I couldn't find one of these so I made it

Lets join forces. Would love to hear about and see pictures of your steeds and hear your stories about how you started, what you do and what equestrianism means to you.

Showjumper/dressagerider/barrelracer?

Horseowner or not? How many years in the saddle? Lets get talking

It has been years since I have ridden. I still love horses though. The last horse i had was a little bay filly. She was half Arab and half Quarter. Such a sweetie! She was foaled on a March 17 so I named her Shamrock. i will have to see if I can dig up some pictures.

I just started riding again after 10 years away. I rode when I was young (6-16) and am loving being back. I am doing flat work now but hope to start over fences in the next few months.

Anyone know if Auken paddock boots run small or large?

Originally Posted by Serina

I couldn't find one of these so I made it Lets join forces. Would love to hear about and see pictures of your steeds and hear your stories about how you started, what you do and what equestrianism means to you. Showjumper/dressagerider/barrelracer? Horseowner or not? How many years in the saddle? Lets get talking

I'm a horse owner that focuses on Dressage. Mainly I just hack around and try not to hit the dirt too often. lol I bought my latest horse in February and we're still getting comfortable with one another. She's a real dream boat and I'm beyond excited to have found her.

I took formal western lessons as a preteen and then had over 10 years out of the saddle. I got back into it about 3-4 years ago. I started back leasing a Thoroughbred cross, then I bought a wild caught Mustang and my current mare is 3/4 Thoroughbred and 1/4 Quarter horse (so pretty much an Appendix QH) but registered as a solid colored Paint. She is 16.2hh and completely chestnut - no socks, no facial markings, nada. lol She's 8 years old and we're working on fine tuning and getting my confidence back.

Originally Posted by VanessaJean

Anyone know if Auken paddock boots run small or large?

I'm not familiar with that brand. I swear by Ariats. They last forever and are the most comfortable boot I've ever worn.

My previous mare Beatrice - Barn name Bea.



My current mare Miss Moosy Lou - barn names Lucy / Lou / Lulu

Both are gorgeous Lisa! Thanks for the tips. I am working on getting my confidence back too. Right now I'm riding a great Standardbred/ Clydesdale/Quarter Horse cross (In Pursuit of Happiness) barn name- Smiley. Love him. I spent yesterday at a jump show and it really made me want to do it again.

Thanks for the boots info Lisa. These would be a back up for the boots that I have now and they are are on sale online for a really good price! I have been looking for tall boots but I have larger calves and its so hard to find any.

Hunter and equation girl here! Showed competitively in A circuit throughout high school, now 20 and in college so riding is on the back burner! been riding since I was 5!

Here is me in a few years ago! This was my horse, a Dutch Warmblood named Delevan!

Here's my guy!! :) He's a 12 yo APHA gelding, heavy on the TB lines. We have competed in eventing and showjumping, but I haven't had the time and he's been off for a while now. We're just getting back into conditioning mode now, so yay!

Love to see all the riders on the forum. :)

Originally Posted by VanessaJean

Both are gorgeous Lisa! Thanks for the tips. I am working on getting my confidence back too. Right now I'm riding a great Standardbred/ Clydesdale/Quarter Horse cross (In Pursuit of Happiness) barn name- Smiley. Love him. I spent yesterday at a jump show and it really made me want to do it again. Thanks for the boots info Lisa. These would be a back up for the boots that I have now and they are are on sale online for a really good price! I have been looking for tall boots but I have larger calves and its so hard to find any.

Oh wow how tall is Smiley? Do you have any pics of him? I'd love to see what his cross looks like. I took lessons at a Hunter/Jumper barn for a period of time. I quickly learned that flat work is exciting enough for me. lol

Originally Posted by ahs483

Hunter and equation girl here! Showed competitively in A circuit throughout high school, now 20 and in college so riding is on the back burner! been riding since I was 5! Here is me in a few years ago! This was my horse, a Dutch Warmblood named Delevan!

Gorgeous!

Originally Posted by SunglassLove

Here's my guy!! :) He's a 12 yo APHA gelding, heavy on the TB lines. We have competed in eventing and showjumping, but I haven't had the time and he's been off for a while now. We're just getting back into conditioning mode now, so yay!

Love his coloring. How are you getting him back into shape? Any quick tips you can share? I need to get Lou into summer shape and ready for longer rides.

I went out and rode Lou today. I really need to get comfortable at her canter. Missy was like riding a rocking horse. Bea ran more than she cantered - it was very flat and land grabbing. And Lou is like riding a darn mountain. It feels like she has more vertical movement than lateral. After the ride I worked on having her come when called and stopping on cue while loose in the indoor arena. She's quite the little puppy dog. Have you guys taught your horses any tricks?

Originally Posted by LisaG719

Love his coloring. How are you getting him back into shape? Any quick tips you can share? I need to get Lou into summer shape and ready for longer rides.

Trot sets, trot sets, trot sets. I'm lucky that Curly's pretty athletic by nature so he doesn't take alot to whip into shape, he's already working pretty heavy and doing great, he just needs loooong cool outs. Plus I have access to trails so I can trot hills also.

Depending on how good of shape she's in to begin with, you can do this by either minutes or laps around the arena. Trot for 5 laps, or five/ten minutes, then working walk for a lap or two or one minute, then trot again for the same amount of time. Repeat a few times, depending again on fitness level. Gradually increase the trot time with each ride.

I'll go out on trail and trot for long periods, then walk, then trot again a long time, etc. Then walk the whole way home.

It's what we always did to condition for x-country... works like a charm. Give a day off in between... I did this yesterday, and today when I went to the barn he was still tuckered out, even with zero turnout. :) He didn't even want anything to do with handwalking, LOL!

Originally Posted by SunglassLove

Trot sets, trot sets, trot sets. I'm lucky that Curly's pretty athletic by nature so he doesn't take alot to whip into shape, he's already working pretty heavy and doing great, he just needs loooong cool outs. Plus I have access to trails so I can trot hills also. Depending on how good of shape she's in to begin with, you can do this by either minutes or laps around the arena. Trot for 5 laps, or five/ten minutes, then working walk for a lap or two or one minute, then trot again for the same amount of time. Repeat a few times, depending again on fitness level. Gradually increase the trot time with each ride. I'll go out on trail and trot for long periods, then walk, then trot again a long time, etc. Then walk the whole way home. It's what we always did to condition for x-country... works like a charm. Give a day off in between... I did this yesterday, and today when I went to the barn he was still tuckered out, even with zero turnout. :) He didn't even want anything to do with handwalking, LOL!

Sounds great! Thanks for the tip! I've been trotting her and working on getting her in frame and collected. It takes a lot of work to get her even breaking a sweat. She's a pretty athletic girl despite not being worked on a daily basis. But, I definitely need to focus on keeping her going for a solid 5 laps around the arena.

i hope i can join in since i just started riding and don't own a horse...!

i've only been taking lessons for about two months. my goal is to learn to jump :). i had probably my best lesson ever today (not saying much but an accomplishment ). i had a different instructor (mine was on vacation this week) and usually my horse doesn't want to trot and not for very long. he also likes to turn into the center of the ring. i managed to finally get past that today. i think the horse just kept testing me and i was finally able to not let him take control. the instructor was more helpful in telling me how to stop him from doing that. he stopped going towards the center after testing me a few times. we were actually able to complete a whole lap (trotting) around the ring, which was exciting! it felt so awesome. i really like this other instructor. she seems more to the point, more technical, and has a bit faster of a pace than my other instructor.