The "Mane" Equine Community on LJ

and this just proves that my decision was the best I could have ever made

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:20:12 GMT

I know that the subject heading probably makes this post sound like a real downer, but it is exactly the opposite. Quick history: in July I donated my horse to a therapeutic riding school in Toronto (card.ca). He went through a month trial, and he flew through it like a pro. Shortly after, he entered into the Parasport summer games with one of his disabled riders and got a gold and a silver. >I just received an e-mail from the program director. This is what she said: I just wanted to let you know that Woody is doing great!! I have attached a picture of him with one of his riders at the ParaSport Championships.Also, as Woody is quite the busy man he has also been in a video that was made of one of our classes over the summer. Maxwell House donated $10,000 to CARD for our Vet care and they came in to do a video shoot which you can see at www.brewsomegood.ca in the nominations and video's section. The rider who was on Woody that day kinds stole the show so there are loads of clips with him in it. We are so happy that woody is part of the CARD program and he is doing amazing things for his riders!! So, if you check out that video under the videos and nominations section you can see my boy at work. He's the horse with the star and snip and has the little boy that wiggles on him. After seeing him at work and actually seeing how much good he is doing, my decision to donate him was totally the right one. Here is the picture of him at the Parasport summer games... (linked cuz photobucket is stupid) http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y6/Jules257/GetAttachmentaspx.jpg edited cuz i'm a big dummy

Asher - 4 Months Old

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:02:32 GMT

Cross Posted from my journal...And I will repeat, dial up users BEWARE! :)
Asher, my palomino/cream/white/he doesnt-know-WHAT-Color-he-is-but-should-technically-be-a palomino American Warmblood is 4 months old tomorrow, but I went ahead and took photos today. I havent measured this month, but last month at 3 months old he was 13.1HH!@ The vet and farrier are both VERY surprised at his growth..i swear no miracle gro in his feed, either! I am quite pleased with my extremely amateur photography skills :D I let him into the front yard for the first time today. It was an adventure! The grass is so much better up there. :) HUGE photos behind cut, so dial up BEWARE LIKE SRSLY!
For th ose of you that want to see them but dont want to be spammed all at once, here is the direct link
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v244/darkmaya/Asher/

OMG..what is this thing!@?!@?

This one is titled..THERES A TICK IN MY EAR AGAIN!@

King of the (sand)Hill

Dusty

Kittycute

I got lucky on some great pics! He's such a cutie.

One-day event - Evergreen Classic in Chicago?

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:04:19 GMT

I was reading Beezie Madden's blog and I ran across this:

"We arrived into Syracuse on Sunday. It's great catching up with folks at home and seeing the horses. My next show is Spruce Meadows Masters with Judgement, Onlight and Prima. Then I’m on to the Gold Cup in Cleveland and to a one-day event on that same weekend in Chicago called the Evergreen Classic."

I can't find any information on this. I think my Google-fu is failing me. Has anyone ever heard of this event or know of where I can find more info?

Edit: Here is what I found out. Its actually called Evergreen Invitational and (moonshinetears you will like this) its in Bristol Wisconsin, not Chicago.

Where is the event held?

The Evergreen Invitational 2008 Grand Prix will be held at a private horse farm in Bristol, Wisconsin, located one hour north of downtown Chicago. Guests will enjoy an afternoon in the country surrounded by beautiful evergreens, ponds and rolling hills. Guests will view the show jumping competition from tented areas.

When is the event?

The event will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2008. It will begin at 10:00 am and last until approximately 3:30 pm. Guests will enjoy complimentary valet parking, an elegant buffet, a spectacular show jumping competition, the Promenade of Shops and a luxury sports car display.

How can I buy tickets?

Tickets are by invitation only and advance reservations are required. No tickets will be sold the day of the event. If you would like to request an invitation, please call the Northwestern Memorial Foundation Special Events line at (312) 926-7133 or email info@evergreeninvitational.org . Tickets are $500 per person and $6,000 for a table of ten.

Here is the website:
Evergreen Invitational

Equioxx vs Previcox

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:29:23 GMT

http://www.horseadvice.com/horse/messages/5/282119.html
I came across this article today while doing a pricing exercise for Equioxx. Does anyone use the less expensive option. I am seriously considering it for my mare. The Equioxx is very expensive and if I can get the same results for less money I will go for it. I only use it once a month or so, but could definitely use the extra money I would be saving. We could buy bulk quantities for the barn as well.
My mare has periods of being "off". She shows no lameness and flexes clean. Her pain factors come from having broken withers and running 32 career races. I have found body work to be very helpful if done around once a month. My vet provides chiropractic and acupuncture. I am looking into Legend/Adequan too. Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Carriage horses for tourism

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:10:22 GMT

Hello, I was wondering if anyone on here could help me with some research I'm doing (because if I'm going to go on a rant about something, I like to make sure I have my facts straight first XD).

