The HORSE Thread!

[Minty]

So I was inspired by Katnip’s thread to make a horse thread! This is the thread for everyone to introduce their horses – present or past – and give a little background on their riding (ie. how long have you been riding, which discipline, how often, etc.) I guess I’ll start! 

My first horse off of ponies (who I recently sold ) is How’s That – barn name Howie. I thought I would include him even though I don’t technically own him anymore, just because we had such a long history together and he still feels like my guy. He is a 13yo 17hh Oldenburg gelding. He was such a sweet gelding and taught me so much. He did have some soundness issues with his hocks, he had OCD and needed injections/supplements, so I was only able to show him up to 3ft, though I know he was capable of more. He taught me to be a tougher rider and since he was so big (I’m only 5ft) I am now comfortable riding/handling any size or shape of horse. I really do miss him, I could go on forever about him. But I know we had both kind of outgrown each other, and it was time for our partnership to end. 

Here is a short video clip of us last summer when we were champion in our division. Video quality is very poor unfortunately. 

Here are some pictures as well. (I blurred my face in all the photos as I wasn’t sure about the forum rules for sharing pics.)

A funny one of me almost falling off. He decided he didn’t want to jump the brick wall after all

 

Okay, so that was Howie. Now, my current horse is Bon Dance. (I still don’t have a barn name for him so please, if anyone has name suggestions let me know!) He is a 5 yo 16.2hh Canadian Warmblood gelding. He was originally going to be kept a stallion but his past owner decided to geld him in November 09. He is a sweetie and has a puppy dog personality. Under saddle he is extremely athletic and FUN to jump! He still has a little bit of his stallion attitude left over but I don’t mind haha. I have jumped him around a 4ft course and it was a breeze for him. I’m excited to really get to know him and start our showing partnership together. 

Here is his sale video:

Here is a short video of my first real lesson on him:

Here are a couple pics:

This is him at the Spruce Meadows breed demonstration

At the CWBHA Stallion Inspection 09

Here he is as a baby:

 

Although I ride mostly h/j right now, my foundation is in dressage and I do take lessons, I just don’t compete in it. I’m hoping to compete in some lower level tests this summer with my new horse though! Sorry this thread was so extensive haha, I just really love sharing about my horses and riding.

Anyways, those are my horses! Looking forward to seeing everyone elses!

[Barbie]

That’s awesome!

Great pictures As for the rules on sharing photos, if you’re under 18, we ask that you don’t show your face, just for safety reasons so good call on blurring out the pix.

As for my horse… I started riding when i was 3 or 4 and rode all the way though high school. I’m in college now, and unfortunately don’t have the time or money to ride any more. And Sea Star – my first and only horse – is no longer mine I miss her. And I regret giving her up. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.

I bought her when I was 12 at the semi annual summer auction of wild horses on Chincoteage Island, VA. She was literally only a few months old when I got her, so I spent 3 years just raising her. And man… boarding was expensive to have a horse I couldn’t ride for 3 years, lol, thankfully, my parents helped with that, but I did get up and go to the barn at 5 or 6 ever Saturday and Sunday morning to work there and help defray boarding costs. I trained her myself, and we never got past just basic ground work and w/t/c because I simply ran out of time with her. We had a great bond though, and she was so willing to please me. She was 14 hh, so on the large size, and a solid flaxen chestnut – no markings except for a tiny white snip in the middle of her nose, just above her lip; it was smaller than the size of an eraser on a wooden pencil.

Before I went to college, I donated her to a therapeutic riding program because I knew I wouldn’t have the time or money to bring her with me, unfortunately. She did great there – she has such a docile calm disposition (but she definitely had her “moments” with me, lol). However, last spring, they called me and told me that they have to retire her. She was only 8 at the time – should have been in her prime! She has a problem with her stifles – they lock up when she’s walking and especially when she’s carrying a rider or when she’s been stabled for awhile. The therapeutic riding program just couldn’t run the risk of her tripping with a rider on her back, nor could they afford to just keep her and turn her out to pasture, and she was in pain, so it really wasn’t right to make her keep working, even though she would have done it til she dropped – again, that’s just her disposition. :/ Anyway, I wasn’t in a position to take her back, so I had to let them adopt her out to another family who had taken in several other retired therapy horses. Sea Star’s friend was there too, and the family has a ton of lang and they just let the horses come and go as they please. It’s really an idea situation for her, but it just breaks my heart to see her “career” end that way.

