the equestrian types will enjoy this...

[chickwhorips]

(and then when you land on the ground in front of them they look at you like you're crazy for being there)

how true is that. i still remember that look when i came out of the saddle and actually landed on my feet next to her head. the look is what killed me.

[btchance]

Count me in on one of those who can't lead or mount her bike from the opposite side. I've tried both, and ended up on the ground with the mounting one, and always trip over the bike with the leading one.

I have to say, though, my MTB has thrown me more than the horses ever did. But at least these ground impacts are from a much lower height with less weight landing on me which means no trips to the hospital Can't say that for the horses!

[latelatebloomer]

um, I thought that if you tried to mount your bike from the right side, the devil came and took you away...

[beckt]

sometimes I can't decide which to ride - my bike or my horse!

[Bluetree]

Wow, Beck, that is about as strawberry as a strawberry roan can be!

[Nanci]

App?

I've had a strawberry roan Walker and a red roan Morgan. Always wanted a gruello, though. But that's a whole other thing. Closest I came was an almost white buckskin Hackney(horse not pony)/Arab. (The one who was hit by a car and killed :-( )

[eofelis]

sometimes I can't decide which to ride - my bike or my horse!

Beautiful horse! Is he/she a varnish app? Please post more pictures!

[Michelemarrano]

This thread is so funny! I owned and rode a Five-Gaited American Saddlebred mare from 1977--1996 (I lost her to Alzheimers at age 28) and I took up cycling in 1998. I never thought about it but I mount and handle my bike entirely on the left side!! In fact, I refer to my bikes as "girls" and my Bianchi cross-terrain is my "Morgan" and my new Guru road bike is my "Five-Gaited" mare.

We LOVED our mare and she loved us back! There is a huge portrait of her in our bedroom--whenever I do my weight workout I see her the entire time!! I know from horse-heaven she "sees" me riding bicycles and smiles!

I wish I had owned a MTB back in the 80's and 90's so I could ride beside her in the pasture. She loved to play "tag" where I would run at her and snap a towel at her--she would run around and toss her head playfully! I would have had so much fun with her playing "tag" on a MTB!!

[eofelis]

This thread is so funny! I owned and rode a Five-Gaited American Saddlebred mare from 1977--1996 (I lost her to Alzheimers at age 28) and I took up cycling in 1998. I never thought about it but I mount and handle my bike entirely on the left side!! In fact, I refer to my bikes as "girls" and my Bianchi cross-terrain is my "Morgan" and my new Guru road bike is my "Five-Gaited" mare.

I have a "Morgan Bike" too. It's a Novara Randonee touring frame that we built with flat bars. It's mostly my commuter bike. It's so small that it takes 26" wheels. It's a versatile bike, like the Morgan breed. It could easily be built to be a road touring bike with drop bars and slick tires, or a mtn touring bike with knobbies. It's a ride-and-drive bike. I can pull a Bob trailer with it.

My black road bike is called Ruffian, after my favorite race horse. This bike is more of a sport touring bike, it's not very fast. It handles any road conditions with aplomb. I kinda think of it more as a Connemara Pony type, sporty but not quite a Thoroughbred.

My touring bike, a Long Haul Trucker, is named Camion. I used to know a TB/Hanoverian gelding by that name. It also means truck in French.

I lived and breathed horses for 20 years. I had an old Appy gelding, Felix. Lost him to colic Then I had a retired Standardbred, Shaw, for a short time. Then I had a little Morgan (?) gelding, Sam. I also got a BLM Mustang mare, Sijin. I had her for 8 years and lost her to colic too. After that I rode other peoples horses and eventually got away from it as i went to college (at 33) and got into bicycling more. A few years ago I sold off the last of my tack and bought my road bike. I haven't ridden horses much at all in 5 yrs or so.

I still love horses and I kinda stay involved in them thorugh the model horse hobby. Is anyone else aware of that hobby? I've been in it since '81.