Where to start? Horse lovers??

24

Replies

  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    Just dropping in to see if anyone is around? I am new here.

    Hi there! Welcome to MFP! Horse lovers are lurking, that is for sure. :smile:
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,996 Member
    I'm a horse lover too!

    My current profile pic is of my daughter and her Morgan mare, Valentine (who will turn 18 this coming Valentine's Day). My girl has kind of grown out of her horse phase, so Valentine is for sale, but I've been spending a lot more time with her lately and may decide to change my mind about that! She is exquisitely trained. Me, not so much, but I'm learning. The woman who owns the farm where we board her is amazing, and she has been teaching me a lot about horses in general and Valentine specifically. (We bought Valentine from her, so she knows her very well.)
  • KatrinaCaroline
    KatrinaCaroline Posts: 8 Member
    Definately a horse lover here! I have 2 Foundation bred Quarter Horses- one of which is all 'get it get it get it'. Talk about work-outs. There are going on three this year and we trained them last year. My husband is really a great trainer and I'm just... well, "no guts, no glory". I have all of the patience and work with them on fine-tuning verbal cues or leg cues, neck reining and things like that.

    No matter what the cues are- riding really is a work out for both you and your horse. Just try riding bareback a few times and you'll know what I'm talking about. Either that or don't use your stirrups- yeah, you know what I mean. It's all balance... or atleast "should" be balance and not relying on your feet.

    It's great to have other horse people here.
  • HeatherMN
    HeatherMN Posts: 3,821 Member
    I'm a horse lover too!

    My current profile pic is of my daughter and her Morgan mare, Valentine (who will turn 18 this coming Valentine's Day). My girl has kind of grown out of her horse phase, so Valentine is for sale, but I've been spending a lot more time with her lately and may decide to change my mind about that! She is exquisitely trained. Me, not so much, but I'm learning. The woman who owns the farm where we board her is amazing, and she has been teaching me a lot about horses in general and Valentine specifically. (We bought Valentine from her, so she knows her very well.)

    I'm so glad you decided not to sell the horse and that you're learning. My mom just decided about six months ago that she likes horses and wants to learn how to ride this spring/summer. Yay!

    I've done almost no riding this winter, but have instead been working on getting my horse to trust me more and doing ground work. We're down to 20 minutes to catch her instead of the previous 1-2 hours, so we're making progress. I can only get out to see her about 1-2 times per week right now with my schedule, even though she's only 13 miles from my house. I can't wait until trail riding this spring!!
  • maddiebabe
    maddiebabe Posts: 193 Member
    Hello Horse Lovers :)

    I love how many of us there are on here. I was wondering if it would be ok for me to join on this thead as well. I actually had a riding lesson today and wore my heart rate monitor and burned 481 calories in about 50 minutes...how awesome is that. I love riding! I used to ride every day until i went off to univeristy in 2000 and while I still have horses at my parents farm I am lucky if I get up there once a month and there is no real trails on the farm to ride on when winter comes :(

    Im actually loving the riding lessons I am taking now. I took them for years whenI was yonger (from 14-21) and then I stopped and I am actually taking them again with my fiance who wanted to better understand why I love the horses and how passionate I am about them...turns out he loves it sooo much too!

    I cannot wait to hear more abot you guys and your successes :)
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    Definately a horse lover here! I have 2 Foundation bred Quarter Horses- one of which is all 'get it get it get it'. Talk about work-outs. There are going on three this year and we trained them last year. My husband is really a great trainer and I'm just... well, "no guts, no glory". I have all of the patience and work with them on fine-tuning verbal cues or leg cues, neck reining and things like that.

    No matter what the cues are- riding really is a work out for both you and your horse. Just try riding bareback a few times and you'll know what I'm talking about. Either that or don't use your stirrups- yeah, you know what I mean. It's all balance... or atleast "should" be balance and not relying on your feet.

    It's great to have other horse people here.