Even though it’s been almost 4 years since I donated her to the program, and a year since I’ve seen her, it still makes me cry when I think about it too much… like now. I just feel like I failed her some how. Like somehow her problem with her stifles was something I did when I had her. And it infuriates me to think that she got this problem from the care she was/wasn’t receiving at the riding program (though the place is very well run, albeit a bit understaffed and underfunded) and that it’s my fault because I put her there. I know stifle problems are generally due to a conformation defect but still… I’m still concerned that the people who took her in rehabed her enough to make her appear sound and then sold her to someone who bought her for her coloring and the novelty aspect of having a Chincoteague pony. I can’t bear to think that she’s being abused some where. I need to call the people who adopted her – I’ve been meaning to since they said (reluctantly) that I could come visit…. but I’m almost afraid of what I might find out. :'( At least this way I can be blisssfully ignorant and assume she’s living out her life in a green pasture.

Here’s a picture of my baby – she always will be my baby

 

ETA: I never got into showing – too expensive and no one else in my family had any interest in horses or riding, so it’s really a testament to my mom that she would even just take me to the barn every week for my riding lesson and sit in the dusty waiting room for me (she has pretty bad allergies and the dust and hay and horses and dogs and barn cats made it hard for her, lol).  And then once I got Sea Star, the once weekly trips turned into several trips a week

[Elrohwen]

I rode jumpers from age 9 through 18 at a local barn. It was one of the very expensive show barns in the area, and all my parents could afford was one less a week. For about the last 5 years I was there, I rode the same horse every week – a huge warmblood gelding, ex-jumper, named Formedabla (formidable in French). Probably the most expensive horse I’ll ever sit on 😛 his jumping career ended with an injury, but he was a great school horse for the advanced kids like me who couldn’t afford our own horses (and a total sweetie). Kind of a big awkward guy, all legs, but we had a great partnership and I knew him inside and out. I rode a bunch of others there, but Merrymint was another favorite – a feisty grey gelding. I trained him not to run me over for carrots in his stall and it was so cute to see him back up a step in order to get a treat. He reminded me very much of a lippizaner in appearance, though I’m sure he wasn’t. Also, Delano, who was one of the most beautiful movers the barn owned until he came up lame with tendon problems. They sent him to live in a field with other horses, but when the new owner died (of carbon monoxide poisoning or something weird like that) my barn agreed to take him back. I helped rehab him a bit by popping him over tiny little jumps and helping him not fall over around corners. Apparently he missed jumping so much that he regularly jumped out of his pasture 😛 He really seemed to enjoy our lessons and would jump everything like it was 3′ with his knees pulled up beautifully. Too bad even 3 lessons a week over a few teeny jumps was as much as he could handle.

Then I went to college and took some jumping lessons there for a year, but the school horses were mostly a pain. I ended up riding the only one that would actually move his bum around the arena. At some point freshman year I tried out for the polo team and made it onto the first year squad (where we basically just learned to play). My horse was Suiza, a gorgeous older black mare, probably a TB/QH cross or something similar (which is what most polo ponies are). I’m tall, so she was one of the bigger horses they had. Some of the varsity players called her “The Animal” and said she was difficult to ride, but I thought she was amazing. She responded to the slightest change in my seat and it was a joy to ride her. Seriously the best trained horse I have ever ridden in my life, she could have excelled at anything.

I had to quit polo the next year as all of the tests for my major were the same days as varsity practice and I knew I couldn’t do both (we had tests at least once a week most of the year, so I would’ve missed half of the practices). Since then (2000) I haven’t ridden much. I took a few lessons one summer at Lesley Morris’ barn, but the guy giving me lessons turned out to be a creep, so I left. I started up lessons again last year, but when I lost my job I couldn’t justify the cost anymore and had to quit.

I find I’m much more of a wuss now! Even the little jumps look much larger than I remember, and my eye for distances isn’t great. It didn’t help that the new barn I picked switched horses on me every week or two, so I didn’t get the chance to get comfortable on one horse again and get my skills back. Once I get another job, I’d love to start lessons again, possibly at that barn, or I might look around again to see if I can find a 3-day eventing barn. The cross country part scares me, but I would love to get a more solid dressage foundation while jumping as well.

