midnight_ashes

Can anyone think of any good exercises to do on the lunge to improve position. I have a few of my own but I'm always open to suggestions and ideas (two heads are better than one, and all that!)

The rider is the girl who has started loaning one of my horses, she is 17yo, ridden for years but very "riding schooly" - ie she can walk/trot/canter competantly but lacks straightness/total seat security/clarity of the aids etc (I make her sound awful!?!). What I'm trying to say is she needs "polishing"

There, that sounds nice

Any ideas? She's keen to improve and quick to learn. Her main "faults" as it were stem from a lack of core muscles - her ribcage is somewhat in her stomach and hence her back rounds a little and her legs slip back a bit, because of this she has a tendency to "sit" on her hands a little. The other main thing really is just refinement of the aids; she is a lovely quiet rider and I am just working on teaching her how to get the horse working correctly.

Sorry for blathering on lol! Any ideas for lunge exercises?

How is this advert?

http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?p=248...

I have a bit of a mammoth task coming up soon - I have one day to move three horses, rubbing matting and haybars from their boxes, plus all my gear.

I will move the tack/rugs etc the day before, and I was thinking of going up to the yard early morning, turning the horses out, then getting my dad (always comes in handy!) to help me move my matting and haybars. Then take these down to the new yard and fit them (how long do you think re-fitting mats will take?), then attach the haybars, bed the boxes down, then go back and get the horses.....does this sound like the best way?

If anyone has any tips on how to make this go as smoothly as possible, what are they??

Some of you may know I've been having problems at my yard for a while now, these were pretty much resolved but now things are starting to come undone as circumstances have changed again.

When I moved to the yard 3 years ago our livery fee included bedding and hay/haylage, stable, all year turnout. This has now changed and the turnout is every other day through the winter and bedding is no longer included (livery fee has not changed).

Also, now one of my horses has been retired due to injury so I really need him out every day. My other two are not taking too well to the turnout arrangements either - it is my first winter with my new horse who is used to daily turnout and on the "in" days he stands and looks miserable in his box. My other horse (TB), who I have owned for years, thrives on routine and isn't coping well with being in one day and out the next. This routine has only been in place for a couple of weeks so I appreciate that it will take some settling into, but the TB can't seem to understand why sometimes he goes out and sometimes he doesn't, and he's getting difficult to deal with (he has a few issues anyway and needs a strict routine - something as simple as tea time being late will have him stressed).

Also, my yard owner knows that money is tight for me, but she has offered her horse on part loan to a lady who part loans my TB (the lady can only afford one) so she is giving my horse up to take the other one. Now I do not have a problem with this in principle as of course now the lady wants to move on to another horse - what has upset me is that the yard owner has done this without first mentioning it to me, or infact mentioning it at all! I just think it's a bit sneaky really.

So, I was going to move my retired horse to a farm nearby which is cheaper as it has no riding arena etc. but of course he doesn't need that - it has fields and stables and a couple of other horses so would suit him. However now I am considering moving all three of them together to another yard with facilities for the ridden ones, but that can better cater for my retired one. Of course the best thing (theoretically) is to up sticks and leave. However, here's the problem - my brother works for the yard owner's husband (brother is self employed and is contracted to him) and also keeps his goats and chickens on a patch of land at the yard in exchange for helping out around the farm doing "odd jobs" out of his work time. So my worry is, that because he is not employed by the YO's husband, but is just contracted to him, that he will get "sacked". His job is his livelihood and he has just bought a house and cannot afford to lose this job, and of course if we were asked to move the goats this would be problematic as there is a shortage of places to keep them where they would be safe. We have looked and cannot seem to find anywhere available to rent in our area and we cannot afford to buy a plot.

What do I do????

(Sorry it's long)

...a horse stabled overnight (from about 4pm - 9am)? I've always used little bales, or shared a big one. I'm trying to work out how long a 4ft round bale of straw will last me so I know how much to buy!!

Are they any good? Also what is a good price second hand? I have been offered a pair in good working order with sharpened blades for £80. Is this a good deal?

11yo Welsh Sec A gelding, brilliant kids pony. Can be ridden by a novice child but can also jump etc for a more experienced rider. Can be ridden by a small adult. I don't have a picture but he has good conformation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdDtw7z43rs Here's a video of my horse, I have a dressage to music coming up in December (Yes I am planning ahead lol). What songs could I use? They have to be christmassy!

Links would be great :)

I was thinking the upbeat bit of Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas for his trot, but need a walk and canter!

Thanks!

My friend and I (both girls in our early 20s) are going to fancy dress party. We want to go as something matching (like a famous duo etc)

Any ideas?!

Not selling him, just out of curiosity lol. Someone offered to buy him from me at a show and I said no (because even for a million pounds he is not for sale!).

