Thistleblooms Rambles

[thistlebloom]

I'm not too sure on those mathematics of falling , but my advice is to stop while you're ahead!

I'm hoping Syringa will take me into my dotage and be the last horse I train. I haven't sticked her, but am guessing she's 14.1 or .2. I agree, the older I get the shorter I like'em! If we can both last twenty more years I'll be in my 80's and she'll be mid twenties, so a respectable age to pasture us both.

 

[Ridgetop]

I bought my TWH mare from a woman who had shown both in the heavy booted style and later in the flat style that so many TWH owners are going with. Much more humane although perhaps less flashy in the ring. I don't believe that you need to sore a horse or cut the tail muscles in order to produce a flashy going TWH. The good ones are wonderful all on their own without any of that cruel stuff.

However, back to the seller. She had stopped dong anything but flat walking since she had decided it was too cruel She brought her first mare with her to California in the 60's and bred her several times. She then broke all her own horses and showed them natural. My mare was the last foal delivered by her original mare at age 20. I bought her at age 18 because the owner was looking for a person to take this horse. She no longer rode having reached the age of 88. She was concerned to find a good home for Camalen before she and her husband could no longer take care of her. Mrs. Lenhart was only 4'11" and weighed about 90 lbs! LOL She couldn't reach the top of the horse to saddle her anymore and no longer could fling the saddle up onto her back so her husband had rigged a pulley system by which she would raise the saddle in the air, walk Cammie underneath and lower the saddle onto Cammie's back!

DH ran into her at the vet where he had taken a goat for an ultrasound. She was picking up lotion for Cammie who had allergies to fly bites. They talked and DH having just bought his first TWH told her all about his new love. He mentioned that I was also looking for a TWH so we could ride together. Long story short - we met and 2 weeks later went home with Cammie. I tught her to go through water which she had never encountered in all her life. Cammie and I had a few discussions about trails and returning to the barn but she was a fabulous mare who could trace her pedigree to the first studbook. She was a hoot to ride and had been beautifully trained by Mrs. Lenhart. Cammie and I went beach camping with our local horse club each year, camped in the mountains, and had a lot of wonderful trail riding experiences together. She lived out the rest of her days with us and died naturally in the pasture at the age of 32.

I am very fortunate to have had 2 wonderful mares - Dazzle the pinto and Cammie the TWH. Josie the mule is also a good mount and loves having her ears rubbed. Having a good horse (or several) makes all the difference in our lives. Falling off is a small price to pay for all that pleasure. And usually it was my fault not the horse. It's always the rider! LOL

 

[promiseacres]

Lol...I have always appreciated a shorter horse. Helps being 5'3"...& a lightweight so I can ride ponies all day. Lovely story @Ridgetop good horses and good dogs sure help make life bearable.

 

[chickens really]

I must be a fantastic rider now too. I am thinking I must of fallen 100 times off a horses in my lifetime riding them. The worst horse/pony I ever rode was my uncles welsh/Shetland Flicka. He would saddle her up and my cousin Coleen would ride Paint another little cross pony. All the adults on their horses and we would go trail riding. Well these two ponies were great heading out but on the way back they would bolt for home. Flat out running and once we reached the barn they would stop dead in there tracks. Coleen and I learned how to fall. My uncle always said cowgirls don't cry so we sucked it up and learned quickly..

 

[Ridgetop]

Yes, ponies are very naughty. In England where i learned to ride. every child starts on ponies. These ponies range from 10hh to 14.1hh so are sized to the children so they can use leg aids properly. Our western saddles with all the leather are not as suitable to that, and our western mustangs (original cowboy mounts) are not very big horses. DH couldn't understand why these large tall cowboys at rodeos had small cow ponies for ropomg, etc. I explained that if you are roping cattle, then dismounting to doctor, brand, etc., then remounting all day long, you don't want a super tall horse to work off.

In that tradition I mounted all of my children on ponies. They had to take care of them, groom and saddle them, so I figured it would be easier for my kids to do that on smaller ponies. By the time they were 8, each of my kids could catch, groom, pick hooves, saddle and bridle, and ride off on their own with no help. The only family member needing any hel with their mount was DH who had to be overseen at all points.

