Red1313

.... I can't decide to spend $$$ on my fish or my horses.... My two great passions have really really got to stop over lapping.

Shawnie

omg horses !!!! id give anything to be in that passion again..maybe when all the college bills for my kids stop!!

I didnt know you had a horse...what kind? stats please

Amanda

I love horses, def. not enough money to start riding again though

Martinismommy

I showed English jumpers and barrel raced when I was a young "lady in the shoe" I absolutely adore horses!

Red1313

I've got 4 horses at home. Who are all ridiculously spoiled and fat. I use them mostly for pleasure and trail riding around home. They also get to chase cows which makes them all overly proud of themselves.
My Boys
B.J. (the first)
- My first horse (he was 16 when I got him in grade 4)
- He's a big sway-back Palomino QH who even if I can't ride any more is my baby.
- Went moon-blind in his left eye a little while ago.
- We'll say he's in his 30's there is currently some arguments about what his age is.
Phella (ol' reliable)
- My 2nd horse
- He's in his 30's as well but still rideable.
- He's a sorrel.
Both of these Boys while I love them to death are basically retirees. They were hospital cases from relatives. My uncle couldn't use Phella on the ranch anymore b/c he'd stretched out the ligaments in his legs but he was still good for light riding. B.J. had been used in team roping by my mom's uncle but had hurt himself in a slick arena and couldn't be rode hard. However both of these boys were and remain bomb-proof.

My Girls
This was a two for one deal from my aunt. She had too many horses and these two weren't getting used enough so she shipped them up to me.
Mary Legs (the joker)
- a QHxShetland
- she's maybe not even 13 hands but no-ones ever told her that.
- Blue roan bay I believe you'd classify her coloring.
- trying to train her to drive with mixed results.
Thorn (the work in progress)
- a name was never more suited to my baby
- She's a bay QH
- 14 ish hands high
- if there is a fatter horse out there I have yet to see it, she's something of an easy keeper.
My aunt had bought Mary with the idea that her daughters could learn to ride her. However Mary wasn't a kids horse. They used her on the ranch for awhile but eventually she made her way up to my house. Thorn my aunt got as a weanling. When they sent her to be trained the trainer sent her back green broke b/c she was going in for surgery. Thorn was also apparently a clutz so other then stop, go, left, right and backwards she didn't know anything else. If you're going to go and chase cows in the middle of nowhere you don't pick the green horse. It ended up that also due to my grandpa getting sick around that time that nobody rode her for a year or two. My aunt saddled her up to ride her and thorn laid down. That didn't go over well so back out to pasture they sent her. After much pleading I got to ride her a year or two later. The next summer my aunt surprised me with a gift. Marylegs to take care of till the girls were ready and thorn as payment. They've stuck with me ever since.

wow that was a long one... apparently I haven't had a chace to talk about my babies in awhile.

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Amanda

Absolutely beautiful Red

sirdarksol

I love horses, though I can't afford them right now.
When I was in high school, there was a camp in Wyoming that had horses. My church youth group stayed there for a week. My favorite horse was Freckles, who would take every opportunity she found to try to get me off of her back (fences and low-lying branches were her favorite tactics). Everyone else liked this horse or that because it was tame, or more willing to gallop, or had pretty coloring. I liked Freckles because she was willing to try to get rid of me.

prairielilly

Aww aren't they all so beautiful, especially the boys all woolly and snowy That's so great that you have them.

I've never got to own a horse (can't here in the city unless you board $$$) but I took a vacation in Banff last year where we rode horses through the mountains for a week. First time on a horse in ten years! My horse was a 13 hh bay gelding in his 30s and obstinate as heck. It was so great. There's no comparison to riding.

Who to spend on? split the difference! Every time I go to the LFS to buy fish stuff I make sure to get some catnip mice for my fuzzballs (aka fat cats).

Red1313

Thanks everyone I'll pass the compliments onto the gang.
I realised the $$$ conflict when I was tank browsing, for the price of some of the tanks that I was willing to pay I could have bought a new saddle ect. It was just an amusing thought that came to mind.

