The Equines in our Lives

[Charlie Horse]

You should post pics of the horses.  I'm a horse guy too (more as a minor hobby and I'm not a great rider honestly) and I'd love to see your herd.  Nan should post some pics too.



Shoney D. Pony.  Trained for saddle but not ridden much.  Trainer had his 8 year old ride her and herd cattle.  Pulls a cart very nicely.  Dumped on me by my sister who made my mom buy her.  Seems to have some Welsh or something in her because her neck belongs to a stallion.
Dutchess the paint.  Recently Deceased (Colic).  Low on personality but that made for a reliable "anyone can ride" horse.   Dumped on me by my sister who made my mom buy her.
Ajax the mini mule.  He's pretty "meh".  Seems untrainably stubborn and follows Shoney D. Pony around all the time.  Lets me pet him mostly at night.
Sasha the dog of course.
Lady Liberty, a morgan.  Short mane makes her look like a filly even though she's not.  Professionally trained.  Nervous when out on the trail alone.
Summerfield's Spring Beauty (Mare-ilyn).  She's a Lambert/Lippit Morgan, which is the last of the old-school drafty Morgans.  Excellent horse, but lost an eye a decade back.  Trots faster than most horses canter but her transition from there is to full running gallop.  I've seen her canter twice in my life and I don't think I've seen anyone make her do it on purpose.  Pulls carts but its been a while.  Drifts to the right when not following other horses due to the eye.

[hihobaron]

Hello All

Here are some Pictures of the Troops I have been owned by or worked with, Some are RIP.

Hello All
Here are some Pictures of the Troops I have been owned by or worked with, Some are RIP.

Baron Von Black my foundation Arabian Stallion. RIP




[img=437x0]http://res.cloudinary.com/mainstreampreppers/image/upload/v1455972682/j8nnzhrniorlmkrxblex.jpg[/img]

[img=437x0]http://res.cloudinary.com/mainstreampreppers/image/upload/v1455972764/xvezue4aachz122ktyq8.jpg[/img]
Doc Holiday Mounted shooting in the mud. RIP
[img=440x0]http://res.cloudinary.com/mainstreampreppers/image/upload/v1455972867/pag9zj3pjnbnd1kpuyvj.jpg[/img]
Polar Express & Max Redlands California Working S&R for San Bernideno Sheriff
[img=449x0]http://res.cloudinary.com/mainstreampreppers/image/upload/v1455973082/my2toygbxhfpknswihmg.jpg[/img] 
Barons Jack of Trades (Barons son) Working S&R with Max  California
[img=448x0]http://res.cloudinary.com/mainstreampreppers/image/upload/v1455973400/g5gasjsl0k2vrpm7q2uf.jpg[/img]
Polar with a Mounted Police horse training problem. Yes, I train MP Horses and Officers. 
[img=451x0]http://res.cloudinary.com/mainstreampreppers/image/upload/v1455973564/lkgbjlbuytldfgfdgm29.jpg[/img]
Here is my baby coming 3 year old Fresian X Saddlebred filly.
She is learning way to much from Polar and Trader her "Uncles"
Happy Trails
hihobaron and the Troops in SC

Baron Von Black my foundation Arabian Stallion. RIP









Doc Holiday Mounted shooting in the mud. RIP



Polar Express & Max Redlands California Working S&R for San Bernideno Sheriff



Barons Jack of Trades (Barons son) Working S&R with Max  California



Polar with a Mounted Police horse training problem. Yes, I train MP Horses and Officers.



Here is my baby coming 3 year old Fresian X Saddlebred filly.

She is learning way to much from Polar and Trader her "Uncles"

Happy Trails

hihobaron and the Troops in SC

[Nanno]

I like the horse pictures and I think they deserve their own thread.

Here are the photos I had in the "Testing" thread. This is my Quarter Horse/Trakehner cross, Jet. Sometime I should post photos of his progress from seal brown/black to light dapple gray. 

This is us at an ACTHA competitive trail ride last summer. This was the "Unexpected Splash" obstacle where we had to stand next to a creek and toss a rock in. He kinda just looked at it.  
   

This is us at Great Sand Dunes National Park (still can't believe they designated this place a "National Park"). Jet is very comfortable on the dunes and gives my friends' horses confidence on the iffy footing and weird, unpredictable slopes.
   

Jet pulling me in the Meadowbrook.
   

