The Art of Natural Dressage

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 Post subject: Re: Hola from Mexico
PostPosted: Fri May 15, 2009 10:32 pm 

Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 4:30 pm
Posts: 24
Location: Lake Chapala Mexico
Thanks Glen for your coment.

Donald-----I chose the Arabian only because that was what was recommended to me when I faxed in the wither tracings. She seemed quite knowledgeable and I went with that. She said it also had more flare. It is wider than all other saddles I've seen. My wither cutout fits just perfectly in there. I don't think my horses withers are high tho. It just didn't have the memory foam seat I really wanted. So I just ordered a fleece seat saver which I just got and have yet to try out.

I've been remodeling my Ford Ranger truck so I can pop one of the horses in and get a little further away from here. Magnum who was always an easy loader in a "real" trailer would have nothing to do with it. And I got Dakota in 3 times with the clicker but then he refused to reload. I know they are telling me it's too steep, so I'm having a portable ramp extension made and hope it will be easier for them. I'll send a pic of that setup someday. My friend did it to her Toyota and she goes all over the place with her horse. But my truck bed level is much higher than hers after I added more springs to it.

Finding things is NOT my problem, but yes, shipping is. All that stuff has to go thru customs and it not only takes a long time, but they tack on more prohibitive charges. So we just try and get someone to mule it in for us.

Where do you live now?


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 Post subject: Re: Hola from Mexico
PostPosted: Sat May 16, 2009 3:44 pm 

Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 4:27 pm
Posts: 483
Location: Corneto di Toano, Italy
Hi Pat,

You did well on this forum in such a short time... it took me much longer to find out about the pics...
You'r obviously a quick learner!

Your horses look very nice, I like the Rocky Mountain horse best.
Only found out about this kind of horses recently and they are so beautiful!
Luckily you don't see them over here or I would fall in love with them immediately... and with my herd of 4 have enough work for the moment ;)

Leigh said that they are so 'spiffy'. Could not find a translation of this word, so don't really understand wat he means?

I am so happy that you started bridleless after what happened to your horse. It sounds quite mean what has gone on there :evil:
When I bought Tachat he also had mouth injuries (from pulling), marks on his withers (from the saddle) as well as scars on his hind legs and the walking problem.
I hated the people (still do actually) who have done this to him! Some things I will never forgive...

Because I could not ride properly, I decided I wanted to go bitless only, so at least I could not harm his mouth anymore...
Up till today, I have never used a bit anymore, but as you know from my post, I have not been riding very much yet.
My final aim is to go completely bridleless on bare back (without the pad, I mean).
Even though it is sometimes a bit hard for my behind, especially on Tachat :funny:
So for him I like to use my Torsion treeless saddle.

Look forward to learn from your experience!
Greets from Belgium!


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 Post subject: Re: Hola from Mexico
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 2:20 am 
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Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 8:18 pm
Posts: 4941
Location: Alberta
Quote:
I've been remodeling my Ford Ranger truck so I can pop one of the horses in and get a little further away from here.


We did that when I was a kid...we had a 3/4 ton truck and my Dad built a rack for it. We needed to back into a ditch to load or unload the horses, or used a ramp we had that was meant for loading cattle in the big truck. My horse loaded and rode in it great back then!

_________________
"Ride reverently, as if each step is the axis on which the earth revolves"


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 Post subject: Re: Hola from Mexico
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:11 am 

Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 4:30 pm
Posts: 24
Location: Lake Chapala Mexico
I just FINALLY got the ramp extension finished to go on. Hopefully some day I won't need them and they will just get on with the dropdown ramp attached to the truck. Because these extensions are HEAVY!!!!!! I couldn't trust to be able to find a mound of dirt or ditch to load them. This has been one looooong project.

So I try loading one horse using a target, clicker and treats. Every time he would get part way up, off went a firecracker as it is fiesta time now and they go off randomly day and nite till it's over. UGH! So I gave up. But at least the last couple of times he stayed on the ramp at the BOOM. So I'll wait till things calm down and start again.

I'll send pics one day when I've had success.

Pat


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 Post subject: Re: Hola from Mexico
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:34 am 
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Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 4:10 am
Posts: 3688
Location: Pacific Northwest U.S.
southoftheborder wrote:

[...]

Where do you live now?


I live in the Pacific Northwest along the PCT. (Pacific Crest Trail).

I'm at enough elevation to get up to five feet of snow buildup at times. It would be called Temperate Rain Forest, given that we have up to and occasionally over 100 inches of rain a year.

