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Post by lauren on Apr 3, 2008 12:40:18 GMT -5
This is how I know I'm in good company, because animal people RULE. Birds are so bratty, it's like having a permanent 2-year-old in your house. Tee hee! Gico's a pretty good bird, however, he does have his moments. Yes, he's definately like having a 2- year-old, he even has nap time :-) LOL! Lately, he's been attacking tissues, and other such items, but only when I hold them. It's like he needs to defend me, it's pretty funny. Here's a pic of him napping on Max (my 100lbs Chessie).
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Post by Mme de Beaufort on Apr 3, 2008 12:53:30 GMT -5
Laika is gorgoeus--I always love it when they're all done up for shows. It was my favourite bit when I was younger; standing on a milk-crate, braiding away; spending hours grooming every last dust particle from the shiny coat; applying the freshly cleaned and treated tack, oiling their hooves....
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;sigh::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I miss horses so much my heart hurts. I'm so pathetic, that I have both my stubbens on top on one another (dressage on top of course, the all purpose below) on a stand in my living room. It's a reminder to me of where I want to be weight-wise and happiness wise again.
I should have known you were a dressage woman, Dawn. ::nods::
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tess
Clergy
"...my gown is to be trimmed everywhere with white ribbon plaited somehow or other." - Jane Austen
Posts: 172
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Post by tess on Apr 3, 2008 16:13:01 GMT -5
And this is my dear sweet and very beautiful Laika (pronounced Like-a). Yeah! Another equine aficionado! I had endurance/competitive trail horses for years. Your Laika (such a pretty name!) has a pretty little head and reminds me of my Morgan mare. Is Laika a warm-blood? FYI to all...Oprah's show tomorrow is on puppy mills. They will interview Wayne Pacelle, who according my best friend is "hot".
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Post by dawnluckham on Apr 3, 2008 17:45:22 GMT -5
Steph, until you mentioned it, I didn't realize being overly obsessed with details DOES work well with both historic costume sewing and dressage! ;D
Tess, Laika is an Oldenburg, but you're right, for a warm blood she's a dainty little thing with a very pretty head. We should have bred her but I chickened out and now she's too old (she's 16).
Steph you can still ride!!! Find a local stable and ride a once a week lesson (or how ever often you can afford). As a woman who's battled weight all her life, I won't give up horses - and it's great exercise! Sure you do better when the weight is down but you can still do it!!! Go girl! ;D
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Post by lauren on Apr 3, 2008 17:57:57 GMT -5
I so desperately want horses. I have to wait untill hubby finishes Dental School. I have loved horses my whole life, but have never had one. Sigh... Here's to day dreaming.
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Post by Mme de Beaufort on Apr 3, 2008 18:10:27 GMT -5
I don't know if I can do lessons, Dawn, I have too much pride having taught Dressage for years in Belgium at our stable, to take lessons from some random person here on some random stable-horse. I also don't like riding other peoples' horses if I can help it.
For a while back in NH I was asked to train a couple of horses for a rather well-to-do woman, who had a couple of exceptional WPNs and a stunning Holsteiner. I worked for a long time with these horses; and the owner, who had more money than talent, would come in between my trainings and undo so much of my work; and I'd find raw mouths, sore muscles from insufficient warm-ups... she;d bring in whatever taste-of-the-month expert for this or for that, and it would just put me back to square one again and again... There were just tons of signs of inexperience and arrogance, it was just too much to bear.
I just want my own horse again. I haven't had one since 1997; and I'm no longer in any frame of mind to compete, I just want to ride for pleasure. Serious competition took a lot out of me. It made horseriding not fun there for a while.
I want a horse I can invest my time in, and work with, do some sidesaddle with again (although I'll have to save up for a new saddle and lose weight)... and get some crazy breed of horse (however it has to be a european--American breeds are generally too teeny), like Friesians, or something half or full draught... something nice and fun and heavy with huge hooves, with a big soft muzzle and a large body so I have lots of space to center my soul grooming and fussing. Nothing cleans out my head more than horses.
I will someday. In the meantime, I will continue to sneak up into the attic and stick my head in my tack-box to take a good deep breath of that smell I miss so much. Ambrosia of the Gods.
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Post by dawnluckham on Apr 3, 2008 21:42:35 GMT -5
Ah, well, Steph, we've all bumped into a Dressage Queen or two. ;D That's a sad story about the lady with more money than brains. As experienced as you are then, perhaps you could find some sort of "partial lease" or an exchange of riding for the benifit the owner will recieve with your skill and experience and you will enjoy the riding again - I know, it sounds perhaps a bit like the "queen's" situation. But the truth is, I have the perfect situation right now... My daughter owns a beautiful Anglo Arab (I know - I know not one of your big European horses but this guy is 16.3 and he can MOVE! He's like a ballet dancer!) Said daughter is 21 and in college and has a boyfriend and a social life and this poor sweet boy needs someone to love him and ride him again. I'd be positively thrilled to death to find a lady like you who wanted to just ride him. I ride him sometimes but he's really WAY too big for me. I'm only 5'2" and every time I get up on him I wonder why I climbed up that high. What I'm saying I guess is I really do think you can find a perfect situation to enjoy riding again. You just need to start looking for it. (Am I encouraging you yet? ) P.S. He has the huge hoofs! ;D
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