Verona

I've always seen/heard semental for stallion, but came across a reference to a stallion as a garañon. Is this a regional difference, or is there some other implied difference between these words?

The other morning I found a nail in my tire and made an appointment with the dealership to bring it in to get fixed. It ended up being too close to the sidewall to be patched, so they put my spare on my car and made another appointment for 3 days later to put on a new tire. AFAIK, it wasn't a stock issue; they were just too busy to put on a new tire (even though I had an appointment.)

How long does it take to put on a single tire? I wouldn't think it would be that much longer than putting on the spare, or am I wrong?

Like this:

http://www.horseplanet.net/images/horses/Airborne%...

Is this just for taking photos? Is the bridle supposed to be more aesthetically pleasing than a halter?

I'm looking into switching to a farrier that is also certified in natural trimming and was wondering how one can tell if he's actually any good or not before trying him out on my horse's hooves. Any advice?

Backstory:

I lease a horse, and the contract stipulates that I must have shoes on the front, but back are optional. As the horse came to me with shoes on the front only, I have kept him that way (if it were up to me I'd try him barefoot, but it's not an option)

I've been pretty unhappy with how the farrier (who routinely shoes the horses in my barn) trims my guy's back feet- they have pretty obvious flares which chip at the bottom. I'm told this is pretty common of the "pasture trim" that farriers typically do.

I asked around and no one at my barn knows any farriers that also have natural trimming expertise, but I found one listed online who services my area and has certifications and years of experience with both shoes and natural trimming. So, in addition to asking for references, what questions can I ask before asking him to come out to my barn to ensure that he's not going to wreck my horse's feet?

At my last oil change, the service advisor recommended a power steering fluid flush and fuel injector cleaning. I have a 2007 Scion tC with about 45k miles.

From the research I've done, it doesn't sound like I really need either of these services. If the power steering fluid really is dirty then I should be able to replace the fluid myself. I've tracked my car's MPG since I bought it and I haven't noticed any decrease, so I'm guessing my fuel injectors can't be all that dirty.

Is my reasoning sound, or is there some legitimate reason I should be getting either of these services?

I have a '07 Scion tC, and when it was new the hatchback lifted very easily when I opened it. Now it only opens about halfway before I have to push it up manually. I guess the mechanism that does the lifting needs cleaning or lubricating or re-pressurizing, but I'm not sure if it's something I can do myself or if I'd have to take it to a mechanic. How can I get it to lift like it did when it was new?

First a little background: I started leasing a horse a couple weeks ago and he is now due for his first shoeing that I'm responsible for. The owner (who is a jumper) told me that a couple years ago he was jumping 3'+ fences 5 or more times per week and ended up having to get put on pasture rest for 6 months because it took a heavy toll on his joints, but since then he's been completely fine. He hasn't done any jumping since then and I won't be jumping him at all, either (I do dressage). I typically ride 3x per week, and the arena has soft footing. I may be half leasing him to someone else, who will also only do flatwork in the same arena. (So he could potentially be ridden 6x/week, but always on soft footing) I generally go to ~4 shows per year.

The owner just e-mailed me and said that because I will be riding more than 2x per week and showing, she would like him put in aluminum shoes to be "easier on his joints since he doesn't have the greatest joints" This is news to me, since she said he's been fine ever since he stopped jumping.

I don't feel obligated to do the aluminum shoes, since she didn't mention this at any point before and it's not in the lease contract I signed. (It does say I have to shoe every 6 weeks, even though he doesn't seem to need it that often, at least in the winter, and I have no problem with that) I'm afraid that the aluminum shoes are unnecessary and going to be very expensive, especially with the farrier coming to see him so often.

I'll discuss with my instructor next time I'm at the barn, but wanted to get a feel for the general opinion- does this seem unreasonable to you? If the horse's joints are so bad that he needs aluminum shoes anytime he's being ridden more than 2x/week, shouldn't she have mentioned something before, (and shouldn't he be on a joint supplement as well?) Am I justified in pushing back on this?

(Don't worry, if I find that he really does need special care for his joints I will make sure he gets proper care.)

I work at a company with a pretty relaxed dress code and have been wearing fashion sneakers (like Skechers) for years. I'd like to start wearing something a little more "professional" looking, but that would still look OK with nice jeans. I tried a few different options so far, but haven't found something entirely satisfying yet. I hate the feel of dress shoes without socks (my feet feel moist and clammy without them) I tried some of those little teeny socks that aren't supposed to show, but they slip off all the time and still peek out from the edges, which I think looks kind of weird. I'd prefer to stick with some cute patterned or plain socks that are OK showing.

