Fact Not Fiction

Hello! I've been jumping for about three years now using a borrowed saddle that only fits semi-well but now that I'm competing more seriously I've decided to get a saddle of my own. What qualities should I look for? What are some models and brands that you like? Also, I don't own a horse, I lease one, so having some kind of changeable gullet is a definite plus.

Thanks!

Hey! So I have my first horse trials this weekend and I was just wondering if anybody had any tips or suggestions for me. I'm really excited but nervous and I have no idea what to expect! I'm especially curious about how the trials are scored. I generally know how dressage works but... what about XC and stadium? And do you have any other tips/suggestions?

Thanks!

I'm looking for a watch to help me train for the cross country phase of eventing but I don't know what brands/types are the best for the job. Suggestions? Comments? And if there aren't any specific brands that you like, what are the most important functions for the watch to have? Thanks! :)

Lately I've been considering becoming a vegetarian because I have heard that vegetarians are both healthier and they consume less calories. Also, I've been training to do 3-day eventing shows with my horse (google it if you don't know what it is) and I need to be in good physical condition, which means having a healthy diet.

Before I make such a big decision however I want to be aware of the risks and things that I may lack in my diet if I give up meat.

Do you have any suggestions? Any tidbits of knowledge? Thanks! :)

So about an hour ago I was riding my horse and he spooked, throwing me off to the side. I landed on my back and was feeling fine initially. Now however, I am feeling a pressure on the right side of my lower back and buttock area. It feels almost like constipation... if that makes any sense. It doesn't hurt, just feels like... pressure. I have already urinated since the fall and there was no blood so I know that my bladder is alright, but could something be wrong with either my rectum or colon? Nothing penetrated the skin and I do not yet see any bruising.

Please don't laugh at the question! I don't know what to do! I feel fine other than this, could I just be sore? Thanks!

Hey, I am looking for a car/truck that can pull a horse trailer but I don't really know what to look for. It only has to be a two-three horse trailer and hopefully it can be found used. :)

What should I look for? Like, what size engine should it have? What are some cars/trucks that might be able to do what I need it to do? What do you look for when looking for a car/truck that can pull a trailer? Thanks so much!

I'm looking to purchase my first horse trailer but I don't really know what to look for...

I only need space for about 2 horses and it needs to be between $1,000 and $5,000. Anybody have recommendations for websites or books I should check out for information? Also, are there any general tips that you have? Such as which questions to ask or what to look for? Thanks!

I'm writing a political paper for school about recent political events from the opinions of both the left and the right and I want to know what newspapers, news shows, articles, blogs, and radio shows I should be listening to for BOTH sides to get their opinions. Anybody know? Thanks!

I've seen it multiple times- a person buys a perfectly trained horse and gets along well with them for awhile. Suddenly they start using a hackamore on the horse with no prior training of their own, and within months the horse is uncontrollable and moody.

I know that hackamores must serve some purpose, but what is it? Why do these people think that using one is a good idea? what do you think of them personally?

All respectful answers welcome, thanks! :)

I used to be a happy, energetic person with big goals and dreams. I used to be completely devoted to writing poetry, and caring for the horse I lease, and everything seemed certain.

For the past few weeks however, I've been feeling the very opposite. For some reason I no longer feel like life is worth living, I feel hopeless and dead, like my life has no purpose. I've lost 10 pounds because I don't want to eat anything, I cant sleep, all I want to do is lay in bed and cry.

Anybody know what the problem is? How did it start? How can I fix it? Thanks.

I was talking with one of my friends and her mom today and our conversation confused me. My friend's mom kept reminding her to bleach her teeth and she was like, "But it hurts and it makes my gums swell up!" and her mom got really angry with her. So I asked her and her mom why she needed to bleach her teeth and her mom said that the dentist had instructed it.

My friend really hates bleaching her teeth and doesn't understand why she has to, so my question is:

Why would somebody need to bleach their teeth? (Other than for looks)

What is your favorite style magazine/book?

What is your favorite way to wear your hair?

What is your favorite clothing store?

What is your favorite outfit?

Do you wear a lot of makeup?

Just curious, cuz I was bored. Enjoy! :D

Details (I dont know if this matters, but maybe it will):

They've been really close friends for years but didn't start dating until July. He has relatives where we live and he stays with them for pretty much every vacation. So far the whole long distance thing is working out really well for them.

