Back in the olden days....

Hoods, blimey horses were lucky to get a slightly higher necked rug at the RS I worked out and then that was only if they were the posh owner/liverys down on the bottom yard. Rest of them had to make do with the old style green New Zealands patched up with plaiting thread (sometimes fixed by yours truly) or with multiple patches on them
 
Ceris Comet said:
A crane will be made available to lift the compulsory surge lined, musty smelling half ton saddles into position.
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I need to borrow the crane if I am to ride again. My horse has been in box since last August and prior to that I had him ridden for me as I am too crap to do him justice. It's been a long while since I hacked out, so I need the crane, a pillow on the saddle, pills for pain and probably vertigo as horse is 17.2, a trampoline to catch me when I get off, a groom to do the horse afterwards as I will be horizontal on a stretcher. Oh, forget a pill - valium for fear control once I am on the horse, better take tissues for possible nosebleed, heights can give you nosebleed you know ! could need tissues to stuff down jeans for padding on seatbones, but then again I am not sure I have seatbones anymore, just a fat axxx, that probably won't fit in the eyewateringly expensive Jaquar saddle my large broken horse wears which does actually weigh half a ton !

Said broken horse has been given the go ahead to start walking at Easter so I would also need a parachute and an ambulance, I fancy he could be a tad glad to be out of the barn after 9 months - or we could go for a fourth pill, ACP for him. The trouble is at my age am I capable of getting the right pills down the right neck ?
 
I'm laughing my head off at this. I'm only 36 and had my first loan horse at 14 and kept it at an x riding school down the road owned by a woman who was ancient then! Being my first horse, I took everything she said very seriously, so I do remember oiling chestnuts whenever I went out, sitting for hours on end making haynets from bailer twine and liberally painting newzealands with very toxic waterproofer. I remember feeding hot bran mashes, and filling milk bottles with treacle and hot water, and strapping the show ponies necks. my first girth was a borrowed string one, and I still have the leather and Jute roller she gave me for breaking - it's still going strong. I still have a borrowed pair of cream breeches that stick out horizontally at the thighs, and I've spend three years trying to stop myself from riding with my feet near the horses shoulder, only to realise a hunting seat really is handy when your WB decides you need flying lessons - my new dressage instructor laughed so much he stopped breathing :D
 
AdorableAlice said:
I think we need to set up a 'Old happy hackers club'

We could get our old gear out and go for a ride, half hour max, anything more I need paracetamol and the day off work to get over it.

I will bring the extra tall mounting block for getting on -and off, the port in a flask on the saddle (big one) and one of those seat savers. Proper hunting boots only, not those high cut jobs, they are more appropriate for pole dancers not aged hunting folk.

No members allowed who use sparkly browbands, coloured saddle cloths or girths, orange rubber reins. Non of those strap em up,winch them closed nosebands or training aids that make the horse look trussed up like an oven ready chicken..over to you to think of other rules for golden oldie horse keepers.........
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^^^ This. Can I use a string girth please?
 
Ooh, nostalgia:D Plaited reins and Peacock stirrups (without treads), always with the leathers wrapped round a couple of times! If you didn't have a cavesson, you used a drop, hardly ever saw bits with more than one joint in them and knee rolls on saddles? Hahaha!

Canvas New Zealands or Chaskits with those weird spider straps if you were posh, jute rugs with rollers and itchy, grey wool blankets if it was cold. Melton days rugs if you were posh and cotton summer sheets. I remember Polywarm rugs coming out, remember the little loop on the top to pass the surcingle through? Also some weird stuff that seems to have been short lived, like front leg straps on rugs and those training aids that attached to a numnah. Were they made by Masta?

String girths with knots in them to make them shorter and felt saddle pads. And in the 80s, the fashion for coloured padded bridles, which usually came with matching rubber reins and bit guards. Oo, those were the days........
 
OldNag said:
^^^ This. Can I use a string girth please?
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You can, but please make sure you have D rings on your saddle for the flask, because when I have finished my cherry brandy to swill my pills down my neck I will need your port for dutch courage.

Our club is to be called - Old Farts Trot On.

PaddyMonty - have another painkiller we are going to trot in the half hour we are mounted for !!

We are not going to canter because all those string girths will bust when the horses expand their chests, plus if we take a forward seat the old jodhs might split and because we are old our underwear must not be on show.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
LOL!!! :)


Everyone to sit the old fashioned "hunting seat" way in the unlikely event that the pace gets beyond an extended walk.

Oh, and nearly forgot, let the horses go forward naturally and no "collection" unless for the drinks fund at the end!!!

Oh happy days.
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I'll be there!

You'll be able to recognise me by my hair-net and blue/grey tweed hacking jacket. If it's a bit chilly, I'll have a headscarf (with horses' heads on) under my hat.
 
