Any avid horseback riders out there?
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hope its all good mary......please let us know. Very windy here today still was 15C yesterday and 0C now
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Every thing made it through the storms last night in pretty good shape, Except for the doghouse. That was in bad shape anyway, as the owner is a Big chewer and dh has had to repair it bunches. Went out today and bought hima new one, we'll see how long this one lasts. Such weird weather going on here right now. 75 yesterday 21 tonight witha high of 38 tomorrow. Animals dont know what to do. 2 weeks to go till I get my tumor markers again, if all is well going to start looking for a new barn pet!
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Glad you weathered the storm mary weird weather here too
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Glad everyone is okay. Since I live in a typically high weather problem area, I have often thought that I would love to build a barn that is partailly underground to be able to put my horses in during tornadic weather.
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Cool topic! I got my horse for free from my in-laws for my 22nd b-day! They had him since he was a baby. He is just a grade horse, but my best friend! I used to take him and board him at fancy barns so that both he and I could learn from different people. I ride English. Don't show except for little local yocal shows. I have loved horses ever since I can remember. Then in middle school i got into volleyball. That pretty much ruled my life all the way through college. I have trail ridden him...not alone because he tries to be a big bad a$$, but he's such a chicken. He wants tone in the front of the line until there is a curve. The he stops and waits for the others to go around, just in case there is a Bigfoot or something! Haha! I have had so many good years with him? I've ridden him bareback in familiar settings. Love it. But my favorite thing to do is jump. I was pretty dedicated to lessons for months and got him up to 4 ft at the highest. For him, that was pure heart, just trying to please me. He is such a sweet boy. Likes women better than men. Loves kids. In September 2012 i was diagnosed stage 4 right off the bat. He was being boarded 35 minutes from my house (for free by in-laws) but when some people at my church heard of my situation a husband and wife offered to keep him for free and now he is only 10 min away! And across the street from my parents house. This way, in the least i can go say hi to him,brush him, and give him treats. He's in there with 3 mules! I've jumped on him bareback a few times. A little nervous to ride him in such a new environment without another horse person on the ground with me. My onc gave me the ok to go on trail rides but they have to be able to be accessed by vehicle and just walking ( since i have a met to my L5, he Sid it's weaker and doesn't want a fracture. Ho hum...but love, love, love being able to jump in the pasture and hug his neck and stick my nose on him to breathe it all in! Did I mention that he is now 20! Thanks for listening about my guy! Lovely pictures by the way!
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Kjones wow that is sooo cool. I was working on a farm when i was also diagnosed stage 4 this past june, have done that kind of work the last 15 years approx. Worked until end Oct but had to give it up due to chemo etc...just not strong enough. As well as the barn chores I was a trail guide for rides and rode sometimes up to 6 hrs a day, but with mets to femurs and spine also as you said the risk of a fall was just too much....even the nicest quietest ones can get spooked or trip and off you go!! Miss my guy a ton, I had to leave him behind at the farm he's 6 1/2 hrs away but will be well looked after by the owners of the farm - he's kinda like my monument there lol. You are so fortunate to have yours so close, enjoy him and every little good feeling he can give you.
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Kjones where in N.C are you? Love to see people on here from N.C. Not too many around. Hope you dont mind my asking.
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I am in hendersonville, about 20 minutes south of Asheville. My horse is in mills river. I love it here in the mountains! I'm not familiar with stanfield...what is it close to?
Rider girl: so sorry to here about ur diagnosis. I have always wanted to be a tour guide...I dream big...I wanted to be in the Grand Tetons! At least i got to visit there and partake in a ride! I am also sorry to hear u r so far away from ur guy. That must be really hard. Some comfort knowing he is being taken care of...
Ever since I was little, all i wanted to do is jump. And jump big! I'm really not a great rider, but I love it anyway. I will go trail riding ( I even ride English trail riding bc i tore my acl when I was 15) and it's just more comfortable? Even if I fall...at least it's doing something i love...my parents, husband, my 8 yr old, and 22 month old may think differently!0 -
Stanfield is about 20 miles east of Charlotte. I know Hendersonville well, My sister lives in Greenville, Tenn. so we go through Hendersonville and Asheville when we go up there. Its so pretty up there. We used to go to Hot Springs alot too, but with lymphedema I cant go to the hot tubs anymore.
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My brother lives in charolett! I noticed you said you are looking for minis or a pony...I don't have either, but have you checked the iwanna? I also want a pony for my kids!
