hhqh01

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPa...

I am reworking my website and my question is, what is your opinion of the new layout?

www.hiddenhqh.com

This is not directly related to horses, sorry. But its animals and I only read the first couple of sentances and it blew me away. Our news teams, government, city/state/country ramble on and on about cruelty to animals. A perfectly healthy dog is in his front yard tied out, he's happy to see people, wagging his tail, running around, no obvious signs of distress. But his water dish is empty, could have been dumped over by running around on the chain or he just emptied it a few minutes earlier and the wife/mom of 3 kids is in giving baths and didn't notice that dogs water was gone. She gets slapped with a warning. Animal cruelty going on here but at the same time we do this? Acid???? http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080129/sc_li...

I'm am looking for new design ideas, any "neat" things you have seen that you think would be good to create. (Please take into consideration that I am just building the online store so I don't have everything listed and I don't have the site organized completely but. Your thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.

http://www.hiddenhqh.com/NewandUsedTack.htm

I am looking for information on a maker. I bought a hand tooled, custom made roping saddle. The saddle has gorgeous tooling and is on a Wade tree but what I don't know anythink about is the maker. It is by Western Saddlery. Does anyone know where they are located, any history? I would like to find out what the retail price was on this saddle and ask a few questions to the maker.

Please don't give me opinion or guess work on value. I am only looking for hard facts about "Western Saddlery" and where they are located.

A few years back one of my horses was hit by a stray bullet, luckily the bullet went in and out of her leg and missed the bone. I live in a fairly populated area, there are houses on all sides of us and they are all surrounded by homes too. Most only have an acre or 2 but there is a small 60 acre plot behind us and inbetween us the houses on that side of our property. ITS A HUNTERS HEAVEN and it really makes me mad that they have too shoot where there is livestock, people, homes all around them. I have talked to the DNR, there is nothing they can do and there are NO laws regarding hunters and distance from livestock. I'm not a hunter or enthusiast but if I were I'd get in my truck and head up north where there is plenty of land to hunt on. Why do we have to dodge stray bullets and watch our animals get injured... call the cops on them once your animal is shot and they don't do anything but give warning to those who fired the gun. Is there something we can do to protect them?

Ok, so my brain is trying to function again, lol. This is something that I thought would be fun but it would take a lot of people willing to organize it throughout the country. A yearly silent auction set at one your big shows each year with proceeds to go to your area's local rescue. Something like a National Silent Auction Fund Raiser, (Save the rescue's theme) Anyone think this would be interesting and would like to do it? If we got enough people to organize and report earnings there could be a yearly proceed count for the nation, ofcourse, we would need 1 (headquarter) to report figures and send out email newsletters to anyone who joined the cause. Anyone with more ideas to add to this?

Ok, I have never understood this.

Now with AQHA and APHA etc. You have to register the horse, send in transfers for each sale and everything is kept on permanent record.

But the Jockey Club does not track the horses, its up to the owners to write in their name (mine only has 1 other name and I know for certain she has had atleast 3 owners and who, before that is unknown. She was bought at the Keeneland sale for $20,000 (not by me) and was never raced. She has her Breeders Cup nomination card attached to her papers but there is NO way for me to prove if they truly belong to her. (without doing the DNA) Even her name is written in with pencil. I don't understand why such an elite group would be so free with the papers. You would think they'd have a photo atleast. How easy it would be for some of these jockeys out there to throw a jockey club paper on some grade horse to get more money out of it.

Anyone know why their guidelines are not more strict?

Well, since I was asked this I thought I'd ask if you knew the difference? (And I'm going to post my response) Feel free to constructively disagree, or close out if you are offended by me doing this!

In old school terms... we thought of bits being either a "curb" or a "snaffle". One being a ported mouth peice the other being jointed.. that was that.

So, here is my run down on bits.

Shanked bits, ( a bit with a purchase and shank used in conjuction with a curb strap) (Leverage bits) These include all sorts of mouth peices. Chain, jointed with dog bones, rollers, *curb (meaning ported mouth peice) etc.

Snaffle bits (bits without leverage) No purchase or shank, curb straps play no role in the mechanics of the bit. Used, however, as a hobble by some. (this acting as a 1/2 or full cheek) Keeps the bit from slipping through the horses mouth. Again, can come with ANY design of mouth peice created by man.

Hackamores, a bitless design, with a shank (a leverage bit)

Another post has me upset with the maufactures of our equine products. Now don't get all upset with me..... many of you know what things are for but many times, even on just horse products you will find jars of things with NOTHING but a name. Does not say what it is or its intended use. Training aids without any instruction, bits that come curved but not which way it should be placed... Anyone ever had to fix a backward bit for someone? If you are new to the horse world or even old but new products that you are unfamiliar with, how are you supposed to know what cautions should be used, what risks there could be and potential hazards. Now again, not everyone has a trainer, a riding stable or even a friend that owns a horse. There is no one to instruct them and these things are sold to anyone and everyone in the world that wants to buy it. Does anyone else find this to be wrong? Does anyone have any good suggestions? Besides telling people to go get a personal instructor.

I was not bashing shanked bits or different mouth pieces, I may not have put my post together in way to get my point across but I did add to it, hopefully those who took it as me bashing them for using a shanked bit can now understand what I was trying to say. I too use shanked bits and snaffles, depending on level of training, the job at hand, etc. etc. And you are absolutely correct... ANY BIT is only as harsh as the riders hands.

