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New England Horse Folk

15K views 100 replies 20 participants last post by  ShepherdsField 
#1 ·
Calling all New Englanders! The Texans here have a thread, and several age groups have a special thread. We should have the same! Maybe some of us can get together for trail rides, offer advice on trainers/instructors for those looking, and post clinics in the area. Also, pictures!

I'll start. I'm located in Southern New Hampshire. I'm currently working at a small barn, where I am working on polishing up 3 auction horses. Shamrock is the paint, Dublin has the blaze, and I don't actually have a picture small enough of Finnegan.
Mammal Horse Vertebrate Mane Mustang horse


Bridle Halter Horse Horse tack Snow


Where are you all in New England? What style of riding do you do? Let's all talk! Sure was beautiful out today!
 
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#59 ·
Another one from NE, north central MA to be exact. I show AQHA, retired my show gelding Sidney two years ago, and I'm boarding him about a mile from my house. A mare I'm showing this year is at my trainer's in CT 90 miles from here. I'm REALLY looking forward to some nice weather!! The footing in the indoor is crappy, and the outdoor footing is FINALLY looking rideable! We're having a heat wave on Friday....55 degrees they say. So I'll put Sidney on the longe for about 15 minutes then hop on. He hasn't been ridden in a while, but if I throw him on the longe first, it's like I rode the day before once I swing a leg over.
 
#61 ·
So glad to see this group growing...I didn't know half of you were from NE! Small world.

Happy to see some of you are able to get outside and RIDE! We still have too much snow & ice here.

A picture of our barn...the roof is 14 feet if that gives you an idea of just HOW much snow we still have :cry:
Snow Winter Sky Freezing Ice


My poor Arabs are going INSANE not being able to move in their pastures...so I've been turning them out in the indoor to stretch their legs which is hilarious...took a video last night...I think they are most definitely ready for spring :lol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpcVF_mW3x8&feature=youtu.be
 
#62 ·
:rofl: that little one just doesn't stop!

We are down to almost bare ground here on the coast! Its amazing what just a few miles change. It's a double edged sword though- while our snow melts quicker and we tend to have slightly warmer winters- our summers don't get very warm. The ocean keeps us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Our hottest season is about 3 weeks long- end of July and beginning of August. Its pretty though. I wouldn't change it for the world...

well... I might make it a little warmer for a little longer- like warmer for 12 months! :lol:
 
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#66 ·
I just got the winter storm warning notification on my phone. That weatherman has some nerve!

I just want summer to be here. Is that too much to ask?! :cry:
 
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#68 ·
I saw 63 degrees in the 10 day forecast. Whoop Whoop! Looks like the cold is snapping this week. We're getting more snow tomorrow night/ Wednesday morning, but it will melt fast and then spring is here!
 
#70 ·
Finally a new england thread! :D
im in Maine :D
I used to kinda lease (they said he was a lease even though later on i found out it really wasnt a lease and they sold him (well... traded him) without me knowing) a pony named Red :D
i cant put up his picture because im doing this on my phone and for some reason it wont let me put the picture on this...

its warming up :D cant wait for the trails to be thawed and mud season be over so i can ride the trails again!!!
 
#71 ·
It's supposed to warm up from today here in CT - I really hope so because I've had enough of this now. The ground's softening up a bit and the horses seem to have realized and have done a lot of galloping and bucking around the field. They've not been ridden since December and I can't say that I'm looking forward to sitting on Willow for the first time after a break
Its really funny to see all the 'old' English place names in New England - Leominster was close to us in the UK!!
 
#72 ·
Jaydee, CT is much farther along in the melt than we are here in NH. I drive from Southern NH down to New Haven every week or so to take the train to the city, and it's been depressing as a NH-ite to see how much more quickly your snow has melted down there. We've had good progress here too, but it's just been the last day or so that we can see significant portions of the ground. Of course, I use "ground" loosely, as it's mostly mud.

I did manage to get out of the indoor with my horse last weekend though, and even rode down the road about a 1/4 mile. I didn't completely trust the stability of side of the road though, as there's been so much erosion from the constant freeze/melt cycle, but even just getting outside for a few minutes made a huge difference for my horse and I! So refreshing!!

I just keep reminding myself every day...spring IS coming. It IS!
 
#74 ·
We went to NY to collect our son from the airport a few weeks ago and most of the snow had gone from Danbury then but we still had plenty here I think its hung around longer in the 'Hills' but the only white I now have is under the trees in the bottom paddock and at the bottom of my drive where it was all piled up by the snow plow.
 
#76 ·
Finally some nice weather. I got to work the horse for all of 10 minutes on the lunge before I remembered all the other "barn chores" that needed to be done. Spring cleaning in New England. The good news is that I think there might be a real horse under all that hair!
 
