Horses

[AppleCakes]

I've been taking lessons since I was 7, and I went on lots of trail rides before that. I lease a different horse every spring who I ride three times a week and go to competitions with. In a few years when I turn sixteen, I am getting my own horse(my parents joke that I can ride my horse everywhere instead of driving) . I recently switched stables to an even closer one(15 minute walk, 2 minute drive) because I decided to switch to English riding. I started jumping in the fall and I love it. Unfortunatley, that stable doesn't have an indoor arena, so I have to wait until March to ride again. But I love horses with all my heart, and plan on becoming a vet that specializes in Equines. It seems like March will never come, though. Anyone else hate winter because you can't ride(a lot)?

 

Falling off is a part of ridinng. It is completely normal to fall off, and doing it once or twice doesn't make you a bad rider. In fact, I'm almost certain that all proffesional riders have fallen off before. The important thing is that unless you get seriously hurt, you have to go and get back into tthe saddle immediately. If you are really hurt, however, get back into the saddle when you recover .

 

As for girths, if a horse doesn't like the girth there is an easy way to handle that. When you tack up the horse, make the girth only tight enough to keeps the saddle on the horses back without falling over. Before you start to ride, walk him forward and then tighten the girth a little bit. Then walk him forward more, stop, and tighten the girth a little more. Walk forward and repeat the process until the girth is tight enough, then get on. This shold help a lot. The horse I plan on leasing hates the girth, and when I do this he doesn't really mind.

Edited January 7, 2012 by AppleCakes

[Lila]

Anyone else hate winter because you can't ride(a lot)?

I live in in Tejas

[MojcaXX]

I love horses.They are my fav animals.I don't have one but there are some poeples near us that have horses so I can see them evry day of year.

[Chicogal]

I remember the last time I fell off, a couple of weeks ago. Lol. I was jumping bareback for the first time ever. It had also been my first ever time cantering bareback. Well, see, Desert wanted his food. Twice he'd tottered off to the stables with me hanging on for dear life, heh. Has a mouth like iron. After one jump, he'd twisted awkwardly off to the side and I naturally pulled him the other way. Needless to say, I came flying through the air and tumbled to the ground. Luckily, it was a soft sand arena. I sat there for a moment, then raised my hand in the air, yelling, "I wanna go again!" I got back on and jumped some more. That lesson was epic.

[WhyllasTorch]

Haha, I feel like a noob...which is very true. I don't even know how to gallop yet! Every time I go horse-riding (which is on Sundays) I tell myself that I am going to remember every bit of advice my instructor gave me and be very clear in telling the horse what to do.

 

And then everything comes down to me desperately trying to make the horse do what I want and the horse ignoring me. And the instructor telling me to keep my heels down.

 

Nonetheless, I love it. I'm dreaming of working as a stable hand in the summer. I know it's hard and smelly but I would get to work with/near horses!

[Zephyrgirl]

For a long time horses were all I cared about! I've been taking lessons for nine years and shown a couple times, but unfortunately other expenses sort of prevent me from buying one and due to some instructor issues I've not gotten to ride at all in the past year. Hopefully once I get things worked out, though, I'll be able to start riding again.

[Horse2000]

I absolutely adore horses. I own one and lease a second, and have been riding for almost six years. My mare is a 17hh 15 year old bay Canadian Sport Horse named Mystic, who wasn't taken very good care of earlier in life and now has messed up hocks because of being pushed too hard too soon. It particularly sucks because both her and I love to go fast and jump, and, because of her hocks, can't do either. But we still have fun; she is a dream to ride. I am absolutely besotted with her. My lease horse is a 16.1hh 7 year old grey Thoroughbred gelding named Aspen. He is slow and lazy, but will do anything you ask him to, if that makes any sense. He is a very powerful jumper, and loves taking off way far away from the jump and jumping huge. We have ended up in the middle of a jump before because he decided it would be fun to take off a good stride before the jump.

 

I had a pretty bad fall one and a half years ago, I broke my hip. That was the absolute worse summer of my life, watching my mum ride my horse and not being able to ride her myself. I was doing the "A" circuit 3 foot jumping before that, but now am doing 2'9 in Trillium with Aspen. Jumping and flat twice a week each, and longing once, and being VERY grumpy when I'm not at the barn!

[AppleCakes]

I live in in Tejas

Haha lucky. I'm stuck in New York and the cold. But we have close friends in texas

[HollyTheColliegirl]

He is beautiful :3

Thanks, I think so too.

 

I went riding yesterday, and it was so slushy bringing the horses in from the pasture. I nearly slipped a million times! But surefooted Bo never misplaced a foot.

[Disturbedchic]

I ride the same amount in the winter and summer cause my barn has 1 large indoor arena and a 2nd smaller one to accomodate the boarders and lessons.

 

Most barns around here have both indoor and outdoor arenas actually. We ride mostly outdoors in the summer cause it just gets too hot and dusty inside and than indoors in the winter cause its sub-zero outside....usually, this year is an exception to the sub-zero rule.

