# Horses, anyone?



## Prairie Rose (Nov 17, 2011)

I have three and enjoy just trail riding, chasing cows, and riding ditches and section lines.

Anyone else?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Hi! (Funny, on another message board I frequent, I started a thread with the exact same title!)

I have four -- two are at my house and two are at my trainer's barn. The two at my house are my retirees (both had navicular...boo!). One is my retired hunter and the other was owned by a barn mate of mine who also needed a forever home after her western pleasure career came to an end. I refer to her as "The Wifey."

The two at my trainer's are my propects for my new hunter. Anxious to see how they turn out. 

I ride the AHQA circuit because I love QHs...like big puppies!


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## Prairie Rose (Nov 17, 2011)

Great to meet you, Joplin!

Your life is full of horses from the sound of it, and that is a wonderful, wonderful thing! 

I've grown up on horses, riding western and bareback. Always have had a hankering to learn dressage, but never had time or money to do so.

I ride western.

My herd consists of Sweets, grade Appaloosa mare that is the BEST horse I have ever had the pleasure of owning in all of my 47 years. She has navicular and my amazing farrier has kept her sound via shoes and pads and careful, regular care. She will be 18 in the spring and I have had her since she was a green 4 year old. She came from a bucking sale, and that line of work was clearly not meant for her. Sweets has carried me on many trails in 3 states, we've chased cows, team-penned, and just enjoy life together. That horse gives 110 % every time.

Cascading Windsong...she is my Spanish/BLM Nevada mustang. She is 8 now and has turned into a decent saddle horse, but when I got her she was a really messed up yearling from an abusive situation. Never have I met a more hard headed horse. Due to her messed up young life, she had a LOT of issues. I can finally say she is trustworthy and we have done some travelling as well, she and I. Oh--she is so smooooth! Gaited, with an amazing running walk that eats the miles.

Little Buddy Tige...he is my 6 year old Quarter Horse gelding. Buddy has Two-Eyed Jack and Three Bars in his breeding (like many to most QHs!). He was a gift to me from my friend's dad. Buddy has a good attitude, is very willing, and he is going to be a great trail partner, of this I am sure. Also, have done travelling with him. Need to work on his trailer loading manners more though. Oh my, he has this natural slow canter that is AMAZING!

About 3 years ago, we had to put down our 30 plus year old Arab mare. She was my kids' horse that I rescued one winter. Gypsy was very special. We sure miss her.

Do you show, I take it, in hunting? Love to hear more!


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Nice to meet you too! I have to ask...what does riding ditches and section lines mean? I've never heard those terms before!

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your Arab....30 years?? Wow...but you sound like you've given a lot of horses a very good home!

We go out to the QH Congress every year and I love, love, love, love watching team penning. It's such a different discipline than the huntseat stuff, but the communication between the horse and rider just amazes me.

All your kids sound so special.  I'm not a life-long horse person, although I always wanted to be...I needed $$ to pay for school, so I cobbled together my allowance when I could as a kid and took lessons now and again, but I really had to focus on soccer so I could get that scholarship (which I did!). I always told myself that when I graduated and got a job, I'd buy myself a horse.

I bought Freddie for myself for my 28th birthday. He's 15 years old registered as Natural by Design and has Zippo Pine Bar and Doc O Mos bloodlines. He's my baby...and we've been through a ton together. Yes, I show and he was my first show horse. He was an all around kind of a guy, but preferred jumping so I concentrated on the over-the-fences classes, but toyed around with western pleasure, western riding, and showmanship now and again. He was on/off in terms of lameness for the last two years I showed him, but no one could figure what was wrong. We suspected a deep digital flexor tendon injury that had somehow become necrotic, schedule a MRI, and actually found out he had atypical/cystitic/modern navicular. Radiographs looked perfect and he didn't have the typical compressed/deep frog of a navicular horse. We played around with different shoes and different angles, but wear and tear of showing would consistently cause the cysts to burst, so...off to retirement he went.

