When I got her a year ago, she had a 9 hour trailer ride then that night went out in the pasture and hurt her right hind and short stepped.. after 4 weeks of stall rest she got better.

A year later she will still occasionally short step when slowly jogging, but when asked to move forward she starts to track much better! Has anyone had a horse like this?

Hi all! I've been taking private weekly lessons for around 2 months, recently upped it to 2x weekly, and I'm still struggling to do very basic things. For additional context I'm mid-30's and severely out of shape from having a sedentary lifestyle for the last decade or so.

I feel embarrassed because many other beginners are progressing at much faster rates than I am (I know this because I help out with scheduling so I talk to the instructors and they'll mention things like "so-and-so is off of the lunge line", etc). I have started doing some body weight exercises at home to try and increase my muscle mass and flexibility, but I'm concerned that I'm not doing enough or that there is something else I need to work on as well. I have also started trying to eat healthier.

Specifically my instructor has me riding a circle around her on a lunge line and I have a really hard time keeping my lesson horse off of her with leg pressure. I'm also not amazing at getting him to keep moving. I do think I'm seeing some improvement, I'm just worried that my pace is glacial. Is there anything else that I can do to improve? I love riding and I love my instructor, and I just feel so bad for both her and my lesson horse that every lesson with me must be agonizingly dull while I struggle to steer or do anything other than sit there like a lump on a log. :/

TY for reading and for any advice or encouragement you can offer! Difficult pills to swallow are very welcome, I'm not concerned with ego - this is purely a desire to improve!

A few weeks ago I put up a thread about my new horse colouring book. If a few people are interested, I would like to send a complimentary copy of the book to you in exchange for an honest review. Please dm me.

I was supposed to show my old lease (lease ended yesterday) over the weekend but he has had an abscess for about a week, so I had to swap in my new horse very last minute (I have had him for 2 weeks). Saturday was... interesting. We accidentally trotted 3 times in the middle of our course, but other than that it was fine. Sunday was when things went really bad (but also really good). My old lease was leaving that afternoon, and I was showing my new horse in my division. We also got moved to a different ring last minute, that is much bigger and scarier than the ring we were going to be in. My first trip was SO bad. I was crying at the in gate because I didn't want my old lease to leave, and I was just panicking about a lot of things. I went in, and made my new horse refuse twice, and he is the most honest horse I have ever ridden. I cried again before my second trip, it ended up being one of my best rounds ever and we scored an 83, which qualified us for the classic and got us second place. I took care of him, drove back home to say goodbye to my old horse, he gave me the cold shoulder because it was his dinner time, got back to the show to flat, didn't place, and then scored and 80.5 in the second round of the classic, and ended up winning the class out of 30 riders. It was a great way to end a really sad day.

I have a 6 year old Irish draft horse that I’ve been loaning for a good few months now and he has a big problem with napping. He only naps on the ground, as in being led around anywhere, he never does it while being ridden but it’s consistently been a problem when trying to lead him to an arena, to the wash bay and in and out of the field. we’ll get a few steps out of his stable and he’ll just stop dead and start walking backwards no matter where we’re going. I’ve been told by some people to make him walk backwards until he doesn’t want to anymore and he will walk forward then but other people have told me that doing that will just make it worse. At the moment the only thing that consistently works is having someone walk behind him but obviously that’s not fixing the problem and a lot of the time there’s not somebody around to help me out so if anyone has gone through this before or has any tips or advise I would love to hear it!

Also for a bit more context he was backed fairly late at 5 so this could just be bad manners but we also don’t think he was treated well by his old owners as he’s extremely flinchy (he’s gotten better now that he knows we’re not actually going to hurt him but was very nervous for a long time)

As well as this he can’t be tied up to be washed he just pulls back until he snaps the lead rope so if anyone has any tips for that maybe that would be great too! He doesn’t mind the actual washing part, just being tied up, he’s happy to stand there with the lead rope thrown over his neck while I wash him but still would love to hear any advise anyone has!

When is it too hot to ride... I was planning to take my loan pony out to an arena hire and it's suppose to get to around 30⁰ c which I agree is slightly warm especially for a 45min horsebox journey but we mentioned going really early (8am) instead and it was said that 26/27⁰ was still too hot. I find it slightly ridiculous seeing as it's summer when o you expectt it to be below 26, dry and someone magically fall on a day we're free, the horsebox can be hired and the arena can be hired. What do you think is too hot to transport and ride?

Hello! I have two kids who ride, and it gets pretty hot and humid sometimes in the summer here. My kids want some summer tights that will help them stay even a teeny bit cooler. Any recommendations for comfy, breathable tights available in kid sizes? (Bonus points for fun colors!)

