How many of us have or ride horses?

**ColleenT** · 09-07-2006, 06:10 AM

i see a lot of horsey Avatars. i have a 14 yr old Appaloosa, the best horse in the world. i love him to bits. in fact i might just get my butt to the barn and ride him.

**mimitabby** · 09-07-2006, 06:56 AM

I used to 25 years ago... does that count? I moved to Seattle to work
and it became too expensive to keep a horse and with two children
it wasn't fair to the horse, so i (sniff!) sold him.

**Haudlady** · 09-07-2006, 07:22 AM

My first horse was Haughty - an American Saddlebred - I had him for fourteen years, and still miss him desperately... had to put him down at age 21, on October 15, 2003.

My avatar shows my current horses. The bay is Frank - my seven year old American Saddlebred gelding... the gray is my three (four in October) year old Arabian gelding, Barak. I've had Frank for four years, and Barak for one (so far - I fully intend to keep them for life). They are fantastic! I love my boys!

**BleeckerSt_Girl** · 09-07-2006, 08:09 AM

I had a horse and rode a LOT when I was a girl. But now I'm 52 and I just ride my BIKE.

**mimitabby** · 09-07-2006, 08:38 AM

the biggest difference between a horse and a bike (while you are riding!!)
that i can think of is that horses think for themselves, and sometimes you wish they wouldn't.
Bikes maintained correctly never question your commands and just DO what you want them to do.
No offense meant to horses, their thinking has saved many lives but has also
made a lot of people very very frustrated, injured, etc..

**oxysback** · 09-07-2006, 09:03 AM

I rode in High School and around age 25 or so (when I was a lot thinner...hehe). I've never actually had a horse. I either leased or rode School Horses. I also did a lot of Pony Club and Schooling shows in the hunter/jumper discipline.

If it wasn't so expensive I would have never given it up.

**spokewench** · 09-07-2006, 09:12 AM

I rode all through my youth, then ran a brood mare farm and trained horses on the Thoroughbred Horse Circuit for a while. Quit that, bought my own horse (Timmy, short for Intimidate), showed him, taught horseback lessons, etc. My own horse, after riding all those crazies on the race track, broke my back playing around after a jump. After that, I sponsored him out for a while and then finally sold him to a girl to do dressage on in Danville California. I hear he had an illustrious career! A few years after I sold Timmy, I tried to ride again, but it was really hard on my back - so now I just ride my bikes!

**KSH** · 09-07-2006, 10:57 AM

I rode a guy who was dressed like a horse... saddle, reins, etc... in a club last weekend.

Does that count?

**mimitabby** · 09-07-2006, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by KSH

I rode a guy who was dressed like a horse... saddle, reins, etc... in a club last weekend.

Does that count?

did he have good legs?

**Bluetree** · 09-07-2006, 11:16 AM

I don't have a horse at the moment, but I work with Thoroughbreds on the SoCal racing circuit. Trainer-friends are always trying to give me horses who are retiring or are slowpokes. I will take some of them up on it as soon as I get a large enough property. I'm a sucker for a horse who likes his tongue pulled.

Originally Posted by mimitabby

...horses think for themselves, and sometimes you wish they wouldn't.

I'm not sure I would use the word "thinking" sometimes. I once saw a $60 million colt (not a typo!) go beserk, break from his handlers and attack a wheelbarrow.

Sheesh! My bike won't do that. Then again, my bike doesnt command a six-figure stud fee.

Originally Posted by KSH

I rode a guy who was dressed like a horse... saddle, reins, etc... in a club last weekend.
Does that count?

Did you have to resort to the whip? And the stud fee? heh.

**Nanci** · 09-07-2006, 12:16 PM

Spokewrench, you might be ok with a gaited horse like a Paso Fino...It's kind of like the recumbent of the horse world! I was at a horse show once, where they were demoing all these different breeds. We were going psycho with laughter at the Pasos, and some lady sitting behind me says "If you'd ever ridden one, you wouldn't be laughing like that..." So, a while later, someone I knew was shopping, and looking at Pasos, so I rode one- OMG!!! I had a Paso within months, and let my (ex) husband ride Annie the Perfect Horse (Arab). True, the Paso had nowhere near the personality of an Arab, but she was incredible to ride.

Anyway, I had a variety of horses my whole life till I moved to Florida. I went to Farrier school in 1977 and shoed from 1978 till 1998- full time for about five years, then just special friends' horses and my own.

Nanci

**spokewench** · 09-07-2006, 12:45 PM

Nanci

Thanks for the info on Pasos - but I think I would have a hard time getting past the snickering part too! At heart, I'm really a snob - So far I have never had any deisre to own a horse that is not a Thoroughbred or a Warm Blood!

Maybe when I retire and have more time to spend with horses, I might try again Who knows.

Part of the issue of not having horses or doing stuff with them anymore is that my husband is HUGELY Allergic!

**MomOnBike** · 09-07-2006, 02:05 PM

I used to ride a lot. As far as we were concerned, a horse wasn't really a horse unless it was a Quarter Horse - horse people can be snobby sometimes.

I quit in college 'cause horses weren't "cool" and haven't ridden seriously since. DH is not a big horse fan - and we just haven't had the money to have a hay burner on the payroll.

Sometimes I miss the smell...

I used to sew quite a bit for Miss Rodeo contestants, FWTW.

**salsabike** · 09-07-2006, 02:08 PM

I wish. Always wanted one. Rode through high school, but not much afterwards. Still love to look at them.

**btchance** · 09-07-2006, 04:26 PM

Me, me!! I was raised on a small breeding farm with a Dad who has done everything from Halter Horses to roping to open jumping and everything inbetween. I ended up showing a little buckskin mare through 4-H, novice quarter horse, and some youth quarter horse. She has since been retired to broodmare and her first baby is now 2! The one you see in my avatar is the one I showed some Hunter Under saddle as a youth, then everything as an amateur. He was a bit of a butt head, but I loved him. We did everything from horsemanship, trail, western riding to Showmanship, equitation, hack, and HUS. And you couldn't have asked for a better eq or hack horse. Had to sell him before I started med school, and he is currently helping pay for that. Once I move back home I'm going to take one of the babies we have. Not sure which one yet, though.

As a side note, I really feel that all my time on horses helped me out with mtb, as there were so many similarities I felt. Have any of you noticed that also?

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