CHIT CHAT in VOLTVILLE

[Renolizzie]

Joanne - I'm thinking bittersweet vine.

SandySu - I guess you and Penny will both have to take it one day at a time You are doing great.

I have been getting my little horse out of the pen every day that is warm enough and not too windy. I am hoping to start working on the round pen once Hubby gets back but we have done a tiny bit of lungeing at the end of the 12' lead out in the big driveway. Maybe I'll get Hubby to take a picture of us playing later today.

Penny really is so gorgeous.

I'm waiting for Wiseguy and I to get back on the road until it warms up a bit. I have been building a firmer relationship with him and glad to have taken the time.

 

[dwsizme]

I love sweet vapes too but next to you and Debra, I vape about half that amount in a day. Probably because I vape higher nic levels but mostly 12mg nic. I do start my day with RY4 at 18mg. After that, it's mostly the sweet stuff at 12mg with menthol thrown in between flavors.

Maybe that's why I go thru more...I start the day at about 10 mg nic (just to get me going) and vape mostly 6 mg nic throughout the day and then the last hour of the night my butterscotch is at about 2 or 3 (tried to do 0 but just too plain...needs just a little nic in it). Like I said, when I bought SI prefilled cartos, they lasted hours it seemed, but once I started filling them myself with the higher VG content, they don't last as long. I just assumed the PG doesn't burn off as fast as the VG.

 

[marlou]

I agree with Lizzie, those berries look like bittersweet.

 

[SandySu]

Joanne - I'm thinking bittersweet vine.

SandySu - I guess you and Penny will both have to take it one day at a time You are doing great.

I have been getting my little horse out of the pen every day that is warm enough and not too windy. I am hoping to start working on the round pen once Hubby gets back but we have done a tiny bit of lungeing at the end of the 12' lead out in the big driveway. Maybe I'll get Hubby to take a picture of us playing later today.

Penny really is so gorgeous.

I'm waiting for Wiseguy and I to get back on the road until it warms up a bit. I have been building a firmer relationship with him and glad to have taken the time.

I'd love to see pictures! Let's hope Hubby is amenable.

Thanks, everyone, for the compliments to Penny. When I first got her, you wouldn't have said she was beautiful. You could see the beauty underneath if you looked closely, but she was horribly thin and had a ragged winter coat. And until I took her to the farrier at Cornell, her clubfoot was horribly misshapen. I fell in love with her personality, though, and she was sound, which amazed the vet who did the prepurchase exam. The vet advised me not to get her because of the clubfoot, but since she was sound, I thought if there was nothing else wrong with her that some groceries wouldn't fix, then I'd take a chance on her. And I'm glad I did. That vet has seen Penny since and shakes her head in wonder that she lasted so long and turned out so well.

 

[Konstantine]

It must be the coat, keeps reminding me ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

 

[SandySu]

It must be the coat, keeps reminding me ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

Actually, it's an Australian duster. I thought maybe Debra would recognize it. See http://www.walkabout.com/shop/coat-dz-dxduster.asp I loved that coat! It was warm enough for the coldest winter days with layers underneath, and in the rain it was perfect. The flaps covered my legs, which isn't the case with all riding coats. Of course, it smelled like sheep, since it was conditioned with some sort of sheep grease, but at a barn, who cares about that? I wore that thing out, and even then, I wore it for a while before one day tossing it with tears in my eyes. I have another one now, but it's just not the same. I get attached to certain clothing as if they were old friends.

 

[Konstantine]

We just wait for the sun... And usually ride on the Mountains.

 

[JoAnnW]

Joanne - I'm thinking bittersweet vine.

SandySu - I guess you and Penny will both have to take it one day at a time You are doing great.

I have been getting my little horse out of the pen every day that is warm enough and not too windy. I am hoping to start working on the round pen once Hubby gets back but we have done a tiny bit of lungeing at the end of the 12' lead out in the big driveway. Maybe I'll get Hubby to take a picture of us playing later today.

Penny really is so gorgeous.

I'm waiting for Wiseguy and I to get back on the road until it warms up a bit. I have been building a firmer relationship with him and glad to have taken the time.

Please get a picture or three! Would love to see it (them).

 

[SandySu]

We just wait for the sun... And usually ride on the Mountains.