#77 ·
There certainly has been a lot of brushing to do these past weeks! The weather has finally 'made da turn'. We're having gorgeous weather here. Mid 50s, sunny, ahhh. Had a really fun trick training clinic at my barn yesterday, and I'm hitting the trails all next week! It's funny how much happier everyone seems to be this time of year. I don't even really like spring- fall is my favorite- but I am so glad I can finally ride without worrying about ice and carharrt overalls!
 
#78 ·
Got to open up all the arena doors yesterday, and got outside to ride a little bit. The trails are a mucky, muddy mess, but we met some new neighbors on Saturday, who own about 100 acres that they primarily use for sugaring, and they said they'd be happy for us to ride out there- and even make our own trails. So, that's something to look forward to. Here are a few pictures- so happy to see that bright blue sky again!






And after the ride- just the tiniest bit of green grass poking through:
 
#79 ·
Uggghh-I just found a TICK on my dog when I got in from our walk. If I had to suffer a 6-month long winter, with at least 5 weeks in a row where the temperature barely got into the double digits, I should NOT have to deal with ticks just a week into spring!!

Seriously though, I really thought with the winter we just had, we wouldn't have a bad tick season too. Anyone else already finding them?
 
#80 ·
I had one on my face the other day after a trail ride and another today after a walk and I NEVER get ticks. Both deer ticks too. Everyone thought it would be better, but they are worse than ever this year, seems like they are everywhere already.
 
#82 ·
We have ticks here too. I've been pulling them off of Jack (my horse) left and right. I found one on our cat too. It's the only thing I miss about winter.
I broke out my "tick gas chamber" the other day (a bottle with rubbing alcohol in the bottom that I throw all of the ticks that I pull off into). It's a little disturbing how much satisfaction I get out of seeing the bottle filling up with tick corpses as the year progresses...
 
#83 ·
We have ticks here too. I've been pulling them off of Jack (my horse) left and right. I found one on our cat too. It's the only thing I miss about winter.
I broke out my "tick gas chamber" the other day (a bottle with rubbing alcohol in the bottom that I throw all of the ticks that I pull off into). It's a little disturbing how much satisfaction I get out of seeing the bottle filling up with tick corpses as the year progresses...
My brothers and I used to light them on fire...

And by used to I mean last summer.
 
#84 ·
Despise ticks! Thankfully we have chickens to help control them some (Will hopefully have a rooster soon or it's back to Cheshire Horse for more chickens lol - darn coyotes...)

Since the weather has been nice and I can do things at the barn without my hands freezing or going numb, I have gone back to basics with Summer by learning my seat. It took me a year to realize I was doing it all wrong. I thought I was supposed to hold on with my legs while bareback. I was told to use core, well it was never shown to me what exactly that meant, because as far as I knew, core was balance with hips... WRONG!

Here I wondered why Summer was so confused... now I know... I have been asking her to stop yet going forward in my imbalance and squeezing with my legs, which to her means go... Now that I got it, she isn't so confused.

I think we will do fine and I realized I can ride a narrow TB bareback all day long - when before, my legs were SO sore... lol

I am so thankful that she is patient with me. Being an ex-racehorse and asking what I was, in all rights, she should have bucked me off or something for being so stupid lol

Now all I gotta do is learn to coordinate my body so my shoulders relax and my legs relax while I use only my core to keep me balanced.

I haven't even put her saddle on for a long, long time and she has gotten much better at standing still while being mounted (She was still walking off on me after a year, I thought she would never learn -.-).

We have also been training the pony to be ridden. My niece has been hopping on him bareback for a couple of months now and today she hopped on him with a saddle. So proud of him! We haven't used a bridle yet, but will soon!
 
#85 ·
Despise ticks! Thankfully we have chickens to help control them some (Will hopefully have a rooster soon or it's back to Cheshire Horse for more chickens lol - darn coyotes...)
I have a little flock of chickens (also from Cheshire Horse! :)) who help keep the ticks and other crawly things taken care of around the house. You should check out the chicken thread on here! Here are a few of my girls enjoying the back field without any snow:




My problem with my one dog is that she is a collie mix, so has a long coat that the ticks just love to grab onto. She gets treated with Revolution, which I find to be really effective. I just hate seeing them crawling on her face! I am not a squeamish person, but ticks creep me out!
 
#86 ·
Who else woke up to snow this morning?? I was like WHATTTT??

I hope that is the last time that happens until at least November.
 
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#87 ·
65 yesterday and snow this morning. Definitely crazy! It's nice out now, just a little brisk. I'm taking a lunch break from cleaning paddocks, might ride later.

My boss offered my an apartment on the farm, so I'm moving in soon! I'll be so happy to have me, my puppy, my horse and my job all at the same place. Living where I work has been problematic in my past, but I'm not worried about it here. It's only 20 minutes from where I am now, but its a nice little town! It has a general store. That's about it!
 
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