Horse Riding

SandleDL

SandleDL

CSI Level One
Hey,

I decided to open a new thread because I'm quite sure I'm not the only one here who loves horses and riding! So maybe there are some others who'd like to talk about it, their experiences, the good times and the bad times, and everything else that's worth talking about.

So I've been riding for 13 years now and since December 2005 I've got a horse on my own. I've known "Ralph" for 5 years by now, I think, and when his owners wanted to sell him I finaly decided to buy him. he's a 15 yr old Hanoveranian (sp?), 1,65 m tall.

He's a good jumper, if only I wasn't so afraid... *lol* I prefer dressage. Well, we're not good, but it's enough for me ;) He'd been injured for the last 3 weeks, today I could finally carefully start again.
Ok, so far so good, I'd like to hear from you!
gettin some rest *lol*
evening walk along the fields
last summer
 
:eek: How has there not been a riding thread before? :lol: *sets up camp*
Wanna see my ponies? Here they are:
This is Benny He's 8/9/10 lol, each vet or dentist we ask tells us different. We pretty much rescued him from Belgium, and he was really malnurished. Now he feels really good about himself, and hence has become a bit of a nutter. :lol: ...Yeah, he's my Dad's horse. :rolleyes:
This is Niels He's from Holland. We have yet to buy a horse from our own country. :lol: We don't do it on purpose, it just sort of happens. :p He's my pony, I've had him since the end of december. He's slightly...pony-ish, i.e bit ditsy. Feet are faster than his brain, so I fell off him twice in the space of a few months. :lol: Ouch. I don't really know what I'm going to do with him really, but I think I'm going to concentrate of dressage this summer, he picks up stuff so quickly. :) The picture was taken at his first funride, that didn't turn out to be much fun, we didn't go slower than a trot the entire way around, well a sort of joggy thing was his norm. :lol: But in all it went quite well, loaded perfectly. :D
We'll see what I can get out of him over the summer. I've got a dreadful video of me cantering him on my lj. It's the May 16th entry. I'd only had him a few weeks, that's why I'm so nervous in the video, there's so many things I'm doing wrong. :lol: Yep. That's me. I have hundreds of stories to tell, but I'll save them up. :D

Did you buy Ralph from a riding school then? Is that where you keep him now? He's gorg btw, and that last pic is so nice. I haven't got any in action shots of me since I'm the one with the camera. lol Loads of my Dad though.

Awesome thread. :)
 
Wow, Ralph is very beautiful :)

I do think horses are ususally beautiful, elegant animals, but I have never done horse riding, and I really don't think I will. Hmm, I would be too nervous, and the horse would become nervous. And they're too tall. Lol. But it must be such a good experience, horses can be a little impredictable at times (from what I have understood from TV), but they are still kind of imponent and it must be a feeling of freedom when they are running (ok, they do something else than running, but I seriously don't know what it is called :p )

Edited because meanwhile new horses photos were posted, and those are also very beautiful ;)
 
Oh it's a looong story... There was this family in our stable, and they had a pony which wasn't so easy to ride, and as the girl's father was too tall they asked me, so I rode this pony (Monty) twice a week. But it became too dangerous, and so the family decided to sell it and get a new horse instead... so they got Ralph. he was difficult at first, afraid of all kinds of stuff like evrything that was rustling or made other "creepy noises" ;) But throughout the years he learned to trust in us more. The owners (which were mainly the girl and her dad, her mother was afraid of horses) were glad that they had someone to take good care of Ralph so I didn't even have to pay for riding. Well... in summer 2005 the father died unexpectedly, and although the duaghter (who was about 15-16 years old then) wanted to keep the horse at first, she and her mother finally decided to sell him. I'll never forget the phone call when they told me, they gave me one week to decide, saying that if I didn't buy him he'd be brught back to where they'd got him from. And damn, I knew that he must have made some bad experiences, you could tell by the way he behaved, especially with unknown men, and this was one of the worst weeks of my life... I just couldn't stand the thought of losing him, and I also knew that it was stupid, I had only just started my vocational training, and after that I'll go to university - but I let my heart decide and bought him. :) And I don't regret it. Sad story, and I often wonder where I'd be now if all this hadn't happened... I'd still only be riding twice a week, not being allowed to go outside, to the forest etc., because it would be too dangerous with this angsty horse... now he's so easy to ride and in most situations he trusts me. It's kinda funny when we walk down a steep way and he trots right behind me in my path because hey - it's safe where I go! Cute, but creepy to know you have 0,5 tons in your back *lol* What shall I say? I just love him!^^

