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Horse talk for 20-somethings

187K views 3K replies 156 participants last post by  KigerQueen 
#1 ·
So the young whippersnapper teenagers :)-P) get their own forum, and the mature folk over 40 get their own thread so I thought I'd make one for us 20-somethings.

So how goes the 20-somethings on this here Horse Forum?

I guess I should introduce myself as I'm a serial ninja member just reading and not posting. The name is Jess, I live in Australia and have dressage lessons once a week. I study psychology and have been riding "properly" since I was 19. One day, preferably before pension age, I hope to own my own horse. Alas, it's not the right time now.

Discuss dreams, vent, celebrate achievements and all things in between!
 
#617 ·
Who is making you scream, poppy - what did they do?

The lady, who is helping me to introduce bit to Snickers, says that he is very soft in the mouth, and understands everything quickly. But we're still doing everything from the ground for now, and I'm working on showing him how to accept pressure in his mouth. It might have to do something with the fact that he already knows well different types of pressure and how to yield to them, and he has become more mature in his mind over the last few years. If I come to have another youngster, I will definitely start him in a bitless bridle, too.

On a side note - got my homemade sidepull from the shoemakers' today! Gonna try it out tomorrow, woo! :)
 
#618 ·
Oh pictures please. :D

Oh just people at work and in general. Don't get me wrong, I love my work but sometimes the things other people decide to do is just like :shock:
No matter what you tell people, when they just decide they are going to do it their way, even though it's not the right way...

I suppose in the next month or so I should get started working with Lizzy on her hack. In winter here it gets much to cold for a bit and with no indoor if I want to ride all winter, using bitless is a must.
 
#620 ·
I've heard that there is a kind of bits (a very expensive, though) that are resistant to cold and never get like that even in winter. But I don't know the exact brand.

I'll get some pictures if my barnmate who has a camera will visit her horse tomorrow evening, too. :) If not, then in the weekend.
 
#622 ·
Happy mouths are good, but they have to be replaced often because the rubber will get chewed up. I always just warm my bit up in my hands or take my bridle home with me in the evenings and as I am driving I will set the bit over my heater to keep it warm.
 
#624 ·
I can't give my mare time off. She has far too much energy for that. Plus at her age once I build muscle on her I don't want to chance letting it go. I would prefer to not put metal in her mouth when its -20 degrees outside. The outside will still get cold after awhile even if I try to warm it up first.

I wouldn't mind having to replace a rubber bit often if it makes my horse happy. Plus after she's used to it in her mouth, about a few minutes for a new bit, she never chomps on it, only when she tries to steal grass.
 
#626 ·
i think it depends on the horse whether or not a happy mouth bit gets chewed up. my mare has had hers for 3 years and its a little more yellow that it used to be, but she hasnt chewed it at all.
 
#628 ·
gypsy actually likes to chew A LOT when a bit is in her mouth, but she doesnt actually chew up her bit...haha
 
#629 ·
Snickers seems to be a chewer, too. But it might be a matter of training, because when I praised him for not chewing the bit he actually stopped. Let's see how it goes.

Horses in our barn get two vacations a year - in July, if there are lots of horseflies and it is too hot to ride, and in winter, when temperatures drop under -15 by Celsium during the day.
 
#630 ·
I don't believe in giving them vacations unless they are worked very hard consistenly then a vacation can do a lot of good. Otherwise if it's to hot or to cold for me then it's a day off. If Lizzy does a really long trail ride, 15+ miles, at an extended pace then she will get the next few days off.
 
#631 ·
I agree with you poppy! It gets so beastly cold here that frost bite is inevitable and riding is almost impossible. Have you ever taken a hot thermos with you to drink hot broth or tea or something on a ride? I wonder how well that would work out...
 
#633 ·
I just do short rides during the winter;ride the mile to the mailbox,jog down to the highway and back,that kind of thing. I generally go bareback,that way at least my legs stay warm,lol. And I bundle all up in my heavy chore overalls and umpteen layers,I usually stay pretty toasty except for my hands and sometimes my feet.Although I do have these jiggy insulated winter riding boots.
 

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#634 ·
I mostly go with what Snickers wants during winter. Sometimes he prefers slow walks, but sometimes he is full of energy and insists on fast gaits, even if I would have chosen something slower. But hey, if he feels fine to do it, why should I resist. He lives 24/7 outside, all the same, and can canter and gallop along the pastures as much as he wants - carrying me for a while during that doesn't change much, I suppose.

And I LOVE riding bareback in winter - Snickers is so warm and fuzzy, and helps me keep myself comfortable, if it is really chilly.
 
#635 ·
Oh I can't wait til winter. I got Lizzy this January and she was still thin, weak, and untrained so I couldn't ride until April. I can't wait for bareback in the winter. And I've never had the chance to ride through snow :( I know it's incredibly sad, but I only rode during lessons growing up and snow=danger.

Ps - Countryryder I love that pic, your horse is quite adorable.
 
#637 ·
In winter I'll have to stick to riding down well-known paths and trails, no wandering off in the wilderness... That's because our forest used to be in the war zone during WW2, and it is full of entrenchments and mine explosion pits - if they get covered woth snow, horses can have nasty falls there...
 
#640 ·
I love exploring those sites, but we have to be careful - there is a risk of unexploded mines in there, and also some illegal diggers dig for war artifacts there and leave shattered glass and other stuff around the pits.
 
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