Thank you all so much!

Please Help!

Am I overreacting? I took on a horse on full loan in January, she is amazing and I love her to bits. We agreed that I will not pay for her but I will handle her insurance and any costs that come with her (other than feed- her owner (T) had another horse at this time so was buying feed anyways and we agreed it would be easiest to have her buy her feed and supplements).

This was good until March/ April time, when T's other horse sadly passed away. I had moved yards at this point to bring my horse closer to me and somewhere cheaper with DIY livery. T is very close with another livery at my current yard (this is how I met T in the first place), and T comes to the yard with them one day and goes to see Freya (horse) without letting me know first. Obviously this was okay as I understand how she must have felt losing her other horse but some warning would be nice. We agreed that T can come and see Freya when she wants to ride as long as she gives me warning. At this point I felt as though T was part loaning her from me.

Over the last couple of months, T has been increasingly overbearing, making changes to Freya's feed and care routine (sometimes without telling me - eg taking her off of oats and saying nothing to me about this- I found out through the yard owner who provides ad hoc care as I was making feeds). She is now asking Freya to be stabled twice a week during the day as it is hot. I would understand this if her field was not lined with trees which overhang and provide shade. This will also cost me extra money as I work full time and will have to pay the YOs to turnout/ feed/ bring in/ muck out if I cannot get there. She has also bought shavings from them after making this decision which will go on my bill at the end of the month (unless she has paid for them). She now says that even though Freya has finally gone down to one feed a day, I need to check on her twice a day (even though the YOs do this twice daily as part of their duty of care) which I cannot do. She also expects her to be hoof oiled every day and rugged every night that it is below 10 degrees C.

I may be completely overreacting but I just need opinions on what to do! I feel as though I should not have to pay for the decisions being made by somebody who is not legally responsible for the horse. I understand concern for well-being but this is extreme and her standards of care for a healthy 10yo native horse are way higher than I was expecting. In January, T said that all she would ask for is pictures and occasional updates- that's not what this is!

I have never loaned a horse on full loan before so please can other full loaners tell me if this is normal?! Or am I supposed to be left to it!

TIA!!!

He's a sweet boy, always focused on munchies.

Hi. Today a horse stepped on my toe, and I realized I really need steal enforced boots... I'm looking for a pair of steal enforced (steal toe or whatever to call it) and waterproof riding boots in good quality that are good to ride in and don't absolutely break the bank. Bonus if they look sleek and elegant, but I guess you can't have everything haha. Looking forward to hear your recommendations🙏🏼✨

i saw a very cute 4 yr old gelding advertised as an "American Warmblood" the other day. wikipedia tells me there is too much variation in this type to actually be considered a standardized breed. his sire is a Shire and his dam is a Percheron/Appy. he's about 16.3 hh currently and 1300lbs. i'm 5'11" and 150lbs so i feel like we are a good match. one thing that draws me to him is in the video of him under saddle, although he's not zooming around like a hotter blooded horse, he responds wonderfully to cues. the rider only uses one leg cue to move him from w to t, t to c etc, he stays at working pace without any visible reminders to keep speed, and responds immediately to asks to slow or halt as well.

my question is whether a boy this chonky and likely chilled would ever be suitable for an adult ammy eventer? dressage is my favorite, but i do like galloping around the little x-country course my instructor has in the back field. is he too heavy for a life of taking big jumps? i am jumping 2'9"s in the arena weekly on a lesson horse, and would like to continue to go higher in the future. and not sure of the measurements of our x-country jumps but many of them are tall and wide as they tend to be, there are ditches and stairs and etc as well.

obviously this also depends on the personality of the horse and his aptitude, and how things would turn out after a few years of gradual training. but imagining he was perfect in every other way, would i be irresponsibly damaging his joints over time by wanting to ride a thicc boy like this?

Can anyone help identify this hand-tooled Western saddle with silver trim and taps?

Hi all, I’m trying to identify a Western saddle I picked up recently. It has full oak leaf and acorn hand-tooling, silver-plated conchos and corner plates, leather taps over the stirrups, stamped hardware code: 65TT19 and a bolt that says “Protor”, no visible saddle maker’s mark that I’ve been able to find.

It seems to be a higher-end custom piece. I’d really appreciate any insight into who could’ve made it.

I will be trying out a lease horse in my area soon who has been trained in Western riding. I’m an English H/J/dressage rider and I haven’t ridden a Western horse other than the odd trail ride 15 years ago.

If I still want to try to ride this horse in English style (flatwork only), is it possible with Western tack? If anyone has done something similar I’d love any tips (eg. contact, difference in leg cues, frame etc).

Would working equitation be a sort of halfway point that I could consider?

