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Horse talk for mature people over 40

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#1 ·
I thought I would start a new thread for people over 40
who love horses.
This thread is open to owners leasers an people who
love horses

I will start I am 48 years old and I never yet owned a horse
mainly because of finances.
I have been around horses most of my life. I have ridden
all kinds of horses first ponies then horses
I have ridden Arab, Quarter Horses, Morgans, Appendix Quarter horses.
Thoroughbreds, Appaloosas, American Saddlebreds and Paints and lots of mixed breeds too and all sizes 14hh-17hh
I have ridden both English and western
here is are pictures of me riding my friends Pinto 14hh
and my friends Half Arab

My husband knows how much I would love my own horse so in the spring we are looking in to leasing a horse
 

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#19,002 ·
Not the best picture, dim light next to the driveway.
This could be for stew this winter. About 200 lbs.
Three large bucks are hanging out around the property.
Nature Natural environment Nature reserve Wilderness Wildlife


Good evening everyone.
Just got in and the truck is packed and trailer ready.
Heading out to camp in the morning. :D
Hook up and load horses and I'm gone, just one night but all is good.
Our campground got hit bad on Tuesday's storm, chainsaw cleanup required.
I'll definitely get a good evening ride and a Sunday morning ride.
 
#19,003 ·
Spider Bite Update:
All is well I completed antibiotics today.
Should not affect my riding at all.
I've managed to get away with a small area (size of a dime) that will take a while to heal.
Overall not so bad, ruined my 4th of July riding trip though.

Make sure to ride this weekend and enjoy the trail. :D
 
#19,004 ·
NM- Hope you found your saddle & being able to just swap is a real plus! Try it on a longer ride, too!

Saddles are next on my sales agenda & pads, too, But they are all small, although one-is ridden be me 6'2" hubby. It has a very high back & I put some fancy star work metal pieces on it just before I left CA. I don't like the cinch bar though.

Anyway, the disease is on the move a bit, so may be on a little less, but am still hanging in there!
Kathy C.
CCGirl, hang in, know you are loved. No worries, darlin' be in Comfort.
 
#19,005 ·
So if I have learnt only one thing, that is, to get a saddle that fits and has a good handle to hang onto. And if one gets off the horse without injuring pride, body, and soul then it was the right way to get off. (I know TJ, that was two things)


.
:lol:I do love you, Stan, thanks! Nope, nothing was injured, 'cept maybe my pride for a few minutes. Like you told me once, as long as you don't end up underneath, it's all good:D
 
#19,006 ·
Nicker, as I just said elsewhere, I do like the looks of you in this saddle, much better, you're not slanting forward in your pelvis at all. Love the pictures, Jay looks happy! Good luck, if you can get that longer trip; this saddle might just be "the one". Oh, your Dad...someone has to see reality, looks like it has to be you. Hang in there, with the family.

MR, beautiful pic of the buck...& does look freezer-worthy. Glad to hear the spider bite issue has subsided. Have a great horse camp & ride!

I have one more day in this work week. Has been a very busy week, a lot of injuries/falls/medical ERs for some reason (all shifts, not just mine), plus all the other stuff of the job (lots of it). Told the fire crew yesterday "love you guys, but really don't want to see you again today!' They laughed, & reminded me of that comment twice again today, after one medical ER (woman had fallen in the bathroom yesterday afternoon, son found her today) & the latest tonite 2 hrs before my shift end: a young non-resident plowed into the wall that goes around the complex, so was on a city street, but still work property, w/the wall. Brakes failed on his car. He wasn't badly hurt, just banged up a bit & shaken (& crying, just a kid). I held C-spine & comforted him 'till fire crew showed up, followed by paramedics. Fire laughed at me, "You got somethin' else in your pocket for tonite?!" Told them I was off in 45 minutes, so they could blame the next guy!

What a job. Lost keys, lost people, plumbing issues & "there's a dying rat by that tree!", & serious medicals. Did one Tuesday that was hard & sad to see. Won't describe it. After it was done, went to reset a breaker for a lady who's kitchen electricity had gone out. I do wish I was younger, sometimes all this gets very hard.

