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[Rngovvet]

Craigs List has been berry, berry good to me!

Yesterday I found a roping saddle in pretty decent shape - and LIGHTWEIGHT! I can lift it in spite of my torn-up wrist and shoulder!

It fits Gerdi great - except I need to find a 40 or 42" roper cinch - my 36" is just a little short.


I also need to find a breast collar that fits. Gerdi is a 'tweenie - too big for horse-sized stuff, too small for a lot of draft-sized stuff. The saddle wants to work backward on her girlish figure. Perhaps it's the new, stiff felt pad that's the problem...

I like the way the pulling collars fit better than the breast collar - they just make more sense anatomically. I'm trying to find a Gerdi-sized one...
http://www.montanamountainhorse.com/sto ... ar&x=0&y=0

Any opinions?

[UrbanHennery]

Cody and I had our first joint lesson tonight. It went pretty well considering I hadn't had a lesson since, oh, maybe 1992 and Cody is, well, Cody. Turns out we've mostly got a communication problem and the rest seems to be me letting him push me around too much.

It makes me feel a lot better to know that it's me and not him, or at least closer to 50/50 than I thought.

Can't wait to try some of it out this weekend and then go back next week for more insight. Maybe I'll even end up with a decent seat out of this.

[hellojet]

I had a really nice ride this afternoon in the arena...eventually...

After her typical (of late) bucky/jumpy lunge work I got her settled in and ended up with about an hour of decent ride time. It's funny that an observer called her "very smart" even when she was getting all fours in the air on the lunge line. It was obvious to me that it was her getting herself all frustrated when she was trying to think ahead and do things I didn't ask for in anticipation that I would...and me going back to what I HAD ACTUALLY asked for and making her start over...I think it's more of a Coconut temper tantrum...but it passes...thankfully! I'm glad it translates for observers too because sometimes I think people this she's just this crazy Arabian (which she probably is !!) and I've heard more than one comment about not wanting "to ride THAT!"

What she did well was to move forward, something she sometimes fights me on. I've actually had her go backwards in a show class before! (Super fun....NOT!!!) She gets it in her head that she doesn't want to do something and tosses her head back and forth and will start going backward...but today...forward...all the way...and maintaining gait/speed, even in turns and circles. THAT's much more fun for me. I hope she felt the same way!

[Eventer]

Had a really nice ride today with some friends at the tree farm. About 3+- hours with a lunch stop. Lots of great conversation and just a really nice day. Woodrow was in heaven as all the other horses were mares and he took a particular liking to one cute arab/qtr girl and followed her around. However, he still had to do the manly thing and lead everyone fearlessly down the trail (like the tree farm is going into war torn Bosnia or something).

Good day all around.

[mary k.]

For a variety of reasons I haven't been able to ride for the past couple of weeks, but managed to get up to the barn last nite to work Lucy on the lunge line. She is hell on hoofs when she hasn't been worked, and last nite was no exception. I just let her do her thing--buck, gallop, whatever--'til she starts to get tired, then we work to get her mind where it should be prior to getting saddled up and ridden. That's just her, that's what I have to do. I'm still trying to re-learn diagonals. Had 'em and lost 'em when I had to take that time off last year after surgery. Just can't feel the correct diagonal anymore and it's frustrating as all get out. Grrrrr.... We're also working on haunches-in, in preparation for sidepassing. Whatever will get us there. For some reason I've got sidepassing as this Goal That Must Be Reached. Trainer swears Lucy knows how to do it, it's just getting me to push the right buttons. I can get a couple of the lesson horses at the barn to sidepass, but not my very own horse. Sidepassing, loping w/o taking off like a bat out of hell. Ahh yes, my darling horse is making me work, but that's a good thing!

[desperate horsewife]

Sounds like everyone's been squeezing in some rides in our mild weather!

Rngovvet, I had a gelding in this fall with the same trouble. Chevy (aka apple pony) was heavily influenced by some draft background. Big barreled, but not quite big enough

I had a great ride on Sandy the other day. Of course, it was in the arena at a lesson. He's really picking up the slack in his cutting lessons these days. I've got to catch up to him! Last week I brought him to the tree farm up here for a short ride, ponying Tika for the first time outside of the arena. Went smoothly enough. Didn't let her get away, at least

[booksngardens]

I got a nasty kick from Fred yesterday- I should go get an xray...there's a hoof shaped bruise on my leg.

Now that he's fat, healthy and in shape-- I didn't realize he was pulling my leg when he didn't want to lunge...thought maybe his legs were bugging him, so I decided to hand walk him instead.

He let loose when I was doing in hand trotting and took off at a canter, bucked and kicked me. So now he is in manners boot camp. And I have a put a kick strap on his harness. He's a powerhouse now. A slightly arthritic powerhouse who thinks he's 5.

[Joan Deutsch]

Glad to hear folks are at least working from the ground -- and up. Books, I sure hope that kick didn't cause any big trouble. I was hoping for a good ride yesterday but I could tell Cody was agitated as I was tacking him up. I should have lunged him but was cutting corners again to save time. Ha! So, I got on -- and he took off like a bat out of hell. Then, I decided to abort my trail ride and took him over to the ring for some lunging. Today, he was relaxed, but it was the world's shortest trail ride as I didn't have much time. Even so, I always get a thrill from riding. Also, good progress with Grace in the roundpen. She only reared once while I was leading her.

[Joan Deutsch]

Rngovvet, I'm admiring your Craigslist tack -- especially that barrel saddle. I don't know anything about collars -- especially western. So, let us know what you decide and how the girls are doing. I realize the reason you need a light saddle is because of arm recovery. Have you been handling these new saddles or do you have help? I have trouble putting on a western saddle. I have to hoist it up with both hands -- unlike the normal swinging approach.

[Rngovvet]

Rngovvet, I'm admiring your Craigslist tack -- especially that barrel saddle. I don't know anything about collars -- especially western. So, let us know what you decide and how the girls are doing. I realize the reason you need a light saddle is because of arm recovery. Have you been handling these new saddles or do you have help? I have trouble putting on a western saddle. I have to hoist it up with both hands -- unlike the normal swinging approach.

I have been carefully handling the saddles. I could have help to do it (my boarder is here a lot and always offers), but it's nice to be able to do it myself after 6-7 months of being dependent. The saddles are amazingly light! the roper seems as light as the barrel saddle.