So that’s my story! I guess I’ve had a lot of horses in my life, and even though I’ve never owned one they were all very special. Around here boarding is more than $1000-1500 per month, which I don’t think we will ever be willing to pay. I just hope that someday we move somewhere cheaper and can maybe get some land and keep horses ourselves, or find a cheaper place to board. I would at least love to do a partial lease and be able to ride a couple days a week.

[Elrohwen]

Minty, both of your horses are beautiful! I am so jealous as I would love to own horses and maybe do some shows. How do you afford it though?! (you don’t have to answer that :-P) Your new boy totally looks like a stallion, but it’s great that he has such a fantastic personality.

Barbie, your girl is so cute! I hope that she’s leading a happy life as a pasture pet now. If we ever have land, I would love to adopt a pasture pony that needs a good home.

[Minty]

Barbie, that little mare is adorable! I hope you go visit her and see how she’s doing. My first pony recently passed on as she had foundered and was in a lot of pain. Her name was Duchess, the sweetest little white pony. Incredibly kind and bomb proof, I could take her anywhere and do anything with her. After retiring, she had a short stint at the local riding for the disabled and then was my old coach’s daughter’s pony and spent her last years being pampered. It gave me a sense of peace to know that she was well cared for before her time. Maybe you could go and groom her or just spend time with her? My coach’s daughter would use my pony for lead line classes and at the shows I would walk her around the show grounds and groom her like the old days!

Elrohwen, you’ve been through lots of horses like me! I think it makes you a better rider though, and able to adapt to all different types of horses. I went from pony to pony when I was younger, as my pony went lame so I basically catch rode anything I could find, or rode people’s sale ponies until they were sold. To name all of them: Duchess, Splash, Whisper, Sybil, Amy, Jewel, Monty, Oliver, Marco, etc, etc. I think riding ponies is a little tougher too, they have the Napoleon complex! (Although you don’t have as far to fall haha) Do you have any pics of the horses you rode?

As far as being able to afford riding, I am very fortunate in that my parents love horses too. My mom actually rode before I ever started at the age of 5. She is actually the one that collects all of them, haha, at one time we had 12 or so different horses/ponies. My parents also own 7.5 acres with a 10 stall barn and arena. This does offset the boarding prices quite a bit, as I am able to keep my horses at home and do the work myself. I am also in school, however, I have decided to do online schooling in order to have a full time job and to help pay for my horse. The man I bought Bon Dance from was extremely generous and has allowed me to pay him in monthly installments on a 6 month term. (Which will be paid off this month so he can come home!) I was extremely lucky as most people wouldn’t do this, especially for a horse like Bon Dance. I am actually taking a year off school after this semester to ride/work full time in order to see how far I can get in this industry… My dream would be to compete internationally but I can’t afford that. After a year I will probably go back to school (for illustration/design) full time. I am still feeling it out to see if I could possibly make a living riding/training/competing with horses. Bon Dance is part of this big dream, as I feel he is extremely talented and could take me far. I am so lucky to have parents that are supportive of all of my wacky dreams and are willing to help me out financially. So we will see what happens within the next year or so. I really love art and design so I am kind of torn. Whether I do become a professional rider or simply compete for fun, I plan to be riding for a long time yet!

[Minty]

Also, this is SullysMum, I just changed my username since I have Sully and Frankie now!

[Andi]

Great stories
SullysMum, how about ‘Bond’ as a barn name? As in James Bond 007 .. lol

I started riding friend horses when i was in Elementary school, adn when i was about 11, I took on caring for a 25 year old Morgan mare named Willow. She was feisty old lady, I would ride her bareback in my school uniform sometimes, I can’t even think about that now, as she was sooo sway back LOL (ouch!). Willow was put down at 28 years old, she not only had cushings disease but a brain tumor that eventually made it hard for her to walk properly. My family all loved her she was a special girl adn taught em so much about horses.

I rode MANY horse then on for other people, just for excersize at first, and later on for breaking/training young horses. I took lessons basic english and hunter/jumper with a few trainers. The last mare i trained that meant a whole lot to me was a 2yr old TB Mare, who had been bought at meat price at the auction, suposedly off track (I don’t believe it, she was to young!). Her papered named was midnight Alibi, we called her Shorty. After whitnessing abuse at the stables I was training for i gave up horses. The polictics was one thing, but the abuse i just couldn’t take. I didn’t have the money to buy Shorty out so i had to leave her.

