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Mapparu
Sep 22, 2013

TheHeadSage posted:

So adorable.



My little champ.

what a superstar you have there!!!

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Sucrose
Dec 9, 2009

Haji posted:

Mini people are *WEIRD*.

Now if they were attempting to breed back to a primitive horse that would be totally crazy awesome and I would understand that, but mini people are not doing that. They are making strange, deformed creatures that live in constant pain.

Wouldn't it be so much better to have this instead of one of the current mini monstrosities
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sifrhippus

Really? Goddamn it. Breeding for aesthetics strikes again.

x1o
Aug 5, 2005

My focus is UNPARALLELED!
So now to the extreme opposite of what I normally post, down here in Australia we just had the National Heavy Horse festival, which featured this young gentleman, who was happily dozing when I dropped by for a visit:



But he soon woke up and wondered what was going on:

thatbastardken
Apr 23, 2010

A contract signed by a minor is not binding!
I rode a horse yesterday, it was very large and I was kind of nervous but survived.

I also tried to ride a bull but it did not cooperate and now my back hurts.

Tyma
Dec 22, 2004

Chwyldro Dawnsio Dawns
Has anyone had experiences with their riding regressing? I recently spent a few days in hospital and a few days recovering, and now my riding has absolutely gone to poo poo.

I have muscle wasting in my left leg, which I've always adapted my riding around, but now it's suddenly gone from 'I have to squeeze harder on one side' to not being able to move a horse forward with squeezing at all, and not being able to give the canter aide. It's loving terrifying to sit on a horse, and not having any control, even though you know exactly what to do :{

Has anyone had any similar experiences, or riding set-backs? I've contacted my original riding instructor, and asked her to include me in one of her walk-trot group lessons, to see if she thinks it's a simple set-back, or if I'm going to have to start riding again from scratch, using artificial aids.

Angrymog
Jan 30, 2012

Really Madcats

Sorry, I didn't reply Tyma have, you had any luck?

The only thing I can say is that when I came back to riding it took me a while to be able to get the horses really listening again.. even just things like making them walk into corners rather than cut them was a struggle at first. You might need to use a stick if you can't exert enough pressure to get the horse to notice you at all?

I'm looking at loaning this chap: http://www.rehomemyhorse.co.uk/murphy/

17h, shire cross. Old, so hopefully sane when hacking.

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011
I'm so happy to discover there's a horse thread! I currently share a horse 2 days a week, would love to do more but can't afford it. Part of my deal is weekly lessons, so I've been re-learning how to showjump after mainly focusing on dressage for years. It's lovely to read everyone's stories and commiserate on all the ups and downs that come with the equine addiction.

Angrymog
Jan 30, 2012

Really Madcats

Horse thread lives!

I had started riding one of the horses on working livery, which was a challenge - she didn't like corners at all. Her owner took her back onto full livery though.

Now back on Tinker and occasionally Murphy (not the Murphy in my last post - the website forms were too geated towards full loaner and i had no idea how to answer).

Still pondering loan but winter would just be a killer for my enthusiasm.

Tyma
Dec 22, 2004

Chwyldro Dawnsio Dawns
I'm currently laid up with a blood disorder, so I haven't ridden in months. The last time I did ride I actually managed to get into a really loving stupid accident that led to me concussing myself by landing on my own helmet.

Since then, I've developed nerve damage in my leg, so it's going to be a long, expensive journey back to being able to ride at a competent level again. I don't know if anyone's interested in reading about that ^^;

Angrymog posted:

Now back on Tinker and occasionally Murphy (not the Murphy in my last post - the website forms were too geated towards full loaner and i had no idea how to answer).

Are you still near Kent? Before I fell ill, I was going to make a trip down to England to visit a school a friend is teaching at, and apparently lessons in most parts of England run close to £45 for an hour with a non-BHSI instructor?

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011
Oops, totally missed that the last post before mine was from March. Happy to help resurrect the thread though.