Your horses are cute, eggbe4thechicken, I like the pony (is it a Haflinger?).

me and Ralph (last summer)
 
I don't think there's such thing as a quiet Hanoverian is there? :lol:
Yeah he's a haflinger through and through. :D I have a pic of his dad somewhere, he's gorgeous. Niels is rather overweight at the moment, but I haven't been able to ride him as much as I want to because of exams, and my mum only rides him a couple of times a week, which isn't enough for him, he needs to be kept busy, you know? So yeah, 2 more weeks, and I'll be free to start proper schooling. :p

That pic of you and him is so nice, he looks really good. Do you plan on going to any shows with him, or have you already?
 
This is a cool thread! :)

I don't have a horse of my own and would love to go on weekly rides but its kinda impossible here.The most riding I get in a year is volunteering for Summer Ranch Camps. I noticed in the pictures that all your guys ridding seems to be english style am i right? Any of you guys ever try western sadles(sp?) Thats all iv used.I miss ridding so much its a ton of fun almost fallin outa the sadle a few times lol but was able to pull myself bck up.
You guys are really lucky to have your own horses and be able to just ride when ever ya feel like it wish I had that.
All the horses are beautifull love all horses so elegant and free.
And with any luck I'll be able to sqweez some time in for myself this summer and go riding.
 
Oh this i a good thread. Like for pete's sakes there's a COW thread. :lol: Who would of though that one would of come first?

Horses are my life! And my job. I work at a racing stable. Thoroughbred! Worked their for years, as a stable girl. Got my jockey license and here i am! Haha it's great. I would take pictures of the racers i ride, but i've already tried. My boss Val has laws in there. Last summer i helped out at a camp last year, riding western. Not a huge fan, i have to say that horn saved my life when we were galloping down that hill/mountain. :lol:
 
We are part of a ranch called Sundance, like a vacation place and they have horses. When I was younger, we were riding horses. We don't own any horses, but the horse I rode was Diamond. At the time, I din't know how to stop the horse, I was 8 or so, well the horse turned on to the road (thankfully there were no cars on it) instead of in the pasture and it started running. I yelled stop but it wasn't working, so one of the owner's daughters was riding a horse and she galloped over to me and took the reigns of the horse. She was my hero, because I thought I was going to die and she saved me. The horse calmed down after that. I wasn't really embarrassed back then, but looking back it is embarrassing. Everytime we go to the ranch, I always get stuck with Diamond, I have had more bad experiences with him, but I'll save those for another time.
 
eggbe4thechicken said:
That pic of you and him is so nice, he looks really good. Do you plan on going to any shows with him, or have you already?
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Thanks ;) but no, I hardly go to any competitions, mainly because I have neither a trailer and a car that's got enough power for that nor the appropriate drivers license... So I can't go anywhere because my parents aren't interested in riding and won't drive. Sometimes it annoys me because we've become much better and I'd like to find out how good we really are, but then again I see my friend and the stress she has, practising no matter how hot it is outside and getting up at 5 am on a Sunday morning, while I can sleep and later take Ralph for an easy ride on the field... Well, there are always good and bad sides, aren't there?^^ Although he looks really good when he's "dressed up" I think:
ralph.jpg
 
