Regarding the Horses in our lives...

[minihorse927]

Never mind, I can't find the picture without the copyright across it from where I bought the pictures

 

[perchie.girl]

Here is an awesome video of Combined Driving.... these vehicles are what I wanted to build when moved up to the desert. I have room to put in a small machine shop.


found the You tube version

Watch it full screen if you can
deb

 

[Bunnylady]

That is some awesome driving! I'd think obstacles like that would be tough enough with just one, or a pair, but 4 is amazing.

I love those little carts they use in combined driving. They look nearly indestructible, and extremely stable.

 

[perchie.girl]

That is some awesome driving! I'd think obstacles like that would be tough enough with just one, or a pair, but 4 is amazing.

I love those little carts they use in combined driving. They look nearly indestructible, and extremely stable.

Yep those carts in competition are mostly Grerman made... and $$$$$$ the price of a car... Thats why with all the dune buggy manufacturers around here I was considering building a prototype and farming it out to one of those guys.... then spending the money on buying the wheels from Germany and getting one of those dune buggy guys to reverse engineer it for me.

Wheel Wrighting is an Anceint science and something NOT for a DYI person.... But Motor Cycle wheels will work for most setups.

deb

 

[paintedChix]

Had to join in and introduce myself! I'm only on page 10 of this thread, so have a LOT more to read yet...

My story is quite long and involved but right now I'm enjoying swapping back and forth watching the working Percherons (until our recent move, I was a fairly active member of the NC Working Horse and Mule Association and went to more than 1/2 the events they put on), the Mini Nationals with "Larry", and the Olympics and dressage. LOVED the handful of posts with the Welshies, too! I'm a big fan of the Welsh stallion that was doing so well in Dressage the last few years - but haven't heard/read about him at all in the past year? I can't even really recall his name - "...Cardi"?

Our family has bred and raised Shetland ponies and shetland pony crosses since 1995. As our children got bigger, we phased out the smaller ponies - only retaining ownership of our original stallion and his first daughter for us but at one point they were both leased out. Our daughters "dabbled" in jumping on bigger mounts, then returned to trail riding - in predominantly western gear. As they graduated high school and went on to college - I got back into the Shetlands and finally got to start "really" driving (with wheeled vehicles) - I had grown up using ground driving to train our riding horses weather they would be dressage or hunters or working western horses.

So we've now moved onto our 21 acre property (our last move?) and we are trying to work full time, care for critters, put up fence, build new chicken facilities, work full time, fence the backyard for the dogs, work full time, take care of ponies, work full time, redo part of the house and we don't seem to be making much headway with any of the projects!! It's been months since I last drove any ponies and it's gotten a bit old.

I have bio & betathane in both pleasure harness and work harness (w/ collars/hames just like the big drafts) and training harness that I've made from recycled, braided haystring from our round bales of hay. I have an EZ entry cart; a sulky cart that has been refurbished (took to OH and then went back to pick it up); a Pioneer forecart w/ both a cart seat and the tractor/implement seat - a tongue for pairs/3s or 4s - and shafts for a larger pony going single; a small pony sized 4 wheel Pioneer wagon and a used Jerald Show cart along with a new, unused entry level show harness made to fit some of my Shetlands (that hasn't been used since I purchased it - may be selling it). For Farm equipment - have a spring tooth harrow w/ crumbler attachment that can be pulled by the ponies hooked to the forecart or by itself (actually do have the seat meant to be used w/ it - haven't used it yet); and a stalk cutter that we want to eventually use with a 4 abreast team of Shets.

The 1st two mares that I trained to drive (under the instruction of a draft horse trainer for 10 months in 2010) are still working - though the one mare no longer can see out of her left eye. I work w/ her on that. This pair will also drive 3 abreast and 4 abreast now - just need to bring another pony into the team for 4 abreast driving - since I sold the one mare (she was hot and reactive and it unsettled the rest at all the wrong times). I've managed to purchase a lot of smaller equipment for them to work as "draft ponies" and had some custom made and still working on doing more custom work. Eventually want them doing more of the work of caring for the property that cares for/houses them.

So here are a handful of pics -










One of my favorite views!