After i quite for about 4 years and had moved, i decided to get back into it and met a lady who wanted me to work her Arab endurance mare. I thought it would be a neat experiacne to learn endurance. The horse was nto for em (Ok she was crazy) log story short, horse walked off a bridge on me, was a terrifying experiacne and I stopping riding again as I did not want to be responcible for other peoples animals when they did something stupid.

Apparently i didn’t learn my lesson, as it’s been 5 years now and I have just started riding for a lady who trains quarter horses. I need exersize and stress reliefe as I have had a bit of a relapse with depression. After my first ride (even though it was in the pouring rain) i felt amazing
It’s nice to be back in the saddle again, though I am hoping to back back in an english saddle again LOL… the mare i was riding is a reining QH and I have no ‘real’ background in western riding LOL

Anyways, that’s it quick… gotta get back to work LOL

Great pictures!

[Elrohwen]

Heehee, I knew it was you right away because of the cute Sully avatar!

I’ll see if I can find some pictures. They were all in the days before digital cameras. My dad actually scanned in tons of family photos and sent them to me on a flash drive, but they’re not in any kind of order and it’s tough to find one picture in a sea of thousands! Hopefully I can ask him and he can tell me what number pictures are the horsey ones.

I would love to own some land and have a barn of my own some day! Sometimes I think it would be too much work (between working full time and possibly having kids), but then I think it might be easier than driving to a barn. Plus, if we have our own my kids could grow up with ponies of their own, and I could get DH an old packer to learn on. DH would love to have land and a reason to own a tractor *rolly eyes* so it might happen some day.

You’re very lucky to have such a great place to keep your horse. I hope you’re able to continue in the industry! Making a full time living seems so difficult, but I bet you could do it part time – especially because design work can often be done part-time from home.

[Elrohwen]

Btw, Minty, you look tiny on those horses! Haha.

I’m always the tall one whose feet hung below the belly of most of the school horses. You should’ve seen me on some of the smaller polo ponies! Me and 15hh horses don’t mix.

[Minty]

I think it would be great to raise your family on some land. I have such fond memories of growing up because I had a farm to ride horses on, have dogs, cats, ride dirtbikes and go carts, and do lots of fun things. I find it sad when I see my younger cousins, who are only 12, and all they do is play video games and sit inside.

Lol, I am very short at 5ft and Howie was tall and chunky so he made me look tiny. Also, I hope you are right about being able to do both riding and art – that would be the best of both worlds

Anyone else with horsies out there?

[bunnytowne]

Minty !!!  I had to take several looks at your bottom picture of your Bon Dance there.  For a few I thought it was my horse Johnny.  Then I started reading your post and whew.  Dang.

Johnny would be in his 20’s now.  And your jumping video very nice.  Good tune for it too.   The first one on your first horse was cute. HE looks like he was taking his time knowing he was gona get there in time for the jump.   lol. 

Gosh I would love to go riding again.  Not good for back surgery though.  Heck maybe I will try it anyway one day.   Love horses rabbits n cats.  In that order.

[KatnipCrzy]

Well, it is official- I bought my first horse today!  I bought Bailey the Appaloosa from the other thread I started.  I won’t get her delivered for another week or so- since the people that currently have her here in town are showing her on Saturday.  They are excellent horse people- her daughter won a ton of ribbons on her gelding last Saturday at the 4H show.  They had already paid and registered for a show this Saturday- so I made and arrangement with the previous owner that she will stay with them until after the show. 

Her registered name is Zips Basik Red and she turned 5 in Feb of this year.  I was at the barn today helping bringing up horses for the farrier- he did 21 horses today.  And he just put shoes on her last week- and he said she was a nice mare (he is not really impressed by any horse since he deals with so many all the time).  She had shoes put on since she is a little flat on one front foot- and for showing it corrects the minor fault- so I will have to leave front shoes on her for the rest of the summer- but that is OK.

I will have to get some new pics of her soon.  And now I get to go saddle shopping!  I am going to try some of my friends saddles at the barn after she is delivered to get an idea of what fits and what I like- and I am going to try to find “used but in good condition”- but otherwise I might just buy a new saddle since it should fit her for a long, long time- and I better not “outgrow” it!

[bunnytowne]

Barbie your horse is beautiful.  Yes you are correct it was better to put her down instead of being  in pain.  She was so young,.

