Lainey

Hi, I'm kinda interested to know if anyone else gets a TON of pressure from their parents to win everything they enter.

Okay, so here's the deal: I've been riding since I was 8 and my parents are ABSOLUTELY non-horsey. Not even in a horse show-mom/dad sense. In fact, I'm sure my mom hasn't seen me ride in person since March where she came and sat in the grandstands. I even know she was there watching until much later. The last time my dad ever came to the barn was when I bought my horse (about 2 months ago) and needed to sign papers. That being said, they are ALWAYS putting me down about my riding. They constantly compare me to other people I ride with, even though they have no idea what they are talking about most of the time. For example, no matter how much effort I put into explaining, my dad still can't understand why I'm entered in the 105cm for a show on saturday and my friend's doing the 120. (My main horse pulled a muscle a couple weeks back, was on stall-rest for 20 days, and only started being ridden again 10 days ago) Also, they are furious with me every time I come home with anything less than first place. Once, I came in 4th in a class of 49 people (16 of them had clear rounds) and was really happy with myself and my horse. My mom and dad yelled at me for not being ambitious enough, that if I'd gone 4 seconds faster, I would have won, and how if I was 'content' with ONLY getting 4th, I'd never amount to anything in riding or in life. Another time, I forgot the course in the middle of a round and when my dad saw the recording he said "If you had had a fraction of a brain, it wouldn't have happened! If you can't even remember a course, you should really just stop riding and wasting all my money!"

All that being said, I love my parents and understand that supporting my jumping career is a big financial burden. If these things were isolated incidents, I wouldn't let it get to me as much, but this happens so much now that it makes me dread competing. I tried talking to them a couple times about this, but it just makes them even more angry and they tell me to "stop looking for excuses for being a bad rider"

So does anyone else experience this? What would you do if it were you? Stories and advice welcome(:

I recently bought a new horse and figured: "Well, new horse, new look" and was thinking about getting a few things to stand out a little more in the jumper ring for the fall showing season. The circuit I compete in is generally pretty fashion forward and it sometimes feels like that people are constantly trying to outdo each other in terms of tack, appearance and how much their horses cost. (Think: Orange jackets, Hermès saddles, purple stirrups and "Oh! Look at my fancy new KWPN stallion from Germany! Can you believe I ONLY paid 90K for him? And look at the new Devoucoux tack set I got with the money I saved!")

Would it be okay if I used a showy ribbon browband? Like the kind they usually use in In-Hand showing? Or would that make me seem like a complete amateur?

Like this

http://www.freewebs.com/showstoppersbrowbands/DSCN...

Also, would it be too much to carry a hunting whip? I found one with a beautiful ivory handle. It's not a cane, so looks like a normal whip from a distance and is shorter than 27"

BTW: Does this competition to be the most "fashion forward/flashy/have the most expensive horse" happen in your circuit too?

I really want to know if anyone has gone to a barn where they felt harassed or just unwelcome in general, and what did you do/say to make it better?

Okay so here's the deal. I'm traveling with a large team from my barn to do a big competition about 5 hours away. The show takes place at an Equestrian Centre that doesn't have horses, just show rings. So we're boarding our horses for 2 weeks at a nearby barn. First of all, I understand that we're a HUGE group of people (about 20 horses and 15 people) so please understand that I don't mean to sound ungrateful in anyway for their 'hospitality'. (Even though we ARE paying them quite a lot)

Now here's the problem with this barn. It's a lesson/boarding barn so obviously there are a lot of people coming/going every day. But EVERYONE that sets foot in that barn seems to have that 'my barn, my rules' attitude even though they are that once-a-week-lesson type. Here are some things that happened over the last 2 days that I'm really not okay with:

-I come back from lunch yesterday and there's a little girl rummaging through MY tack trunk. (Which isn't in the tackroom by the way. It sitting outside my horse's stall) I asked her what she was doing and she said: "Looking for a hoof pick for my lesson pony".Couple hours later, I'm see this other girl I don't recognize in my friend's horse, Camelot's, stall grooming him. I asked my friend later and he had no idea of this

-This morning, me and my trainer are riding our horses in their outdoor ring on one end and there is a lesson going on in the other end. The parent was cheering super loudly every time that poor kid popped over a cavaletti and taking pictures with the flash on. My trainer walked over and politely asked her to turn her flash off (because it was scaring his horse) and she grunts, turns away, and keeps taking pictures with the flash on.