 

[paintedChix]

Even overweight, I've managed to ride in the past - though 2013 was the last time I rode. We've done some local showing w/ the ponies and pony crosses and even finally made it to some big shows and entered in the breeding futurities where our ponies did well enough to cover the costs of most of their training leading to that culmination point.

Ponying a shetland and a 1/2 shetland off my Arab mare at a trail riding event -



Riding a 1/2 arab/shetland pony (he is out of the Arab mare above). and a trail riding competition on my daughters Arab mare.





and our first foal by the bay/white stallion just above born in june this year -



Now, hopefully, our 2 granddaughters will start riding. So far, they aren't really intersted... We shall see. If not, then it's time to seriously reduce the numbers of ponies we have.

 

[perchie.girl]

@paintedChix

Awesome pictures and I love that you have given your littleuns a job.... Its amazing how simple you can make a harness for training. or even a harness for use.

When I bought my mare Katee I couldnt affoard more than board on her... So I gleaned the classifieds on a couple of draft litsts i belonged to... I bought a used work harness from a woman in Oklahoma... for a hundred bucks... Woo hoo what a deal right?

Turns out I spent a dollar per year of its age....

But Hey it was mostly there.... though I did find out it was a collection of different harness parts put together to make a single harness. Popped every stitch learning how to use it and hand stitched every one to fix it. and as it was a work harness it wasnt set up for a cart.... So I had to make lazy straps and Shaft loops. I used an old Flank cinch for shaft loops... Couple of D Rings to fasten it to the saddle and a Tie down strap for the middle. Oh and Hold back straps.... I used dog leashes made of webbing.... Oh it was a sight to see... but it was safe and balanced once I learned the proper fit... Even showed in a farm class with it...

I wish I had had the opportunity to work with a draft horse trainer.... but the gal I got to help me Put her to the first hitch was a natural... So between the two of us my dressage training and her fearlessness... we got the job done. She had a commercial carriage license... but her area of training really was hunter jumper and starting youngsters.

I need to show Katee your pictures and let her know she has some work to do.... LOL.

deb

 

[paintedChix]

Deb -

It was your original post that got me started! and the fact that you were explaining to someone else (BunnyLady) right here in NC (about 2.5 hours away from me I think) that you can work with carts and harness and "pull parts together" to make a whole. Your pics at the beginning didn't show up for me at all, but the last pics you posted did. LOVE THEM!!

In all honesty, our ponies have always had jobs until this past couple of years that have been in such a turmoil (health issues for hubby and I; 1 financial crisis after another w/ our daughters; our sudden move when we were "evicted" from our previous farm lease - that turned out to be a GOOD thing)... Our daughters started riding when they were 2, 3 & 5 yrs of age. The mares that I chose did double/triple duty - being mounts, having a foal at their side and often pregnant with the next. Our 2 & 3 yr olds were started by ground driving and then ridden and the 3 girls did some showing at local shows. Most of those foals sold - at ok prices. At least enough to keep us in hay the following year while I enjoyed raising our foals. After they started a "rigourous" lesson campaign - none of the 3 were really interested in class A shows (h/j), definitely didn't want to do dressage ("BORING, mom") and all were quite thrilled when we moved then and didn't find riding instructors that could take them further (they were around - I couldn't afford them, nor the drive time). Funny thing is, since I've gotten back into the Shetlands, that's about the time the market really fell out and I haven't sold anything recently - we've pretty much hit our limit w/ foals right now (but have a few that were very UNPLANNED coming). The boys definitely aren't as frustrated as I'd have preferred they'd been... LOL.

I really wish I could get my grand daughters more involved. They only live a few miles away and come over here at least 3x week - but they are always gone when I get home from work (between 5:30 & 6:30) and our SIL doesn't have a clue how to do anything really w/ the ponies. Part of him seems to want to learn, but then he's never around... sigh. Currently, it is their mom (our daughter) who is providing the paycheck that supports them... and she works nights so sometimes I don't see her for weeks at a time.

