For the Olds, What things do you remember from way back

ebonyallen

ebonyallen

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 April 2009
Messages
2,832
Location
Kent South East England
Visit site
Do not know why but today was thinking back to where it all began and the things we had and used before the days of velcro.
So what can you remember ?
Here are a few I thought of

Jute Rugs with the roller
New Zealand Rugs
String Girths
Hats with the chin thingy
No choice of colours

There must be more but can't think of any at the moment, what else can you think of love to be reminded of the good old days lol :) :)
 
We only fed hay oats and bran, except weekly boiled linceed and barley, the smell!!
Took the straw out of stable to 'dry' most days.
We just got on and rode, no boots, bandages, nosbands, martingales.
No need for back protectors, riding hats only if hunting or going to a show.
I could go on!! but the glass eye and hearing aid just fell out, and I've lost my zimmer frame!!:confused:
 
Have still got a string girth, don't use it mind you.

New Zealand's soo heavy you could not get them off ( was only small lol )

No ' naught ponies' just full of character lol

Bits,,, snaffle, rubber snaffle and pelham

Fun fun fun and no worrying about if you were doing it ' right' pony was happy healthy and active no matter what!!!!
 
looked at this one thinking you must mean much older than me when titled for the olds, lol but NO:eek: I remember the string girths and matching coloured reins.... mine were red! New zealand rugs which were a nightmare to dry and as stiff as board. Jute rugs with rollers..... there was no other choice really. Sweat rugs like string vests, not the super smart small mesh coolers we have now. Bandaging our horses for travel with thick gamgees underneath... no travel boots. Hacking miles to shows with a packet of sandwiches and a pound in my pocket...... get the violins out. ;)
 
Stiff leather brushing boots wit lots of stiff leather straps
proper leather knee boots
canvas NZ rugs with no x surcingle just a nylon strap where the girth goes went on like a roller.
anticast rollers - haven't seen one for years!!
string girths
hats with a bit of flimsy elastic to hold them on.
bran with everything, chaff cut with a chaff cutter - the elf and safety brigade would have a fit if they saw one!!
thatching with straw for a hot sweaty horse
boiled linseed and barley = bluddy mess!!
one saddle fits all - very uncomfy flat seated things with serge panels.

I could go on - I am a dinosaur!!
 
string girths - still got them!

i have plaited cotton reins as well.

jute rugs/NZ rugs, No BP. Hats with elastic strap.

i still thatch my horses with straw!
 
fantastic!! Jute rugs and rollers...!! String vest sweatsheets!!
...tatty old velvet riding hats which would never have saved your head in a fall
dandy brush, body brush, rubber curry comb, hoof pick and hoof oil plus brush that was it as far as the grooming kit went and then you didnt use it all!!
...bran mash with epsom salts for colic - start and end of treatment!
...putting straw under the jute rug if your horse was wet
...dropped noseband was as elaborate as a bridle would get!
oooohhhh got me thinking now!!!
...doing 'round the world' on your pony and at the crucial moment your pony would move!
...cavelletti jumps with the crosses either end
...one type of horseshoe fits all and does the job for everything!!
...Brill!!!
 
Being told by instructor - 'I'll send you out on a hack with pound notes between your knees and the saddle'! Have never forgotten that one (and a lot of you probably don't even remember pound notes, lol!)
 
ThreeTB's said:
Being told by instructor - 'I'll send you out on a hack with pound notes between your knees and the saddle'! Have never forgotten that one (and a lot of you probably don't even remember pound notes, lol!)
Click to expand...



God Major Fairbrace used to this to me and shout man could that man shout and reduce you to tears, and that was ok,because he was teaching you to ride, mind you you caught on very quicky hee hee
 
fantastic...I remember my first lesson over a cavaletti...it was like I was at Hickstead!!!

My favourite clip at the moment...cant stop laughing at it...French and Saunders Ponies clip on youtube...sums it all up!!!

...sugar cubes!
 