Here we are in a showmanship class (ignore the Elvis suit and my pained expression...I just love his face in this pic b/c you can see how full of himself is!):









Maya (8 years old, My Art N Soul) was at the barn where I trained. She was a strictly western pleasure horse. Her former owners were...interesting people who made interesting decisions. Her navicular is probably manageable, but when her former owners got her they never noticed that her conformation is just atrocious. Little feet, big bodied, WAY over at the knee and good gravy I don't know what's up with her hocks...they are a disaster. Anyway, there's no way she'd ever be sound for heavy riding, so they gave her to me as a companion horse for Freddie.

They love each other: http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa302/joplin1975/fredmaya_snuggle.jpg

It's a long story about the two others I have...they need work, I got sick, I'm still not 100%...thinking I should sell them to good homes and wait until this look better. As such, I'm not naming them or letting myself get attached. So we'll just pretend that they are my friend's horses.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

joplin1975 said:


> Nice to meet you too! I have to ask...what does riding ditches and section lines mean? I've never heard those terms before!
> 
> I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your Arab....30 years?? Wow...but you sound like you've given a lot of horses a very good home!
> 
> ...


One gorgeous lady, one gorgeous horse. Thank you for sharing this w/us. What a treat!


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## Prairie Rose (Nov 17, 2011)

What a pure pleasure to meet you folks!

Joplin, I about died at that tail on your Freddie! GORGEOUS!!!! He is gifted with a beautiful head. Love him! And you are a lovely, lovely young woman! What a great team!

Your second photo shows utter contentment. Well cared for, happy horses. Great job!

Riding section lines and ditches.....where I live, it's pretty flat, open prairie. Fields of wheat, corn, flax, and sunflowers stretch for miles. Land that isn't in use for farming is in use for cattle pastures. A section line is a 'public' division between fields and pastures. This permits access between the fields. Very important for prairie fires and emergency vehicles.
The ditches we have beside our hiways are very wide (they get hayed in late summer). I ride along the hiways and cut through section lines for miles and miles.

Team penniing is a blast! I haven't done it in several years, but one of these days I will again. My team of friends and I all work such varying hours. Hard to make plans.

My favorite riding place is the Badlands. I have a friend that owns a 4,000 acre ranch out there. It's 3 hours from my place and I attempt to make it out there 3 or 4 times a year. I stay in her cabin and kick back and enjoy life! I can ride her land as well as the MahDahHey Trail and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

I will try some photos....wish me luck!

On my mustang this summer out in the Badlands.


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## Prairie Rose (Nov 17, 2011)

Windsong and I









Badlands scenery

















On Buddy riding out to the Five Brothers Buttes.









Myself on Buddy (nursing a wasp sting on my chin), and hubby


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## Prairie Rose (Nov 17, 2011)

Buddy









One of my boys with our sweet old Arab, Gypsy, several years ago. Sure miss that horse. She is buried in my pasture, alongside Star, the horse I grew up on, and my dog Lexie, and cat Bleu.









My youngest son with Gypsy, again, several years ago. You can see how precious she was.









My daughter a few years ago with Sweets


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## Prairie Rose (Nov 17, 2011)

Playing with my mustang. (I don't usually wear spurs riding bareback!)


















Buddy









My beloved Sweets









Sweets


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## Prairie Rose (Nov 17, 2011)

Sorry for the photo overload.
I bet you can guess I love horses. 

I too would love to go to Quarter Horse Congress. A friend gave me a halter from there, but that's the closest I have gotten thus far. Some day!

I totally understand how it is keeping up with several horses. I'd love to hear more about yours, Joplin. I hope you feel better soon so that you can enjoy them all the more. I had to push myself to get out there this summer with my eyes going so wonky.

Andros? I'm glad you like horses too!


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Oh, they are allllll gorgeous, but Sweets...my what a looker! You can tell you two are close.  I love Gypsy's eye -- very kind and an old soul, uh? Windsong is gorgeous too. I always go out to Cornell's mustang auction every year to look, but I've never had the guts to adopt. The whole puppy dog QH personality is kind of my comfort zone, I admit it. And I still feel like I'm growing significantly as a horse person. I don't want to take on more than I can handle, but man, mustangs just seem so quintessentially American.

Ok, gotcha on running sectin lines etc. I'm originally from the midwest and spent lots of time hiking out west in the summers, so that all makes sense. I could not imagine having the opportunity to ride in the Badlands. WOW. How awesome.

