3equines
05-11-2011, 01:40 PM
My fiancee is taking 4 of the horses down to the Coast range for a spring bear hunt - I have to work, so I can't go, which worries me half to death because as a general rule the horses are my first concern while with my fiancee they are not at the top of the priority list. The good news is he will be camping at a horse campground, so I don't need to worry about them being highlined too long and turned out to graze too little.
So I am getting all the tack together - how does it all get spread apart, buried, tangled up, mixed up, and M.I.A. after the return from elk camp in October? I have a habit of mixmatching tack depending on the need at the moment so its an adventure locating enough pieces to put the whole saddle string together with. Tack also lives 1) in the house 2) in the horse trailer 3) in the back room of the shop 4) in the barn.
Each horse needs to have the combination of saddle, pad, breast collar, britching, front and flank girths, bridle, bit and reins that works for the specific horse. Plus two pack saddles with pack pads adjusted to the horses who will wear them. My fiancee sucks at properly adjusting britching and headstalls, so I am trying to get everything fitted to the horses before he goes. He has a mare with a wrecked shoulder from an improperly adjusted, poorly balanced pack saddle load. So you can see why I am worried.
Sweet P with her bobbed tail has to go, because we have 6 horses; need 4 for the trip, Crystal is too green, and the mare with the wrecked shoulder can't pack men around in the mountains. So I have made a special cushion for the straight-load horse trailer door where she braces her hindquarters, also have come up with a special tail pad that goes around her nub.
There are 2 totally green, non-horsey riders going, which worries me, too, because my fiancee doesn't babysit green riders like I do. But they will be on Sweet P and Peach, who are pretty darn safe. The third rider has limited experience and will be on Thunder, who I have put a lot of time doing bit work with - I hope his mouth doesn't get ruined. I'll put the Tom Thumb back on his bridle with a soft curb strap; I've been training him to neck rein and sidepass off of a medium port curb; he has finally gotten collection and picks up his shoulder with the rein cue.
I've also been getting all the horse gear, feed, etc packed so it will be there. I actually don't feel bad about missing the trip - its going to be raining and cold the whole weekend. It is nice to get all the packing and camping gear loacted and together for the coming season.
The good news is that my fiancee is getting everybody shod. He is getting pretty darn good at shoeing horses now, there is always room to grow but they are turning out balanced with proportionate heel and toe. He is getting better at hogging back the toe on Sweet P to give her a natural balance style shoeing in the front.
Will get some pics up later.....
So I am getting all the tack together - how does it all get spread apart, buried, tangled up, mixed up, and M.I.A. after the return from elk camp in October? I have a habit of mixmatching tack depending on the need at the moment so its an adventure locating enough pieces to put the whole saddle string together with. Tack also lives 1) in the house 2) in the horse trailer 3) in the back room of the shop 4) in the barn.
Each horse needs to have the combination of saddle, pad, breast collar, britching, front and flank girths, bridle, bit and reins that works for the specific horse. Plus two pack saddles with pack pads adjusted to the horses who will wear them. My fiancee sucks at properly adjusting britching and headstalls, so I am trying to get everything fitted to the horses before he goes. He has a mare with a wrecked shoulder from an improperly adjusted, poorly balanced pack saddle load. So you can see why I am worried.
Sweet P with her bobbed tail has to go, because we have 6 horses; need 4 for the trip, Crystal is too green, and the mare with the wrecked shoulder can't pack men around in the mountains. So I have made a special cushion for the straight-load horse trailer door where she braces her hindquarters, also have come up with a special tail pad that goes around her nub.
There are 2 totally green, non-horsey riders going, which worries me, too, because my fiancee doesn't babysit green riders like I do. But they will be on Sweet P and Peach, who are pretty darn safe. The third rider has limited experience and will be on Thunder, who I have put a lot of time doing bit work with - I hope his mouth doesn't get ruined. I'll put the Tom Thumb back on his bridle with a soft curb strap; I've been training him to neck rein and sidepass off of a medium port curb; he has finally gotten collection and picks up his shoulder with the rein cue.
I've also been getting all the horse gear, feed, etc packed so it will be there. I actually don't feel bad about missing the trip - its going to be raining and cold the whole weekend. It is nice to get all the packing and camping gear loacted and together for the coming season.
The good news is that my fiancee is getting everybody shod. He is getting pretty darn good at shoeing horses now, there is always room to grow but they are turning out balanced with proportionate heel and toe. He is getting better at hogging back the toe on Sweet P to give her a natural balance style shoeing in the front.
Will get some pics up later.....