Does anyone on here work with the carriage horses they use in cities etc., to take tourists on rides around the park or city? Or do you know anyone who does? I wanted to know if drivers/owners need to have some sort of licence before they could get a horse and cart together and offer rides, or if there are regular checks on the safety of the vehicles/competence of the driver.

I ask because I was browsing the PETA website the other day (don't ask me why, it only serves to annoy the hell out of me) and I noticed their campaign against horse-drawn carriages (see here for the relevant page, be warned there is a graphic image right at the beginning of the article). After looking at the 'Incidents Involving Horse-Drawn Carriages', I realised the vast majority are because the horse spooked/the horse bolted/the driver lost control. I may be biased here because I am vehemently anti-PETA, but I supposed a lot of these may have been caused by driver negligence - as in, they didn't really know what they were doing, didn't have enough experiance, the horses hadn't been trained well enough (I used to work with drafts, and have been in enough parades to know that horses can cope with noise, traffic and the unexpected very well if they've been conditioned to it and have experianced drivers/handlers).

I'm not attacking the people who run horse-drawn carriages, quite the opposite: I just thought that, instead of rushing in with "omg it's so bad let's ban it", maybe a more sensible approach would be to educate people and introduce licencing, if it's not already in place? Does anyone who works in this industry have any comebacks to what PETA says in their article?

Thanks in advance for any response, even if it's to tell me I'm an idiot. ;)

Upcoming Events - northern VA

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:57:26 GMT

Hello equestrian! Just wanted to share a few upcoming events at our place in Marshall, VA, an hour west of DC.

Open House, October 5, 11-3: celebrate our one year anniversary! We will have riding demonstrations, as well as representatives from Purina Mills and Attwood Equestrian Surfaces (makers of our amazing indoor arena footing) available to answer questions. Snacks and drinks will be provided, and admission is free! No RSVP necessary.

Saddle Fitting Clinic and Individual Consultations, November 21-22: our first clinic with Colleen Meyer of Advanced Saddle Fit - www.advancedsaddlefit.com - was such a success that we're bringing her back. The clinic is Friday, November 21 at 5 pm, and admission is free with a potluck dish (or $5 without). The lecture will cover saddle design, trends in materials and fit, evaluating good fit, and much more. Individual appointments to evaluate saddles or to find something new are available all day on the 22nd, as well as earlier in the day on the 21st.

Lendon Gray Clinic, December 13-14: hosted by CDCTA. Come ride or audit with one of the country's top trainers of horses and riders. Lendon is articulate, brilliant and has worked with all shapes and sizes of riders and horses at all levels.

For more information about any of these events, or to RSVP for clinics, please email me at lauren@spriesersporthorse.com. Directions are available on our website, www.spriesersporthorse.com. Thanks!

New here..

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:04:44 GMT

Hey everyone,
Just figured I'd introduce myself (well, my horse).

Callie is a four year old bay roan appaloosa mare with a star and a snip :) Her registered name is "She's My-T Majickal."
I've known her since she was born- she had a rough start and I bought her as a severely malnourished yearling. Three years later, she's got the height and is now starting to fill out and look like a horse. :)
I rarely have a camera to get decent riding photos, but I've done all her training myself (and the help of email upon email with my old trainers!). She is the smartest little horse I've ever met and will do anything I ask her to.
Please take a look at my journal and add me as a friend- you may remember me from a couple of years ago, I used to post like crazy on horse_photos and a couple of other big groups.

Bug Issues

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:36:08 GMT

My horse has always been super sensitive to bugs, to the point where she will rub off patches of hair and bites will become massive, itchy, pussy scabs.

But it seems as if this year has been worse than ever. She didn't have any big issues with the bugs at home, but for some reason they've been eating her alive at school (and she's only been here for 4 days).

I'll admit right now that she's got a trace clip (soon be body clipped) and that will not help matters in the least. Yes, I realize that it's September and that it is way early to do mega clipping, but for some reason my 14 year old Quarter Horse decided to fluff up like my 24 year old seudo-Cushings pony. But she was at the point of nearly overheating just standing her stall, so it wasn't hard for me to decide to play with clippers. Plus it's probably not going to be cooling off much in the next month or so.

