A day at the stables

MegF. said:

Time to wean that one! She should be backed by now and on with her life.

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They are living as a herd, outside all year 'round. They don't get stabled, rugged, clipped or shoed. There is no way Cathy would separate Luna for forced weaning.
I may enjoy going out riding, but that's not Cathy's primary focus. She plays natural horsemanship games with them, and is trying some of Hemphling's methods. The results of her clicker training are horses who will literally play like obedient dogs. When I asked if she'd got them long-reining yet she showed me a quick demo, she does it without reins, purely by voice commands, walk, trot, stop, back, all perfect. Both Luna and Lola have had tack on and been sat on. They have very good ground manners and are respectful. They have been in and out of a trailer with no trouble. They will live their whole life with Cathy and never be sold, she doesn't like shows or really enjoy the company of most 'horsey' people.
In a nutshell, you are entitled to your opinion, but in life not everyone will agree. Luna is living her life

diamondlil said:

In a nutshell, you are entitled to your opinion, but in life not everyone will agree. Luna is living her life

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J9 you know I love your photos follow them everywhere you post. Life is different for everyone and that's what is so exciting. The horses are beautiful and Luna is doing what she wants and Coconuts is letting her, Luna isn't hurting anyone. Enjoy those horsies and keep posting pictures, you know I vicariously through your pictures and recipes.

I think that's wonderful for them. I do agree horses should live natural lives...in the wild they would live in a herd although the mare generally would have already bred again and her offspring would be independent at that point-she would have kicked her off once she came into heat and bred again. If she doesn't intend to ever take them anywhere separately then it's fine. Sadly, I can't take my horses anywhere separately anymore as they too have bonded. I could not trail ride or go to a clinic if I wanted as the other one would have a fit.

A long overdue visit to Renata and a hack out on Joop today. Both boys have exploded from their rich summer grazing and have only been ridden once a week due to Ren's workload. The girl who's been riding Joop has completely lost her nerve after he bolted with her, so they've only been walking or trotting for weeks.
So after a nice mixture of roadwork and walk and trot along field verges, were we ready to canter? Oh yes! a beautiful collected canter with no nonsense at all. Along more fields to another open stretch, and off we went, until Calla got so excited he started throwing bucks. Settled the boys, opened them up again and both decided to buck together! There was no malice, just sheer joy in being able to go fast. Joop's buck was just as easy to sit as his other paces! But you can't have that sort of behaviour unless you enjoy eating dirt, so a brisk regime of trotting uphill and walking down for the rest of the ride.

How has your back been doing riding lately J9?

Riding is like the best back massage ever! Well, on a big-striding horse like Joop it is. He's got a big stride at walk, a smooth trot and a canter like a rocking horse. Even his full-out gallop is so balanced it's easy to relax into.
I find smaller striding horses and ponies do jar my back though, so I'll stick to Joop!
Tonight my knees are feeling the strain because we did a lot of rising trot, so I was straight into a hot bath and am sitting in fragrant clouds of Tiger Balm

Those are some fat horses! Sounds like a fun ride and I LOVE Tiger Balm too.....didn't know you could get it in the UK although I'm not sure why! Great stuff!

MegF. said:

Those are some fat horses! Sounds like a fun ride and I LOVE Tiger Balm too.....didn't know you could get it in the UK although I'm not sure why! Great stuff!

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They really are the fattest I've ever seen Ren's horses! She's asked me to help get them fit again so now her workload has settled down I'll try to get over every week. They really do need the workout and she's strip grazing them, but the grass is growing like crazy at the moment. Despite rugging, as Calla is 25 now, he does lose condition if it's a hard winter, so it's mainly Joop who really needs to lose the weight.
Of course with such a break before getting back in the saddle my thighs are a little tender today, more Tiger Balm applied! I get through pots of it, especially in the winter when my back and madleg play up. I've tried 'Deep Heat' sprays and they irritate my skin. I just have to remember to really wash the balm off my hands before fiddling with my contact lenses!

Yikes! Tiger balm and contacts...not good! Yeah, my concern on fat horses comes as a barefoot trimmer...fat horses like that scream potential laminitis. I see it time and time again...easy keepers are the ones that often have it happen. I can walk through a barn or field and point out the horses I can almost guarantee will founder at some point if diet isn't changed. Sadly, I'm often right....