    Bareback is a definite work for you to keep balance. However, I swear I DO NOT get a work out from riding my horse (in saddle, won't say bareback). Maybe the pre-riding works - doing natural horsemanship training with him before I get on his back before I ride, but once I am up there it is all neck reining and vocal cues. No squeezing for me. :tongue: Just cluck, he trots, kiss, and he is off into a canter. When he is in a riding mood, I just have to think and he does it - the beauty of a natural horsemanship connection. :smile:

    Carrie - SO AWESOME about the fiance loving them too! I hope to end up with a man who can appreciate horses and my love for them. :smile: Someone who also likes mild farm work too, because I plan on having horses in my back yard at the house of my dreams. :bigsmile: I am glad you are taking lessons again. Depending on where I end up going to graduate school will depend if I have to lease my horse out for a couple years or not. So, that decision will have to be made over the summer..

    Anyway, enough rambling - I am glad this topic is getting some more posts!

    Question for horse people here - do any of you practice Natural Horsemanship? That is all I do with horses I work with. I learned it from volunteering at a horse rescue for multiple years while in college. It is now my way of life with the animals and it works wonders. Also, any horse I will have will NOT wear horse shoes - and go barefoot. I am completely a supporter of barefoot horses (I trim my horses feet also, so I don't have a farrier - just myself).

    Okay.. well, I can really go on and on about horses. :laugh: Hope to hear more about your horse adventures!
  • maddiebabe
    maddiebabe Posts: 193 Member
    Awww I love that everyone on here is so in love with the horses :)

    Steph thats so cool about the natural horsemanship ... sounds very exciting! Tell us more about it :)
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,996 Member
    I'd like to know more too. I googled it last night and did some reading. I liked what I read.
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    Awww I love that everyone on here is so in love with the horses :)

    Steph thats so cool about the natural horsemanship ... sounds very exciting! Tell us more about it :)

    Well, one of the things with natural horsemanship I use is a round pen - a big 60' pen. I bring a horse in there, take off all of their equipment (halter, etc) and let them roam it for a while. I take my rope halter and lead rope and use that to add pressure, but mostly tell horses with my body language. You can tell them which direction to go in, what pace to take, when to turn, when to stop - all with body language. The natural horsemanship philosophy is mostly about pressure and release. Horses take very well to releasing of pressure. When you ask something from a horse - you put on a slight amount of pressure - with round penning if I want a horse to change directions, I tilt my head. If that doesn't work you ad a little more pressure - i tilt my shoulders. If that doesn't work, I put my arm out.. and if that doesn't work, I throw the rope in front of the horse to make them turn and have no option of going straight. Eventually the horse will turn just at the tilt of your head. The pressure and release goes to all aspects of it. It's hard to explain in just a little paragraph on a message board. :laugh: But I could go on forever about it.

    My horse, I have trained him vocal cues by pairing it with different paces in the round pen - which translates to me riding him. I cluck until he trots then stop immediately when I get it. Therefore he is rewarded with no more pressure. A lot of it is to make their listening to the pressure and easier approach then not listening - because when they don't listen - they have to work harder, making them want to listen.

    All in all, basically you teach the horse that you are the leader of the herd - the alpha. And that you are capable of being their leader. Talking to a horse in their own language. It is a beautiful thing. :smile: But, I will go on in more detail in other aspects of it if anyone really wants to know. I mix and match natural horsemanship trainers - like Frank Bell, Silivia Scott, Gawani Pony Boy.. those are my favorites so far. There are a lot of Parelli followers - but I don't like some of his equipment (having a metal hook at the bottom of his rope halters one, because it could break horse jaws if used incorrectly.) There is no correct way of doing anything, it's just a matter of learning and gaining the horse's respect, support, and trust. Everything should be worked on the ground first before you attempt scary things in the saddle. It is a much safer way to ride and be with horse horse.