Jet and my Appendix Quarter Horse, Skokiaan at play. This was taken quite a few years ago when Skokie was just a yearling. He's grown a lot since then! He's going on seven now and I think he's around 17 hands tall. I get a good look at my left foot whenever I climb up on this horse! 
   

[hihobaron]

Hello All

Polar Express Yoga classes permit him to do things like this.

  Polar Ball Problem.jpg (Size: 54.19 KB / Downloads: 104)
He carried the Big Bale Bag feeder bag (Made in Canada BTY)

Up to the truck when I brought in a fresh round bale.



  Polar packed and eating.JPG (Size: 70.77 KB / Downloads: 100)

Of course he had to sample to make the hay was up to quality standard.  It was approved.

Permitted to be unloaded.

Then we put the Bale Bag over it and tip it over so they only eat off one end.

It saves feed and keeps hay from getting wet.
Horses can not bend it up like metal ones.

Happy Trails

hihobaron  and the SC Troops

[Nanno]

Hehe... we have one of those big balls down at Saddle Club so we can play soccer. My horses love it. But it took Skokie a while to warm up to the ball and for good reason. For one thing, he's so tall that he's the only horse it can roll under without touching his belly, and it kind of startles him when it does. For another thing, when he was a yearling (same day I snapped that photo of the two horses running in the white-railed pasture matter-of-fact!), I gave Skokie and Jet a ball to play with. It was not as big as the soccer ball, but was still advertised as being for horses. Well, apparently it was not quite as sturdy as advertised. Skokie was playing with it in the round pen and kicked it ahead of him as he was galloping. He overran it and tried to jump it while it was still going pretty fast. He cleared it with the front but it rolled under his hocks as they tried to clear it. There was a "Whoosh!" as his hind legs went out from under him and he sat down hard right on top of the ball! The thing went "POW!" and Skokie was dumped on his backside. I've never seen a horse leap up so fast and run. He was terrified from the unexpected noise and I could tell he was unnerved by the fact that the ball had absolutely vanished. He couldn't connect a big, bouncing purple ball with the flat, lifeless pancake it had become, and he would not stop searching for it. It took him a long time to get used to the soccer ball at the Saddle Club when I introduced him to it a few years later. He didn't mind chasing it, but if it ever came toward him he headed for the hills!

[hihobaron]

Hello Nanno

Good Story about Skokie's Ball Experience.
I have something similar to tell about my experience Training horses to work around gunfire.
As you know I work with MP horses and Cowboy Mounted Shooting Horses.
They need to be used to pistol fire when mounted.
In Cowboy Mounted Shooting with black powder blank ammo to break balloons for a time and score with a pair of Single Action  Revolvers. (Cowboy Guns).  You have to run a pattern of 10 Balloons with 2 pistols , ride the "Specific" pattern shoot the balloons etc.
Moving on: Training the horse not to "spook" from gunfire is easy. Training the horse to work around balloons is not that hard.  BUT I have worked a few horses that were just fine with the first two items.
BUT "When the Balloons "Went away" they would have a fit. Like your Ball Story
I have 3 Championship Buckles from Mounted Shooting to prove that horses and guns can mix.
Besides it is FUN.
BTY: There are now "Carriage Classes" Were you and a Shotgun Guard can compete.
Hint: (Evil Idea) Goat Driving , Balloon Shooting competition????  


  Holiday Shooting.JPG (Size: 12.31 KB / Downloads: 89)


Happy Trails
hihobaron and the SC Troops

[Nanno]

I've been to one Cowboy Mounted Shooting event and loved it! I wasn't able to compete because I didn't have any pistols. I was invited to borrow some and compete anyway but I didn't have enough cash to cover my entry fee so I bowed out. Me and Skokie helped set up balloons all afternoon though. Neither of my horses minded the gunfire one bit. We were in an indoor arena so it was very noisy. My horses and I both used hearing protection. Someday if I ever have enough money maybe I'll get into it.

One of my friends who was there with her gentle mare borrowed some pistols and competed. Her horse had no problem with gunfire and balloons, but when that first one disappeared in front of her face she took off bucking across the arena and pitched my friend sky high! Stuff is just NOT supposed to disappear like that! It was pretty hilarious.

[hihobaron]

Hello Nanno
RE: Friends horse and Balloon going away, Looked something like this?

[Nanno]

Yep, that's about what it looked like! I do love Thelwell.

[Nanno]

Speaking of Thelwell... here's my now-dapple-gray horse, Jet, when he was about 9 months old. 
   

And about 3 months later as a yearling... 
   

Bit of a difference, eh?