Ollie's Mum said:
Ooh Jacatex jackets - that's a blast from the past! I really wanted one but my parents could only just afford for me to have lessons never mind a tweed jacket. I had cavalry twill jods with suede knee patches - no stretchy stuff back then. And remember the old riding hats secured with an elastic and with a button on top fastened in with a screw that would have skewered your head if you'd landed on it?! :eek:
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You appear to be me???!! Were we all like that in Yorkshire???

Anyone remember plaited nylon reins or just nylon reins which had a habit of either stretching or cutting ones hands to ribbons?
 
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AA - we can swap horses if you like. I'll bring that 15.2 funny coloured one for you. He's an angel to hack out. I much prefer a 17 hand plus horse.
 
Look what I found!

jacatex2.jpg


I remember the very ad! I'd forgotten about the plastic riding macs. I remember ordering a waterproof riding cape - it was like a bin bag! When I cantered the whole thing billowed out and flapped behind me and the pony took off like a rocket :D

Doncella maybe we're twins lol!

Oh please let me joing the old farts club - I'm quite ancient, I promise I can't manage to get on without a mounting block :)
 
Wouldn't half an hour be too long in one of those old saddles? They were real bum-killers! These days there are dressage knickers and memory foam seat savers, not hard leather on top of a hard 'spring tree'.
 
Hang on - I need to find my Jofa hat - do you remember with the padded ear defenders? And a wax jacket as well as my uniform Puffa. What happened to Lavenham rugs and Stylo Matchmakers? And having to soaking sugar beet nuts for 24 hours - by goodness we must have been organised. My poor horse's under blankets were pink, Granny's cast offs! One New Zealand, one stable rug, a roller (ooh and a bit of foam to go under roller) and a couple of blankets. And no rug cleaning services - do it yourself!!
 
Yeah, Jofa hats. They were weird! You couldn't hear a thing with them on, but they were light. Lots of trekking centres had them.
 
Now listen..I'm having string girth defo, you must have been rich with your 3 fold leather one, baggy jods...now those are proper jods and cream only please! As for turn out my old horses lived in a field 24/7, remember the vet telling us to take off the new zealands as he saw more problems with horses who wore them than those without. I was glad to oblige those smelly blanket lined things!!
Bareback jumping classes..remember those wouldn't pass H&S muster these days. Let alone jumping with no reins or stirrups and blindfold:eek::eek:
No rubber treads to stirrups, straight bar or single joint only. Snaffle, kimblewick and Pelham.. I still think a kimblewick is a great bit for brakes.
 
Ollie's Mum said:
Look what I found!

jacatex2.jpg


I remember the very ad! I'd forgotten about the plastic riding macs. I remember ordering a waterproof riding cape - it was like a bin bag! When I cantered the whole thing billowed out and flapped behind me and the pony took off like a rocket :D

Doncella maybe we're twins lol!

Oh please let me joing the old farts club - I'm quite ancient, I promise I can't manage to get on without a mounting block :)
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I had a Pat hat, Pat jodhpur boots, Pat joddies .. and even the yellow headscarf with the horses' heads on... all from Jacatex (we lived very nearby). I did have a Pat quilted jacket too, I think it was navy (I think that was the only colour they came in). I remember when the jod boots were new, they were lethal until they'd got broken in, because of the shiny leather soles!
 
Beausmate said:
Wouldn't half an hour be too long in one of those old saddles? They were real bum-killers! These days there are dressage knickers and memory foam seat savers, not hard leather on top of a hard 'spring tree'.
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Thats the point we are trying to make !
Oh my god ..stylo Matchmakers !!! I save for months and months for a pair !
 
xxMozlarxx said:
Now listen..I'm having string girth defo, you must have been rich with your 3 fold leather one, baggy jods...now those are proper jods and cream only please! As for turn out my old horses lived in a field 24/7, remember the vet telling us to take off the new zealands as he saw more problems with horses who wore them than those without. I was glad to oblige those smelly blanket lined things!!
Bareback jumping classes..remember those wouldn't pass H&S muster these days. Let alone jumping with no reins or stirrups and blindfold:eek::eek:
No rubber treads to stirrups, straight bar or single joint only. Snaffle, kimblewick and Pelham.. I still think a kimblewick is a great bit for brakes.
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I remember doing bareback Chase Me Charlie at college when training for my AI! And lots of gridwork (and not small fences or distances no matter wht size horse you were riding) with no stirrups, reins and eyes shut - eek.
All the stirrups and bits used to be made of nickel, do you remember?
 
PaddyMonty said:
AA - we can swap horses if you like. I'll bring that 15.2 funny coloured one for you. He's an angel to hack out. I much prefer a 17 hand plus horse.
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I would squash the poor little soul flat.

Have a look at The Event Photographer HOYS 2009, Wednesday, International arena, final judging of middleweight hunters class g26 B.

The nicest pictures of my horse are on page 5, reading left to right pictures number 4,5 and 6. Then on page 8, pictures 7, 8 and 9.

I bet you can't guess how he is bred, but I think you might just like his type.
 
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