    So.. if you have any questions about it, I can do my best to answer. I don't even ride with a bit in my horse's mouth anymore - I just have a bitless bridle rope halter. Sometimes I just ride with a plain old halter too. Depends on how my horse is feeling that day. :smile:
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    Here is a decent website to get you started on reading too: http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/training.shtml

    :smile: Ground tying is awesome. I love that my horse ground ties (I have trained him that too). I just plop the rope on the ground and he stays. He is so good. :bigsmile:
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,996 Member
    Thanks for sharing the info and links, Stephanie. I have so much respect and admiration for the woman who trains the horses where we keep Valentine. I don't know if she would call what she does natural horsemanship, but I do know she is very much in tune with each horse as an individual, and Valentine is trained to respond to such a light touch of the leg as well as voice commands, I can't help but think she's in good hands. Now it's up to me to learn all I can, isn't it? I also don't feel like it's much of a workout to ride. That's probably why. Man, I wish we lived closer to each other so we could meet each other's horses. Wouldn't that be great?
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    Thanks for sharing the info and links, Stephanie. I have so much respect and admiration for the woman who trains the horses where we keep Valentine. I don't know if she would call what she does natural horsemanship, but I do know she is very much in tune with each horse as an individual, and Valentine is trained to respond to such a light touch of the leg as well as voice commands, I can't help but think she's in good hands. Now it's up to me to learn all I can, isn't it? I also don't feel like it's much of a workout to ride. That's probably why. Man, I wish we lived closer to each other so we could meet each other's horses. Wouldn't that be great?

    I wish that too Jill! Then we could ride together and Gavin would be a gentleman. :smile: It's also a lot easier to learn the natural horsemanship hands on with someone assisting you. That's how I learned - the president of the horse rescue trained me. She wants me to take over the horse rescue one day.. I know she does. It was training me to take over her job, I think. But I am confident with even a misbehaving horse, because of the natural horsemanship skills. Each horse is different and needs a slightly different approach. :smile: The woman at your barn sounds wonderful.
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,996 Member
    There's a local rescue here that our farm works closely with: http://serenityequinerescue.com

    If you check out the horses there, Niko used to be Valentine's barn mate. Their stalls were next to each other. Unfortunately, Niko's owner was unable to continue to pay board, so he couldn't stay forever. He is a sweetheart, though, and Valentine really misses him.
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    Aw. Niko is so precious.. I plan to have multiple horses in my back yard when I settle down. I plan to get all of them from rescues too. :smile:
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,996 Member
    Niko really is such a nice boy.

    Off to work out now!
  • tabbydog
    tabbydog Posts: 4,925 Member
    Hi there! One of the things I hate about winter is no riding! I used to keep my horses at an stable with an indoor, but I couldn't afford it any more. Now they live in my backyard, which I really love because I can take care of them and know what care they are getting, but it means very little riding in the winter time because I don't have many good trails and the road is too dangerous with the ice and the snowbanks. Thank goodness for going to my mom's house and sleigh riding. She has a beautiful Belgian who she calls "my" horse. She is pretty hot, and more carriage horse type than draft. Incredibly athletic. She can canter in place, piaffe, passage (all in the pasture, she is not trained to do it under saddle. The canter in place she does in harness when she is being naughty. :ohwell: )

    I am a firm believer in natural horsemanship also. I taught my mare to be caught in pasture by "roundpenning" her but, in the pasture not the round pen. She decided it was way too much work. It was a lot of exercise for me, too. Roundpenning is definitely easier in the round pen! My horses are both barefoot. I used to shoe my gelding, because my trainer said he "had to have" shoes. His feet are so much better without them. He is very flatfooted, which makes him tender footed sometimes, but I have boots for him which work well. His feet are only bad in wet weather. I idodine the soles which helps. I don't do a lot of round penning, because I don't have a round pen, but I do a lot of the rope halter work, and I think it does wonders for your relationship. I also like John Lyons magazine "Perfect Horse." Have you seen it? I like the way he breaks things down to the tiniest steps and the next thing you know you are doing amazing things if you follow the steps and teach the horse each phase. I too think that Parelli is a little "gimicky" but to each his own. His methods work well for a lot of people, and I think that the movement towards teaching and educating horses and people has gone a long way towards making a lot of horses lives better. A lot of people think that you should be able to ride a horse because it is a horse, and understand little or nothing of its phycology or its mental health needs.