So what kinds of shoes can I wear with socks? What about these? http://www.endless.com/dp/B001RB2WD4

I work in technology and also ride horses, and I've noticed that the whole horse industry seems to be way behind in technology. If a barn even has a website, it's usually uninformative and out of date, and online tack shops never seem to have as good basic customer service as non-horse shops (simple things like confirmation e-mails, ability to track your order, shipping based on how much it costs them to ship the item instead of based on the value of the item, etc.) Horse shows still make you mail in forms instead of entering online. My barn still uses photocopies of photocopies for boarding contracts (I actually re-typed the boarding agreement for them because it was so hard to read)

Do you guys notice the same thing? Why do you think horse people don't use technology better?

Has anyone used both the regular Tipperary helmet (Sportage 8500) and the Titan? Do you find any difference in fit/function between the two helmets?

I have the Sportage now (and I like it just fine), but it's about 5 years old and the visor on it is cracking, so I figure it's about time to replace it. I've noticed other people in my barn with the same helmet and the same cracking visor.

From the pictures, the Titan looks like it's essentially the same helmet, but without the visor. Since I ride inside 99% of the time, I really don't need something with a visor. The visor can't crack if it doesn't exist, right?

For the unacquainted, this is the Titan:http://www.statelinetack.com/item/tipperary-titan-...

and this is the Sportage: http://www.statelinetack.com/item/tipperary-sporta...

I'm not sure if I'm using the correct terminology, which is probably why I can't find an answer by searching, but here goes-

I have a wedding website (www.example.com) and I want to tell guests that they can RSVP by going to www.example.com/rsvp

When they go to this URL, I want it to redirect them to www.example.com/rsvp.html. I don't want them to have to type in the ".html"

How do I go about implementing this (and while I'm at it, what is it called)? I have hosting through GoDaddy.

I've been going to shows with my barn for a couple years now, but they only go to 2-3 shows per year and I'd like to be able to trailer my horse to additional shows. The catch is that I don't own a truck or a trailer.

I suspect I could probably borrow a trailer from someone at the barn if I had a truck to pull it, but the only place I know of that rents out pick-ups is U-Haul. Their trucks are rated to tow 5500 lbs- is this enough for a 2-horse trailer with 1 horse in it?

Any other suggestions on places I could rent a truck capable of towing a horse trailer? Buying something doesn't seem like a very good option right now, since I would only use it a few times per year.

(And don't worry- safety is definitely a priority for me and I won't try anything that isn't safe for me and the horse!)

I've been half leasing a horse from the barn where I take lessons for a few years now, and the contract is very easy and straight-forward: I pay a set fee each month, the horse already lives there and there are no surprises.

Now I'm looking at getting a full lease on a horse that isn't currently at my barn (he's owned by a college student who doesn't have the time/money to ride right now) She's not looking to make any profit on the lease and is willing to let me move him to my barn and pay the board/vet/farrier directly with no money going directly to her. Clearly I've never owned my own horse or had to worry about moving one, so what I'm wondering is-

When you move a horse to a new barn, what do you do about their feed? I understand horses are very sensitive to changes in diet, so do they normally give you some of the horse's old feed to use during the transition period?

I'll have to ask the current owner if she has a preference, but would it be unusual to switch to the vet/farrier that normally services my barn, or do people generally want the horse to continue seeing the same people? Obviously, it would be more convenient for me to use the professionals who already frequent my barn.

And finally, are there any additional expenses I should expect for a healthy horse in addition to full board, farrier and vet? How often does a healthy horse need to be seen by a vet (twice annually for vaccinations?)

Is it worth buying a horse with some arthritis in his right hock? The seller says it's very manageable with injections or other maintenance and no extra maintenance is required if he's just hanging out in the pasture.

The horse I'm looking at is a 10 y/o Andalusian/Mustang gelding and I'd like to use him primarily for dressage, but also some small jumps on occasion. This would be my first horse that I own (instead of leasing) and would be kept at a reputable full board facility.

A little background: I lease a horse that's owned by the barn where I take lessons. From what I have heard, he has had pretty bad feet his whole life and might be somewhat navicular. When I started riding him, he wasn't being ridden regularly by anyone, but was absolutely wonderful to ride. He was always very willing and made an obvious effort to do everything I asked him, even though he wasn't in the best physical shape (he could barely hold a canter for a whole circle!)