Any of you guys ever try western sadles
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Yep, I excercised a horse for someone, and she uses a western saddle, etc. It's a bit of a long story, but someone basically started riding western and she had proper lessons and everything. People saw her doing it and going to camps and things and they all wanted to do it, so they bought western saddles, didn't have lessons, and just ride English in the western saddle. So stupid imo. I've had a bad experience in a western saddle though. In English when you gallop you stand out of the saddle, and lean forwards slightly, right? So out of instinct when the horse spooked at something I leant forwards to keep my balance, and my body protector got hooked around that pommel thing (sorry can't remember the name) some how and yeah...nearly killed myself. :lol:

Horses are my life! And my job. I work at a racing stable
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I'd love to have a career with horses. Instead I'm going to do forensic science. Really regretting my choice at the moment. :rolleyes:
the horse turned on to the road (thankfully there were no cars on it) instead of in the pasture and it started running.
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My horse pony with me in March the sod. :lol: Something spooked him when we were in this huge, I repeat HUGE, open field, he turned and fled the scene. :lol: I lost my stirrups in the turn, and we galloped as fast as his little legs could take him all the way across the field. I managed to stay on, some how, but he started trotting eventually, and then something else spooked him, next thing I know I'm on the ground. :rolleyes: At least it wasn't a high speed fall, those are always the most painful. Hunter you must have some stories? Do tell. :p

Thanks but no, I hardly go to any competitions, mainly because I have neither a trailer and a car that's got enough power for that nor the appropriate drivers license...
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Couldn't you hire a box? I suppose it's rather expensive. Do you have local shows where you're from? because in England they are sort of laid back sort of shows, no one really practices for them, it's more fun than anything. :)
 
Another time, (this was shortly after my first experience riding Diamond) I was riding the same horse Diamond and my Dad thought he would be funny, so he smacked it's butt eith a stick and it started galloping, amazingly I stayed on. Diamond was really hungry, so he went into the pasture we weren't supposed to go in and started to eat the grass. I didn't get in trouble because the owners remembered me as the girl that couldn't control the horse, so they let me stay in there. I was really scared.
 
^ That's hilarious. :lol:
My mum was riding my heavyweight horse once (very rare occasion, he's rather scary. :lol:) and I was in the middle of the school, and I pick up something, and I got sand all over my hands. So what did I do? lmao, I clapped my hands together to dust them off. Benny shot off round the school. My mum wasn't best pleased with me.

Oh, I have another one, I was walking around the school on a long rein, whilst my dad set up some trotting poles for me. He dropped one on the floor, cue me galloping around the school with my reins like washing lines. :lol: I must have looked a picture. :lol: :rolleyes:
 
One time we were riding horses and I had Diamond again (I think the owners give me Diamond on purpose) and my mom said let's go back to the barn and Diamond heard that, so he started galloping to the barn. I do not have pleasant experiences with Diamond.
 
Well there are "small" shows not so far away, but still too far without a car. But at least once per year there's one t our stable or sometimes on the territory of the riding club in the middle of the forest, it's not far. But it's a really small one, no big deal and no real competition, in dressage there are only about 20 starters. But better than nothing, and at least I have chances to make it into the rankings *lol*
The second time I ever rode my horse I had the most frightening experience I've ever had with horses. I'm never afraid normally, no matter what the horse does, but that time... I wanted to galopp, and he buckled and I lost my balance and the stirrups, and they started to clack the more he ran. My coach told me to drop the whip, so I did that, but that only frightened Ralph more. He was so fast that I thought we'd stumble in the next corner, but somehow he managed to run on, me clinging to his side in the corner and trying to get back up. I was afraid I might fall at the wall, so after a while I let loose and fell. It didn't hurt, but the frightening thing was that Ralph was really scared, he didn't do it out of fun but because he wanted to run away, I didn't see a way to stop him. During the next year, he did that again from time to time, but never that badly. It hasn't happened for a long time now.
 
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