CARRIE

What are your opinions on this saddle?

http://www.equinenow.com/english_saddle-ad-15276

I have ridden western for over ten years and have a good balanced seat. I ride bareback, and have experimented with English. I own a very English-type western QH riding horse and would like to try some English riding on him.

I love jumping and would like to try doing some basic dressage, but I have no riding instructors or trainers anywhere near me! I live way too far up the darn map. So for now I'm teaching myself with the help of lots of books and videos.

So, my question is, is this a good beginning English saddle for me? I know it has to fit my horse, of course, but just general opinions on the brand, quality, etc.

Thanks so much!

So I have two young girls (young teenagers) seriously interested in buying my slightly arthritic mare. They told me flat out that they were inexperienced, and when they rode Jessie I could tell - they had little concept of pressure and release, not to mention some heavy hands. Now, I think they're really nice girls - they just have no experience. And I know that everyone starts off like that.

They mainly want her for trail riding, but one of the girls mentioned barrel racing, even after I'd told them that Jessie wouldn't be able to handle hard work like jumping/galloping without joint injections.

I had the vet look at this mare, and he wasn't overly concerned. What I see as more serious, he seemed pretty casual about.

So am I just being paranoid? I admit that I'm a perfectionist. I know that the training I've done on this mare will be somewhat ruined by these girls' inexperience, and I would so love to give them a lesson, but my idea of a lesson is way too comprehensive. It would never stick. And then with her ringbone yet . . .

Thoughts? Advice?

I know, another one of these. :) This is a 12 y/o QH, no idea about his bloodline. Just wanted to see what you guys thought of him.

[URL=http://s1371.photobucket.com/user/Carrie1994/media...

[URL=http://s1371.photobucket.com/user/Carrie1994/media...

[URL=http://s1371.photobucket.com/user/Carrie1994/media...

Thank you kindly!

I know how I would place them, but wanted to see what you guys thought. You can see more pictures when you click on the links. :)

12 y/o QH gelding

http://i1371.photobucket.com/albums/ag302/Carrie19...

9 y/o QH/Arab mare

http://i1371.photobucket.com/albums/ag302/Carrie19...

4 y/o grade gelding (1/4 QH, 1/4 Belgian, 1/4 Arab)

http://i1371.photobucket.com/albums/ag302/Carrie19...

3 y/o QH gelding

http://i1371.photobucket.com/albums/ag302/Carrie19...

5 month old QH colt

http://i1371.photobucket.com/albums/ag302/Carrie19...

Have fun! :D

PS: I know the colt is a guessing game because we don't know how he'll turn up - just place him as best as you can.

My 3.5 y/o QH (I bought him this summer) is 14.2-3hh at the withers, and an inch or two higher at the hip. His sire and dam both have an even topline, and both are over 15hh (sire is 15.2hh). His previous owners estimated that he'd finish at 15.1hh. Does that sound reasonable?

I'm at that point in life where I'm starting to get really picky about the quality of horses I own. Don't get me wrong, I love all of my horses, but I need to sell a few due to not having enough time for all of them. I am trying to decide which ones I can part with. :(

I'm officially selling 4 yo Storm - I've found our temperaments don't match. I have several interested buyers for him already.

I also have a 9 yo QH/Arab mare with some ringbone and poor conformation (not athletic at all), but quite highly trained and dependable. She's not very social - she needs to know she can trust and respect you before she'll work with you. I trust her 99.9%. She doesn't quite fit into my life anymore but I'm not sure if I trust anyone else to take care of her.

Flash is a 12 yo QH who is sound, reasonably athletic, and has great ground manners. He has a bit of heaves right now, but is healthy otherwise. He is not started under saddle - it is a work in progress. He had bad experiences as a colt so it's taking a while. I don't really want to give up on him, but the fact of the matter is, will I be able to use him? Right now he's more maintenance, although we are doing groundwork and some liberty. He's not very trusting of new people, so I don't just want to ship him off to some random people who may not understand him.

I also have a 3 yo QH gelding and a 6 month old colt that I intend to keep indefinitely.

Which horse would you sell, the 9 yo mare or the 12 yo gelding? Or both?

http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/pines+war+doc

I bought a new horse this summer and slowly integrated him into our herd. He spent a good several weeks with the most dominant horse alone, and after a few days they did well together. I added the least dominant horse (who happens to be a huge bully), and they still did okay - meaning, he wasn't relentlessly chased or bitten.

Then, because it's not possible to keep my horses in separate fences over the winter, I put in my mare and foal. So, the old clique rejoined and the new guy was left out - he wasn't allowed to eat, drink, or hang out anywhere near the other horses. Only my foal was completely neutral, but his dam made sure he stayed a safe distance from the new guy.