Around here, if I waited for the sun, I wouldn't ride as much as I used to. Now I'm waiting for spring, but in yesteryear, I used to ride about 3 times a week, year round. I would ride if it wasn't below 15 degrees F unless it was very windy. I wouldn't ride in a downpour, but I'd ride in a light drizzle. And sometimes, I'd go out on a long ride on a sunny day and be miles from home when a storm came quickly out of nowhere.

 

[Tail11]

My friends used to have reining horses. I've always been amazed and how they could get the horses to slide and twirl around like they did. I went to one show that they competed in. How in the world my friend could remember what to do is amazing, as they don't give you the run until that morning and let you practice for a little bit.

It always seemed to me that the horses ankles would give out doing all that fancy stuff.

 

[SandySu]

My friends used to have reining horses. I've always been amazed and how they could get the horses to slide and twirl around like they did. I went to one show that they competed in. How in the world my friend could remember what to do is amazing, as they don't give you the run until that morning and let you practice for a little bit.

It always seemed to me that the horses ankles would give out doing all that fancy stuff.

I think Reynes can tell you about the wear and tear on reining horses. They do wear protective boots and leg coverings, but I think this is more in case one leg kicks another. In my experience, what will give out before the ankles (pasterns or fetlock joints, I think you mean) is the hocks, which are the joints that stick out on the hind legs. Dressage and reining horses have to bend these joints deeply and put a lot of weight on them, and I think this is what usually wears out first in dressage horses. Some dressage horses can have back problems, too, but this is probably more from having a saddle that doesn't fit just right. If you pleasure ride a few times a week for an hour or so, maybe saddle fit doesn't matter as much, because the horse isn't wearing the saddle for long or doing something strenuous, where he needs to use his back more. But when you train for competition, no matter what kind, then saddle fit becomes a big issue. (Think of wearing shoes that aren't quite comfortable. They might be OK for going to the office, where you don't do a lot of walking, but they would be awful for hiking or jogging any distance.) Also, improper training can take its toll on a horse's body. They have to be positioned in a way to use their body correctly, or it can cause strain -- just like people.

 

[Tail11]

I think Reynes can tell you about the wear and tear on reining horses. They do wear protective boots and leg coverings, but I think this is more in case one leg kicks another. In my experience, what will give out before the ankles (pasterns or fetlock joints, I think you mean) is the hocks, which are the joints that stick out on the hind legs. Dressage and reining horses have to bend these joints deeply and put a lot of weight on them, and I think this is what usually wears out first in dressage horses. Some dressage horses can have back problems, too, but this is probably more from having a saddle that doesn't fit just right. If you pleasure ride a few times a week for an hour or so, maybe saddle fit doesn't matter as much, because the horse isn't wearing the saddle for long or doing something strenuous, where he needs to use his back more. But when you train for competition, no matter what kind, then saddle fit becomes a big issue. (Think of wearing shoes that aren't quite comfortable. They might be OK for going to the office, where you don't do a lot of walking, but they would be awful for hiking or jogging any distance.) Also, improper training can take its toll on a horse's body. They have to be positioned in a way to use their body correctly, or it can cause strain -- just like people.

I don't know anything about horses so I call them ankles! They did put a lot of wrap on their legs and some protective gear on lower legs. They've long since moved and got out of reining. I'm not sure if they own horses any more since they don't live on a ranch.

It was interesting to watch them do all that stuff. I just kept thinking about the extra stress on the horse doing those moves. It made my knees hurt watching!

 

[SandySu]

I don't know anything about horses so I call them ankles! They did put a lot of wrap on their legs and some protective gear on lower legs. They've long since moved and got out of reining. I'm not sure if they own horses any more since they don't live on a ranch.

It was interesting to watch them do all that stuff. I just kept thinking about the extra stress on the horse doing those moves. It made my knees hurt watching!

Just think of how it would make your whole body hurt to watch a gymnast! They condition and prepare the horses for this kind of thing, so the horse gradually becomes stronger and more flexible.

 

[Tail11]

I could never do a split or a back bend. I remember in Jr High gym class we had to do 1/2 a year in gymnastics. Mainly floor exercises. I couldn't do much but tumble. We had to do a routine to get graded on it. I remember feeling so humiliated after my routine. The girls were snickering and pointing at me. My body just can't do such things. I went home and told my mother and she called the school and told them of my medical issues. They passed me and I never had to do gymnastics again. The teacher ended up calling me out and saying what a great spirit I had to even attempt doing the things that came naturally to most girls. It didn't stop the snickering, but it made me feel better.

