Tulip-You're an equestrienne?

[loveday]

Come and talk all things equestrian with me. Are you an English rider?

[EmilieMadison]

OOOH, ME TOO!!
I wanna talk about it too since no one in my real life does!

[loveday]

I knew there were a few of us on here. I miss it soooo much. Em, what did you ride? Hunter/Jumpers? Eventers?

[EmilieMadison]

Hunter/Jumper, mostly. I looooved eventing but I was so impatient with Dressage. I never really got the hang of it I tried saddle seat for a year and hated it (no offense to the saddle seat riders!). I worked on a ranch for a few years which was obviously Western and I did enjoy that a lot. But sometimes I used my all purpose saddle instead of the western saddle when I knew I'd be riding in areas with obstacles because it's not very comfortable to have a horn jammed into your gut when you're going over them.

I assume you are an English rider? Tell me more!

[loveday]

Yes, I am an English English rider lol

I have been riding since I was 13 and a friend gave me the bug, so that's er..20 years now. I ride dressage to 2nd level, although I haven't done anything since about 2003 because of family, time and money

After high school, I went to work in a dressage/combined training barn in CT for a year. I also took British Horse Society exams to become an instructor, which I didn't finish because of injury. While I was at that barn, I took eventing clinics from Denny Emerson which was a spectacular fail. Me and jumping don't mix. I got round a 3' course by the skin of my teeth, and then cried "never again!"

I came back up to MA and worked at a couple of other barns that were more H/J focused but still no bueno. I then rode with a vaulting instructor who also happened to work at Kathy Connelly's barn which was a ton of fun. Then I leased a Grand Prix schoolmaster who was Oldenburg/TB. God, I loved that horse. He was retired by his owner a couple of months into my lease

Then my ex-MIL had a Western horse that she did Parelli training with. I sat on him and we were like chalk and cheese, just terrible. I fell off and strained a ligament in my neck. Good times. That's about it since then. I would really love to get back into it all once the kids are older.

[loveday]

Jun 15, 2012 19:49:53 GMT -5 drruth said:

can I join in the discussion?

Who is excited about the olympic teams being named?

I am really excited! There is a rider, I can't remember her name now, who is on the shortlist. She broke the world record for highest dressage score ever. I will be really interested to see if her and her horse make it.

[Deleted]

I didn't know there were other people on here that ride. I used to ride too!

[-Moe-]

If I were to do life again, I would ensure that I would ride when I was young, and would take this as a sport.

I feel there are few things better than riding.

But owning and keeping a horse is so fucking cost prohibitive.

[loveday]

I really loved my lease agreement. I paid for shoeing and half board and the occasional shot. It was a lot easier than owning.

[EmilieMadison]

Jun 15, 2012 20:20:28 GMT -5 -Moe- said:

If I were to do life again, I would ensure that I would ride when I was young, and would take this as a sport.

I feel there are few things better than riding.

But owning and keeping a horse is so fucking cost prohibitive.

Amen, to all counts.
Boarding at a decent barn rivals a good private school tuition. And that's JUST boarding. Forget training, damn.

AND, AND, one of the very few disadvantages to living in the city is that it takes for fucking ever to get to ANY barn for riding. I was at a coffee shop this winter and a woman came in who was obviously on her way to/from riding based on her clothes/boots (this was not a fashion statement, it was functional) and I almost ran after her to find out where she rides. Harumph.

[EmilieMadison]

Jun 15, 2012 20:23:24 GMT -5 loveday said:

I really loved my lease agreement. I paid for shoeing and half board and the occasional shot. It was a lot easier than owning.

I would do a lease in a heartbeat, but there's nothing NEAR me. Damned lovable city living

[loveday]

When I was a young 'un I had a dream of being a mounted police officer in the city. Not so much anymore lol

[rodeored]

Just a fellow lurker equestrian popping in, if you ever get the chance to go and see the olympic trials in Gladstone NJ (I think they are still there anyway) do it. I got to meet Gem Twist when I went and it was just amazing seeing all the top riders.

[rodeored]

Shit my signature is huge, how do I fix that?

[midnightmare81]

Another rider here! Been lurking, but had to join just for this! So glad to see I'm not alone :-)

[emjacobs]

Another rider checking in. Started off riding hunters then moved to western pleasure saddleseat and pleasure driving. Went to school at The University of Findlay for western training but after an accident sidelined me I switched to equine business mgmt.

[crazycakes]

Can I play too? None of my friends ride either, and DH is scared of horses.

I grew up riding hunters/jumpers, evented in high school/college, took a break, and now I am leasing a horse and taking Dressage lessons. I ride 4-5 days a week. I also volunteer with a therapeutic riding program once a week.

I'm lucky that I found a farm close to my house even though I live in the city. I used to drive 45 minutes to ride and now it's only about 15 minutes away.

[geeklove27]

I only rode for about two years from 2007-2009 but I miss it so, so much. Living in the city sucks. It takes about 1-1.5 hours for me to get to the closest barns around that do lessons. I have ridden mostly Western doing the Natural Horsemanship approach. My niece is 15 and has ridden hunter/jumper for the last 7 years. We have medical bills out the wazoo, so lessons haven't been an option for me anymore for the last several years. I really miss riding and all that I get out of it.