-This lady came up to us at one point and openly called us rich snobs because we don't tack up our own horses or muck out their stalls. First of all, none of her business. Second, we brought our grooms for a reason. It's not like I asked HER to tack up my horses and muck out their stalls!

-Our horses have been turned out to pasture by the lesson kids on multiple occasions without our approval (This is a safety issue. Our horses are big warmbloods that have been known to kick/run/bite). I've also had more than one kid come up to me and 'command' me to put on a helmet while cooling my horse off. I've also gotten a lot of: "You really shouldn't ride that horse in a Kimblewick" and "Stop jumping your horse so much/so high! Can't you see he's sweating?"

This is pretty much just a fraction of what we went through these last couple days. Again, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but we've been here for 2 days and a lot of us really can't take it anymore.

Any advice on what I should say/do to make it better? Any similar experiences?

This orphanage I volunteer at is starting a therapeutic riding program! I can't even begin to express how excited I am! Okay so this is a specialized orphanage for blind/visually impaired children. So far they have 3 horses (which I haven't see yet) and a specialist coming in October. They don't have anyone working with the horses right now so they're turned out to pasture. But they said they'd love to have someone come and work with the horses beforehand and well exercise them etc... So what are some things that I can expect when I ride these horses? I'd hate to 'ruin' them so to speak... Any suggestions?

Okay, so i bought a horse about a month ago but I'm aware that I'd have to sell him in about 2 years when I go to college. He's 12 now so just pretend that he's 14.

Name: Limerik

Sire: Lobster http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/lobster

Breed: Danish Warmblood

Age: 14 (When I sell him)

-Jumps 150 comfortably (Done Grand Prix level shows)

-Can go higher, but his placings in 155+ divisions haven't been amazing

-Can do dressage but never shown (One step flying changes, canter pirouettes etc.)

-Paid 56K for him

-Ground Manners aren't amazing:

Okay, let me explain. He's always been a 'looked after by a groom' horse. His previous owner was allergic to horses and the owner before that had 300 horses in his barn in Denmark and I'm allergic to grass (lol) so no one's really taken the time to teach him. He trailers, grooms, clips and shoes fine, but just doesn't LIKE to be touched. He'll stand with his ears back and endure it, but prefers to be left alone; but get on his back and he's like a different horse: mature, forgiving, professional.

-Temperament: 9 on the ground, 7 when ridden.

-His only vice is that he has problems with other horses. He puts his ears back when riding past them in the ring and is visibly distressed. His old owner said he occasionally had problems in the warm-up ring at shows where there were a lot of horses. I haven't encountered that problem yet, but again, I've only been to one show with him.

-I know I've said this before, but VERY forgiving. Will jump at ANY distance. Tries his heart out.

How much would YOU pay for this horse?

and

How much do you think he'd be worth with better ground manners?

I'm 5'2 and have worn 26 TailoredSportsman and Mark Todd breeches in the past but found them both a smidge long. Does anyone have experience with the sizing of either Devonaire or TuffRider breeches? I'm considering switching down to a 24 because i hear they run big. Thanks(:

So, I was wondering how to remove plastic pourers from liquor bottles so I can free pour... Do you just force it off? I'm talking about the kind with the plastic balls

Thanks

A little background information on me:

I'm 16, I do jumpers at around a 115-135 level, I've only been riding for about 5 years but I have a lot of experience with green horses, problem horses and stallions. Not that any of that matters, also, I'm 5'3 and I do a little bit of eventing too.