On edit: I did kick .... in the woodworking shop!

 

[SandySu]

I could never do a split or a back bend. I remember in Jr High gym class we had to do 1/2 a year in gymnastics. Mainly floor exercises. I couldn't do much but tumble. We had to do a routine to get graded on it. I remember feeling so humiliated after my routine. The girls were snickering and pointing at me. My body just can't do such things. I went home and told my mother and she called the school and told them of my medical issues. They passed me and I never had to do gymnastics again. The teacher ended up calling me out and saying what a great spirit I had to even attempt doing the things that came naturally to most girls. It didn't stop the snickering, but it made me feel better.

On edit: I did kick .... in the woodworking shop!

We all have our special talents, and you proved that. The same with horses. Some are built for a certain sport, and they might try but not do well at another one. Penny is a case in point. She's an American Saddlebred, not a breed especially made for dressage. But she did some elementary stuff, though we never got too far. And her clubfoot hindered, her, too. Here's what American Saddlebreds have been bred for lately, though of course, there are horses of this breed doing just about any discipline there is. Notice the differences from dressage: their head carriage is very high. They naturally carry their heads up like that, and it was some work getting Penny's head down into a more normal position. The high stepping is accentuated by growing their hooves very long and putting weighted shoes on their feet, not something Penny ever had done to her, though the clubfoot made remedial hoof care an ongoing issue, anyway. Also, these horses move with hollow backs, which is because of the high head carriage, so getting Penny to round her back is another issue. More and more, there are Saddlebreds that are successful at dressage, but they are being bred to be sport horses, not show horses, as you see here. 2009 World's Championship Horse Show: Five-Gaited Grand Champion (from ClubEquestrian.com) - YouTube

Just in case anyone following this discussion wonders what reining is, here's a sample of some reining horses, set to cute music. I know enough about the sport to ID the moves as spins and sliding stops. I guess anyone can guess which they are. Reining Horse Music Video - YouTube

 

[JoAnnW]

We all have our special talents, and you proved that. The same with horses. Some are built for a certain sport, and they might try but not do well at another one. Penny is a case in point. She's an American Saddlebred, not a breed especially made for dressage. But she did some elementary stuff, though we never got too far. And her clubfoot hindered, her, too. Here's what American Saddlebreds have been bred for lately, though of course, there are horses of this breed doing just about any discipline there is. Notice the differences from dressage: their head carriage is very high. They naturally carry their heads up like that, and it was some work getting Penny's head down into a more normal position. The high stepping is accentuated by growing their hooves very long and putting weighted shoes on their feet, not something Penny ever had done to her, though the clubfoot made remedial hoof care an ongoing issue, anyway. Also, these horses move with hollow backs, which is because of the high head carriage, so getting Penny to round her back is another issue. More and more, there are Saddlebreds that are successful at dressage, but they are being bred to be sport horses, not show horses, as you see here. 2009 World's Championship Horse Show: Five-Gaited Grand Champion (from ClubEquestrian.com) - YouTube

Just in case anyone following this discussion wonders what reining is, here's a sample of some reining horses, set to cute music. I know enough about the sport to ID the moves as spins and sliding stops. I guess anyone can guess which they are. Reining Horse Music Video - YouTube

So much variety in horse shows. This is great to see. I did notice the way they hold their head and tail up high, also the tail hair is so long! I never saw horses with such long tail hair before... like dragging on the ground long. Amazing!

 

[Konstantine]

Ufffffffffff .......n it.
I am getting bored in my life helping people for free and doing it on my good will and not even hear a thank you for it.

 

[Renolizzie]

Ufffffffffff .......n it.
I am getting bored in my life helping people for free and doing it on my good will and not even hear a thank you for it.

That does suck. Did that happen on our little forum or is that some one in Greece?

 

[JoAnnW]

Ufffffffffff .......n it.
I am getting bored in my life helping people for free and doing it on my good will and not even hear a thank you for it.

Thank you Kon.... for being YOU !!!

 

[Konstantine]

Someone requested to pay to design a pcb and i did it to him for free.
Anyway. Here is a video of what i was doing today.