Shoes ?

[BAR BAR 2]

I was on another forum that I visit pertaining to hounds when this discussion came up in their horse and mule section. Some were for them and some wouldn't ride anything without them. One man went so far as to say that anyone who claimed a saddlehorse didn't need shoes was full of sh*t. And then the fight started. I told him that the only one full of anything was him. I went so far as to allow that if he had horses that need to be shod constantly, then perhaps he should think about an upgrade in horseflesh.

When I look at a horse, the first thing I want is a hard black foot. After that I want a nice heavy leg. Without these two things the rest of the horse or the fact that he's out of ol' so and so, don't mean much. Perhaps if people would put function over pretty they wouldn't have these problems. We live in some fairly rocky country and the only time one of ours gets shod is if it's going to a sale and we want people to know his feet can be handled.

Just curious, how many people on here ride with shoes? What is your reasoning for your choice either way?

One white sock you buy'em
Two white socks you try'em
Three white socks you pass'I'm
Four white socks and a strip on his nose
Peel off his hide and feed him to the crows.

That's just an oldtimers saying. Don't kill the messenger.

[Faster horses]

I well know that little ditty; and we ride stocking legged horses, or did.
The best footed horses were the ones with striped feet. They could go
longer without being shod than any of the others. One of our best
geldings, was a direct grandson of Leo. He had 4 big stockings and
white on the nose. So I don't believe the ditty.
He also had striped feet and they didn't chip!!

That's why people liked Appaloosa's--for their striped feet. And don't shoot the messenger...

I will concede that some white feet are too soft. But some black
feet are too hard and chip easily. The shape of the foot is important
too. I hate an underrun heel. White or black, they are problem feet.

[leanin' H]

Out here, you may leave riding an unshod pony but you'll walk back leading him come evenin'. We ride good horses in rough country. No upgrade in horseflesh would prevent sore feet. Come on out for a 30 mile circle and I'll show ya! Kinda like calving season, whatever works in your area is peachy with me. We take the shoes off in late November and iron them on every April. I have worn out shoes in under 30 days before.

[Faster horses]

H, when we lived on the Powder River in Wyoming and rode all winter,
we had our horses sharp-shod with borium. One winter of freezing and
thawing, the cow trails were solid ice and we actually wore the borium
off those shoes.

[loomixguy]

[Faster horses]

I have come to have an appreciation for the Appaloosa horse.
In fact, one of the best-looking horses I have ever seen was a
registered Appy with no spots. He was a barrel horse, no
less; and a good one. There is quite a story there...

I have learned that the reason they had no mane or tail is that
their hair is so brittle. If you soaked it in oil (as for show horses)
and meet their nutritional needs, they really could grown a mane
and tail. Their feet being striped was really an asset; and in
finding horses for people for years, many could ride an Appy
because of their gentle nature, that couldn't ride or be as
comfortable riding another kind of horse.

And the Appy was darn sure tough.

Remember when Paul Tiereny campaigned a Appaloosa?
Was that a stallion?

[loomixguy]

A mare.......her registered name was Meter Maid, I believe.

I'm not 100% buying the "they could grow a mane & tail" thing. The rat mane & tail is a breed characteristic.

We raised a stud who was sired by the old Crawfish horse we had and his mama was a TB mare. Jim Jirkovsky who is now at Kearney, NE, broke him to ride, and said he'd never thrown a leg over a horse that was any more athletic than that stud. Even being 1/2 TB, he had the rat mane & tail & striped hooves, and was an absolute pleasure to be around; extremely well mannered.

We had a full sister to that stud who had the biggest blanket you ever saw, full mane & tail, striped hooves, etc., and she set the world on fire at the track as a 2 year old, then Jim Jirkovsky showed her at halter as a 3, and won the World with her in OKC in 1974. After she came home, JE Baker from OKC drove up and tried to buy her off my Dad. He went home with an empty trailer.

Heard of Lane Furniture? Beau Lane, owner of Lane Furniture at the time, of Altavista, WV, came out and tried to buy a stud we had that was sired by Bob's Folly and out of one of the daughters of those Charley Peterson Apps. This stud had no mane & tail, striped hooves, etc., and he did quite well on the track as a 2 year old. He also was a Reserve Grand Champion at the National Western in either 69 or 70. Beau's trailer was empty when he left, too.

[Faster horses]

Give us some pictures...

Remember Joker B? He was an Appy stud that was promoted
and was the result of some kind of breeding mixup, if I remember
correctly.

[BAR BAR 2]

When I started this thread I didn't realize that someone else had just asked the same thing somewhere else. Y'all could have just told me to shutup and go sit in the corner. The only thing that I know about appy's is, the only reason indians rode them was so they'd be mad enough to kill someone when they got to wherever they were going.

[Faster horses]

I used to say that too, until I matured
and understood there is a horse for everyone.

Just try and find a horse for people who just want a nice ride,
nothing else. You'd find more appy's that fit the bill.
Not that they can't do other things too, they can. But for just
a nice go down the road horse, they sure do work.

I been thinking about getting one for me...
......a short one......

And BAR BAR2, if you hadn't started this thread, then we couldn't
have hijacked it.

[loomixguy]

Is an Appy what the "hostile native" rides??

That is the problem with being homeless since the Sunday after Thanksgiving.......I have no idea where the @#*% ANYTHING is, let alone pics and such. Storage unit, garage, house, or my current abode......we should be back in our 100 year old brand new house within a week or so, but the construction goes on.....and on......and on......

[BAR BAR 2]

Don't pay me any attention. I was just bein' a smartaleck. I've never even ridden an appy. I will say this, some of the prettiest horses that I've ever seen were apps. Personall, I believ that a person would be hard pressed anymore to find a "True" app. So please folks don't pay me any never mind. I was just throwin' a barb out there.