[Barbie]

Minty, thanks! I think she’s one of the most gorgeous ponies I’ve ever met… I might be biased though Yes I should go visit her, but I’m so busy and she’s so far away from me, and when I retired her to the family, I got the feeling they REALLY didn’t want me coming up to see her, even though they said I could… Sigh. Anyway, I’m kinda afraid to find out that she was sold or something… she’s not in any condition to be ridden anymore, and I’d hate to know she went off some where that she was being abused…. I think I’ll find some time this summer and call the family to see if I can come see her.

I agree with Elrohwen, you look so tiny on those big horses, lol.

Katnip, congrats on the new horse! Pictures please!

BT, I didn’t put her down!!! She’s just retired now.

[Minty]

Sorry Andi, didn’t see your post there! That’s great you are getting into riding again – I think once you start, it’s hard to ever really quit. I know in our area most of the h/j trainers aren’t very honest… at least in my experience. I hope this QH you are riding now works out! And thanks for the name suggestion! I actually really like it… I think it might suit him too lol

BT, do you have any pics of your old gelding? I’d love to see how similar they are! Lol I know what you mean about taking his time to the jumps. He was a true hunter horse (judged more on style and not speed.)

Katnip, I am so happy for you! New horsies are always exciting! Definitely post pics once she is home I have to go saddle shopping too, my dog chewed mine up!!! :S Saddles are so expensive though, I will have to save up for a new one.

Barbie, keep us updated if you do end up going this summer! I hope you do decide to go

[LittlePuffyTail]

Ooooh, a horsie thread! Great photos! I love looking at horse pics!

My horse is a 9 year old Morgan mare named Riverbreeze Mystic Bay. Barn name Winnie. I’ve owned her almost all her life, officially bought her as a yearling but I boarded my previous horse where she was born and got to witness her birth! She’s the only horse I’ve trained myself. We mostly do trail and fun riding, English style. She was bred for show and was shown as a weanling in halter but I don’t show anymore. Too stressful and expensive. Her Mom does Saddleseat and her Father is a carriage horse. Her sister has won National Morgan Carriage Horse several times. I would love to try Winnie at harness but don’t have the cart or the facilities for it. Here’s some pics of us:

We’ve had a lot of fun over the years and some heartache. We’ve been on 6 hour trail rides, done bareback, a little bit of jumping and lots of galloping in the field. She’s so adventurous and loves to see new things. She’s the type of horse that will go over and sniff the porcupine in the field(that was fun, picking all the quills out… ) But it makes her a great trail horse, not too much bothers her. I haven’t been able to ride much this summer because she has EMS and has had some laminitis problems we’ve been dealing with for the last few years.

My previous and first horse was an off the track Standardbred named J.J. Porter. We called her Tovarish (Tova for short). I found out after I bought her that she was the cousin of Moni Maker, the record earning female harness racer (she earned over 5 million), which I thought was pretty neat. She was not the right horse for me and I knew it soon after I bought her but we still had 5 years together and she taught me how to REALLY ride. Before I got her I had ridden and leased mostly push button lesson horses (I’m 28 and have been riding since I was 10). Tova taught me how to stay on a bucking horse and ride at a full gallop bareback. She really didn’t enjoy all the ring work I wanted to do so after much consideration and tears I retired her and gave her to a friend of the family who wanted a horse for a pet and a horse for her kids to ride and brush. She was very happy in her new home and lived there until last year, when, at the age of 27 developed a malignant cancer and was put down and buried in the field beside her pasture mate. Unfortunately, I don’t have any digital pics of her, but she was a very pretty bay Standardbred with a little white star. Here’s a pic of her cousin, Moni Maker.

[KatnipCrzy]

LPT- did you buy an new bridle or headstall with silver ears for your horse awhile ago and post pics?  Before I was riding or had a horse someone on here posted a pic that I thought was stunning- it had silver ears.  I have tried to find the pic/post but was not able to find it.

My husband is not excited about me saddle shopping.  I am hoping to find a good quality saddle that fits Bailey and me- preferable used.  But I was at the tack store- and I saw some Tucker saddles on sale- and a little voice in my mind whispered “but it will always fit her and you”.  So I either need to ignore the little voices that like expensive things for my horse OR take my husband with me.  But I am pretty sure he would not go saddle shopping anyway. He told his Mom that we bought a horse- and she asked the name- he did not know- all he knew was Appaloosa without spots and did not even know mare or gelding or age (and yes, I told him all this repeatedly).   And a brand new Tucker is technically not that expensive compared to others- but it is at the top of my budget and what I will consider reasonable.