Mary is the horse that plots how to get rid of you. Her favorite trick is to canter then stop and drop her head, there haven't been many who've beat that trick.

Shawnie

adorable babies!!!!!!! I just love them all

my first horse was a palomino saddle bred...amazing stepper and even when standing still she had to lift her legs...

I had also a morab (morgan/arab) and he was a donkey leaving the barn but an arab heading home LOL barely had to time duck my head through the barn

then got married and gave up horses for a family..hoping to get back to the horses someday!

ty for sharing red

Red1313

lol aww Shawnie you're past babies sound amazing.
I'm glad to share, I love talking about my babies.

jamreb12

thats a tricky one for me , i own 5 horses and run a stables re training failed race horses , I could not imagine life without them, I always tell people horses are my life and fish are my hobby ,as to which i would spend the money on, well at the min it would be fish coz I want another tank but come winter it will be horses coz i cant resist a cozy new zeland rug thats on offer ! ( some weomen like have a shoe addiction , mine is horse rugs !)

Red1313

lol
no summer is my big challenge time... I'm outside with the horses more, I've got tack to repair, farriar's to find, a mare who's in need of a serious attitude adjustment, and miles of backroads to explore... but my fish, oh I've got such plans there too...
it's just not fair I need more $$$

ABCDemily

My aunt rehomes ex racers. They are the most loving and intelligent, and most of all gentle horses I've ever met. She has about five at the moment, I'm only 5"2, can you imagine me on a pure English thoroughbred? It doesn't stop me from trying!

Red; Your horses are beauuuuuutiful. Makes me wish I still had one of my own. (I'm only sixteen, I used to half-loan a 13 hands mix-of-everything black called Tommy. He's still alive now, he's 35 I think )

ABCDemily

My Aunt would agree. each of her four/five have 6 rugs each. Each with their names embroidered!

MousePotato

ABC, I'm only 5'4" and I ride Thoroughbreds all the time. My trainer has several OTTBs and I am her special crash test dummy when she retrains them. Although they are beautiful and intelligent animals, I think the racing fries their brains a bit. I was on one when Hurricane Dolly rolled ashore, many miles south of us and he decided it was rodeo time! I suppose that's good if you are a cowgirl, but I ride dressage!

Red, your babies are lovely. When it comes to deciding where to spend your money, just remember that needs triumph wants.

Shawnie, your past babies also sound lovely. My first was an Arabian gelding who, in all honesty, had enough personality to earn his own thread and not to hijack this one! I don't have any horse babies right now, but they are coming soon, now that we have bought a place where we can have horses again.

jamreb12

thoroughbreds are the best , like the rolls royce of horses , unless you carriage drive then it has to be hackneys all the way !
Dont tell my gang about the rugs with names on they will want one each too !

theshiftys_jm

Very nice looking kids, Red!!! Absolutely beautiful kids!

I bred, raised and trained Appy's when I got out of the Navy and moved to Idaho. I was blessed to have all but one of the Appy horse club hall of famer bloodlines in my kids. Some were cow bred, others were go fast bred. I would chariot race them in the winter time, and took the fastest colt team, two years in a row.

Times change, things happen, and now i'm back in my homestate of Colorado. The Mrs. and I have a grade Quarter Horse--Buddy, a well bred son of Risky Business Paint--Christian (he was born on an Easter day). And my favorite of course, Dusty the lil cow bred Appy-kid.

Lucy

Good morning Shifty
Please check the dates before replying.
This thread is 5 months old. Thanks!

theshiftys_jm

Sorry. Didn't know that I wasn't supposed to reply to it.

Red1313

lol it's ok My babies enjoy the complements
Sounds like you have some wonderful ones of you own

Special

Beautiful herd you have there Red!

My screenname is taken from my first pony, Special. He was a palomino Shetland. Came to me for retirement when he was in his 40s... he was a stuborn little guy - to stubborn to get old, so he bossed the cows around the pasture and taught me how to ride when I was 5. Of course, I eventually outgrew him but we kept him til the day he passed on to greener pastures. I will never forget him...

