I really like horses. When I was a child we had friends in Ontario who raised Irish Hunters. I rode an old retired jumper named Birdie who liked to turn her head around and bite your knees. Mostly, since I was a little girl, I got to ride Treacle who was a rescued circus pony. Nothing spooked her. I am not afraid of them but since I am seldom around them I feel a tad intimidated.

Have any of you seen "Cavalia"? Those horses and riders are amazing.

I consider horses to be in the same company as cats and dogs. You don't eat them. They have been our partners for millennial. They plowed our fields, gave us transportation, rode us into battle, hauled stuff. Dogs protected us, hunted with us and became boon companions. Cats kept rats and other vermin out of our granaries and now allow us us to do stuff for them. I am a cat person.

cowgal

Hello Elderberry! I have always wanted to go to Cavalia but have not been able to make it to one of their shows.

Interesting that you bring up dogs and cats when discussing horses. In general, I think geldings and studs are more like dogs and cats like mares. I am more of a dog person but when a friend who needed to find homes for three wild orphan kittens (she already had five of her own cats and this was a wild litter she came upon after discovering the mother had been hit by a car), she told me that since I was a dog person that I would probably like a male cat better. I did take in the kitten and my black lab treated him like her puppy and the cat lived for 18 years.

cowgal

Hello Elderberry! I have always wanted to go to Cavalia but have not been able to make it to one of their shows. We have three horses and they do some work, some play and are definitely treated like pets.

Interesting that you bring up dogs and cats when discussing horses. In general, I think geldings and studs are more like dogs and cats like mares. I am more of a dog person but when a friend who needed to find homes for three wild orphan kittens (she already had five of her own cats and this was a wild litter she came upon after discovering the mother had been hit by a car), she told me that since I was a dog person that I would probably like a male cat better. I did take in the kitten and my black lab treated him like her puppy and the cat lived for 18 years.

Elderberry

cowgal: In the past, mares were the preferred war horses in the Middle East. They didn't get into fight with other horses nor easily distracted by all that "male" stuff. I don't think stallions were gelded back then.

The kids of the family with the Irish Hunters let me muck out the stalls since I thought it was fun. Joke's on me. It was a Tom Sawyer moment.

cowgal

Horses have been gelded for centuries and even Aristotle mentioned it.

During the Revolutionary War, George Washington mainly rode two mounts: Nelson and Blueskin. Nelson was a chesnut or sorrel gelding and Blueskin was a gray stallion. I know from numerous things I have read about Washington that he preferred Nelson in battle because that horse was less spooked by all of the cannons going off, etc. I am not sure if he preferred geldings and stallions over mares or if these two were just the best horses for him.

BCinfoseeker

Yay horse peeps! Just post surgery - I’ve been cleared to ride in the next week or so. Probably just start with walking and then move to posting/sitting trot and canter when I’m more comfortable. I’m just happy to get out there and be with them! I love doing groundwork too so once heat abates a bit we’ll be back at it.

Leo and V

Cowgirl13

Welcome BCinfoseeker, Elderberry, michelle 1215, bella2013, and haltsaluteatx!

Cowgal its good to see you!

cowgal

It's good to see you too Cowgirl13! I hope things are good out your way. Are you having to deal with smoke in your area? One of my brothers near Sacramento has been dealing with a lot of smoke for quite a while. Out here in the middle of the Oklahoma Panhandle, we get that smoke too (obviously not as thick) but it has been tough on my allergies all summer long.

I am glad to see others join in on this thread and welcome you all! Horses, whether you own some or just love them are definitely good for the soul!

I'd be lying if I didn't say that this has been a tough couple of years for me healthwise but I continue to improve and as the old Elton John song says, "I'm Still Standing". I found this t shirt a few weeks ago and my husband said that I definitely needed to get it. I love it!

Cowgirl13

Cowgal, love the t-shirt!