Part of the reason I went back to Shetlands, instead of going with a larger breed of draft ponies as recommended, was so that IF i had to do all the work myself (from care/training/hooves to hauling equipment & critters to events), I could do so easily on a smaller budget with these little guys. As you can see they can do the work (and I have mucho other pics of them actually doing work...)

Thank you for the welcome! Let me know what Katee thinks of her "1/4 size cousins" doing her work!

I'll have to do some research now to find out what kind of chickens you have. That was why I originally joined BYC - I got a start several years ago with bantams that were given to me. I'm learning to butcher them now... Didn't do any actual meat birds this year, hope to next.

The ponies will be moving the heavy chicken tractors when we've got it all sorted out as to what we are getting. The 3 chicken tractors are out in the perimeter fenced pasture area - figure we'll keep them there - the manure and scratching will help bunches to amend the straight sand into usuable grass pasture (in a few years, maybe)...

 

[paintedChix]

For those of you who were discussing SILVERs or "chocolates", I have more than 1/2 our herd in silver (13 silver blacks, 1 smokey silver black, 2 silver bays). LOVE this color and it's infinite shades of coloring. "Silver" only shows up on black based horses - about 1/2 of ours are actually homozygous black with one silver gene. Have one mare - "Bell" - who is tested heterozygous black and homozygous silver (and suspect her full sister, "Bit", is also) - have 2 daughters out of her from different stallions. "GG" has been tested heterozygous black - knew she was single silver. Her other daughter "Classy", hasn't been tested yet - but is at least black based, will only have 1 tobi gene and MAY be homozygous for silver (don't think so, though).

Will be getting one filly ("Bunny") tested for homozygous silver - she LOOKS palomino sometimes but both of her parents are homozygous black so that is what she is as well. She shouldn't have a cream gene, but I checked and had not tested her dam for cream, so will be doing that as well. All of our JR girls are silver (one is a silver bay - "Flower"). 2 are solid colored ("Ami" & "KoKo") and the other 6 are tobiano pintos ("Bunny", "Classy", "Flashi", "Flower", "GG" & "Shamrock" - all by "Iggy"). The one looks to carry another pinto pattern (has an apron<bald> face - "Flashi") but she and her dam tested negative for the overo color (frame & sabino) tests available then in 2012...

Confused YET?

Here's a pic showing parts of all the JR girls... It's been almost a month since this photo taken and w/ cooler temps at night, these girls are all starting to darken back up... By the end of September they will have heavy winter coats well started! It will be interesting to see if "Bunny" goes almost white again this year w/ her winter coat - like my two homozygous silver mares ("Bell" & "Bit").



In Shetlands - there are now 4 "types" w/i the American Shetland Pony Club. The Foundation, the Classic, the Modern Pleasure and the Modern. And already, I'm seeing a blending of types that are HARD to tell the differences between (shoot, I seem to have that going on in my own herd - even though they are all SUPPOSED to be Foundation).

Both Wizard and Flashi were campaigned as Foundation style shetlands, and while they are OURS and they did well (and they ARE beautiful in their own rights) - for this section of the "breed" - they are both a bit refined imo... sigh. I've been a little disappointed in how much substance I lost on the ponies I produced by "Iggy" - my homozygous black, single gened silver, homozygous Tobiano Foundation Shetland stallion... All of the mares that I've so far retained by him are all a little more refined and lacking the type of substance I really prefer/wanted... If I'm right, there is no real way to bring that substance back - but we shall see. I will be breeding some of these young mares over the next 10-15 years. Some will be bred to Wizard, some to Echo (black tobi colt that is also a little too refined right now as a 2yr old - we'll see). In the meantime, I am keeping my eyes open for another silver (preferred) stallion that has the type of substance that I'm looking for and IF I find him, will try to lease or purchase to try him out on my mares... I will also be looking for the SUBSTANCE, so will look at any color besides a true grey (sorry - DON'T LIKE grey and DO NOT want to introduce that color into my particular bloodlines. There are plenty of bloodlines that I SHOULD be able to find what I'm looking for without introducing the true grey gene).