It's not HorseMonday yet, but getting closer (as is HP's Horse Wednesday! Ah, first the world's cutest donkey, what's next?!)

Love to all. All have a good weekend!
 
#19,007 ·
Summertime

Good morning! I thought I'd share a few pics or where I live. The canola fields are in full bloom and are just stunning. Picture don't do it justice, but I wanted to share anyways. I'd love to see pics of where you are too!

This is the field across the road from my driveway. Basically, this is almost the view out our front window. The one was taken from the end of the driveway.



And another from up the road a bit, before the end of our property. I love the yellow!



Looking from the road into our driveway at the house. Unless you are looking right in the drive, you can't see the house as we have a long bank of trees down each side of the property giving us privacy from the road.



And finally a quick shot kitty corner across our property.


DD and I went for a lovely ride last night. I should have taken some pics, but it was a bit hazy due to forest fires up north.

TJ - it sounds like you had a challenging week. I hope your weekend and horse Monday get better!

MR - glad to hear you are recovering from your bite. Take it easy until you are completely healed. Enjoy your upcoming ride / camping trip.

Roadyy - you have never had an unscheduled dismount?! :shock: Lucky devil!

Nicker - I hope you enjoy your ride in the mountains. Sorry to hear your dad isn't doing well. It is difficult, but like you, I am a realist and know it is a part of life. My grandma went through something similar. There comes a point when the patient is unaware of their situation and that is a blessing for them, but very hard on the family.

Stan - how is Bugs doing? Are you feeling better and making any progress? It is good to see your sense of humour is still intact!

I hope everyone has a great day!
 
#19,008 ·
Tracey, what program are you using to host/upload the pics? I can't see them on work pc so I logged on with phone. Those are beautiful pictures of your area.


Nope, never had an unscheduled dismount since you can't stay on a horse's back forever you have it scheduled to dismount at some point. There was only 1 that I can remember that I did not receive the memo about the time and that was not what I consider a real "unscheduled" dismount.

I was young and a co-worker just bought a 1 1/2 year old filly. He asked me to come check her out one day. I walked her around and he talked me into seeing if she would ride me. My ignorance to horse growth said ok and over her back I went. She was still short and not quite to Welsh pony height so my feet were maybe 8-12 inches off the ground. She wanted nothing to do with it so I went to pop off her and as I got my right leg over her rump she gave a decent buck sending my feet over my head. I made a complete cartwheel and landed on my feet firmly enough to make Mary Lou jealous. I even through my arms up in the air for the added effect.

I had already planned to dismount so it was technically on the schedule. lmbo
 
#19,012 ·
:shock: Stan!! That is terrible! It seems just a few weeks ago that you were worried about not having enough moisture. So will this flooding help restore the moisture in your pastures?

Roadyy - I use Photobucket for pics. I don't know why they don't show on your PC.

I've had quite a few unscheduled dismounts. The last one was off my friends horse when I was trying out her new saddle. The horse spooked and tossed me. She was bucking higher than her head like a wild bronc. Needless to say, I didn't last 8 seconds in the ejection seat. I've been dismounted a number of times, but almost always off green horses. I don't ride the greenies so much any more. It is too hard on my old bones...
 
#19,013 ·
I lost count of the unscheduled dismounts I have made. When I was 11, 12, and just a bit older, I fell off often. Several times a week. That was a mean pony! I had no idea what I was doing and she didn't either. I'm sure she thought I was a mean kid. People ask me why I kept riding her. She was the only pony I had. What was I to do?
 