So, does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on something to help relieve the massive itchyness? These are mega scabs that are especially bad under her jaw, on the underside of her neck, between her front legs, and all down her belly.
As far as buying stuff, all I have close by (as in within 60 miles) is a Tractor Supply Co. store and a big box store. But I know that I have to do something to help my little mare.

Any and all suggestions will be much apperciated!

Photo spam because the guys are so handsome

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:25:10 GMT

First off I thought I would share a picture of this roundpen. Every wednesday the owner of one of the friesans I look after takes Henna to NH training. The arena is huge and this is the roundpen. It's beautiful.

Hoping the size is okay. It is a bit grainy but the light was terrible.

Everest no longer looking like a hat rack and, look! No warts this side at all.

The other side with a few warts left to go - he had hundreds - but his still manages to look handsome.

Everest and Maple, the horse I am buying for my son. Maple is being typically male of course and letting it all hang out, but they make a nice pair and get on really well.

The interesting thing is the guys are exactly the same height but there the similarities end. Everest's feet are twice the size and he's much much broader. But, Maple is only four. I am so happy with E's grass belly though.

Horse Drugging?

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:03:13 GMT

Hello, for part of one of my college essays I'm touching on the point of horse drugging. Especially tranquilizers. I'm not really sure how to go about finding information on this.
Names of tranquilizers will help, or any websites that talk about different ones.

P.S I apologize for any tagging issues. I was having a hard time finding an appropriate tag. (I probably just couldn't find it).

goodbye, laddy.

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:51:50 GMT

i got a call from my boss at 1:00 this afternoon. laddy, one of his carriage horses, had escaped and got hit by a car. all he knew at that point was that the horse had a lacerated shoulder. he asked me to go down there for him to talk to the vet, as he was stuck in boston and had to wait to catch a train home. i raced over there not fully knowing what to expect. when i arrived, the vet was still checking out the wound trying to determine exactly how bad it was. laddy's shoulder was cut up pretty bad, pieces of flesh and muscle dangling from his shoulder, blood dripping down his leg. his shoulder was badly broken. he stood quiet and calm the whole time, levelheaded as always. he didn't even look worried.

the surgery and rehab required to repair the damage would be a long and expensive ordeal, and a full recovery didn't seem likely. the vet decided the most humane thing to do was euthanize laddy right away and end his suffering. they were kind enough to put him down while i went back to the barn to check on the other horses. by the time i got back they already had a tarp over him. i managed to not fall to pieces until i got home.

he was such a handsome boy. half morgan, half clydesdale. short and stocky and strong. always mellow and friendly, he appreciated the wonderful home he had, he knew that he was loved. unfortunately, he was also a pig and an escape artist. the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence. this time, it wasn't.

give all the ponies in your life an extra kiss on the nose. you never know when they might leave.

Hoof & mineral supplements; dewormer questions.

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:18:24 GMT

I have a couple questions re: supplements, to the tune of biotin, minerals, and electrolytes. Also a question regarding de-worming.

Gem is currently having some corrective shoeing done - she's sound, but my trainer noticed her super long toes and slightly crushed heels and recommended a farrier, who has been amazing about explaining what is wrong and what he's doing to fix the problem. Part of the problem is due to the fact that she has thin hoof walls and soft hooves. Last week he was happy to report that her hoof walls are beginning to grow.

He never mentioned a supplement, but I've been thinking that adding biotin would help her feet grow and strengthen. I've been suggested that feeding her plain gelatin powder would help. Which do you think sounds better?

Also - last summer I noticed that Gem wasn't drinking very much water, only about 5 gallons a day, even though she always had two 15-gal buckets full in her stall. I gave her a mineral block and that seemed to help a bit. This summer it was harder to monitor her water intake because she was drinking from a trough in a pasture for 12 hours a day. What I've noticed is that her coat doesn't seem as healthy as it used to. She has been constantly shedding little bits of hair all summer.

She's on Kent's Dynasty Pro grain, so that should give her everything she needs, correct? Someone suggested I give her electroltyes, or mineral supplements. Would that make a difference? What about just adding regular salt to her grain?