Yes, the Congress is SO. MUCH. FUN. I get in trouble out there every year. Actually, this is the first year I've missed in a long time (damn cancer)...my credit card appreciates it even if I didn't. So much shopping, so many horses...and way too many bars!

Yes, Freddie's tail is awesome. All natural, no extensions. After I retired him, I was going to braid it, bag it, and let it grow to sell it, but the tail makers say they need 6 feet and I just don't have the patience for that!

During our very last show, we believe someone gave him something. Whatever it was, it nearly killed him. He spent 10 days at Cornell Univeristy's equine hospital in isolation and was sick for another two months after I brought him home. I spent three months wondering each morning if I should put him down, but then he would rally...it was a tough time. He never lost the spark in his eyes, so I'm glad we stuck it out with him...he just means so much to me because he's taught me so darn much. He does seem a bit more comfortable now that he's barefoot and I've changed his angles a bit, but he still has some off days. Still, every time I grab my jumping saddle, he runs up to the gate and whinnies. I wish I could tell him why we can't jump anymore! I do trail ride him on occasion, but he is officially the world's WORSE trail horse. "What? Is that a butterfly? IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!!!"

I call Maya my simple minded horse. A heart of gold, but she doesn't have a lot going on between the ears.  Which is why she's a wonderful husband horse. Her old owners refused to turn her out, as in ever, so she's spent the last year at our house just learning how to be a horse. She had a few rough weeks at the beginngin (didn't understand how to "talk" to another horse and Freddie got a little frustrated), but she's settled in nicely now. I hope she's happy. I hope they both are, they deserve it!

I kinda of have a strange little set up with my trainer. When a horse is retired or needs some time off or time to grow up, they come up to my place. The horses in a program or "working" stay at her place. She's got nice arenas and an indoor, so we can jump them in any weather. As I mentioned, I bought two two-year olds (both Artful Move colts), thinking I'd sell one and keep one as my next hunter prospect. But, I haven't been able to do much with them because I've not been 100%...so I'm deciding if I should find them both nice homes and start over again next year. Who knows...I really like one and don't want to walk away from him right now, but it's getting expensive having to ask my trainer to work with him...so I'm just taking it one day at a time.

Anyway, I've babbled WAY too much...


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Prairie Rose said:


> Buddy
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You are surely blessed w/such a lovely lovely family and such fine horses too! Thank you for sharing these precious memories!


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## I DClaire (Jul 31, 2011)

*I'm so jealous I've got to type green! I'd give anything to live "out in the country" and have more animals. I've never had a pet that weighed more than 30 lbs.! *


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## Prairie Rose (Nov 17, 2011)

Thank you, Andros. 
I don't have much in terms of 'things', (old house built in the 50s--but it has character!), some land, vehicles that seem to always need fixing, but I am ever so richly blessed with my family and the gifts that come daily from that. My horses--they are my touchstones. Something magical about critters...) A wonderful husband and kids, I have much to be grateful for.

Nice to meet you, IDeclaire! LOL, the green is too funny!  
I live 25 miles away from town, and that suits me well.  The driving is my relaxing time. Though where I live it can be treacherous driving in the winter, and gas is a tremendous expense for our family, when I look out at the pasture and see the horses grazing contentendly....life is good.


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## Prairie Rose (Nov 17, 2011)

Thank you, Joplin.

Freddy's tail!  I'm still wowed by it! Gorgeous!
Oh my gosh, I wonder what happened to him at that show.  Thank goodness you were able to save your horse! Scary, scary, scary.

I had an incident 3 years ago where 2 of my horses were injured because neighbor kids fed them apples. (buckets full). My husband called me at work to tell me he was running one to the vet (Buddy)--tore his leg up. When I got home I saw Sweets choking. We are guessing the horses got into a disagreement over the apples and Buddy kicked through the fence. Sweets choked. Thank God for an excellent vet, as both horses did fine. Buddy had numerous stitches and Sweets spent 4 days at the vet clinic. Gah.

Maya sure has a sweet face! She looks to have come to enjoy her new home very much so.  Glad she is a good husband horse!

My hubby doesn't really ride much, but this past couple of years he has started to ride with me some. He and Sweets do well together.

Very nice deal worked out with your trainer! Ah, the use of an indoor would be sooooo wonderful!