[Elrohwen]

Personally, I would prefer to buy new -I would be afraid of tree damage or something that you couldn’t see in a used saddle. But that might be me being paranoid.

Do you have a pro who can help you with saddle fit? I think that’s so important and so many people seem to think they know what fits, but don’t really. A pro will make sure you get the most comfortable saddle for your horse. (though this might matter more in english saddles, since the rider’s weight is less spread out and pressure points are more important)

[KatnipCrzy]

The same person that helped me with buying the horse- the barn owner- I am sure will help me with saddle fit.  And the local tack store does do 24 hour lend out if you leave a deposit to try a saddle- to ensure fit before you purchase.

I did not reach the top limit of my budget when I bought the horse- but can’t really justifty spending $$$$ on a saddle- as there are other things I will need also.   I don’t know if the horse market/saddle market is the same in your area- but I was hoping to spend up to or around $600 for a good quality used western saddle.  But if I buy new- I could be looking double that.  I know that other saddles get a lot more expensive- but i do not want a saddle that has a lot of silver, etc- I do not want to pay extra for silver and I don’t want to maintain it either.  Plus most of those are used for show- and it would be my everyday saddle- so that would work towards decreasing the value.  It is really sad- but in our area- most saddles have a better resale value than most horses that do not have special skills or additional training or any training at all.

[LittlePuffyTail]

KatnipCrazy-I would LOVE to have a Tucker trail saddle. They are sooo comftorable! Around here they are quite pricey. I’d like to eventually get western tack for Winnie just for fun. Oh, by the way, I don’t have a silver eared bridle so it must not have been Winnie that you saw.

I’ve bought saddles used and had no problem. You should check out Apple Saddlery’s website. They sell new and used saddles. If it doesn’t fit, you can send it back no problem. It’s a Canadian website so not sure how much the shipping would be.

My bf is the same with horses: 8 years later and he pretty much knows her name and breed, that’s it. I’ve given up trying to teach him about horses, in one ear out the other.

[Minty]

Katnip, I’m not familiar with western tack so I couldn’t help you out there. I think if you want a used saddle then go for it, I know if I could find one to fit my short leg in good condition then I would. You can usually find nearly new saddles in great condition but with hundreds of dollars knocked off the price because they are ‘used.’ It’s also nice because they are already broken in for you. I think getting the right saddle is so important and even though it can be a huge investment, it is something that you can use for the rest of your life if you take care of it properly. Once my horse is home I am going to take a couple saddles on trial and see which I like best. I am borrowing my sister’s right now and it feels like riding bareback, I hate it! haha

LittlePuffyTail, what a cute mare! My mom actually first started out showing and riding Morgans. The first show I ever went to was a lead line on our Morgan gelding! haha I love the trail pictures, I can’t wait for the summer and being able to get back out there

[Elrohwen]

I’m not familiar with western tack either, so I’m no help. I imagine it would be more expensive than English, just because there’s more leather there, so I don’t blame you for not wanting to spend a fortune. You can buy a pretty basic English saddle for $600, so it doesn’t surprise me that a new western saddle would be much more. And I definitely don’t blame you for not wanting silver! I’m not a big fan of the flashy western show gear. I’m an English girl, so I tend to like plain bay horses with plain brown tack 😉

[Elrohwen]

The horse thread gave me incentive to start searching for a new barn to ride at 🙂 I like the place I was riding last summer (before I had to quit due to job loss) but it wasn’t a perfect fit. The trainer was very nice, but I felt like he let me ride around doing my own thing too much. If were still confident in my position and abilities that would be fine, but I feel like I must have a lot of general equitation things to correct after not riding much for 5 years. I also fell off 3-4 times in just a few months, and my previous record was 3-4 times in 10 years. Each time it was totally my fault, but I think it’s also a sign I was being pushed too fast to the level I used to ride at. He also switched horses on me every week or two, and it was really hard to tackle jumps when I didn’t know anything about the horse (obviously if I was more confident, this wouldn’t be a problem, but right now I think I need to get to know one horse at a time).

Maybe I look like a good rider, so he had confidence in me, but I just don’t have the confidence in myself? I also know I don’t have the muscles anymore, so there are things I try to do, but find my body is no longer able to do what I ask.