Now for the dewormer. I bought my horse more than a year and a half ago, and when I bought her I found out that she'd only been de-wormed twice a year for her whole life (she was about to turn 4), rotating between ivermectin and panacur every 6 months. I of course started her on a 60-day rotating schedule. However, a friend of mine just told me that if she already had parasites, de-worming wouldn't have made a difference. She suggested I give Gem one of those 5-day power packages to wipe everything out, and then start again on a regular schedule.

Thoughts?

Somewhat off-topic...

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:27:02 GMT

I'm working on a comedy sketch show at my medical school. Theres an S & M scene and the director mentioned he needed whips.

I disappeared and five minutes later reappeared with the three whips I had in the boot of my car (for interest sake; a purple schooling whip, a black jumping whip and a pink sparkly hand-shaped jumping whip!). The look on everyones face was priceless!

I think this is how one goes about getting a reputation...

Barbed Wire Dangers

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:20:34 GMT

Does anyone know where I can print info from on the dangers of barbed wire. One with some horrid pictures of what can happen would be good. We have someone down the road who has just had a foal born (yup, this late). They have him pastured with his mom and his brother from last year in a 4 strand barbed wire fence. I worry all day long and drive down to see if they are okay. Usually there is no one home except later in the evening. I thought I"d stick some info about the dangers in their newspaper box. I'm not finding anything that I feel would get the point across.

Locking Stifles

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:15:05 GMT

I feed another girl's horse everyday. In the past week or so, his history of Upward Fixation of the Patella (locking stifles) has reared its ugly head. I called her to let her know, and she's getting the vet out to look at it again, but in the meantime, is there anything I can do to make him more comfortable?

When it gets really bad to where he's just dragging his leg, I back him up and then just start walking him until he gets back to normal. I hate seeing him like this, especially when I spend 10 minutes walking him out just to see it lock up the moment I turn him out.

Keep in mind, I only feed him, no riding/lunging/exercising him involved.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

ETA: He is on 24/7 turnout like every other horse on the property. I also feed him in a paddock instead of putting him in a stall.

Cross country videos.

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:21:23 GMT

A couple more treats to go along with the photos I posted yesterday from the Ontario Eventing Championships.

This rider yelled "UP!" at his horse over nearly every jump on course (not this one, though). Whatever's effective, I suppose, but personally I find leg and seat to work most of the time! Poor horse, getting yelled at!

I didn't think this would ride well at all and that most would choose the option to jump the left wing of the first jump, and then circle around to jump the right-angled wing of the 2nd, but all but 1 rider chose the direct route. Looks like fun!

It was a stroke of luck that I happened to be recording this rider instead of just photographing her, as she provided the biggest laugh of the day. Listen with your sound up high to hear her comments about slipping on the approach. (Warning: some colourful language ensues)

Hee hee.

Hello barefoot folks!

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:00:27 GMT

I recently took my arab barefoot in front and my trimmer gave us some Renegade boots (that he fitted) to use for a while. Everyone I know who uses these swears by them and says they never lose them. Me? They've done nothing but piss me off, as they've come off now THREE times on the trail. I'm getting a little concerned that my poor horse is going to pull something when they twist/fly off, etc. We're training up for a mini endurace ride and spending about 10-15 hrs a week on the trail. It's rocky. He needs boots. I've started cranking those suckers down around his hooves, but they still fly off once we get going at a good trot. Is there a secret to these?? Maybe his hooves are just a funny shape and we'll need different boots? Our other horse has Boas, but I've heard they don't hold up so well for endurance.

Joust photos

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:36:38 GMT

I went to Warwick Castle at the weekend to see the joust (all right ... there were PLENTY of other things going on, but I went solely for the joust :P) and thought I'd share some horsey photos with you.

A close-up on one of the horses (or, should I say, a close-up on one of the destriers!).

Beautiful horse, ridden by 'King Henry' haha.

Knights a-loitering.

The black knight (every event has to have one).

A Yorkist knight.

Fighting on foot, while the King (and his Friesian... :3) look on.

A view of the lists from the other side of the river.

This knight hates me, apparantly.

Another close-up.

Hahahaha! OUCH.

They'd just tilted and were about to turn around the 'bar' in the middle, hence the pose.

His opponent broke a lance on his sheild, hence why this knight's dropped everything - this was just before they dismounted and fought on foot.

The black knight's horse looking suitably evil.

Stormin' Norman's stunt pony.

He did all the usual tricks of hanging off the side of the horse at gallop etc., but unfortunately he did these down the long side of the arena ... and away from me. So I didn't get any photos of the actual stunts. :P

"Oi! You!" says King Henry. "NOOOOOOOO!"