[sydney02]

Emiliemadison don't feel bad about living in the city. I live in the boonies and I still drive almost 40 minutes to my barn.

Nice to see so many riders! It's addicting. I started at a hunter barn and honestly felt too old at 39 to start. I loved riding english though. It gives you a pretty seat.

Now I trail ride and I'm loving it. I love that it can be a pretty stroll in the woods to challenges like steep rocky hills, down muddy hills, etc. Always an adventure.

I'm hoping to lease in a couple of months. In my experience, riding western is cheaper than english. I paid $75 an hour or english lessons but now I pay $40 and hour. Maybe I was getting ripped off at the hunter barn, lol This is total pleasure riding though. For showing it seems to be expensive doing english or western.

I used to pout that my cousin rode when we were young and I couldn't. Then I started paying for lessons and I could see why my mom wouldn't let me. It can really get expensive. Don't get me started on the cute clothes I drool over in the catalogues every few months!

[tulip]

LOL!! I haven't been on the back of a horse since I was 16!! God I miss it.

I was going to marry a Cowboy & have horses.

I always wanted to ride *English style *, I did a little. I could tack up & post but never got to jump.

Barrel racing was what I practiced at the stables and my best time was 21 seconds on the Clover Leaf, blue ribbon & my only belt buckle.

[tulip]

Oh and I'm glad to see all the horse lovers on here. I am sitting here thinking how I can convince my H to let me ride again. He did pinky promise when I was pregnant that if our child wants a horse he will buy one. It was very important for me to get that promise.

My favorite move was Thunderhead son of Flicka growing up. It's pretty cheesy but H found it on DVD for me.

I

[tulip]

Jun 15, 2012 20:56:28 GMT -5 emjacobs said:

Another rider checking in. Started off riding hunters then moved to western pleasure saddleseat and pleasure driving. Went to school at The University of Findlay for western training but after an accident sidelined me I switched to equine business mgmt.

What an awesome degree.

[gretchenindisguise]

Have any of you guys red Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen?

That's my only contribution to this thread. I read it a few weeks ago and it gave me a very small eye into the equestrian world.

[weelass24]

Gah I love to ride!!! I rarely get to do it these days, but I'm for sure riding once on Ireland this summer on the beach (hopefully, unless they only for the beginners on the beach, which tends to be the case). If I can get another ride in, it'll be with this Irish guy who is obsessed with Western riding. He owns (and breeds) a bunch of American Quarter Horses near where DH grew up. He takes me up in the mountians. I love it.

River Song or anyone else, are you far from the city? If you can get to Riverdale (in the Bronx) and qualify, they will let you take a horse out in Central Park. I did that once before whatever the name of that stable was in the city before it closed down. It was awesome. They just send you out on the bridle path on your own. You have prove you can handle it now at Riverdale first, but they still offer it in CP during the summer, I think.

[loveday]

Oh I am so doing that when I am down in the vicinity next. I will have to look you up so we can ride together

[rodeored]

Jun 16, 2012 7:06:57 GMT -5 weelass24 said:

River Song or anyone else, are you far from the city? If you can get to Riverdale (in the Bronx) and qualify, they will let you take a horse out in Central Park. I did that once before whatever the name of that stable was in the city before it closed down. It was awesome. They just send you out on the bridle path on your own. You have prove you can handle it now at Riverdale first, but they still offer it in CP during the summer, I think.

So this is kind of random but we used to own a horse that was at the barn that closed. After his stint there he became a jumper and later was trained up though 4th level dressage. We got him when his eye site started to go and he could no longer do some of the more demanding dressage movements at that level. Then he got to pack my butt around the ring during my stint as a hunter/jumper. He was a really cool horse and gave me a serious appreciation for a well trained horse.

[weelass24]

River Song, yes! I'll bring you up a crap load of crisps and Roses and gather up as much Corrie as I can find. I'm heading to London in 7 weeks! I am so freaking excited I don't even know what to do with myself.

rodeored- Claremont right? That barn was dangerous the way people came up and down those ramps with horses. how there was never a serious collision with the horses in the ring, I'll never know. I rode a wonderful horse there the day I did it. He was a dream to ride and big. close to 17 hands.

[rodeored]

Yep, Claremont sounds right though I have never been there. I always wondered how the horse we had fared there as he would absolutely not let a man on him (and he was a big boy, we think a draft/appy cross, so there was no forcing him). Though for all I know that aversion came later but I doubt it.

[emjacobs]

Jun 16, 2012 0:07:08 GMT -5 tulip said:

Jun 15, 2012 20:56:28 GMT -5 emjacobs said:

Another rider checking in. Started off riding hunters then moved to western pleasure saddleseat and pleasure driving. Went to school at The University of Findlay for western training but after an accident sidelined me I switched to equine business mgmt.

What an awesome degree.

It was a fun one to get and the classes were great but it's pretty useless.

I think if everything were to fall into place I'd go back and finish my biology major grab an education degree and then do my grad work in equine nutrition. I focused on nutrition in college and it's so fun and fascinating.

[troopersmom]

Started riding at age 5 at a Hunter/Jumper barn in NC. Moved to KY and started in Pony Club where I focused on Dressage and show jumping, eventing scares me to death. I work Rolex in Lexington every year since 2005 I think.

Really wanting to find a pony to ride again but board is so expensive so for now I groom for my friends at horse shows.