I’d like to find a place that can give me more of a dressage background, since I think that would help build my confidence over jumps again. Also, I would love to be able to play polo, and this farm offers polo lessons. The place I rode last year was owned by a polo player, but according to my trainer, the owner wasn’t interested in giving lessons to beginners.

So here’s the farm I found. I need to ask about lesson prices though. I was paying $50 at the last place, which I thought was reasonable, so it would be hard to go to $60 or $65. The trainer I was working with used to be at this place, before starting his own training business, and he highly recommended it if I wanted to do some polo. It also looks like a great barn to do dressage or jumping.

http://www.cogifarm.com/ 

The job market is picking up and it really looks like I’ll be working within the next month, so hopefully I can start riding sooner rather than later!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Elrohwen- That’s a beautiful stable! I’d love to try polo but it’s pretty much unheard of here.

I don’t think I would be able to do all my horse stuff where you live! Around here, you can board at a nice stable with an indoor ring for about $400, quite a bit less if you want just a barn and pasture. And lessons run about $30.00/hour.

[Minty]

Ohhh wow, that facility is beautiful! Looks expensive! lol I wish I owned a barn like that….

That is so exciting you will be starting up again though! Maybe they can find you a schoolmaster type of horse to lease eventually (or even lease one of their school horses) so you aren’t having to switch horses all the time? It’s nice they have a lesson string and cater to all levels, most h/j barns in my area don’t have lesson horses and expect people to have their own. At least for the A circuit trainers. It’s also nice that they have all of those disciplines in one stable.

A dressage foundation is definitely a good idea. I rode dressage from 5 yrs to 12 yrs before I even started jumping. I think this is what a lot of young riders are missing these days, they start jumping immediately and know nothing about basic equitation and the core skills that are developed when riding dressage. And dressage is fun! So many people think it’s boring but I really like it.

I have been trainer/barn hunting in the last few months since I left my last coach so I know how it feels! I’m actually going to check out a barn in a couple weeks for when my horse comes to BC (he will be boarded there) so hopefully I like the trainer and everything goes well.

Are all facilities in your area that nice? hah, wonder how much that cost to build….

[Elrohwen]

Yeah, hence why I don’t own a horse 🙁 Boarding a horse for $1500 a month is like having a second apartment. Not to mention the cost of lessons and everything else. Some places do partial leases, so maybe someday I can lease a horse for one or two days a week. I would love work with a horse on my own between lessons, instead of always doing what the instructor decides we’ll do.

I can’t wait to move somewhere cheaper! By the time we’re living in a new area, we’ll also be making higher salaries, so something like $400-500 a month shouldn’t be too bad. I’ve even found small horse properties in the area we’d like to live that cost the same as a small junky house in our current town.

Many of the stables around here cater to wealthy New Yorkers (even though we’re a good hour and a half from the city). This place even has a helipad so you can fly your helicopter out and ride your horse. *rolly eyes*

Polo is so much fun! I know there’s another barn, near where DH works, but not where we live, that has a polo club. For $1k a year or something, you can join and play with other members (from beginner to more advanced levels). You can also rent horses from them for not too much. I definitely need to work on my skills, but doing something like that would be so much fun, and far more affordable than ever trying to own my own ponies.

[Elrohwen]

And yes, most facilities in my area are that nice, which is why everything is so darn expensive! They’re not all that huge, but I would say the quality is the same on a smaller scale. It’s also very hard to find dressage or eventing places with school horses. Jumping is much easier to find, but I want a place that has a broader client base. I have an ok seat, but I would really like a more solid dressage foundation. Especially because I find jumping makes me nervous now, while just being on a horse doesn’t, so some dressage would be really confidence building and is more in my comfort zone. I’d love to alternate between dressage and jumping lessons or something.

A place like that would probably run at least $50million. A small horse property with 5 acres and a barn and house is probably $2-5million, depending on the town (but you could build your horse farm next door to Martha Stewart or the Clintons! haha)

[Elrohwen]

 Here’s the place I rode at last year:

http://www.reinerequestrian.com/

 

Reiner used to work at Cogi Farms, but split off to have his own business. He rents out one half of the main barn at this facility, Haviland Hollow Farm - http://nycpolo.com/. The owner of the place is a polo team owner from NYC (team owners are generally average-good players, with real life jobs, who are super-duper rich – they pay the salaries of the insanely good professional players that play on the team with them; it’s a strange system). So it’s a beautiful brand new facility, and the trainer was super nice, but I didn’t feel like I was learning. And I was getting frustrated at falling off all the time. lol There were some gorgeous horses there! He had some really talented upper level riders who rode and trained with him, and a super talented young girl (can’t be older than me) who did most of the showing.