Angrymog, I hope you get to find some regular riding that works for you. I have been so lucky over the years with sharing and loaning, but I know it can be tough to keep motivated in Winter. I used to have a lovely little Irish horse on full loan, but I completely burned out with stress from work and feeling like I couldn't do him justice. My two days a week share now is a lot more manageable. I deliberately chose a very horsey area to move to to help get back into things, it does sound like you've got some good options and leads where you are too.

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011

Tyma posted:

I'm currently laid up with a blood disorder, so I haven't ridden in months. The last time I did ride I actually managed to get into a really loving stupid accident that led to me concussing myself by landing on my own helmet.

Since then, I've developed nerve damage in my leg, so it's going to be a long, expensive journey back to being able to ride at a competent level again. I don't know if anyone's interested in reading about that ^^;


Are you still near Kent? Before I fell ill, I was going to make a trip down to England to visit a school a friend is teaching at, and apparently lessons in most parts of England run close to £45 for an hour with a non-BHSI instructor?

Sorry to hear you're unwell Tyma, I hope your road to recovery is smooth. I'd be interested to hear how things go for you. I used to be based in Buckinghamshire, where there is a lot of para and RDA stuff going on, it might be worth getting in touch with some coaches involved with para dressage or RDA groups near you to see if they can help recommend something.

I have found riding lessons without horse hire are in the region of £25-35 with a non-BHSI instructor, and £50+ at riding centres where the hire of the horse is factored in. My current instructor charges £30/hr and offers schoolmaster lessons on her horses for £40. When you say "down to England" does that mean you're up in Scotland or further abroad?

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011
I hope this works, let me know if you can't see it. It's just a rare picture of my buddy Fonze looking cute. He's nearly 20, knows every trick in the book to avoid work and is a bit bitey. Still love him though :kimchi:

https://twitter.com/clipclopflop/status/800032699784130560?s=09

Angrymog
Jan 30, 2012

Really Madcats

Tyma posted:

Are you still near Kent? Before I fell ill, I was going to make a trip down to England to visit a school a friend is teaching at, and apparently lessons in most parts of England run close to £45 for an hour with a non-BHSI instructor?

Not that high (at least not here). I'm paying 32.50 for 45 minutes* (includes use of horse); school is BHSI accredited, so guess their instructors are.

* I buy in blocks of 10 and get 1 free lesson, so £325 for 11 lessons.

Sorry to hear you're unwell :(

Tyma
Dec 22, 2004

Chwyldro Dawnsio Dawns

dandybrush posted:

Sorry to hear you're unwell Tyma, I hope your road to recovery is smooth. I'd be interested to hear how things go for you. I used to be based in Buckinghamshire, where there is a lot of para and RDA stuff going on, it might be worth getting in touch with some coaches involved with para dressage or RDA groups near you to see if they can help recommend something.

I have found riding lessons without horse hire are in the region of £25-35 with a non-BHSI instructor, and £50+ at riding centres where the hire of the horse is factored in. My current instructor charges £30/hr and offers schoolmaster lessons on her horses for £40. When you say "down to England" does that mean you're up in Scotland or further abroad?

Hi! Let's talk about how awesome the RDA are!

I originally planned to ride through the RDA, because I was born with a messed up spine, and one messed up leg. When I got to the riding centre that the RDA used for sessions, I ended up getting assessed by, and then taught by the daughter of the owner, because I guess she thought my body was interesting, and wanted to figure out how she could make it ride a horse (Now I've known her for 15 years, this is absolutely the reason she would have done it). She later told me that the RDA support in our area wasn't great, and that I probably wouldn't have had much fun, if I'd learnt to ride through the local RDA system.

The one thing I did learn, though, is that with the right teacher, anyone can go far in equine sports. I'm incredibly proud of what I've managed to do, and I'm still absolute trash compared to anyone who has actualy Para-equestrian funding behind them. Although I'm eligible to compete in disabled competition, I always compete in able-bodied, because the level of talent amongst funded riders is absolutely insane.