[WhyllasTorch]

There is a saying in my language: There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. If it is cold outside, just dress up warmer. Even if it means wearing three pairs of socks and four layers of sweaters.

[catstaff]

I love horses.

 

Used to ride once a week as a young teen, and spent one wonderful week at horse camp one year. I've ridden both Western and hunt seat, done some barrel racing as well as some jumping... schooling shows only; I was always more of a pleasure rider than anything else. Unfortunately, I'd paid for my own riding lessons, and eventually the price got too high for my old paper route income to cover.

 

One cute story from the stables... the last year or so that I was in lessons, my class didn't get or lose any members. Because of that, it got to the point where we all had our preferred mounts every week... or the mounts that preferred us, as the case may be. We didn't have to wait to be assigned a horse for the lesson, we just all automatically went for "our" horses. I was one of the people with a horse that liked me. I was an okay rider at most, but I could always get more out of Loco than even the best rider in my class. Well, some six years after I'd had to give up riding, a kid that I occasionally babysat started taking riding lessons at the same stable. After we traded horse stories for a bit, she invited me to come to a lesson with her while I was home on break from uni, so I said why not? Turns out old Loco was still there and still a lesson horse, and the instructor remembered me as well and assigned him to me for the hour. And it was so sweet... when I went into his stall and spoke to him, he seemed to recognize me. He pricked up his ears, nickered, and started rubbing his head on my shoulder like I was a long-lost friend, just like he'd always greeted me all those years before.

[Lila]

This lovely lady is soon to be mine.

 

[Chicogal]

This lovely lady is soon to be mine.

You are so lucky! Are you going to school her yourself?

[Lila]

You are so lucky! Are you going to school her yourself?

That's what I'm planning on. I haven't decided if I want to make her a barrel horse yet, though.

[Chicogal]

You are, I swear, the luckiest person alive. X3 Do you do barrel racing already? If you do, it could be a good opportunity to do something new~

[Lila]

You are, I swear, the luckiest person alive. X3 Do you do barrel racing already? If you do, it could be a good opportunity to do something new~

Yea, I already barrel race with a few different horses but I think it'll be good to care for and school my own. It should be a fruitful experience for the both of us.

 

Advice, I'm asking for it: I'm planning on doing most of the training myself, but since this is the first time I'm schooling a horse, would it be wise to send her to a trainer after she's schooled? Or is it okay for me to not send her unless I see a problem I can't fix?

[HollyTheColliegirl]

Yea, I already barrel race with a few different horses but I think it'll be good to care for and school my own. It should be a fruitful experience for the both of us.

 

Advice, I'm asking for it: I'm planning on doing most of the training myself, but since this is the first time I'm schooling a horse, would it be wise to send her to a trainer after she's schooled? Or is it okay for me to not send her unless I see a problem I can't fix?

I'd say you should save the trainer for if a problem comes up that you can't fix. Otherwise, its unnecessary.

[funnygirl98]

Like horses, LOVE zebras

[Fluttershy16]

I wish I owned a horse of my own. V.v

[Stunningfire]

Like horses, LOVE zebras

Yesh. <3

[Lila]

I'd say you should save the trainer for if a problem comes up that you can't fix. Otherwise, its unnecessary.

Yea...that seems better to me, now that I think about it. Thanks :3

[CharmedWolf]

I've been around horses my whole life.

 

I have a quarter horse my father is going to finish for me. :3 He's a retired race horse, and my goodness, he is so smart. His nickname is Fats, an he does whatever ya tell him, but when you tell him to go, he goes, and FAST. He's such a lovely horse, both to be around and to ride. I've never done barrels before, but I practiced on my friends horse, and I'm getting the hang of it. I'm going to take him in gaming and stuff of the sort, too.

 

Also, we may get a pony this spring for me to mess around on, and I'm pretty excited for that.

[Xocowolf]

My family owns, rides, and breaths Andalusians. I'm currently riding/training a 5 year old bay gelding named Bolero, or Bo for short. He's got Bob Marley hair, its so huge I have to arm myself with de-tangler to braid it. His grandsire is Bravio, anyone heard of that gorgeous guy?

Ahh, Andalusians!

When I saw the photo of your Bo, I thought, "Who swiped my Tagie?!?" They could almost be twins, except for Tagie's waning crescent moon star. Same tons of forelock and alert-not-spooked expression.

 

We keep his mane, tail and forelock braided when we're not showing him. I use Cowboy Magic detangler, what do you use?

 

Haven't heard of Bravio, but I Googled him and found the ranch. Cool that they have a pearl chestnut stallion; also glad that the registry's allowing chestnuts to join.

[Would LOVE to see a Chestnut Andie x Chestnut Friesian Warlander]

[CharmedWolf]

 

This is him. <3 His eye ilooks white because of the lighting.

 

And ignore the date. The camera was messed up when we took this.

Edited January 19, 2012 by CharmedWolf