[Elrohwen]

Just noticed that Reiner’s sale page says:
Congratulations Soledad O’Brien your the purchase of Mona Lisa

I’m guessing that must be *the* Soledad O’Brien? haha

[Lis]

 This is Just Before Midnight (Jay), my appendix quarter gelding, trying to scratch his head on me:

This is a better picture of Jay’s beautiful face:

This is Little Lizzie (Rosie), my Belgium mare:

[Elrohwen]

Your mare is amazing!! Love draft horses! Do you ride her? Does she drive? I’d love to see more pics

Jay is a cutie pie too. I can see you ride western – is there a specific discipline you guys do?

[Lis]

I showed with 4-H as a kid, entering anything I could ride western in. But Jay and I excelled in trail riding, always taking home the blue ribbon. Even the time he literally picked up a folding chair and threw it AT THE JUDGE. I swear he did it intentionally.
Unfortunately, we can’t ride him heavily anymore, because he has navicular in both front hooves. He’s been nerved, so he can’t feel the pain, but we don’t ride him often or hard. In fact, I mostly ride him bareback to keep the weight down.
I always like trail riding best, especially trail riding bareback.

Yes, we do ride Rosie – although she’s not as good of a ride as Jay is. He’s fine tuned to me, since I’ve ridden him since I was 8 (I’m 21 now). She’s a lot less responsive – this is why when I get horses of my own, I’ll be getting them young and doing the training myself. She was bought for driving, coming with a custom made cart fitted to her. My mom really enjoys driving her. She recently bought a horse trailer and talks all the time about possibly taking her out to Great Falls National Park to drive her there.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Beautiful horses, Lis! I love draft horses! They are so incredibly sweet! I would love to own a draft cross someday. I love a big, stocky horse.

[Lis]

Haha, Rosie’s not sweet; she’s a diva. If no one pays attention to her, she starts causing trouble. Over the winter, she found out she could reach her head over the fence, and turn on the water. Caused a lot of ice. We now have to put a hook on it to prevent her from doing so.

[KatnipCrzy]

As for name suggestions for Bon Dance- you could call him Danny, Andy- or go more creative and call him Gailieo (Leo), Aristotle (Ari), Orion, or Riley. I had a LOT of time to think about boy horse names- can you tell??? I was going to schedule an appt to look at a AQHA/APHA show gelding- but found Bailey instead.
I would normally not name a pet Bailey as it is very common- but since I like the name that she is used to I will keep it. I would only change their call name if I hated it- the gelding I was going to look at was called Vinnie- and I do not like that name at all. And I think they got “Bailey” from part of her pedigree name “Basik”.
 

EDIT: I also like the name Finnegan for a boy horse- and you could call him Finn.

[Minty]

I LOVE the name Galileo but it is too long for a barn name and my family already has a Leo. I am keeping his show name Bon Dance, as his sire was Beau Soleil. I was thinking Beckett to keep with the ‘B’ theme. I originally really liked the name Austin but have found it is quite common. It is hard to find something that fits his personality. He is gorgeous, very elegant looking, but he has that mischievous boyish personality. So I don’t want anything too nerdy like ‘Emmett’ (a name I still really like) but nothing too simple like “Ben” if that makes sense?

And Liz, your belgium mare is gorgeous!

[bunnnnnnie!]

Wow, I had no clue there were this many horsey people on BB!  Awesome!

I don’t have any pics of my mare atm (I’m at work), but she’s a 13 year old AHQHR (American Half Quarter Horse Registry) mare.  1/2 Paint, 1/2 QH.  I grew up riding Dressage, but my mare is built like a little tank and just is more suited for western pursuits.  So basically we ride western in an english saddle.

She’s a sorrel with a big wide blaze, two hind socks, and is 15hh and 1300lbs.  She’s a big bulky horse on short stumpy legs.

[Elrohwen]

Minty, I loooove Beckett! I like your taste in names 😉

[Author]

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