Bummer about the hot tubs...I never liked them too much...too hot for me! Maybe you could do some massage with hot stones? There are some good places in Asheville.0 -
Since my scans and tumor markers are doing really well right now, Im hoping to get a pony for my grandson and Im really thinking of getting something for myself also. I dont know that I can ride that much, so it might just be a pet, but Im missing the scenery in my pasture. As far as massage-hot stones etc...my oldest sister is a massage therapist who is a certified lymph specialist in massage, so she helps alot too. She also does work with the stones. Just have to be careful of the heat since I have lymphedema in my arm and under it too. I have to be really careful what I do with it... it is indeed a big bummer.
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I'm so jealous reading all your posts. Maybe someday (in retirement maybe?) I'll be a horse owner too!
How did everyone like the Budweiser Clydesdale commercial?? Had ME all choked up!
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I hope you get to own a horse too LuvLuLu. I definitely loved the Budweiser Clydesdale commercial. I always love their ads. They really do a great job on them.
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Hi ladies! Spring show in springfield ohio is just 2 short months away! Getting 1 of my boys to arena today for some practice!! Yea!! Can't wait to ride. it has been so muddy and cold and wet here in ohio that I haven't ridden in weeks!!!
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Haven't been able to ride here for awhile either. Too windy to ride this weekend but I went with a friend to Equifest yesterday and my husband stayed home and took care of animals. It was a long but very fun day. Got to learn from Al Dunning and Lynn Palm and see my youngest gelding's breeder and her horses she had there. Can't wait to try some new stuff on my geldings.
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cowgal - lucky you! I love Al Dunning. I think he's a very, very fine horseman. Same for Lynn Palm and her centered riding. I haven't been able to go down to the ranch as I have had pneumonia. Hopefully I can get cleared from the doc and go down at the end of the week.
Cherilyn, two months away is not that far away! I love planning for a show--its better than the prom. I'm always thinking about the saddle blanket, my shirt--all that stuff. of course there's the riding too!
Thanks for your post gals.
One thing I would pass on about this pneumonia--doc knew I had bronchitis but when I didn't get better, she had me have a chest x-ray and the x-ray showed the pneumonia. My lungs sounded clear. So glad she did.
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Cowgirl13 - I hope you get to feeling better. I had a pneumonia shot several years ago because I have a lot of allergies and my doctor thought it would be a good idea. I don't know if that is something you might ask your doctor about. I'm a big Al Dunning fan too and have been for years. I always learn something new I can use from him. His Western Horseman Reining book is still my "go to" book. I had never seen Lynn Palm before but have one of her books and it has been another book that I find I refer back to often.
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Took me some time to catch up with everyone! Sorry, I have been away for awhile and besides - nothing but bad news to share so I didn't want to go there.
About 3 weeks ago I suffered a concussion riding my mare. She went into rodeo bronco mode. I was blacked out for about 2 minutes.
I have issues with self confidence to begin with so this didn't help. Now back to walk and trot - no cantering for a little bit. Today she spooked hard but I managed to stay on her. I was just thinking "Oh chit - here we go again!"
I love my mare but she will beat you up mentally really fast with her antics!
We are going to 4 shows this year - one will be in Idaho. I am not going to try to campaign my mare until next year (2014) - She just is not mentallyt ready for a heavy show schedule.
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Im so sorry about your tumble. Hope you are ok now. That kind of thing does shake the confidence doesnt it? I need something really bomb-proof these days, I dont think my body could stand a buck-off- Im too old!
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Mary - there is something to say about a nice bomb proof horse as you get older. I don't heal as fast and I break bones alot easier these days. I raised this mare from the day she was born so I know her personality, I know what gets her all riled up. I just can't control outside circumstances which is when I get into trouble with her.
I love her so very much and I would never for one second ever consider selling her. She gave me the strength to get through my treatments emotionally.
Animals - dogs, cats, horses - I don't know how you could live without them. They are truly very special to many of us.
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Janice sorry to hear about that. I have a few near misses in recent months. My "seasoned" show horse decided he wanted to throw out a buck during a canter. Sheesh... if I would have been riding him in his saddleseat tack I would have been on the ground. He made up for it later and bit me in the leg. My horses are so mouthy!! Have a horse show in 7 weeks. Big 3 day show. Have to get cracking. Big tack swAp this weekend. Yeah!! I would rather be at a tack store than a mall!!!
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Good luck with your show! Sounds like fun. I have had to put off looking for ponies and such for a little while, Ive been doing chemo every week, three weeks on 1 off, for the past 6 months and its catching up with me. Too tired to do any horsing around, it didnt start getting to me until acouple weeks ago. So I will have to live vicariously through you guys and your posts until things get better...Im still out there in the pastures in my mind if not in body. Hope to be back out there soon....