Horses and ponies living out all the year and no rain rot or mud fever.
Serge of linen 1/4 panel saddles with no knee rolls and hard as heck.
No nylon headcollars - you either used leather or made a halter from 'proper' baler twine (sisal)
Chilling water for hot horses (a misnomer if ever there was one because you added hot water)
Farrier always cold shod and made every shoe himself.
Drenching a horse for colic whereby most went over you and not down the horses throat.
Falling off called for teasing and laughter.
Very few people owning their own horses/ponies.
Gymkhana events for 2/6d (12.5P) a class
Lead rein classes where the child was led from another horse.
No rubber reins, only plain or plaited though they did bring in the nylon plaited coloured reins.
All children wore Jodhpur boots with straps rather than elastic.
Jodhpurs with big wings made of cavalry twill warm in the winter, boiling in the summer and always itchy! Needed to be dry cleaned as the leather patches cracked and split if washed.
Ponies doing everything at shows from showing classes, jumping and playing games.
Like Alfiem, I could go on forever - I too am a dinosaur!
 
The freedom! We were talking about it today. Friend grew up on edge of Bodmin Moor. I grew up in Roman Wall country. Out on summer holiday mornings - tacky sandwich already seeping through its paper wrapping. No hats! No saddles. Out onto the moors or the neighbouring farmers' fields - they didn't seem to mind. Parents just saying "Be back for tea!" Crossing the river when it was running high. Playing 'Knights and Ladies" (the 'Knight' pulls the 'Lady' from her pony onto his). Or Cowboys and Indians. The ponies loved it as much as we did. We seemed to gallop them into the ground.

Hats were only for hunting
No fancy bridles - you either coped with a snaffle or gave up
Bedding on peat
Making our own hay - stored loose in the hayloft and dropped down through holes in the ceiling above the hayracks. The hay was a wonderful blue/green colour and smelt of summer

Iron mangers with blocks of rock salt in them - the horses used to slam them from end to end when eating their hard feed
Linseed and bran mashes after hunting
Straw thatch (still do it)
And - last but not least, all the wonderful ponies and horses that gave us such glorious childhoods. Gone but never forgotten. Thank you all....
 
Now thinking about it even the names were different...Copper, Blackie, Scorcher, Freckles, Pandora, Bullet...were some that I learnt on...and they all run rings round us!!!
 
Riding twos up over the school field bareback when meant to be at school, whoops.
Hacking to the farrier.
Using motor oil for hoof oil.
Not caring what your pony looked like so long as it galloped.
Searching for the pony when it dumped you in the middle of the town.
Feeding it oats because thats what ponies ate.
Making pony jump over logs in the carpark at the park.
Riding pony over the zebra crossing.
Walking three miles a day to get to pony and having to walk three miles home with the tack to take it home to clean.

oh dear you know what people would say these days. and there was always one called Black Jack.
 
I don't think I'm old but remember most things mentioned.
We had jute rugs, canvas NZs, string girths with matching plaited reins, and rubber reins that only came in orange! I remember when you could win prize money for gymkhana games and kids wore joddy boots WITHOUT half chaps or gaiters. I also remember being told that I did NOT need numnahs 'cause my saddle fitted properly!
 
Just thought when rubber reins came in you could only get them in an orange ish colour,lack of tack shops, my parents used to take me to Crystal Palace to a little place the name escapes me, but they used to place a black and white advert in the newpaper, we lived in Kent so big day out to get a pair of rubber boots or a hat, seem to remember that Moss Bros did a very small selection of riding wear but nothing else.
 
Hats and boots were optional, hacking on and off for the whole day, stopping for picnics and the horses grazed.
There seemed to be more grazing freely available then, and hacking on the roads was a pleasure.
You took your horse to the smiddy for their shoes if they wore them.
 
I used to help out at a riding stables ( not bhs reg , not any h& s ) after the last ride we would ride a horse out the field LEADING one each side , bare back across a road to get to the turn out field.
We would hack to the farrier , who was usually half cut and really sweaty ( or so he seemed )
I used to love the old two tone velvet brow bands and had one for my arab mare until i decided to wash it - it shrank doh!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top