    Wow, been babbling long enough! I love horses, have ridden since I was 5 years old. They are my life!:drinker: :bigsmile: :happy:
  • HeatherMN
    HeatherMN Posts: 3,821 Member
    I also use natural horsemanship techniques and methods, but don't have a round pen so I also do them in the pasture. My horse was moved to a boarding stable for the first time this year, back in October, so we had major work to do with the catching aspect. She's half Mustang and her behaviors and personality in the pasture definitely show it! She can be frustrating, but once caught, she's such a sweetheart. When I first moved her to the boarding stable, it took 1-2 hours to catch her...how exhausting! Now, we're down to 20 minutes, thank goodness. If I had more time to work with her, I think we'd have even more progress.

    Luckily, she's at a place that has an indoor so I've ridden a few times this winter. Previously, she was at a family member's farm where I didn't pay board but didn't have a winter riding place other than the pasture. So far, I love where she's at because she's down to a healthy weight and they have the same beliefs about horses as I do. They want the horses to be as natural as possible with no halters on in the pasture, no blanketing and no shoes.

    With winter, I'm always sad that the therapeutic horseback riding program I volunteer with doesn't operate because we don't have an indoor yet. I'm looking forward to spring for that reason! We're a small organization that just bought property this year and are raising the funds to put in the driveway, parking lot and outdoor arena. Right now, we rent space at the local fairgrounds for the program and trailer horses in. Eventually, we'll have an indoor, though!

    Hope you're all having a great day. I'm headed to the barn to play with my horse!
    Heather
  • bonkers5975
    bonkers5975 Posts: 1,015 Member
    So much in common with EVERYONE on this thread! This is great!:bigsmile:

    I am totally into natural horsemanship, was sort of forced into it when I brought my guy from Canada (where we lived) from a well-equipped facility into a cow pasture with NOTHING. I had to adapt both of us to working in wide-open spaces and teach Sully the importance of respect. He took to it like a fish to water. Literally, the first yielding exercise I did with him totally changed his attitude toward me. It was almost like he was looking for that leadership, and once it was there, he was secure.

    Barefoot advocate,too, though I know not all are so fortunate. Big flatfooted horse, so I use Easyboot Epics on rough terrain. He's a size 5! I tried trimming him myself, and can in a pinch, but he's got HUGE hard feet, and tends to like to kick back and nap on you while you work. :tongue: So I am lucky to have an awesome farrier who understands our needs and keeps costs low!

    Let's keep this thread going, guys, I'm learning so much!
  • bonkers5975
    bonkers5975 Posts: 1,015 Member
    Here is a decent website to get you started on reading too: http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/training.shtml

    :smile: Ground tying is awesome. I love that my horse ground ties (I have trained him that too). I just plop the rope on the ground and he stays. He is so good. :bigsmile:

    Ground tying is the first thing I taught Sully, because I have no good place to tie, and I'm usually by myself. The only thing he has trouble with at times, usually just when it's been awhile and he's really fresh, is when I bring the saddle around to put it on. He'll evade me with his shoulders, and occasionally try to take off. So for that, I just drape the rope over my arm, and he's good. He knows if he moves he'll have to back all the way around the paddock! :tongue:

    He even ground ties for the farrier, which really impresses him!
  • eponya
    eponya Posts: 7
    I have been interested in Natural Horsemanship since I audited a John Lyons clinic in the 80's. But two kids, husband and house kept me from working my horses like I would have liked. But now that the kids are grown and I am in my midlife crisis phase and stripping myself of the wife/mom/housewife stereotype it is time to start again. I believe in natural horsekeeping.

    After years of being belittled and belittling myself I am feeling like a butterfly emerging out of the chrysalis, one small crack at a time. I need to push myself more rather than just let life do it for me. I blogged about my latest "adventure" of joining a Dressage club.

    Along with the real horses I am also involved in the model horse world, paint and do photography. How about the rest of you?
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