My horses are all pretty well-trained, so when I'm around, they don't do a thing against the new gelding - act like they wouldn't hurt a fly. But when I'm not there, they make sure he stays far away from the feeder and the water trough when they're eating/drinking. He can drink - when the other horses are gone. And he can eat in relative peace when they go out in the back of the pasture.

I've already put one of my horses (the worst bully of the lot) in a temporary pen, but I can't lock him in there forever. (I'm also planning on selling him, but not until spring)

The new guy is bitten a lot on his hindquarters, so he has scabs and several small places where the hair is gone. He's a pretty easy-going, quiet fellow, and doesn't put up a fight.

Please critique me!

I am a self-taught western rider (riding for about 10 years). I don't do a lot of jumping because I don't have a good horse for it, but when I do jump I LOVE it!

This mare has a very knife-like spine - she had a foal this spring and lost a bit of weight, which is why you see me bouncing a little after the jump. :(

Any tips on how to improve?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sELlBef7oww&featur...

I'll be the first to admit I don't know a lot about purchasing a saddle. There's so much to consider - horse fit, rider fit, budget, quality/durability, purpose, etc.

In the past I've bought saddles that were cheap and didn't fit my horse well. I don't want to make that mistake again.

http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/billy-cook-all-arou...

I was looking online and I really like the look of this saddle - physically, it's exactly the shape and size I want.

Is there anything you experienced buyers see that I'm missing?

I’ve been riding for about 10 years in western, and have never had riding lessons. No one helped me or taught me how to ride, so I think I may have picked up a few bad habits. :(

I was really discouraged when I watched the video last night – quite frankly I thought I rode better than that. I’m desperate to improve my skills – PLEASE help!

Things I noticed about my riding:

Saddle – I don’t always have my heel down. Also, my posting looks bad – I don’t know exactly how, I just know it doesn’t look the way it should. I’m riding a green, very long-strided 3 y/o QH – his steering needs some work, which is why I have my hands all over the place!

Bareback – My leg is way up – I might be pinching with my knee, not sure. My heel is up, too, annoying thing!! Sorry for the poor quality in this video.

Please critique! Be as harsh as you want, I don’t mind (as long as you’re not being outright mean). Any solutions/tips/ideas/experiences are hugely appreciated!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x17LqbG2SfA&featur...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DfswHKhxJg&featur...

My horse was injured a few weeks ago - a short shallow cut over his fetlock area. I made sure it stayed clean and gave him daily shots of penicillin to ward off infection. After the injury occurred, it took several days before the swelling started, and it's been about the same since. Not getting worse, not getting better. He's not lame or favoring the leg at all. He's turned out at pasture 24/7.

How can I bring down the swelling? And why is it staying around so long??

I haven't been hosing it, that might be something to try. I guess with the cooler weather lately I thought I wouldn't have to, but it doesn't seem to be going down.

Any suggestions would be great.

He's two and a half months and I'm not seeing any noticeable growth anymore. He's completely healthy, so is his dam. For some reason I'm thinking this isn't normal.

Help?

So one of my horses, a young mare, is not doing very well. She honestly looks like I've starved her, and I promise I haven't! Her spine is the most obvious thing - it's really sticking out. You can see her ribs but only slightly. As for her muscle mass, almost non-existent.

Her diet hasn't changed recently. She's on grass and hay 24/7, free choice. She also gets minerals, salt, fresh supply of water, very light exercise, and occasional grain (oats).

Her coat is still glowing, her eyes are bright, and she's not being abnormal in any other way.

Any ideas?

NOTE: Before anyone tells me to call the vet, DON'T. I'm asking for opinions/experiences, not a free fix. If she doesn't get better, I will be calling the vet, but I'd appreciate if you all wouldn't mention it.

Thank you.

I'm trying to figure out how tall my QH foal will grow. He's 10.3-11hh at 2 months old. Long legs with plenty of muscle.. His dam is about 14.3-15hh. His sire is 16hh.

I've heard about the string test as well as the height calculator online, but I'd like your opinions. Because you guys have experience. :)

Thank you kindly!

I just bought a 3 y/o QH gelding, and his registered name is Pines War Doc. His barn name is Flynn (as in Flynn Rider, from the movie Tangled - kids named him). :)

But honestly I don't see myself calling him Flynn all the time. I prefer short names (one or two syllables), nature oriented (I'm debating calling him Hawk), nothing "cute" or common, and no names of characters from movies, please!

He's a sweet boy, lots of spirit - but in the 10+ hours he spent in the trailer travelling to my place he was absolutely lovely - very relaxed and at ease. He follows me around everywhere, but is not entirely trusting of anyone.

Names, please? Thanks a million!!!!

Note: some of my other horses are named Storm, Jazz, and Flash, just to give you an idea of what I like in a name.