Ok, so we have two cats, one of which LOVES to hang out outside in the mornings. We usually clip her to a rope thats tied to a swivel in the middle of the yard so that she can move around a little bit but still not leave the yard. The problem though is that she has a break-away collar that she keeps breaking out of, and because we live close to a fairly busy street, I'm scared that she'll leave the yard and get hit by a car.

To remedy this we put a non-break-away collar on her, and guess what? She undid the buckle. I have no clue how, but I found it on the living room floor this morning, after I had put it on her last night.

We still want to let her outside sometimes because she enjoys it so much, but we dont want to lose her. Any tips or ideas on what we can do? Thanks! :)

Ok, so in history class we are discussing Jared Diamond and his novel Guns, Germs, and Steel. In his book, Jared Diamond claims that Zebra's were never domesticated because they are too "unpredictable and wild" yet wouldn't horses have started out the same way before they were domesticated?

In the book it also talks about how some animals were hunted to extinction because they didn't know to fear humans because they had never been introduced to them before (this happened in places such as North America). Were horses perhaps more easily trained because they didn't know to fear humans?

I'm just so confused! I dont understand why, at the very beginning of the development of agriculture, horses would be more "naturally tame" than zebras.

Any ideas are welcome! Thanks. :)

Question:

Do any of you use natural horsemanship?

If yes: Whose methods do you use and why?

If no: Why not? Have you ever considered it?

This is more of a survey than anything else, because I'm just curious.

Thanks to all who answer!

Yesterday I was at my friends house and we went out to the pasture with her horses. By the pasture gate there is this apple tree, so we decided to grab some apples from it to feed to the horses. Now, we've done this before and I know for a fact that the horses will come eat apples from the tree on their own (they can reach it from the pasture), but as we were feeding the horses apples my friend noticed that one of the apples had a hole in it that looked like it had been made by a worm. She put the apple by her feet so we didn't feed it to the horses, but one of the horses we were feeding came up behind her and grabbed it from the ground. We didn't notice until about 20 seconds after, and we turned around to see the horse eating it.

We were wondering then, if the worm would be digested or not, and if it was going to be a danger. The horses are all dewormed (although I dont know dewormer she uses), but should the horse get checked by the vet? Thanks to all who answer!

Anybody have a good interpretation of this dream? I rarely have dreams, and this one was a particularly vivid one. I had it last night and its been bugging me all day. Anybody have some kind of interpretation so I can get this out of my mind? Thanks!

Ok, so I was at some kind of seminar having to do with "dream parties" with my best friend. We were listening and heard about this party going on that night at a local hotel, so we ran upstairs to get ready. On the way upstairs however I ran into this guy who was wearing a tux with a white mask over his face. It was kind of like the "Phantom of the Opera" mask, but it covered his whole face. All I really remember from that encounter was that it scared the crap out of me and I felt really embarrassed.

So, me and my friend get to her hotel room (because apparently we were staying at a hotel) and she starts telling me that we have to go to this party. I've never been a big party person, and I have a lot of self-confidence issues, so of course I REALLY didn't want to go. Besides, in the dream I didn't have a dress, or shoes, or anything. My friend starts doing my hair though and finds this AMAZING red dress in her closet that fits me perfectly, so I pretty much get glammed up to go to the party.

I go downstairs and we get a ride to the hotel where the party is, only to find that at the party everybody is wearing a white mask. Now, because its a dream I suddenly have a white mask on too so all is well. :)

Then I see the guy I bumped into earlier and he walks up to me and asks me to dance. In the dream, I CLEARLY like him a lot and he seems to like me too. Just as we start dancing I wake up and my first thought is "My glasses would never fit over the mask."

Key parts to the dream:

*In real life (not dream life) I call myself my friends "fairy godmother" because I'm always helping them get ready before dates, setting them up with nice guys, etc.

*In real life my best friend (who was kind of like my fairy godmother in the dream) is usually the one going to parties and dancing with masked strangers.

*Normally, I hate parties, and have no clue how to dance.

Anybody got ideas? Thanks. :)

For a long time I've been interested in trying some natural horsemanship methods with my QH gelding, but I'm a little confused about how the Parelli stuff works. The games that he "plays" with his horses, what is their point? Like, what skills are the games teaching the horse? I want to show my gelding in English Equitation and hunter, will the Parelli games help with that? What will they do?

I've been researching the natural horsemanship stuff like crazy lately because I find it interesting, but I still cant make the connection in my mind about how these "games" can translate into improving both me and my horse for other things. Can anybody explain this to me? Thanks! :)