So the two horses I'm deciding between:

Monarch

He is 16 years old, danish warmblood, 17.2h. He's done up to 160 in the past, but last winter, he got into a fight with his stablemate and lost his tongue, so he was off work for a couple of months. They started working him again in April and he did some 90-110 competitions in the summer. I'm currently leasing him already but I'm only in the second week of my 'trial' month. He knows EVERYTHING there is to know, flying changes, canter pirouettes... you name it. He jumps the moon and actually did really well in puissance classes before. The problem is, being as he is so big, is that he is really tiring and not very comfortable to ride, and he has an insensitive mouth and sides because he was ridden by a 200 pound man before. His sire is Lobster:

http://www.sporthorse-data.com/d?i=422777

Casting

She is 7 years old, danish warmblood, 16.3h. She was a broodmare for most of her life and only started proper training about a year ago. Her half brother is also at this barn and jumps in the 140, so you can tell she has a lot of potential. The problem with her is, she really doesn't know much and it would mostly be me teaching her instead of her teaching me. I really like the way she feels and she's a fantastic mover. They started her on the 80cm classes this summer and she is doing really well and my trainer predicts that I'll probably be able to move her up to the 105 in the next month or so. Her sire is Come Back II:

http://www.sporthorse-data.com/d?i=385956

This is what my trainer said:

Monarch is a great training horse. Casting doesn't know a tenth of the stuff Monarch knows, but she's a really quick learner and can probably get the where Monarch is now in about 2 years with the right training.

I'm really undecided... Help?

http://www.sporthorse-data.com/d?i=10716429

-9-year-old German Warmblood Pony.

-Won LOTS of show jumping competitions in Germany

-14.3h

-can jump up to 135cm

-Needs an intermediate/advanced rider

-bucks OCCASIONALLY on the right lead

One more thing:

How much would you pay for him if he was more suited to beginners(an easier ride than what i described)?

And:

Personally, would you consider buying him?

How does this horse's conformation look to you?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45297116@N03/58522097...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45297116@N03/58522021...

Sorry these aren't proper conformation shots.

I need help naming my new horse. He is a German Sport Pony and his current name is Ratzeputz, he was imported from germany or denmark about a month ago by a guy at my stable.

His great-great-grandfather's name is

Let's Be Good xx

His great-grandfather's name was

Let's Be Better

His grandfather was

Coelenhage's Let's Be The Best (you can google him, hes really famous)

http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/coelenhages+lets+b...

His dad was called FS Tabaluga and I need help naming him. I was thinking Let's Be Perfect, what do you guys think?

Her name right now is Nona but I don't want anything to do with that name. She isn't scared of anything and can sometimes be overly forward. In my circuit, people tend to go with one word names like Cohiba, or Montendro or Calandos or place names like Monacco. Those 3 above are all WBs and were imported with that name. I want more of a eventing kind of name like Ben Along Time or Lenamore. So far I've come up with

Toot Sweet/Tout de Suite

*La vie en Bai*

Devil's Last Tango

Blonde Logic

Faster Than U

Good Morning Hollywood

Once Upon a Dream

Mais Non

Barcelona

Copenhagen

Bean There Jumped Dat

Coup de Foudre

I really like La Vie en Bai, but it just doesn't sound right. If it helps, She is 12, 16.2h, can jump 3ft6 and is REALLY built. People mistake her for a thin WB sometimes

I was just reading Ben Hobday's blog on the Horse and Hound and was wondering, anyone here read the H&H blogs? What do you guys think of Ben's blog compared to previous bloggers? Any thoughts?

can anyone recommend some good ones in the US or Canada?

I'm a 14 year old girl looking for something that is more focused on competition, eventing and jumping in particular. I'm looking to stay there for about 2-3 weeks and i won't be bringing a horse

I bought a pair of Mark Todd breeches and I was wondering if they could be ironed. I checked the label and it doesn't say. Here they are

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MARK-TODD-KAIKOURA-BREECHES-...

Don't worry I didn't buy them from ebay.

Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone had an old copy of the 2005 FEI CCI/CIC** (test A) eventing dressage test. I tried Google but no luck and the FEI website only gave the 2009 versions.

Does anyone use it? I heard it was really expensive and difficult to muck out. Any personal experience with it? How is it compared to straw or shavings?