I hope that you can come to a good plan with your other 2 horses. It sucks to not feel well and get out there and do everything we want to accomplish.

A good friend of mine once told me this....I was saying how I just can't get enough time on my horses...
He said, "The horse is happy, and I have never seen a horse unhappy with being able to live in the pasture and eat all he wants and do what he wants. Nothing wrong with that.".
He has a point. 

Heading out to Minneapolis shortly here for my neuro-opthamologist appointment on Monday. Hubby and I are making a long weekend out of it. Glad I had some vacation days left at work!

Have a great weekend, everyone!


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Bumping up to drop off a picture of my new baby/hunter prospect:









This is my 37th birthday/"kicking thyroid cancer's butt" present to myself. I sold my other babies last winter and just had my two retirees. So, this is Willa, 2011 Appendix Quarter Horse...registered name TBD. Picked her up on a whim at a liquidation sale. She's not been handled much and this picture was taken after she'd been with me for about a month...it took about htat whole month to worm her, brush the burdocks out of her mane and tail, get her on some good feed etc. Now she's a little chubbier than I want her, but we'll work on that.  She's still learning, but has come a long, long way in a short amount of time.


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## adagio (Jun 25, 2012)

Seriously, joplin...you get cooler by the minute...


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Well, thank you...but its a lot uglier than it sounds.  I promise.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

WOW - that is a beautiful horse, joplin!!! Thanks so much for sharing the pic!


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

AHHHH!!!! I am thrilled to see horse lovers here! I have two quarter horses myself and as soon as I can figure out how to post photos I will send them. We have an 11 yr old sorrel mare and a 15 yr old black gelding. We just moved to our dream house out in the country that has a really nice barn and an indoor arena. Living here in Oregon where it rains alot, it's nice to have a place to ride in the winter. Been a horse freak since I was a little girl!


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Yay for another horse freak!!! 

I am insanely jealous you have an indoor. I have to haul to my trainer's to use hers...one day, one day...


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

joplin1975 said:


> Yay for another horse freak!!!
> 
> I am insanely jealous you have an indoor. I have to haul to my trainer's to use hers...one day, one day...


We were sooooo lucky to find this place after paying for boarding for years. The guy that lived in the house was a contractor and built the barn & the arena for his daughter. She grew up and left for college so they decided to move. 
We love the place!


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## adagio (Jun 25, 2012)

I dreamed of owning a horse when I was a kid! I loved riding (took riding lessons - saved up every last dime of my allowance to pay for it), but I haven't been on a horse since college. I'd love to own a horse, but apartment living, a tight budget, and no free time don't really allow for that...

Oh, to dream!!!


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## I DClaire (Jul 31, 2011)

I keep my horse in Australia! :winking0001: I live in Louisiana! Actually Atlas is my god-pony, he lives in Australia but I get almost daily updates, videos and pictures.

Atlas' mother, Blondie, died right after he was born and it was quite awhile before it looked like he would survive. They tried getting another mare to adopt him and she wouldn't hear of it so he ended-up being handfed around the clock for a very long time and I understand he is woefully spoiled.

I honestly am Atlas' godmother - his owner is a good friend who took pity on me because we don't have any grandchildren.

I have another friend in Australia whose god-daughter is riding in the Olympics. Her name is Julia Hargraeves. I think her claim to fame is in showjumping but we haven't seen any equestrian events yet.


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## Prairie Rose (Nov 17, 2011)

Joplin, I totally missed the update with the new filly Willa....from last year!
She is LOVELY! Well put together!!!
How about a current photo????


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## Prairie Rose (Nov 17, 2011)

Nice to meet you, SJM! An indoor would be amazing!

I DClaire, what a cool story about Atlas!

Howdy adagio!


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

Prairie Rose said:


> Nice to meet you, SJM! An indoor would be amazing!
> 
> I DClaire, what a cool story about Atlas!
> 
> Howdy adagio!


It is awesome and I am very lucky we found this property. Our horses love it there too! They have a big pasture to graze in during the day and a nice warm stall to sleep in. Afterall, who wouldn't love around the clock room service that includes fresh stall shavings, poop scooping, fresh water, hay and a treat before bed? They are VERY spoiled!:tongue0013:


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