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Jancie - I'm glad you are okay. Have you ever tried teaching your mare any of the training tools to help her deal better with things that spook her? Have you thought about wearing a helmet? I ride with one all the time. Remember though that even the greatest riders have been thrown. The old "there ain't a horse that can't be rode and there ain't a cowboy who can't be throwed" comes to mind. We've all been there too and quite honestly it hasn't taken a National Finals bucking horse to put me on the ground either. I'm not that great a rider and my confidence gets shaken too.
Cheryl - one of our horses can sneak in a nibble now and then. My two paints aren't biters and in fact the older one likes to give me kisses and will do the little "grooming" things to me with his mouth.
Mary - Here's hoping you get back in the saddle soon! I'm all for a bombproof horse!
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Cowgal - I never ride without a helmet! In fact this was the 2nd head concussion I suffered WHILE wearing a helmet. I also wear an eventing vest when it is super cold or windy or Jazzy just has that certain look in her eye.
Cheryl - totally get the tack store shopping. I won't shop unless it is a tack or hardware store and then I could be in there for hours. I look for tack shops each time I go out of town so I don't "miss" something. good luck with your show! My first show isn't until May.
Mary - hang in there. It was really tough for me to do the horsey thing while I was doing chemo. I don't think I could ride more than 20 minutes before I was flat out exhausted!
Today I cantered my mare for the first time since the head concussion. I could tell that she was in a great mood and wanted to be worked today. However, my legs did feel like butter afterwards and I am assuming that is from the adrenalin rush which I hate those things!
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I need some help! I have been looking for some tall dress boots for showing this season. My problem is that the height usually starts around 17 plus inches and I am only 15" from the bottom of my foot to the back of my knee. I know you can allow up to 1-1/2" for drop but dressage dress boots don't drop like field boots so even 17" is too high for me. I have a 14" wide calf and my foot size is 7.5
I have searched the internet from one end to the other and can't find any boot manufacturer that has a shorter height boot.
My other choice is to do a semi custom or custom boot but I don't know which companies are good or bad. I figure I will have to spend $800 to $900 min for custom boots and I know dang well my dh won't allow me to spend more than that. I would buy Ariats if they had my size for $500. Oh and this is my anniversary gift. Us horsey people - we love horsey stuff for our anniversaries! Last year he bought me a dressage saddle. This year I want boots.
Any advice???
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I find good stuff at tack swaps or craiglist. You can usually get god deals at tack swaps. Most ppl don't want to pack their stuff up and are very willing to negotiate. I got a free canvas lined blanket that is from new zealandwith leather straps and real buckles and a 100 blanket for 40, love tack swaps. Its so yucky out have to take my boys down the road to use indoor. They have been inside for 2 days and they r going to be broncs. Must lunge first! Need to practice halter with my NSH spring show is cmg up and I'm not the best with in hand classes. Can't wait for spring.
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Jancie I talked to DM who works in a tack shop, she thinks Ariat makes them in different lengths or suggested if you can find anything that fits you well other than the length it is often cheaper to buy those and have the tops cut down to suit you than to buy a total semi or custom boot. Good luck with the search let meknow how you make out.
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Thanks Ridergirl! I was in Dallas in December and went to the Dover store there but they had sent back all of their inventory so they didn't even have boots for me to try on. I was so disappointed! I do love Ariats - I have a pair of field boots bought back some 15 years ago and I always purchase Ariat paddock boots for every day use - except mine right now are worn out and have split at the top but that is after 5 years of a lot of use so I am not complaining.
Rode Jazzy yesterday and she was in a great mood - did lots of "hunter" trotting on her - let her have her head and tried to get her to stretch down into the bit. She was behind my leg and very lazy which makes it difficult to get her to bend, etc.
Anniversary is this weekend so won't be going out to the barn until next Monday other than to swing by and give her carrots.
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I saw this and thought we could probably all relate to this at one time or another:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eruaalw6vno0 -
Cowgal - WOW!!! I was watching this and could only think of my current mare and her dam which are so similiar! I was in awe at first wondering how in the heck could this girl stay on and what a great seat she had. In a way I was glad to see her come off because that made her more human! I guess that doesn't sound right but hopefully you know what I mean.
Don't know if this will work but saw this video and this is the way Jazzy gets me off all of the time - of course not on the first try anymore but more like the 5th one in a row.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQZ05UTvfaI
And yes....I was told many times that I should send my horse to the meat market (meaning Jazzy's dam) but after 3 years of great training - they ate their words. Now with Jazzy - nobody wants to ride her including most trainers but the current one I have knows that my horse had potential and she is not scared of her. I get scared after each accident and it takes months for me to relax again.
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