Here was our first shetland stallion - "AJ". I don't have a really good shot of his 2013 son, Echo, that we have so far retained as a JR stallion... other than a running shot. In relation to black - "AJ" is homozygous black with no agouti and homozygous for tobiano (EE, aa, TT), but he DID fade w/ reddish tints. "Echo" on the other hand has not been tested yet - but he IS Ee (his dam was chestnut, ee and is aa for agouti - not bay or brown). "Echo" will be tested for Tobi - hoping he got 2 genes - 1 each from his sire and dam. As you can see, "Echo" also fades w/ reddish tints.



Here is "Iggy". He is only 40" tall vs "AJs" 45 1/4" in height. You can see the difference (Iggy was pretty fit from driving here and not underweight) in their builds. He was homozygous for both black and Tobi, no agouti (like "AJ"), but single gened for single gened for silver. Both "AJ" and "Iggy" are now deceased.



Silvers in winter coat! The one who appears chestnut is "Flower" - a silver bay, minimal white tobiano center photo behind the hay bale.



Breeds now known to have silver here in the US, the UK and in AU - QH, Paint/Pinto, Appaloosa, Saddlebred, Morgan, Missouri Fox Trotters, Rocky Mtn & Mtn Pleasure horses, Icelandics, Minis, Shetlands, British Riding ponies and Welsh ponies. There are also a couple of draft breeds that carry silver - in GE I think... Not as current on that as I should probably be, LOL. There are probably being more found all the time...

Did I say that I LOVE silvers?

 

[Bunnylady]

@paintedChix - Howdy, and welcome to the thread!

Gotta tell you, I have serious "pony envy" right now - I looooove silvers too!

It's funny, when I saw that picture you had posted of Flashi, I was thinking she was leaning toward the "Modern" look - I like a bit of refinement, but I know that's not what a lot of folks think of when they think "Shetland." IMO, there can be too much of a good thing - I don't like the look of a lot of the Moderns (I think they look like giraffes!)



Today is the first day of the school year (how the heck did that happen?), so she's otherwise occupied today, but BB2K has been helping me a lot lately. We've taken a couple of the minis for walks around the neighborhood several times in the last few weeks; it is getting to be less of an adventure each time. Syd has thrown a few tantrums; she has also learned that tossing her head and spinning around can get the lines caught on the turrets so that, for a few moments anyway, I can't tell her what to do.

The last time out, I ran the lines through her halter rings and back to the surcingle like draw reins; that took care of the head-tossing. Syd has never had a bit in her mouth; I don't know, once she got used to it, she might pay better attention to a bit, but my feeling is that if she's going to fight with me, I'd prefer it was her nose rather than her mouth taking the hits.

I'm sure Syd would be less troublesome if I were working her at home, but that gets tricky. At least 5 of our 7 acres look like this:


Seriously, the only places where you could draw a 20' circle and NOT have a tree in it are in the paddocks where the horses and goats are (thanks to the goats' habit of eating the bark off the trees, thus killing them), and the ground there is a bit too unlevel or soft to make a good training ring. I could do long-lining in the paddock itself, but there are the two other minis and goats to get in the way. BB2K and I have limbed up the trees around the house and driveway, so she has been able to ride the "bigs" around the yard a bit, but with grass underfoot, all Syd wants to do is graze.

At least on the road, there isn't that distraction . . .

Mentioning the "bigs," BB2K has had some fun with Latte during the last few days. Latte spent a couple of years as a lesson pony, which she apparently hated, and it left her with some "tricks" that we have to constantly watch out for. a couple of days ago, BB2K got the saddle out (English) for the first time in a while, and as usual, Latte had to be reprimanded for trying to nip when it went on. The Big Blonde tried to move off when she went to mount up, too.

After a while, we put some trot poles down, and with something to do besides just poke around in the yard, Latte suddenly began showing some interest. I gradually raised one pole to make a little jump (about a foot high), and there was no doubt about it, the horse was enjoying herself! We took the jump apart when we got done. Yesterday, when BB2K rode her, Latte swerved at one point to go looking for the jump.

Even if she likes it, I know she shouldn't be jumping every day, so I'm thinking I need to come up with some other sorts of exercises to keep this horse's mind engaged. It was just wonderful to see this animal obviously enjoying what she was doing, instead of acting like, "do I gotta? Are we done yet?"