Anyway, a few years ago, I somehow ended up in Scotland, with a horse on part-livery at this little place :

http://www.muirfieldridingtherapy.org.uk/

This place is the RDA idea pushed to the absolute extreme. They were one of the early National Lottery funded charities, and built an indoor school full of pulleys and levers to help completely immobile people onto horses. In the summer I was most horsey-active, I watched a boy with cerebral palsy learn to walk - from scratch. They hooked him into a harness from the ceiling, and sat him over a little icelandic pony, as it walked around in circles, and I guess over the course of a few months, he started to understand the motion of walking, by mimicking the horse. I wish I could have taken lessons with them while I was there, but they had a 2 year waiting list, and I was at the absolute peak of my riding, so the best I could do was enter the able-bodied classes for all of their fund-raising shows, trounce anyone who dared to enter Mountain And Moorland, and donate all of my winnings back to the centre. I still donate any cash I win from shows to them via paypal, because I know that place would have changed my life, if I hadn't been lucky enough to live near my initial riding instructor.

Anyway, I habe no idea about the prices in Scotland, but here in South Wales, the going rate for a lesson with a BHS-I or BHS-II is always under £25, with or without horse hire. The only time I've ever seen it go over £30 is if the lesson is behind closed doors, or the instructor is currently some sort of Celebrity, and the lesson includes an signed photograph at the end. I guess riding is a more common and competitive business in rural Wales than it is in England?

Was this the picture? It only let me see it once you friended me on Twitter ^^;

Tyma
Dec 22, 2004

Chwyldro Dawnsio Dawns
Thanks for the kind words. I'm already feeling better with booster injections, and I'm really just waiting until I'm in a state where I know I can ride every week, before I try to work my way back up.

I'm actually torn between going back to my original instructor, or asking the RDA if they can help me get back on my feet. Untortunately, the horse I'd been riding for the past 2 years recently got sold by her owner, and replaced with something incredibly fleighty, that I could barely ride even if I was back to 100%, so I'll have to get back in the saddle via riding lessons, local charities, or outright horse theft.

Just checked, and my local prices are :
Dinefwr (BHS-I) £20 / hour
Clyne (No BHS affiliation) £13 / hour

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011
Wow, that Muirfield place is awesome, what a great story. I count my blessings with my health and I'm so glad places like that exist. Glad that you're doing better too. Always worth checking around local tack shops to see if anyone is advertising for part-time sharer or riding opportunities, they usually have a wall plastered with ads somewhere, and good place to pick up word of mouth.

Thanks for reposting Fonze so everyone can see him without having to follow my lame Twitter account!

teenytinymouse
Aug 3, 2005

I'm Shannon and I'm the biggest Idiot Ever!

Horse thread lives!!!


Look at this beautiful boy :h:

I still haven't got back riding after a year talking about it, my sister still tells me how all my horse friends are doing tho and it's lovely but also heartbreaking, I know Harvey is getting near retirement and I might not get to fly round the arena with him jumping literally anything that's put in front of him again :(

Once I pass my driving test tho :getin:

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011

teenytinymouse posted:

Horse thread lives!!!


Look at this beautiful boy :h:

I still haven't got back riding after a year talking about it, my sister still tells me how all my horse friends are doing tho and it's lovely but also heartbreaking, I know Harvey is getting near retirement and I might not get to fly round the arena with him jumping literally anything that's put in front of him again :(

Once I pass my driving test tho :getin:

Whoooo!

I totally understand those twinges you get when you see/hear what your horsey friends are doing, it's so nice to hear/see them but you get soooo envious at the same time!

I hope Harvey is doing well, Fonze is coming up for 20 and there is a 28 year-old mare at the same yard who is still very active. It's a lot easier to manage older horses now with better options to deal with common issues like arthritis. Fingers crossed he keeps going for you, Fonzie has been helping me get back into jumping but we only jump tiny stuff. Good luck with your driving test!

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011
Owww, my back hurts. I worked a full day at the stables today, having not done one for a while. I like doing it when I can though, used to be a full-time groom before I got a "proper" job in an office. Don't much enjoy doing straw beds having been spoiled by years of a shavings only yard! Used to get 2-3 stables worth in a barrow mucking out shavings beds but one straw bed is 1-2 barrow loads! It's so satisfying when you get the yard done and everything's clean and the horses are happily munching their dinners. Does anyone else love that moment?

teenytinymouse
Aug 3, 2005

I'm Shannon and I'm the biggest Idiot Ever!

