Any MNers with horses out there?

[Longlegs1972]

and how do you cope?

I'm getting really down cos I never get the time to spend with mine....

Madoldcatlady!!!! HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!!! Flashing boobs at Betty's BRILLIANT!!! I got told off by po faced waitress for sending a text so flashing tits would probably give her heart failure!
Gosh horses aren't cheap are they?? Still want one!!
Do Fells need shoes?? They have strong hooves don't they? that would save a few quid!

There are 2 fells at our yard. One has shoes and the other doesn't. They do generally have good feet but I think it would depend on how much road work they were doing.

I'm glad you appreciated my Betty's stunt!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Hi everyone - not had a chance to catch up for ages, have been so busy!
MOCL - really glad to hear your mare is back in action. Very good news.
Pixel - you must be sooo disappointed! But hats off to you for trying him out properly - like others, I think I probably would have had him at home before I found out there was a problem!
Manuka - totally share your feelings on wanting a horse. Have been without since I was pg with DS who will be starting school in Sept, and am getting twitchy now. But I am so busy with work etc these days, I don't know if I would have time to do justice to a horse. At least not in the way I would want to!
Anyway - hope you are all enjoying the nice weather!

You all have to check out that link I posted earlier!! ITS SO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ROFL - how on earth did they manage to keep a straight face???!!!

I know its mental!! So cleverly done!! I bet it took them a hell of a lot of takes to get it right!

I love that clip. The first time I saw it I thought it was for real! I just thought when I watched it as a child it must have been the same but obviously gone over my head. It took DH to point out that they made it as a piss take. I'm so dim sometimes.

Hi Bamzooki. Nice to see you back.

Quick question! Who knows about cherry roller bits? My girl can get quite strong in faster work and has a tendancy to take hold of the bit and ignore my pleas to slow down. It has been suggested that I try a cherry roller on a lose ring as it will stop her grabbing the bit.

I currently ride her in an eggbut snaffle and tried and baucher but that didn't make any difference other that make her object to the poll preasure by sticking her head in the air!

Oh, so the question is, how severe are they, have you used one, did it work, blah, blah blah!?

I have never used one but I believe they are quite a strong bit. Would you be planning to use it all the time or just when out for a blast?

I'm a bit rusty but IIRC they are one of the strongest bits.

Sorry that looks liek I just buted in , was going to introduce myself but got sidetracked readng the thread!

I don't have a horse now but did until about 5 y ago when she had to be put down. She had been lame for about 3 years before that.

I rode on and off whist i still had her (other peoples/riding school horses) but got out of it once she died.

I went today for the first time in 3 yars and am trying to get back into it.

My dds both sat on /walked about from being tiny but dd1 has never shown any intrest other than a walk on the beach on a sunny day. dd2 is a dare devila nd everytime she has been she spends the whole time wanting to trot and go faster !

Hello Mrs Who. You lucky lady being married to The Doctor!

It's good to get back into horses again after a long break isn't it. Bet your legs will ache tomorrow tho.

Thanks for your ideas. I'll google them and see what I can find.

I'm looking for an every day bit really as she can be very strong in the school too.

Have just found this thread and thought i would fess up to also being a horse owner. Have a 24 year old tb mare who I bought as a 3 yr old and is my retired pet and an 16.2HH 8yr old Hanovarian X tb. I am self employed but as a rule only ride during the week when my Ds's are at school. Mine are at livery and it is very expensive (DH has no idea how much!) fortunately I can cover the cost of them. Younger horse doing dressage with me and jumping with someone younger and braver. Every morning I drop kids off for school, walk dog for 1 hour then ride horse before going home to have a wash and do some work!

Does anyone find themselves more cautious now they have kids?

\my horse was a lunatic yet I found myself saying 'something calmish please'

I am going again on Weds

I had such a bad fall yesterday! landed of him twice, and ache so much today.

He a bit sensitivie, takes a long time to trust someone, and some little git tried to steal him and the horse box Weds.

My friend who owns him, caught them at it red handed, but as he was 13 police arrested him but let him of with a telling of. Two older men who were with him, denyed everything.

We think he was a bit stressed and wary and he just reacted badly when I asked him to go on a bit on Saturday.