Yes please. <3

Knights a-running.

Lances are, I believe, impossible to get in shot.

Hahahaaa! :D Ouch again.

A royal steed.

Stormin' Norman's horse again.

The only way to travel. :P

He's not falling off, I caught him as he was sitting up from the previous picture.

More Stormin' Norman.

And again.

Many Pictures Today

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:06:05 GMT

MANY MANY Pictures today - sorry for the different sizes- MANY Pictures behind the cut:

First things first.. Gus turned 2 yrs old =)

"We're here for the Party"

Let the Fun Begin..

Sunday joins in on the fun

More Sunday

Me and Fred

A Fly's View

Working with Gem

Shadow

Good Grief

Chief, Inspirada, and Willing

Chief

Shaggy

Daisy

Maverick

Maverick's infected / ulcerated eye was removed

Orlando

Oolong

Tecate the crazy pony

Eric and Cochise

Tequila

Beating the Heat

Numerous

Dave, Rookie and Salsa

Dakotah and Rookie

New rescue, Olympia, officially safe as she is loaded on the trailer

Olympia

Kestral

Going for a Roll

Time to trim the goat hooves

One down.. many more to go..

Cisco and Storm Cloud

Baja

Idaho [She is fully blind due to neglect]

Best Friends

And the last pic - Hope you enjoyed them!

Stella's off to school, one more coming with drama

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:48:29 GMT

I put her on the bus to school today. I felt kind of sad because she was such a sweet mare. Alas, she will likely go back and do the IHSA thing again this year and next year I might take a different one that I want to buy.

But, as it goes, I am never horseless.

My cousin ended up with Pie the horse. I believe that he is a QH, but I can't remember exactly, maybe he is an appy. Obviously, I've never met the horse. My cousin does not ride horses or have much affinity for them. This was her daughter's second horse after the first one died while she was in HS. The daughter started to drift away from horsiness mid high school and stopped riding all together once she left for college 2 years ago. From my cousin's non-horseperson descriptions, it sounded like the horse had had a bout of laminitis, which she did not fully comprehend, but she understood that she was paying a lot of money in vet bills and farrier bills.

She worked out a deal with the BO to use the horse as a lesson horse in exchange for half of board as soon as the horse was sound again. She also has a friend who goes and rides him once a month or so. But what has culminated is basically what I told her she should not do--she is basically paying all of the horse's expenses including $700/month in board (which is half rate--it's a Westchester barn), all of the vet fees, and apparently the horse needs to be shod every 3 weeks (she gets the bill from the BO, not the farrier, so I think she's being swindled a little here).

SOOO... in the beginning of the summer, I told her to let my barn have him as a light lesson horse, maybe work 4 days/week (as opposed to 2 lessons/day 7 days/week) or less and they would take care of everything except vet and farrier. She didn't take the deal because her daughter said she was going to ride him (never did).

Now she came to me and asked me if I would take him. My barn doesn't really need any new lesson horses at the moment, but I told her I'd work out a better deal for her. So, we worked something out that works for both of us.

She goes back to the BO to try to get the horse out of the barn and all of a sudden the woman claims that my cousin does *not* own the horse!!!!

I asked my cousin how she got the horse... well, she got him through the BO. The BO said they didn't need a bill of sale or any type of receipt, the horse has no papers because he was bought from one of those "wholesale dealers."

My cousin really feels that this is her horse and she should be able to move him wherever she wants and she thinks he's being worked too hard at his current location and she also feels like she's being swindled.

I told her to collect all of her old bills, have all of her expenses tallied, and then come in the middle of the night with a trailer. Or, just leave the horse at the barn and stop paying the vet bills because clearly she no longer owns the horse and is obligated to pay if the BO claims it is not her horse.

She really feels obligated to do right by this horse because he carted her daughter around safely and he's really a family pet, even though she's not a horse person.

So, what do you guys think?

Update on the 14 Y/O Morgan Mare

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:10:28 GMT

Hi all,

Some of you may remember this post about the Morgan mare I was considering that was apparently 14 years old:
http://community.livejournal.com/equestrian/5183473.html

I had posted that I was unsure about the actuality of her really being 14. Well, yesterday I called to go look at the mare in question and try her out. The first thing the owner said was
"By the way, I have my neighbor doing the ad for me because I don't have a computer - and I finally read it. She is NOT 14. She was foaled in 1987, I just wanted to let you know."

I didn't get to go see her yesterday anyway because I had to buy a new truck - which took all freaking day - but I wanted to give someone else the opportunity if they wanted it.

