Horses

I was conceived in a stable room, and in a way started riding before I was born. I have only two clear memories from the time I was 3. One is my first time on horseback (a huge working animal) and the other is seeing a dead horse (and my grandmother being immensely proud because I didn't cry, but that's another story). My mother was a professional groom and was credited to have a special touch with arabs, but it was the lowest paying job possible, so she moved on.

Since then horses have been part of my life on and off, but never really a big part, I haven't lived in a farm or even owned a horse. Next week I'm going to a farm holiday to Estonia, which will include a few hours riding every day. Last time I spent a lot of time on horseback earlier this year, taking part in a riding tour in Ecuador. That was mostly slow going on steep mountain paths, with magnificent views. There are some pictures in my gallery.

I agree with kilo6 and John Ford that one of the most beautiful sights is a galloping horse.

I was around horses for most of my childhood and boyhood. My grandpa bought me an old one-eyed mare when I was about 5 or 6 years old and I rode her bareback all over the large oil lease on which my grandparents lived, exploring the countryside.

My grandpa owned a very spirited palomino stud, of which he was very proud, and a beautiful 5-gaited paint mare that he rode everywhere.

Hi Kilo, Bill and Etsija,
I was also connected with horses all my life. But it was only lately when I begin to own horses. In September I have even 3 of them, but now it again only one - my brod mare Bible, she is orlov trotter and she had a foal last year. But my financial situation didn't allow me to afford more then one horse. I haven't my own stable, my mare stays at my friends stable near St.Petersburg. She is a trotter, but I'm riding her anyway. She is very nice horse.
I enjoyed pictures of your arab stallion Bill very much. Some of my friends breed arabs here, others (where my mare stays) breed ahal-teke's also pure Easten breed.
Regards,
Vera

while i have ridden horses at various times in my life i have never had one with me always, whenwe were younger we mixed with ringers(our cowboys) and their horses out on the stations (ranches), i do remember someone telling myself and my sister that we could have a horse called judy but she stayed on the station and was used during muster time by the ringers and allowed to roam when not in use, she was killed by snakebite we never saw her dead but we were told about her going by the ringers, she was a paint(white with black sploches on her). i do remember one ringer who had trained his horse to pick people up by their shirt collar if they leaned on the yard when he was in it was a funny sight to see. one breed of horse that i do love are the big clydedales i think that they are such gentle gaints, and of cause our brumbies they sure can run, dad raced one of them on a motorbike once and they reached speeds of i think he said 80km/hr over rough land.

cheers smokey

I, unfortunately, have only lived in urban areas for most of my life so I haven't been fortunate enough to have been exposed to horses to the extent that some of the "luckier" members here have - particularily those from Texas and places like that.

But having said that, I've done plenty of western riding and whenever I've taken one of my driving holidays in the four corners states, i always made it a point to find a good stables somewhere and rent a horse for an hour or two.

I love horses - I think they're the most beautiful animals.

I've been riding a motorcycle since the age of 16 - about 40 years now - and I always think I got into it because it reminded me of the "freedom" I felt when I was horseback riding.

I truly envy those "saddletramps" and cowboys of the late 19th century who spent the better part of their lives in the southwest on horseback..!!

Had a horse when I was a kid, rode him around the farm for a few years, his name was Cochese

Well I was practically born in the saddle, and I thank God everyday that horses are in my life.

To put it simply, I wouldn't be me without having something to do with a horse.

I believe there is no better feeling in the world than being on the back of a galloping horse, whether it be just a pleasure ride, or whether I'm chasing a beast down.

Aswell as being a companion, now, my horses are a tool as well, with me being a ringer nowadays. A job I wouldn't swap for the world.

I love the fact that, even when it feels like there is no one else there for me, I can go for a ride, and it'll cheer me up straight away.

Personally, I'm partial to Quarter Horses, I just love that they're hard workers, and they're bold. Australian Stock Horses come a very close second.

Here's my current steed, Joe. This guy isn't my work horse though, I just use the one's at work for working, he's more like a pet.
16hh 13 year old Thoroughbred Gelding

I added a few pics in my gallery, showing sunny days in an Estonian island, riding and herding horses

While I can't say that I "love" horses, and my life experiences with horses are limited, I do think they are beautiful animals, and I have really enjoyed reading all your accounts about how much horses mean to you.

Some of my favorite movie scenes have to do with horses - in the movie Far and Away, when they take off to race for land, near the end of the movie - I LOVE to watch that part of teh movie, and am sorry I never got to see it on the big screen. The combination of music and scenery with horses in The Man from Snowy River is astoundingly beautiful to me as well.

Thanks, everybody, for sharing your pictures of the special horses in your life!!

Mrs. C

Great pictures, etsija. Looks like a beautiful place to ride horses at. Thanks for sharing them.

I'm sad to say that I never had a horse. The closest I ever came was when I was 6 years old and my parents bought us kids 2 ponies, Timathy and Buffy. They were fun to ride, but we only had them a year or so, then we moved and had nowhere to keep them. They got sold. Broke our hearts.

Here they are. Brings back memories, :teeth_smile: That's my mom with them. She's not a big woman, they were small ponies. lol



Mark

Several years ago the PETA types were all up in arms over care and treatment of the large herds of wild mustangs in Nevada and Utah. But I haven't heard a peep about those horses for quite awhile now. Anybody know their status? Are there still herds of wild horses out West?

Quote from Stumpy

Are there still herds of wild horses out West?

Well, I''ve answered my own question. A quick Google of the phrase "wild mustangs" brought up any number of links, including this one.

A horse-thread! Great, the right place for me! Horses have been an important part of my life, since I was 12 years old (I am now 45). They shared all the good and bad times in life with me, and I was inspired to start riding horses as a young boy by movies like "Rio Grande", "She wore a yellow Ribbon" and "Fort Apache" (Henry Fonda looked great on horseback in this movie and he looked even greater dancing polka...).

I have three horses, all of them Appaloosas, of my own at the moment and try now to add pictures of two of them to my post - hope it works...

The first one is my favourite-horse Bas Donna, one of the most successful horses in Trail classes here in Europe, and the other one is BD Princess Paloma in a Halter competition.

Quote from Dukesfan

the other one is BD Princess Paloma in a Halter competition.

That second horse looks almost more like a palomino than an appaloosa. They're good-looking horses though. Not as good looking as the young woman in the first picture though.