Back in the olden days....

LOL The books I read were by the Pullein-Thompson sisters....and Monica ?....and the American "Flicka" series, which I still have!! I lent my Thelwell books to someone and they are lost and gone forever!!! I never did manage to get a "triangular" browband!! But I still have parts of the double bridle I got for Christmas the year I was 16!!! Still using all the leather parts but not the bits....I ride bitless nowadays!!!
 
I can remember those plastic browbands, but the comment about hacking to the farrier made me remember doing that.

He lived in a small town and shod the horses in the back garden. When he finished he always oiled the feet before sending us on our way. I am struggling to remember the cost but £6.00 old pounds is somewhere near.

There is a Tesco built on that forge today.
 
Horsesforever1 said:
Triangles! yes me, my pony's were blue and white plastic triangles. I later bought a posh velvet triangle browand for going to the local shows with,, I think it was red.
In ye olden days telly had good progs,like White Horses in the school holidays
On White Horses ,let me ride away........................
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Yes I remember the brow bands...our first bling?? White horses..that took me straight back there! We could write a book with this thread.
 
When I couldn't be at the real stables I used to spend hours playing with my Britains show jumping set, model stables and horses.
I owned every piece they ever sold.
When Hickstead started up I wrote to Britains and suggested that they made model banks and a 'Cornishman' jump. I received a lovely letter back and lots of tiny saddles and bridles.
Later in life I was grooming at Hickstead when Eddie Macken won again and Boomerang's owners presented the horse to him to keep.
 
Loving this thread:) So many memories. Does anyone have any pics of the old green NZ rugs?? Did anyone have the Anna and Happytime/Pete and Sundance dolls and horses?? They were fab and you could collect a whole wardrobe of clothes and rugs for different events. Spent hours playing with them:)
 
Ceris Comet said:
When we are all on this hack could we stop at the village shop where one of us will hold all the horses and we can go in and buy loads of sweet and fizzy pop ?!
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YES!!! and the people we slightly hold up driving past will smile and wave instead of stick their fingers up and shout about horses not being on the roads
 
I'd just like to share that the hanging back in order to catch up in a mad canter, doesn't seem to be generational at all. We rode out today with friends who have a 10yr old, who was rather too keen on walk for my 7 yr olds liking. As I've never done anything like it with her, I did actually believe her when she said she was stopping to roll her sleeves up. Wasn't I a proud mummy when her & pony bombed across field to catch up! Then proceeded to do same thing everywhere she thought trot or canter was called for.
 
littlelegs said:
Stitched on exercise bandages, not boots. Daughters pony has a lovely balding girth even now. And if your skint, those awful pig skin orangey brown leathers will be allowed.
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I have an 'awful pig skin orangey brown' saddle, but it's about 20th hand by now I should think! It's kept me in the plate out hunting though so I'm happy with it! :D
 
I worked in a saddlery about 30 years ago and remember you couldn't get anything in green as it was considered unlucky.

I so wanted a wool day rug with contrasting binding for shows and 'best'. My horse at the time had a jute rug, cotton summer sheet, green canvas NZ and one of those hospital type blankets with the holes in for if it was really cold!

Don't forget the ironed hanky in your pocket for emergencies. The theory being if it was ironed and then folded hot it was almost sterile and could be used as a dressing.

We used to sell brewers grains for the horses and mollasine meal.

Anyone remember the very first wormer for bots? Astrobot? Looked like tiny bits of polystyrene and most horses wouldn't eat it and they used to recomend freezing it before use to make it more palatable.

The excitement when shavings came in, and spending hours trying to break up a bale of General Chip shavings which were so tightly packed.

Very few people had their own transport. We had two trailers for hire that were out most weekends and people would usually hire a lorry and driver to take them out.

The tack room where I work now is like stepping back several decades. All my bosses old hunting saddles are still on the racks in a big cupboard and all the bridles and bits and beautiful leather headcollars are in a glass fronted cupboard. We had a tidy up the other day and found loads of jute rugs, string vests, canvas NZs and a couple of the very first quilted rugs too. Its a bit like a museum!
 
Broke but happy- saddles have to be old to be accepted! I meant the comment about the leathers more in regards to synthetic ones as a modern alternative, not in a snobby way, so hope you're not offended. If you knew me you'd know i'm really not in a position to call anyone cheap!
 