She's 21 years old. Apparently she's very barn sour but no buck/rear/bite/etc. I wouldn't say she's beginner friendly at 21 but needs a bit of work. I stumbled upon the ad quite by accident, and as most of you know I recently lost my Morgan gelding that I also purchased when he was around 19. While I know 21 for a Morgan isnt old by any means, I am not emotionally or financially ready to purchase another horse that requires a large amount of senior care and extra senior related things. While the price is right, I was looking for something a bit younger, and even though she's 21 I would have still considered buying her, but I wanted a reliable, non spooky trail mount - and her apparently being barn sour ISNT what is best for me, even if the price is right.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you all thanks for the opinions, if anybody wanted to look into her - She's being sold out of Ocala, FL, she is registered "Oak Creek Hot Stuff" - is apparently trained to 2nd or 3rd level dressage, and they only want 500 OBO for her. If you comment or email I can get you the sellers number or you can look it up on ocala4sale under horse breeds starting with "M".

Anyway, thanks again everybody. Just not ready to replace Red with another old timer at this point. He'll never be replaced anyway, but..you all know what I mean.

back on Trump!

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 03:09:11 GMT

I rode Trump today! On my own, not being led around :) (For those who don't know, I had a very bad fall from him on July 25 -- completely not his fault. Relevant posts are at http://community.livejournal.com/equestrian/5134383.html, http://community.livejournal.com/equestrian/5143579.html, and http://community.livejournal.com/equestrian/5198156.html ...)

Quite usefully, he is trained to be mounted from a picnic table. I can't really put much weight at all on my left arm, so this made things much easier. He's not as keen about using the picnic table for dismounting, so I put a leg over his neck and slide down with someone to steady me.

He was his usual big lazy self. The only trouble I had was getting him into the indoor, as he did not understand why, when he'd just returned from a hack with goddessfarmer and her husband, he had a new rider and couldn't just stop already. A couple of kicks and some gentle words, and he decided that it was OK after all. One of the things I love about him is that he is so responsive to being talked to.

So... we walked, and we even trotted for about 2 minutes. I'm most comfortable on a very loose rein. goddessfarmer suggests that I do nothing but loose rein work for a while, on Trump and my horse Feronia (who I have not ridden yet, but it's coming soon.) I quit when my ribs started hurting a little, after 20 minutes or so. I have to say that riding is *very* good for my left shoulder, which has become very stiff since the accident.

The loose rein work is a good idea in general, since Feronia is so touchy about rein use, and while my hands are good, they are not quite good enough for the princess. If I can learn how to do things from seat and leg, and work on keeping my hands steady when I have basically no contact with her mouth, we should be set up well for "real" riding in a few months. Her (re)training is going really well and she's quite happy just hanging out with the DQs... I have been doing a lot of ground work with her, and it's a good thing.

My apologies for the photo quality; the combination of the lighting, or lack thereof, and the camera just did not work so well.

One more of me and Trump:

And while I was tootling around, goddessfarmer was giving my husband Ben his very first riding lesson on Skip. Skip is one of those rare horses who is a lovely "husband horse" but can also do very well at eventing; he's gone as high as Training, with his previous owner/trainer, and is certainly capable of Prelim once goddessfarmer is in good enough shape for it. (She is making real progress on that front BTW, and she and Skip recently won their Novice division at Kingsbury Hill.) Another "for anyone who doesn't know" : the weird marking on his left hindleg was there from birth; he's a Connemara/TB cross and his Connemara sire often threw odd markings like this.

line art help

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:19:19 GMT

I may be google impaired but I think I've tried really hard to find this.

I am looking for a DRAWING/lineart/clipart of a riding helmet from the head on position. I've found a few from the side or from an angle but I want one from head on. Preferrably it would be a modern style helmet (GR8, GPA etc.)

I am making teeshirts for our IHSA team and cannot seem to find what I want for the life of me.

Also, a really good simple image of a crop would help although I'll admit I haven't really looked for it yet.

Thanks so much for any help!!!

How Long Have You Been Riding?

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:29:43 GMT

How long have you been riding?
I stumbled on some pictures of when I was a lot younger. You can tell I was a natural. I wasn't riding alone though, so don't worry about bad parenting or anything.

Will you post your early riding photos?

More icons! Quite a large batch this time.

equestrianhelp@gmail.com — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:42:04 GMT

You can find the rest at my journal, ilikeblueskies. :)