Now I have another stubborn fella, an Appy, haha. Nobody's sure of his age but guessing 27-28ish. We went for a walk today in the fresh snow and he looked and acted like a two year old.

Sorry I wrote you a book. Just nice to "meet" somebody I have alot in common with!

Shine

Thanks for sharing your horse stories Red! Now I'm all tempted to start a thread so I can ramble on about all of the horses that I have owned over the years, and the ones I have now. That'll be a pic heavy thread if I ever get around to it

Its wonderful that you have been able to keep your old boys and give them a forever retirement home. So many people can't or won't do that, so it is great to see someone who is.

Which girl needs the attitude adjustment? Mary or Thorn? lol--going on names; I'd guess Thorn! Love that name, by the way

Red1313

Haha Thorn always has room for improvement.

However all improvements on her have been post-phoned since I got word from my parents that (about 2 weeks ago now) she was fooling around with the others in pasture and kicked something harder then her foot. She's split her hoof top to bottom so I suspect that it'll probably be a year before she'll be ridable again

So ironically I'm left with 4 horses and 1 that 100% ridable. Lol that's the way it goes I suppose

I'd love to read about your horses

Shine

Thats too awful! I hate it when they injure themselves, especially when it sounds like its serious enough to take a year off to heal!

My girl got herself into a kicking fight with another mare when I switched her to pasture last year. Luckily it only took a couple weeks before she (and the other girl) wasn't lame anymore. They both had a back leg swollen up. Crazy girls. They just had to fight over who was the boss! Kinda why I commented on the comparison in that betta article about betta girls and mares! lol

Hopefully she''ll heal up quicker then expected; but if the hoof is truely cracked that far up, I don't doubt your prognosis. So the only really ride-able one now is the 'pony' Marylegs? ha ha... she'll be getting some miles put on this year then!

Red1313

ROFL
Yeah there's a reason that Thorn's name is Thorn lol.
I haven't seen the crack yet for myself, hopefully I'll be home for easter and can see her but I trust my mom so I don't doubt that the crack went up that far. Mary has had it pretty easy the last few years, I feel pretty bad for the old girl (especially since I can stand with one leg on her back and one foot on the ground lol) but she's a pretty good sport about it all. She's my do everything horse so I'll be nice to put some miles back on her again. However I may need to look into getting a new horse, or picking up one that just needs some miles put on it (if the fish don't take up my whole budget) for the summer we'll have to see

Shine

You could try looking on usedregina or usedstoon (kijiji too for both cities)... I torment myself on those sites all the time. They have lots of horses that are usually for decent prices. Especially if you are looking for a 'project' horse. As most of what is for sale on there is yearlings/2year olds, horses that are just green-broke, and ones that haven't had much work but are about 5-8 years

I hear you about the fish budget... I just started this hobby, but the amount that I have spent on my 20 cent goldfish is scary! Never mind the new betta boys. Good thing I already have tons of horse stuff from years of collecting. Its not like I really need more saddles or boots! lol--can only use one at a time after all

Red1313

Haha I punish myself with kijiji all the time

And you're half right about only needing one saddle at a time I find that I need different saddles for most of my horses just because they all have such different backs My personal favorite saddle to ride in is only good for my old boys because both the girls have too flat whithers for it. Thorn doesn't do anything but buck in it, and Mary we don't even try.

And the fish budget is pretty heavy Maintainence isn't too bad but set-up is killer. lol. And with the breeding trial I'm going to try this summer, oh it'll be tough

Hey I just noticed, where in sask are you?

Shine

True about the saddles... I have 3 for two horses, and I'm looking into picking up a fourth saddle (as insane as that sounds) mainly because I don't trust the one in my english saddle.... or my ability to stay on him in it at least

I'm in Regina; hi neighbour! lol

Red1313

Haha awesome!
I've never rode in an english saddle, mostly bare-back and western Though I can definitely understand the worries, gotta love that western horn lol.
You should make a horse thread I'd love to meet your babies