#19,015 ·
I lost count of the unscheduled dismounts I have made. When I was 11, 12, and just a bit older, I fell off often. Several times a week. That was a mean pony! I had no idea what I was doing and she didn't either. I'm sure she thought I was a mean kid. People ask me why I kept riding her. She was the only pony I had. What was I to do?
Exactly. Bet it gave you good practice at rolling upon landing. :)

I tend to have unscheduled dismounts when the horse has an unscheduled horizontal episode. My last proper fall was around ten years back on one of my father's horses; I was doing a working trot with him on a level track when he just fell over his own feet and both of us came down. Since then I've had a few times I've overshot when getting on a horse bareback, and just gone straight over the other side, like in a cartoon. But that's actually really funny, including the look your horse will give you when that happens (and your husband is usually standing there laughing too). :)
 
#19,017 ·
Advice needed...

Sorry to burden everyone, but I am looking for an objective opinion. I also apologize in advance that this is so long.

I started the orientation course for the Masters in Counselling program a few weeks ago and now I am not sure if I should stay in the program. As you know, teaching at the Junior High I was at has been very stressful, to the point I was ready to give up teaching altogether. I became worried that I was stuck and needed to change careers so I applied to the counselling program. In June, I finally managed a transfer (a job trade) to teach in a rural high school about 40 km from home. I am excited to be in a rural school and am looking forward to teaching some different course (psychology, mythbusting, forensic science and possibly equine studies / agriculture). Now that the schedule has been made, I will have 4 new classes to prep for including a grade 10-11 split high school remedial science class. I also have 3 courses I have taught before but no prep time in the first semester. I do love teaching (when I can actually teach) and really enjoy developing and prepping new courses, but I also know this requires much more than a full time work week.
So, I'm in my counselling orientation course, constantly thinking about prepping my teaching load for next year and having a tough time imagining myself as a counsellor. I am worried I won't be successful (to my own high standards) in my new job if I have the counselling program diverting all of my extra energy and attention. If I find my "happy place " teaching again, I won't continue into counselling. I am paid very well to teach and know I am good at it and I do love it in the right situation. BUT... What if I hate being in the classroom again as I did last school year? I don't think I can do another year of that, and other than counselling, I don't know what else have the skills to do that pairs as well. If I drop the counselling program, I would have to re-apply from scratch again (I cannot defer). I am also worried that if I stay in it, I won't do a great job at my new school, and I'll spend a ton on tuition, not to mention the effort, with no monetary return. I'll never recover in salary what it will cost to complete the program, but it will give me a different profession that might like. I'm just sick over this decision.
In addition to my work situation, my DH will be re-seconded to a position at his work that will require a lot of travel, leaving me as the steady parent at home for my kids and everything else. Doing the program, I can also kiss any riding time or ability to board with an arena over the winter goodbye. Due to this orientation course kid have not unwound yet from last year and I am stress about what to do.

Any thoughts? Advice?
 
#19,018 ·
Koolio,

I totally know where you are coming from...in fact I think I asked you if you could post-pone the grad stuff when you were stressing about the end of the year.

If it were me...and I believe our work ethic is quite similar, I would stop taking the classes for now. I highly doubt you would have trouble getting back in with your credentials and perseverance.

Now...what I think you need...and I am totally speaking from experience as I was in your shoes three years ago...distraught over a horrible year, ready to quit...that is why I moved to 3rd grade, to get a fresh new start, just like you.:D

I must say moving three grades was a learning experience, and often challenging, but that year I did get my mojo back....and even better last year.

I guess why I am saying that is I feel like you need to recharge your batteries and once you do, you'll get a little bit of that new school/class excitement again. YOu may not get overly gitty, as you are still realing from a terrible year. It may take another year to get over that one.....it nearly did for me....

Your summer is short, don't you go back mid-august? I don't know about you...but I am already inadvertantly, prepping my brain and starting to thingk about and read about how to improve this coming year.....BUT Ive had more time than you to recharge.

So...again, purely my own opinion, but I think you need to give yourself a break, regain your mojo, get excited about a new school and cool new classes. Ditch the college course for now....you can always go back to it. Get more horse time in or something to relax so you can charm those new kiddos of yours and be the best teacher you 'used' to love to be....it's still in there....but those hooligans trampled it a bit.

Seize the day my friend, seize the day.:wink:
 
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