I am asking this because I keep hearing all this "natural" stuff but yet the same people are using or promoting severe mouth pieces on their horses. A snaffle provides a "nutcracker" action to the mouth, the tongue, lips and bars and if used and/or fitted incorrectly (which not many talk about)can be very damaging to the horse. I was also wondering what everyone considers a snaffle... snaffle does not mean a jointed mouth piece, it means any bit that does not have leverage. A snaffle does not have a purchase and/or shanks.

Jointed mouth - nutcracker action

Mullen mouth - very mild mouth piece

French mouth - reduces the "nutcracker" very mild

Dr. Bristol - slightly more severe than the french link

Slow Twist - "nutcracker" style, stronger and more severe.

Cork Screw - Severe

Single and double twisted wire - two of the most severe

Also, when selecting a mouth piece for you horse do you consider that he may have a flat pallet?

I am curious what the majority thinks of exhibitioning at the jackpots. Anyone think they should be limitied to 1 exhibition? Completely removed? Does anyone think training should be done at home and let the people who come to compete get to doing what they came to do? Do you think they should continue to allow people to do as many exhibitions as they want to and continue to push the starting times back further and further to accomodate multiple training rides? How about keeping the horse in forward motion and limiting the exhibitions to 30 seconds?

We have had a terrible run here, droubt and now major floods, along with many other states in this storms path. I HOPE anyone who has a horse (or any other animal) in these area's find help and can save their animals.

If there is anyone in southern MN that needs help and I can assist, please email me!

I've been looking for current info on the Brumbies, how many are reported still roaming today. The mass killing was a terrible hidden tragedy and I'm just curious where it stands today... my last known was about 45 head and that dates back to 2000 (I think)

Anyone know the current count? Are their any left?

Answering another question brought this up so here goes with another one of my questions to raise awareness. Someone stated that tractor tires were dangerous to use as feeders, pretty scary to think of what was described, on my end I can't understand why someone would leave a foal with a tire while it is not under supervision but, I understand that not all people can be there round the clock as we are, however, another thing came to mind on this. Feeders, like round bale feeders and some other specially designed feeders on the market are extremely dangerous. They are easily lifted by horses and I know of a few people who have had severe injuries from them, one mare came to me with a cut, running from the ankle down through the coronary band and the hoof is permanently damaged from the mare lifting the roundbale feeder rubbing on it and set that unfinished edge down onto the foals leg. So, if you do use them, watch for finished edges and make sure that they are anchored.

Ok, I do not know a dang thing about Parelli and the more I hear from people the less I give credit to this method of training. Now, in a previous question the term "parelli stick" was used, a 2nd person is behind the horse with this device to assist in training. WHAT????

Now, I don't understand the Parelli thing as I have not ever looked into his methods but I've heard some ridiculous things and it would be a cold day in &^*( before I would have someone behind me giving queues with a stick as I'm on a green horse. This man is teaching newbies this kind of thing to train a horse???? Anyone else here think this is ridiculous? Anyone want to expand on this training method?

In my last post, paintpony, brought up a another HUGE thing that I thought would be good to post. Not only to avoid hanging halters in reach of horses but how many of you haul to a show or park etc., Bridle up your horse and walk away leaving the halter dangling from the rope at the trailer? For all our horses and their safety, always remove the halter from the lead and place it in your trailer once you have bridled. Especially important when you have more than 1 horse tied at a trailer. You never know, even a loose horse could come along and create a kicking or striking match and you never know who's going to get a hoof in caught up in the halter,

I have another one of these, advice vs. question things again. Heard another horror story today and it makes me cringe everytime I hear this happening to someones horse. Thought it may be useful info for someone out there.

My question is: Did you know that a haltered horse in a paneled situation can be very dangerous? Not too mention other things like trees and shrubs but... a horse in the commom panels used can get hung up by the halter. When a horse puts his head up over the panel, they like to go to the lowest point (where the panels meet) and the halter can get caught on the pins and cannot free from it, causing a panic situation and can literally rip there necks apart and do severe leg damage by getting tangled in the panel as they try to get free.

I know of one down the road this happened too. They saved the horse but he has a 2.5 FOOT scar running down the length of his neck, literally about 1/2 inch deep as he tore all the meat away, peeled it, during the struggle.

Ok, my dad, retired "cowboy" if you will. If you know any of my story you know he's old, a good man, a good horseman and a bit of a wild sole. 4.5 years ago he had 4 stints put into his heart, 5 needed it but 1 of which was nearly, completely, blocked at the back of his heart and too small to place a stint. Yesterday he had problems, denied treatment and refused to stay overnight! Regardless of lifes let downs, flaws, inconsisitincies, etc. What would you do? This is hard as I've promised alot in my life, that I would live and let die, etc. etc. It was easy back then, 30 years or so ago to promise that!, 30 years seems like an eternity when you are young but I'm in it now and I don't think I can let the "die" part stay true to my words! I've tried talking, explaing, pleading but I'm at a loss, he's a strong willed ole cowyboy... has his teeth pulled without any pain killers (for real) just holds on to the arm of the chair. I need some clarity, can anyone give some? What now??