I'm holding off looking at saddles for a time. Until Altea has weaned Bonnie and we have spent time muscling her up a bit I don't want to try and fit anything to her. She high withered and round barreled, but not filled in along the spine right now. No hurry.

I'm pleased that you have a way to move about over more territory to ride and explore with your horse. I've had one horse that would jump in and out of a pickup no ramp, just jump. Something of a rascal in that he'd climb or jump places at times I had not intended. And he loved water, and didn't care if it was twenty feet below in a river, if the weather was hot, he'd go for it. And once climbed a ten bale high hay stack when I'd only asked him to hop on the bottom bale. Perfect horse for a wild kid. Miss him still, the rascal. And nearing on 60 years since I last saw him.

Donald

_________________
Love is Trust, trust is All
~~~~~~~~~
So say Don, Altea, and Bonnie the Wonder Filly.


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 Post subject: Re: Hola from Mexico
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 5:00 am 
User avatar

Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 4:10 am
Posts: 3688
Location: Pacific Northwest U.S.
southoftheborder wrote:
I just FINALLY got the ramp extension finished to go on. Hopefully some day I won't need them and they will just get on with the dropdown ramp attached to the truck. Because these extensions are HEAVY!!!!!! I couldn't trust to be able to find a mound of dirt or ditch to load them. This has been one looooong project.

So I try loading one horse using a target, clicker and treats. Every time he would get part way up, off went a firecracker as it is fiesta time now and they go off randomly day and nite till it's over. UGH! So I gave up. But at least the last couple of times he stayed on the ramp at the BOOM. So I'll wait till things calm down and start again.

I'll send pics one day when I've had success.

Pat


I'm looking forward to the pics.

I hope you thought of replacing the click-treat with bang-treat. I took a lot of whoolybogger out of a bad bolter just that way. If something scary, loud, flashing, roaring, and jumping out at him (such as an umbrella popped open) that was cause for a treat. He got to looking for things to scare himself with ... funniest thing you ever saw. In fact I have a vid of him on Photobucket carrying an old man and walking up to a rotten deer hide and putting his nose on it, and another of the old codger riding along on him swinging an umbrella all about. Don't know which was goofier, the horse Dakota, or the Old Man with the umbrella.

Album password for guests is [bonalario] if you are interested. Not mine, just trained for some friends of my wife and I.

http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff51/donald_redux/Dakota/

Image

_________________
Love is Trust, trust is All
~~~~~~~~~
So say Don, Altea, and Bonnie the Wonder Filly.


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 Post subject: Re: Hola from Mexico
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 2:36 pm 

Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 4:27 pm
Posts: 483
Location: Corneto di Toano, Italy
Talking about an umbrella...

The weather over here has been pretty awful the last week, lots of rain and wind and really not warm.
I still like to try to pick up the droppings regularly, knowing that else I will get behind and it will only make things worse for the future.

So earlier this week I played the yellow spooky monster, wearing a light yellow plastic kind of poncho over my jacket as to not get soaked too fast.
In the beginning the horses always ran, but after a while they got used to it.
That worked reasonably well that day, so the weathergods decided to make it a bit more difficult the next.
So then I had not only the yellow spooky monster, but it was all partially hidden under a very colourful umbrella as well...

Oh, was this scary in the beginning, especially for my little mare Gauda, who had not seen me ever with an umbrella!
(The 3 geldings have seen me with it before, so they already now that the lady has sometimes these strange objects with her...)
I decided not to be held back by the poor weather and picked up all the droppings in the rain - good for a couple of hours spending with them, wandering about and doing my thing.
Then it started pouring with hail as well, so they all decided to shelter a little under a three.
I thought that was a good idea, so there I stood with my umbrella, waiting with my herd for the sky to open up again.
This was very good training for them, as we all just stood there and slowly I started moving closer to Gauda.
She was not extremely sure about it but she let me, just looking back every now and then to check whether this colourful hood was not going to grab her.
I just praised her for her bravery many times.

Yesterday, it started to rain/hail again while I was busy, so I got out my brella again and this time she sort of looked at me from a bit further as to say: Ah, it is that thing again, I know you!

Amazing how quickly horses get used to scary things if you give them the time to get acquainted.


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 Post subject: Re: Hola from Mexico
PostPosted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:46 am 
Site Admin

Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 2:44 pm
Posts: 1940
Location: The Hague, Netherlands
Hi Pat,

Welcome :D and wowww... those horses!!!

kind regards

Bianca

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