My sister was on Harvey my best boy last weekend for the first time ever in the 18 years we've been at that stables and said he was wonderful :kimchi:

But also :cry: because I miss him. She's used to big horses because she's 5'7" and broad so being on a little fella like the ones I'm used to was apparently really weird lol

I posted him before but here he is again

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011

teenytinymouse posted:

My sister was on Harvey my best boy last weekend for the first time ever in the 18 years we've been at that stables and said he was wonderful :kimchi:

But also :cry: because I miss him. She's used to big horses because she's 5'7" and broad so being on a little fella like the ones I'm used to was apparently really weird lol

I posted him before but here he is again

Aww Harvey! He looks so sweet, how big is he?

teenytinymouse
Aug 3, 2005

I'm Shannon and I'm the biggest Idiot Ever!

dandybrush posted:

Aww Harvey! He looks so sweet, how big is he?

You know I don't actually know exactly lol a bit shorter than me at the shoulder so I guess about 14-14.5? You can see Nancy (Harvey's best friend for life in the background there, she's 17.5hh and she's my sisters no. 1, a big beautiful dinner-plate-footed megastar) Harvey won't go anywhere without his majestic grey lady friend, when she's in the manège he has to be tied up somewhere so he can see her, he's neurotic and anxious as hell and I love him :love:

Problem!
Jan 1, 2007

I am the queen of France.

teenytinymouse posted:

She's used to big horses because she's 5'7" and broad so being on a little fella like the ones I'm used to was apparently really weird lol

I'm 5'7 and my horse is 17hh, but I LOVE riding little ponies. It's so much fun. Some of the most fun I've had was riding a little pony named Layla who was 13hh at the most and she just flew around the ring doing fun little pony jumps and turns much tighter than my giant gallumphing beast could manage.

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011
Aww, gee up horse thread!

I am also 5'7" ish and I once rode a 12.2hh driving pony for a while when a friend was getting ready to sell him. It was so much fun, but a massive difference from her other horse I rode, who was 16.3! The biggest horse I've ridden was one of my former boss' advanced dressage horses, he was at least 18hh. I used to only get to sit on him very rarely to warm him down, but it was like getting to drive a supercar crossed with a limousine.

Just got back from working another Saturday at the stables. I'm soooo tempted to go freelance from my current job and pick up being a part-time groom again. Managed to squeeze in a jump lesson and can't believe how I've improved in the last couple of months.

How is everyone else's riding/horses going?

Problem!
Jan 1, 2007

I am the queen of France.
I'm gonna buy myself another horse in the next couple years, probably going to get myself something a little smaller and a little more sure footed since we'll be living somewhere with a lot of trails.

Prooooobably gonna find me a 15.2 QH. We'll see. I'm a few years out from being financially able to own a horse, right now I could get one and provide basic care but I'm hosed for emergency vet bills.

Angrymog
Jan 30, 2012

Really Madcats

I keep having to miss lessons due to work stuff. :(

Tyma
Dec 22, 2004

Chwyldro Dawnsio Dawns

dandybrush posted:

How is everyone else's riding/horses going?

I got released from physical rehab with a doctors' "ok" to start riding again. He suggested I limit physical activity to 1/8th of what I instinctively want to do. I don't know what that means in horse riding terms (Jump 0'3" fences?), so I'm going to get in touch with some RDA groups, and see if they'll let me plod around in walk, and do some gentle stretches for the first few rides. I'm a *little* bit worried that it's going to be painful to trot, or go into light seat, with the damage on my right leg, but since I'm going to have to work my way back up gently from nothing, it doesn't really matter if I have to learn to adapt to my disability at the same time.

In fact, now that I'm writing this, it might actually be a good opportunity to learn something completely new, like riding with bridged reins, or Romal style reins.. I don't think either of those would actually be useful in in the future, though? Any suggestions?

The plan right now is to take things very easy for 3 months, and then if I've healed enough, start hospital physiotherapy around March.