No worries I took it in the spirit it was intended :D I am quite fond of it even if it's as hard as nails and no amount of oiling will soften the leather!
 
My saddle is 20 yrs old. It's now so moulded in the shape of my backside no-one who isn't my body double would want to ride in it!
 
Alyth said:
LOL The books I read were by the Pullein-Thompson sisters....and Monica ?....and the American "Flicka" series, which I still have!! I lent my Thelwell books to someone and they are lost and gone forever!!! I never did manage to get a "triangular" browband!! But I still have parts of the double bridle I got for Christmas the year I was 16!!! Still using all the leather parts but not the bits....I ride bitless nowadays!!!
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Hurray this thread is still going! Nostalgia is my one of my favourite subjects!

I loved the Pullein-Thompson books, but I loved Caroline Akrill's 'Eventing Trilogy' books even more. I would have traded places with Elaine in a heart beat (Nick was divine, sigh). But as much as I loved 'Fly-By-Night' I always felt faintly sorry for Ruth, the main character. I never wished to be her as I always thought her life was way too hard-core!

Am v. envious you still have the parts of your double bridle. I also got an amazing double bridle when I was 16 for Christmas in 1987. I sold it when I was at uni and have regretted it ever since :(
 
my sister made those velvet 2 colour browbands that came out in triangles. We had them in all colours. Our first pony was called Domino she was 28 and cost £28 from Everett Booth. Bless her she looked after us so well. We couldn't afford a saddle so we made one from an old coat - imagine dear skinny old pony, batwing jods, yellow jumper of course, homemade saddle pad, the neighbours must have had hysterics behind the curtains! Oddly no-one asked for the pattern for the saddle - I wonder why?
 
hest said:
Hurray this thread is still going! Nostalgia is my one of my favourite subjects!

I loved the Pullein-Thompson books, but I loved Caroline Akrill's 'Eventing Trilogy' books even more. I would have traded places with Elaine in a heart beat (Nick was divine, sigh). But as much as I loved 'Fly-By-Night' I always felt faintly sorry for Ruth, the main character. I never wished to be her as I always thought her life was way too hard-core!
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I LOVE(D) the 'Eventing Trilogy' :p

Have to say there's probably something wrong with me as majority of this was before my time (I'm a 90s baby :o ) but I'm loving this thread! I guess I've been surrounded by very 'old school' influences. Where I first lived the landlord was ex Household Cavalry (back in the day!) and things were done in a very old fashioned manner. I recall lots of leather - sircingles, rollers etc. Numnahs, what numnahs? Girths were either string or leather, green horses had snaffles, doubles for strong hunters, and he did hack to the hunts.

Then a friend took me under her wing, again very traditional. And god knows where I got the rest of it from though I've a legend DC who thinks I should go and study tea in India :D

But being the oddball that I am, these are what keep me happy:
Dandy brushes with wooden backs and stripy handles (which I still have!)
Leather backed body brush (I have also!)
Plain Caversons
Snaffles, Pelhams or doubles for strong horses
Plain tack - brown preferably
Jod boots for kids, long boots for hunting
Hacking and road work for fittening
Ponies are hardy beasts and can live it without most definitely dying
Straw under a rug if a horse is sweaty
 
I got my first pony in about 1992, my parents paid £1,000 for him which doesnt sound like much by todays standards but back then maybe it was?! No idea what the pony prices where then. His companion cost us £100.

I remember we had a jute rug with wrap round surcingle - was a horrid thing and slid horrifically all the time until the pony eventually destroyed it one night. Then we had a chaskit rug with a "spider" which was actually a brilliant rug! It never ever leaked and stayed perfectly centre. Do they still do chaskits?!

Otherwise the only other thing I remember not doing back then was feeding them any hard feed! I've still got my very first pony and his companion so he must think he gets seriously pampered nowadays getting nice hard feed and modern rugs etc. ;)
 
Do you think I'd be able to join (I'm a 90's child too) :p but I prefer to do things the traditional way and hate the fact that I can't do my share horse a nice thick straw bed :) someone on the yard also asked why I wa wiping him down with straw the other day too :o
 
Arms & legs out to the side in starjump position. And whoever gets to bottom of the hill first should immediately turn & race back up, so any ponies halfway down spin & suddenly change direction. Then we can find jumps. Anything is suitable if it is suggested with the phrase 'i dare you jump...'
 
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