Here are the rules: Answer one or all of the prompts. Link back to Living a Dream's post. Visit other blogs. And don't forget to ask a question of everyone else!
1. What are your thoughts on providing hay for your horse when you trailer him or her? I like to provide hay in the trailer. It gives your horse something to do and if he eats you know he's relaxed. I provide hay for Chrome, but right now he gets too nervous to eat. I'll be working on that. To protect their eyes from hay flying around (or other debris) you can use a fly mask. I haven't tried it, but probably will when/if I get a stock trailer someday.
2. You have just won a two minute shopping spree at a tack store. What store would you visit and what would you get? I'm not sure which store I would go to . . . preferably something with a large selection of Dressage stuff. I would grab anything leather (bridles, breastcollars, etc.) I could get my hands on since I like to take things apart a make things out of them. You can never have too much leather! I would also grab as many saddle blankets/pads as I could of different varieties so I can figure out which ones I like. I would grab breeches, paddock/tall boots and helmets for me. As many as possible since you can never have too many and I'm in short supply. I would love to have a pair of paddock boots that actually fit!! If I had time I would grab a few saddles, but I'm guessing my two minutes would be up by then. Sounds like fun . . . when can we try it??
3. What plans do you have for the weekend? Well I have to work as always. Yuck! After work on Saturday I plan on riding horses with a friend and on Sunday after work I plan to help my husband finish repairing the barn so we can get our insurance money from the bank. I can't wait to start using my barn again!!!
When buying a new horse what conformation flaw would you absolutely avoid and what flaw would you let slide? (Examples of conformation flaws would be club feet, sickle or cow hocked, ewe necked, steep shoulder, etc.)
Hmmm. . .I do not know too much about conformation, but as long as the horse can stay sound and looks good, I would be okay.
ReplyDeleteI would let something like a ewe neck slide because they are usually from a lack of proper muscling which can be fixed with correct riding, but would not let something like tiny hooves/legs on a big bodied horse or steep fetlocks slide because they can lead to long term soundness issues.
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining the Blog Hop again! I guess if I had that shopping spree I should add fly masks and some sort of small trailer hay net!
ReplyDeleteGreat question!
For me (who didn't even consider confirmation with my latest purchase) it would have to be about the legs. I'd want there to be four of them. Oh, yeah, and each of the four should have the right sort of angles and be fairly straight when viewed from front or back.
LOL Dreaming, your answer to my question had me cracking up. Too funny!!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea to grab a variety of saddle pads. I'm going to needs lots of saddle pads to go with all the saddles I'm going to grab. I better start weight lifting now.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have beautiful weather for your after work weekend plans.
Good question. I can over look hooves that are a little toed-in. But I'd pass on small, weak hooves. I like a horse that can go barefoot.
For that two minute tack shop shopping spree I'd head for a silver bit, bridle and romal reins like they use in the Arabian western pleasure classes. Then if I have time, a new Australian trail (hornless) saddle would be fun.
ReplyDeleteooops, conformation-
ReplyDeletewell, straight shoulder and pastern generally mean short choppy gaits- so, no go.
slightly cow hocked- acceptable providing not too much.
roman nose- acceptable
cresty neck- acceptable
ewe neck- not acceptable. Hard to set head and collect
dish face- absolutely acceptable.;) Arabians!
Goose rumped- for jumpers especially, acceptable but not preferred
Long back- not acceptable, usually hard keeper and weak backed
other no's- pig eye, buck kneed, sickle hocked, extreme parrot mouthed
Basically, if the horse looks good overall- well "squared" (equal leg length, level underside) and fairly equal "third" parts (head, neck, and chest- body- hindquarters) with matching angles on shoulder, pastern, hip, etc., pretty head and kind eye, I can kind of let the rest slip by. Of course, I haven't purchased a horse in over 15 years...