His original owners had trained him for reining and fitted him with shoes that were too small, which I'm sure has something to do with his problems, but when I started riding him he was wearing special shoes that had the undesired effect of making him break over really early and causing a really short stride. So, last summer his owner suggested to me that we switch him over to natural hoof care. I knew he would be out of commission for a while, but it seemed like it would be better for him in the long run.

He was sore for quite a while as he got used to the new angle of his feet, and in November it seemed like he was almost all better again. However, since then he seems to have gotten worse again. He always seems a bit stiff, moreso going to the right than to the left, and bucks when I ask him to canter (while riding or on the ground in the round pen). When I first started riding him, he would very rarely give a small buck when you asked him to do something challenging, but the last few weeks it's been every ride and even on the ground.

He's been looked at multiple times by the trimmer and vet, and he gets occasional treatments from a chiropractor, but they haven't found any reason for his behavior. The owner has mentioned that we might consider putting some regular shoes back on him (not like the corrective shoes he had before)

What do you guys think? I really like this horse and would hate to have to start over again with some other horse in the barn.

I'm thinking semi-seriously about starting a business online (partnering with a local retail store) After thinking about what to call the online business for a while, I came up with a name, and when I checked the domain registration, I found that it was already taken. However, the website there is an unused blog without any posts at all. As a result, the website doesn't already get any traffic or show up on Google searches for the name.

I pinged the owner of the registration to see if she'd be open to selling it, and she said she is and that I should make her an offer.

The problem is, I have no idea how much to start with. $100? $500? $1000? I don't want to start so low that she doesn't take me seriously, but I also don't want to start so high that I could have offered much less.

Can anyone recommend a riding helmet that isn't gigantic? I've had a Tipperary helmet for several years now, and it's an OK helmet, but I'd like to get something a little bit nicer and a little lower-profile. I ordered the IRH Elite from my local tack store since their website described it as low-profile, but it was bigger than my Tipperary!

Before I go ordering another helmet, does anyone know of a model that doesn't make your head look like a giant bubble? I ride English (mostly dressage, occasional jumping) and $200 is about the upper limit of what I'd like to spend.

I know someone who bought a house in Georgia years ago (maybe 9 years ago now?) and who later joined the Army. He was restationed several years ago and has been trying desperately to sell his home for enough to pay off the remainder of the loan. The problem is, the area has already had tons of foreclosures (so house prices are way down) and the school district is awful. He is now forced to rent it out, since his mortgage requires that he have the home insured, and the insurance requires the house be occupied. The last tenants he had caused thousands of dollars worth of damage, but he had to fix it up and rent it out again because of the insurance.

I think if he could walk away from the loan it would be the best option for him, since it's putting a huge financial strain on him and he never anticipates living in it again. Is there a way he could legally get out of his mortgage without totally trashing his credit score?

A little bit of background: I had originally planned my wedding for August of this year. In late June, I found out that my dad (who is career active military) was going to be deployed to Afghanistan in July. Due to Army policies, there was absolutely no way he would be able to stay late enough or come back in time for my wedding. I really wanted him to be there, and knew it would mean a lot for him to be able to be there, too, so I postponed my wedding until May 2011, when he was pretty sure he would be able to get his 2 weeks leave and attend.

Fast forward to today. This morning I got an e-mail from him saying that he isn't planning on attending anymore because he "can't afford it." Now, if I thought he genuinely couldn't afford it, I would totally cover the flight and hotel for him and my step-mom. However, last time I talked on the phone with my step-mom, she was talking about all the expensive photography equipment he's been buying, and I know that the cost of a single lens he bought would have been enough for both of them to come. He doesn't do photography professionally- he only does it as a hobby, so this is in no way a required expense.

I'm so disgusted by the whole thing I don't even want to have the ceremony anymore. My mom already can't make it because she will be in Africa (a whole other story...)

What would you do?

When I asked at a (well known, national chain) jewelry store if they carried palladium rings, the salesperson told me that they didn't because palladium can yellow when heated (i.e. for re-sizing) I hadn't read this online anywhere before and looking afterward I still can't find anything about this.

The only thing I can think of is a white gold-palladium alloy, which could yellow as much as the standard nickel-gold alloy (which is why they're rhodium plated, anyway!)

So has anyone else heard this before? Any truth behind it?