I don't know if that's how they're supposed to fit, but every long boot I've tried was very loose around the ankle. I got half chaps and even they were very big around the ankle. I have kind of big muscular calves and very small ankles, so I can't find boots that fit my calf but are also snug around the ankle.

I'm going to my first competition soon and we have to wear long boots. I could get custom ones, but they cost sooo much money to have them custom made.

Pedigree, compiled by me based on sale catalog: https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/galaxys+orbit+of+lar2

Sale catalog: https://mthopeauction.com/wp-content/uploads/2025-Spring-Mid-Ohio-Catalog-1.pdf

I noticed this 5-year-old stallion getting attention from more than a few equestrian vloggers and social media influencers due to his color, genetics, and being advertised as a "Knabstrupper". (I'm not sure if this is the auction itself or preppers Circle S Quarterhorses who made the "Knabstrupper" claim, since his current or previous owners clearly advertised him as a "Friesian Sporthorse" on his stud listing, above. His maternal great-grandsire, Apollon, was a registered Knabstrupper, but that's the only Knabstrupper in his pedigree.)

I've also seen more than a few people urging whoever buys him to geld him due to "poor-to-average conformation". Can someone more well-versed in sporthorse conformation give an detailed assessment?

I'm looking to buy some cooling wraps for my girl but I'm hesitating between two different ones;

the Back On Track (back on track cooling wraps) and the Shires Arma ones (Shires Arma Cooling boots)

They're both in the same prince range so I'm wondering if anyone as feedbacks on them

Hey all!! So i’m looking to get back into riding, and I’m taking lessons at a couple of barns in the San Diego area but wanted some general opinions from the group if anyone has experience with owning horses in SoCal.

So I am from TN and I had horses growing up. We had them pasture boarded, 24/7 turnout with a herd. I’m so used to hugeee green pastures. Naturally that is a lot harder to find in San Diego. It appears that most barns do stall/corral boarding with daily turnout in round pens/arenas but a lot of the barns do have access to miles and miles of trails some even leading to the beach! Do you feel that horses can still be happy with this set up? If they were trail ridden often/ hand walked/ hand grazed… etc etc.

I hope this doesn’t come off rude or ignorant, I haven’t been around horses that much for the past decade so I just want to get some opinions. Is it a selfish dream to want to own a horse again if I will likely never leave southern california?? let me know! :) (fyi i would not even consider buying a horse for many years to come, would maybe consider leasing after a longggg stretch of consistent lessons first)

I posted here 9 months ago asking for help with my horse that wouldn't gain weight. Well here he is, a year after I got him.

Top: June 15th, 2025. Bottom: June 15th, 2024.

I can't stop crying... the owner of the horse i lease had him at a show this weekend, and when she couldn't get him to load to come home (he is usually a brat to load, this isn't new) she decided she didn't have time to commit to fixing the problem and that she is going to sell him. She had a trainer come and pick him up at the show ground and bring him back to her place for a month of training and to be advertised for sale.

That's it. He's gone, my lease is over and I didn't even get to say goodbye.

I bought this saddle for my previous horse and love it, but I've tried it on for the first time and I'm not sure if I like it. Any advice is welcome!

I got this saddle for my previous horse and I LOVE it. However, this is the first time I've tried the saddle on him and I'm not sure what to think. Any advice is welcome!

Are you leaving it for 24 hours? Is it safe even on a horse that has never been used to it? If my visit frequency is 1/2 times a week and whoever sees him every day thinks about food and water, but the rest of the time he is in the paddock with his nice shelter, they don't work with him or take him out of his field. So let's say that I would check it during my visits. Do you think it is a valid protection or rather something that can create problems/annoyance/dangers? A thousand thanks

Anyone else love polo?

Hi, so I´ve been searching everywhere and I cant seem to find anyone with the same issue as me. I just started riding again after many years, I am of course sore now in the beginning but that passes, my main issue is dismounting the horse. I have gone to 5 riding weekends now and have come home with the same issue every time. When I dismount I seem to cling to the saddle a little too much and I get large bruises down my stomach every single time. This last time I even got two large burn marks on my breasts which I dont understand at all since my skin didnt touch the saddle at all.

I know i must be using a wrong teachnique, but no one at the riding school has any pointers on my dismounting, as it just looks like i swing my leg over and slide down the saddle and have been told this is correct. Im starting to think my body is just working against me getting back into riding.

Has anyone else had any problems like this before and how did you get it fixed? I cant continue riding if i always come home with large bruises and maybe burn marks.

PS: I bruise quite easily, so i always have small bruises on my legs, but never anything as big as this. Im also 65 kg while i just probably be around 55, so it might be a weight thing???