16hh 11year old Irish Draught X. Scoring mid 60%s in dressage, lovely scopey jump (hasn't a lot of jumping experience but showing potential to jump big and well). Safe as houses, my nervous novice mum rides him and he looks after her! Hacks out in company - will hack alone but gets a bit nervous with big noisy things (jogs up onto the verge and tries to hide in the hedge).

Never comes home from a show without a ribbon - dressage and showing. Goes in a rubber snaffle at all times, will go first or last, not easily upset by things. Good to shoe, box, clip, walk under his tummy, set a nuclear bomb off next to.... =)

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs231...

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs263...

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs263...

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs231...

Videos on www.youtube.com/midnight0ashes (alfie)

I've done a few showing classes with my IDx and I've always entered him as a hunter. However, I was talking to the organiser of a show I am going to on Sunday (who ran a show that I attended last month) and she said that she thinks he would do better as a riding horse.

So now I'm confused! Please be honest about which he would do best in!

Here he is:

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs228... (excuse the lower leg...not sure what was going on!)

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs231...

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs263...

We have recently acquired a 22 year old pony with cushings disease. He is currently clipped and rugged.

Has anyone got any tips/first hand experience of dealing with this? It's been a few years since I have dealt with this.

I was planning to put my TB in the hack class at a local show, but someone said to me I should put him in Riding Horse. I thought he was too fine for this - what do you think? He is 15hh and full TB.

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs231...

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs122... (with my friend riding, who would be riding him in the show)

:)

What does my TB need to wear to compete in a hack class?

Am I correct in thinking:

Coloured browband, raised noseband (is a flash ok?), with either a snaffle or a pelham or a double bridle. Dressage saddle with no cloth, no boots. Mane plaited, tail pulled, quarters marked

Rider - black jacket and hat, cream jods, long boots, shirt and tie (of what colour)?

Thanks :)

Okay, here's the story!

A family friend was looking for a new home for his 10yo OTTB. We found someone to take the horse, who is known around the area for their schooling business (which gets good reviews for none violent training). Fabulous outcome, we thought.

The horse was taken to their place today (which was supposed to be a lovely yard with a 6 acres of lush grazing). Turned out it was an acre of sparse poor grassland, fenced with barbed wire. The stable "prepared" for the horse had no clean bedding, just a sprinkling of dirty straw on the floor. The owner (who is 70yo) asked what he would be fed to which the girl replied "oh they don't get fed! just grass and hay!". The owner is heartbroken and did not know what to do, so he left in distress. Anyway, he understandably can't leave the horse there so he's going to pick him up tommorow to bring him to my yard. We are concerned that the people will not let him take the horse - what will happen? The owner has the passport and nothing was signed, no money was exchanged as the horse was being given away.

Can they do anything to stop him collecting the horse?

Further to my other question (Stevie's foot has fallen off...) can anyone give me any advice about plastic glue on horseshoes? I'm based in the UK so costings etc and brand suggestions would be good.

I fail to see how the farrier will nail a shoe on so I think that for now at least, glue on shoes are going to have to be the way to go. How much more expensive are they than "normal shoes" and can you get them in egg bars?

...or at least it might've well have done!

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._3602522_n....

This is Stevie's foot, or rather what is left of Stevie's foot.

Came in yesterday with sweat running down his legs after gallopping round like a maniac.

He's pulled a shoe off (if any of you are wondering, it is a front foot!) - he's due to have egg bars put on next week to support his many injuries (detailed below )Is there anything the farrier can do? Stevie's feet are rubbish

Stevie's injury list so far:

Damage to the area where the check ligament joins the flexor tendon - damage to the check ligament and thickening of the tendon aswell. - near fore (the foot pictured lol)

Bone growth on the side of his pedal bone where the collateral ligament joins it. (off fore)

Bone spur on navicular bone (off fore)

As yet unconfirmed issues in the coffin joint - we know they are there but not entirely sure what they are (off fore)

Early stages of sidebone in the outside lateral cartilage (off fore).

Any advice, similar stories etc etc etc greatly appreciated. What can the farrier do with that foot??!

In the UK? North East England

I'm entering a show at Christmas time and it's fancy dress! I want it to be original (so not "go as santa") - has anyone got any ideas?! It has to be something I can ride a dressage test in. My horse is relatively quiet but will not take too well to jingle bells on his reins! Any suggestions welcome! He's a 16hh chestnut IDx!

A friend has asked me if I would teach her friend to ride. She is a total novice and I am suitably experienced and qualified and have a suitable horse. My horses are insured, including covering anyone who rides them with my permission, but am I right to ask her to take out her own rider insurance as a precaution?

Also, is there anything else I should consider? There will be no financial gain - she's not paying me.