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011
Merry Christmas horse thread! I spent a fair bit of yesterday putting reindeer antlers and Santa hats on Fonzie and various dogs at the yard and at home. Hope you are all having a happy Christmas/Hannukah/non-denominational holiday and you and your four-legged friends are all cozy and well.

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011
I put some of my festive Fonzie pics on Imgur for you to enjoy, my parents' dog also snuck in there because he's super cute: http://m.imgur.com/a/n8wJH

Angrymog
Jan 30, 2012

Really Madcats

Merry Christmas horse thread.

And that's a nice looking horse. :)

Angrymog
Jan 30, 2012

Really Madcats

The school I go to gave out Christmas rosettes.

So I put it on the cat.



As you can see by the laser-eyes, she's less than amused.

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011
Haha! That's a great pic, the smouldering fury in her eyes! I don't think Fonzie was very impressed with being dressed up, but the other liveries and staff got lots of cute photo ops with the dogs.

Angrymog
Jan 30, 2012

Really Madcats

Managed to go riding again after almost a month off due to scheduling issues. Tinker still a good horse.

value-brand cereal
May 2, 2008



Horse peoples: can horses grow mustaches? Would you want a horse that grow a mustache?

Tyma
Dec 22, 2004

Chwyldro Dawnsio Dawns
They grow moustaches for the same reasons dogs grow whiskers.

It's a much more prevalent in breeds that come from countries with long winter days. Most horses just grow whiskers to help them improve spatial awareness, and feel around grassy areas with their mouths, but breeds developed in countries where foraging is more difficult sometimes go one step further, and grow the horsey 'tache to help them forage just as well in darkness as in daylight.

value-brand cereal
May 2, 2008

Holy poo poo. These horse have degrees in advanced horses? They must have the skills to pay the bills. Or feed themselves more grass. Thank you, this would have kept me up all night for a week.

Angrymog
Jan 30, 2012

Really Madcats

Horses with moustaches (from a quick google search)





All horses have the wispy whisker-like hairs around their noses, some of them grow moustaches, especially in winter.

Tyma
Dec 22, 2004

Chwyldro Dawnsio Dawns
One of my friends bought a Connemara, and we both instantly became engulfed in the crazy world of Show Ponies.



He's a total sweetheart, and tries his hardest to do everything that's asked of him, but he seems to run out of steam after a few strides of canter, drops all of his impulsion, and doesn't pick it back up. I'm still too sick to work with him, but he seems to carry himself from the front as much as he can, and can only carry himself from the rear if the rider is determined to create an insane amount of energy, and can use it to will him forward. He seems like the kind of horse I'd love to ride, and not being well enough is a tiny bit frustrating.

He's consistently placing 1st in-hand at shows, and 2nd/3rd in ridden classes. He looks incredible from the front, and ridden in an outline. The moment he loses impulsion, though, it all falls apart. How do people go about figuring out a show-piece that covers up his faults, and doesn't ever let the judge see the rear-end of the horse? The owner is talented enough to take him into the upper-level classes of Mountain & Moorland, and asked if I'd like to enter in the lower classes that she's graduated out of, so I guess I have a few weeks to get my poo poo together, and figure out a show-piece that I can do on grass. (I hate riding on grass).

Also, I apparently have to buy the "proper attire" fore Mountain & Moorland, most of which looks like Steampunk cosplay items?

dandybrush
Feb 7, 2011
WOOOOO, good to hear from you Tyma!

What a lovely boy, I love a Connie! Not sure what to suggest to help the engine issues, but I see hill work, doing millions of transitions and pole exercises are often recommended to help build up strength behind. Working on leg yielding in and out on a circle to control the shoulders and bring the hind legs more into gear might also stop him dragging himself along on the forehand but I am not an instructor. I also know nothing about showing, it's way more confusing than dressage!

My share horse Fonzie was officially twenty last week. His owner showed me his passport and he got lots of treats, including a new happy mouth bit because he keeps gnawing through them.

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Angrymog
Jan 30, 2012

Really Madcats

What a lovely looking little horse.

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