Eve- thats mental!! What an awful thing for someone to try and steal your horse!! That kid needs a good smacking as do the blokes with him. Where do you keep your horse and what type is it??

Hiya all!
Eve,I was there Saturday (didn't see you fall off though). My daughter was riding a little bay togged out in pink/purple and I had a baby in a pushchair & twin girls.
I ache today! I did a 14 mile charity ride yesterday. It was absolutely fantastic-great scenery and the horses behaved beautifully. We rode over one of the highest hills in Dorset but it was a bit hazy so couldn't see much. My Fell is unshod but she coped really well,even on the flinty paths.
Pixel-where are you? My friend has a 13.2 NF for sale and it's a lovely pony but I don't know how far you want to travel.
Ginny

Hi all!
Eve, how awful! Hoe you are ok today
Slownorris, I did 10 miles yesterday too (with a slight hangover, ugh) it was quite cold though, set off early-ish and just put fleece on thinking it would warm up - but it didn't! Brrr! I am a bit on the nesh side though!
Welcome aboard Mrs Who and Elastamum Your horse sounds lovely! We hcve a yahoo group set up to share pics and send messages if you want to join? I have yet to get any pics up though ! Mrs who IKWM about getting more cautious as you get older/have children - I broke my leg in a riding accident when ds was 18mths - was a nightmare! Babies and crutches do not go!

Hi Mrs Who and Elastamum - always nice to meet more horsey MNers!

Madoldcatlady - if your girl is strong in the school as well, then maybe you might also consider doing a bit of reschooling to re-establish your brakes? I'm all for using whtever gear you need for safety when out and about, but in the school she should still respond to your requests surely?
Sorry if that sounds preachy, don't mean it to. It's just another angle of attack to consider, that could well improve things when you are out too.
Having said that - is this a new thing for her? I've known many horses that were pretty barmy at this time of year, and then settle down as the spring fever wears off.

It's not a new thing. She's very forward going and is always looking to go up a gear.

She's a very lively girl really, for example if I ask for a nice collected trot she'll push for a stonking working trot, stick her neck out and refuse to steady it up til she's good and ready. On the odd occasion she'll be an angel and accept what I want her to do but more often that not she's raring to go.

I would rather have a more effective bit and use it less than a very mild one and have to be constanatly at her if that makes sense, but I'm wary of the fact that she's very young and I don't want to do anything to upset her or harm her by being over zealous.

The physio is coming to seee her tomorrow and see how she's coping being ridden again. If she gives us the go ahead we will be having lessons asap and I'm sure that'll help lots. I haven't had a lesson since I was about 13 and she's my first youngster so I really do need some guidance!

Hi all, nice to see some new 'faces'!

Spring fever is right. My mum's horse was an absolute paragon of virtue but he still bucked for a few weeks every spring. I think that might be how he got the name of Zebedee Boing!

Slownorris, I'm in Brighton(ish) so a bit too far for us I think. What a shame though, she's a gorgeous pony (and in our price range) and I would love a New Forest. She might be a bit wasted with us as well as we only want a happy hacker.

Still a bit disappointed. I keep wondering if we were a bit hasty but then I imagine what would happen if I had ds on him and he started playing up. Got to be sensible I suppose .

I think she'd be fine as a happy hacker. Apparently everyone that's been to see her have wanted her for hacking!!! I did consider her for dd1 but as she's 11 and growing rather fast I think the pony will be outgrown too quickly.
Oh well,if you change your minf and fancy a drive up the coast let me know

madoldcat - old adage - as strong as your hands - good for horses that lean oin the bit and not as strong imo as many others available.
I'm still as brave as i was prechildren, but my skill levels appear to have diminished massively - not a good combo
have long since stopped adding up what the horses cost me , they are just down garden path so no livery costs, but hay/feed disappears like no tomorrow (no so bad now, but a month back was up to 5+ bales/week at £2.50/bale)
mad ol' rosie needs to be sedated before shoeing ( my farrier is scared sh**less of her ) so normal shoeing fee of (dunno really, try to pretend it doesn't happen!) about £60, plus sedation bill from vet of about same again , try and double up though so get inoculations one time when he calls, teeth rasped another etc. My pony who is unshod is only £18 + vat!, but rose had abcess after abcess when i tried to work her without shoes and was off work more often than in work - do make 'em last 8 weeks though.