I was riding for the summer, and it was soooooo awesome. I love riding western. But I don't think I will be able to ride next summer cause my riding teacher is moving.

I'm on the college equestrian team, but the lessons are over for the semester.

Ever since I was young I just LOVED horses! I still love them, and hope one day to own one. When I was around 9 or 10 we found this girl who owned a horse in quite close to where we lived. We went for one or two lessons, but then she had to move because the government was going to build apartmant buildings where her stable was.
That was about the end of my riding career.
My family and I do historical reenactment, and one day we want to dress up in our medivel costumes and go horseback riding. That will be a dream come true...

I started riding when I was about 9 while my family and I were on holidays at the Beach, and after coming home I begged my parents to let me take up lessons, and so they finally gave in and let me go riding every 2-3 weeks, and then a few years ago they let me lease my own horses from my riding school, Molly was a appaloose with black dalmation spots all over her, and then I also had Zae who was a pinto mare

Molly

Zae

Nice pictures WickedDreamer! Horses kind of scare me a bit given that they're rather large and can stomp ya' . The next door neighbor has horses in his back pasture and sometimes they'll come over and say hi to me if I go to the fence with a present (usually some fresh grass I just mowed).

I thought Appaloosas were the ones with the big spots...pintos are all tan with light tan tails and manes... The only ones I know for sure are Clydesdales, the gigantic ones with the furry hooves.

LOL Shadowland

Appaloosa's like Molly are often called Leopard Appaloosa's, though some horses can be an Appy, but they are mainly one colour, but thier rump maybe white with a few spots on it. whilte Pinto's are normally a mix of white and brown/Black or any colour colour with large patches over thier body

Clydedales are cute, I love thier feet, but one time at my riding school I as helping out with the grooming the horses and one of the cross bred Clydedales decided it would be fun to stand on my foot I had a huge impornt of the goof on the top part of my hoof for a week or so with a lot of bruising

Ugh, its horrible when they do that. One time I was picking out the feet of this quarter horse mare, and she was really sweet, but she put her hoof down on my big toe. I had this big bruise right in the middle of my toenail.
I like Appaloosas. The horse I rode most of the time at the barn with the college equestrian team was an Appaloosa--mostly dark with white splotches on his rump. He was also the laziest thing on four legs, so I always had to carry a riding crop.

My wife just gave me several corrections to horses...she used to ride them and get ribbons and such, and really all I know is the clopping noise and that they try to eat me if I get too close .

The breed I was thinking of as my "favorite" isn't a breed at all but rather a color, and that's Palamino, the all tan ones with the lighter color tails and mane. Still....horses will try to eat you if you're not careful.

I've always liked Clydesdales too, WickedDreamer. Once, when I was little, I saw a baby Clydesdale. It was so cute!
The drafts can be beautiful. There was this fair near us where they had a wagon pulled by 6 black Percherons. They were gorgeous, and huge. (Percherons don't have the fuzzy feet, though)

Percheron are gorgeous, I love the grey colour they have with the dapple spots all maybe horses are soo cute, though for some reason baby clydesdales seem to be extra cute

I have wanted a horse for as long as I can remember and now all my little sisters want a horse. We went through a spell when we had horse posters all over our room until we got tired of having our walls covered with them.
If I could have a horse, I would get a painted horse, like the one in Hidalego. I love painted horses. They are so pretty!
Every once in a while we go to our friends and ride there horses. It's so much fun!

@Shadowlander, haha. *snickers* Horses kind of scare me too. I never really think about them eating me though, I prefer to be in denial about that part.

I never actually went through a horse phase, I was more obsessed with dogs for a long period of time until I got one and realized they are much more annoying and harder to care for than they seem on calendar pictures. I do harbour a secret love for horses though, but as I do not live in the country it wouldn't be practical. Pioneer Woman's site has convinced me that ranching is a terribly glamorous job, and I think it would be cool to live on a ranch at some point too. And in October I travelled to a town a few hours away and stayed at someone's house for a couple of hours and the husband was a horse trainer - truly inspiring, watching him train the horses, and listening to him explain his techniques, and seeing how just one session changed the horse's behaviour, and their horses were all so pretty! I now want to be a horse trainer.

In regards to horses being intimidating... To paraphrase my riding instructor... "There is a giant two year old human being. You let them walk all over you, they will do so. So don't."

I used side reins for the first time today. I volunteer at a therapeutic riding center and they have a program called Barn Buddies where they partner up one experienced volunteer with one of the horses. Basically we get to spoil the horse, do ground work with the horse, and other various things.

I work with one of the younger horses out there. Her name is Lark. She's about 9 or 10 if I remember right. She's come a long way since she started in the program, but she still has a ways to go.

They have a big show coming up. And by big, I mean groups from all over the state and a couple of nearby states are coming. Lark knows how to round pen and has finally progressed to cooperating well in the round pen. I talked to the site manager and one of Lark's weak spots is lounging. It's also one of mine as I'm used to round pens being a western rider. However, at the show there are no round pens. Lounge lines are the order of the day. So the lady showed me how to use the side reins today on Lark and we have begun working with her on lounging in the arena or basically any location that's not a round pen. So hopefully, if she decides to be difficult at the show, they have the option to lounge her instead.

Lark and I are both newish to lounging. The site manager started her out first and she had some trouble getting Lark going. Then she let me take over and gave me pointers on what I was doing wrong. I had a LOT of fun.

I like riding but one time the horse could sense I'm scared and I couldn't control it. I don't ride on a regular basis -at all- and right now I'm not riding. But I have a dream that once I make my Arwen's Chase Dress I can ride a white, spotted horse and gallop!

Lu