DH adored the horses but was not really a rider. He was more of a sitter onner. But his favorite thing in all the world was to ride out on a Sunday afternoon (almost his only time off work) with the entire family mounted and riding with him. His horse was a large paint who looked like a carthorse crossed with an Arab. Pretty dish face and great big hairy footed body! LOL Rusty was a wonderful horse that even the smallest child could scramble onto and ride safely. This was a good thing since DH could never grasp the idea of tightening the girth one last time before mounting, leading to some memorable moments in the yard as we raced to rescue him.

But back to ponies. If you can ride a pony well you can ride anything! They can be contrary, rambunctious, bossy, disobedient, etc. This is because there are not many good riders small enough to school a pony and teach it manners. By the child has learned to control his naughty pony they can get on anything and ride it fearlessly. When we were looking for our ponies as each child grew old enough for his OWN HORSE (pony) we ran into some doozies.

"Child Safe" - the pony is only able to carry a tiny child due to some injury.
"Bomb Proof" - the pony is so old that it falls asleep and doesn't notice the child is even on board.
"Needs work" - so green that it has seldom seen a saddle, let alone worn one.
"Experienced rider" - so rank that it is practically an outlaw.
"Has been shown" - Either didn't do well or is now crippled.
"Child's pet" - unbroke pony bought as a present for a baby who is now 2 years old and "tired of it". This pony was an actual ad that I clled looking for a pony. The owner did not have any other horses, did not ride, and had bought this pony as a foal for his newborn son so "they could grow up together"!

Of course, these for sale terms are also applied to all larger horses as well. My uncle was a professional cattleman and rodeo cowboy back in the day. He bought and sold a lot of horses and always warned me to "never trust a horse trader".

A really well trained little pony with no vices is worth twice as much as the same horse in standard size due to the impossibility of finding one. We finally found 2 that our children grew into in turn. These well broke little ponies took all our children through lessons, gymkhana, parades, trails, and all the crazy stunts that children on ponies or horses get into when out on the trails alone. Like all our horses they remained as pensioners and died here of old age in their 30's. Can't wait to see them again and ride across the morning sky with all our beloved dogs at our heels. I may put the mini dachshund in the saddle bag. or she might have doggy wings ? and be able to keep up.

 

[Bruce]

that I forgot to check the oil and it was empty. Seized that engine right up.

Does that earn you a Zinger™ award? I think it does!

Yeah. I like to just stand and gaze at it.

And the animals like to just stand and graze at it.

Bruce where do you buy one of those rolling magnet things?

I don't remember where I got mine but Lowes, Harbor Freight, Home Depot, Amazon all have them. It is amazing how many nails, screws and odd metal bits were found in the dirt barn alley. Even more amazing that more seem to grow up out of the ground in there!

 

[Mini Horses]

Falling off is a small price to pay for all that pleasure. And usually it was my fault not the horse. It's always the rider! LOL

One of the things this cowgirl taught her rides was to brake when they felt me dismounting. It has sure saved me a number of times!

The worse fall I ever had was a total flip up & over the head of a horse who braked from 60 to 0 in 5 seconds of slide! WOW...wonder I didn't break my back & get a concussion. That was 60 yrs ago....I did get up and back on. Sure loved that boy and it wasn't his fault -- or mine -- things get in the way sometimes.

 

[Baymule]

Amen on the short horses! Prince is 14.2 perfect size for this crippled knee ol’ lady! I had a 16.2 powerhouse of a mare when we moved here, I sold her because it was such a struggle to mount. Forget dismounting-that was kick feet out of stirrups and hope for a soft (not) landing. LOL

 

[thistlebloom]

Does that earn you a Zinger™ award? I think it does!

Oh yay! My very own Zinger!

 

[Ridgetop]

Yep, same on my 16.2hh horse and mule. Sadly, my bad knees forget to keep me upright when they reach the ground after long rides! My girls don't mind that I dangle from the saddle and mane until the knees remember to work! LOL Not riding anymore though. Maybe eventually? I miss it.