The Good Old Days

[PiebaldHorse]

Do you ever remember back when you were younger, I remember growing up with horsey friends.

Parents who could afford rugs, the horses had household blankets to make shift as a rug.

Anyone else have any make shift things?

 

[Tia]

The Good Old Days.....Pah! Anyone who says that wasn't there LOL!!

I remember blooming jute rugs and sloppy wet heavy NZ's.

The only bedding available was straw!

Main Ring - yuck hated the stuff.

Those dreadful headcollars with the silly "buckle" on the noseband.

Useless clips on leadropes.

Horrid breeches and jods.

Hacking jackets that were made of jute and hessian.....or so it seemed!

The invention of Lavenham stable rugs and Husky jackets were a major breakthrough, LOL!!

 

[SSM]

When blankets were folded back under a roller and jute rug?

And we turned out in leaky green new zealand rugs

Made my own travel rug and had the oldest and heaviest wooden trailer in the world.

My jumps in the field were old molasses barrels and posts!!!

We made our hoof oil from sump oil!!!!

Hayledge, what was that.

We fed bran mashes with linseed after hunting and they loved it, especially with a can of guiness in it - mum bought that just for my horses!!

Chin straps - used to tuck them in or behind your hair at the back!!

Deep littered on straw as the stables were so draughty

 

[K9Wendy]

Main Ring.... oh tha does bring back memories!!!

Husky jackets, in Navy, plucked like hell on everything LOL

 

[PiebaldHorse]

My friend used to stick straw below the thin blanket when she washed the horse.

You were given hand me down hats etc that had no chin straps.

Agree about the thick staw bedding.

Stables were built from whatever your dad could find.

You would quite happily do things with your horse/pony that scares the hell out of you now lol

 

[SSM]

OMG Had forgotten about 'thatching' a wet pony - rub down with straw - then stack straw all over them, throw a 'string vest' sweat sheet and then a rug and leave them to dry!!!!!!

 

[Rambo]

Gamgee and exercise bandages rather than tendon boots.

Long rubber riding boots....couldn't afford leather.

Elastic straps on beaglers for showjumping. (The elastic cut off very easily

)

A 'G' Reg Ford 'D' Series horsebox (When 'G' was at the end of the numberplate lol!) and adding de-waxer to the diesel to stop it freezing.

Straw under a stable rug to dry the horse off if he got wet.

String sweat rugs.

 

[tigers_eye]

Main Ring - that rings a bell, what is it?

Friends who are v traditional, still use jute rugs with blankets and rollers, were asked to lend their horse as one the pony clubbers had to use for their tests. Pony clubbers were stumped by this vision of history....

When everything in the tackroom and/or cabinet was made by good old Carr & Day & Martin.... oh, and it had a lid, not a squezzy trigger!

Either feeding straights, or that really modern new fangled stuff, Horse and Pony Nuts from Spillers....

The sweat rugs I don't think you can get anymore. Putting straw under a horses rug if it was wet.

 

[eekmon]

Matching string girths and plaited reins in clolours like blue and yellow
Hacking miles to shows
Feeding bran mashes
Jods only came in white, cream or various shades of beige!

 

[gillcook]

Oh those were the days, I remember stuffing straw under blankets, using canvas nz rugs from Mole valley farmers (those in the west country will know).
Hardly any horses around mainly farmers daughters (that was us) or the posh kids!!
Building jumps on grass verges!? and pulling branches out of trees on all the local bridleways to jump then complaining when someone cleared them up. Still use barrels as jump wings but now have some snazzy hang on brackets for the poles.
Bran mashes and linseed - yum.
A favorite faded velvet hat chin strap cut off to be cool - would give me nightmares now and if my children try it they will regret it!!

 

[MiffyH]

Would still 'thatch' now but have a shavings bed and a thermatex.

Still use an old pair of tights to keep my mares tail clean on the way to shows!

And who says a Asda Duvet isn't a good under rug!!

 

[sojeph]

Arrggh - bloody New Zealands with surcingles and no tail flaps and those stupid leather buckles that always got lost!!
Falling off in the middle of nowhere with a 10p in yer pocket for the phonebox - er why? no phoneboxes in the middle of the common!!

 

[SSM]

No mobile phones - how did we cope? and I was allowed to just go off hacking anywhere for hours and hours - nobody worried!!

At 13 I was teaching at the local riding school - A BHS approved centre - try doing that now!!!!

 

[Kelly1982]

LOL your all showing your age now

*runs and hides*

 

[randira]

Gosh, seems so long ago does'nt it!!

I remember hacking 10 miles to a pony club rally or show then hacking back!!

Feeding the ponies rolled barley and hay out of mangers. Lavenham rugs (turnout) with the 'spider' - anyone remember them?

String girths and saddles WITHOUT knee rolls as they all seem to have today, or even the old half panel saddles.

Nickel bits and stirrups, orange rubber grip reins, banging with 'whisps', hairy tweed jackets - ladies which rode in headscarves!!!

babyoiling my pony's tail as there were no fancy sprays then, the list could go on and on!!

 

[jinglejoys]

Oh dear,don't they still do all that! I have got a lot to catch up on! I wondered why people kept saying they couldn't jump without knee rolls (Do they still shorten their stirrups to jump?)

 

[Fairynuff]

Hoof picks that folded in half, bandages with tapes instead of velcro (didnt exist),hand turned chaffers, hand turned clippers, tarry haynets, underside of saddles in linen, the sticky wooden spoon to smear electuary on the back of geegees tongue when he had a cough, glass syringes kept in metal boxes, frozen feet and chilblains all through the winter which was always freezing and went on for ever. The young ones have it easy today! Mairi.

 

[leskaneen]

But what about those days when we disappeared for hours on end with ponies to god knows where without a care in the world.
Cars were slower and there were less of them.Lots of places were we used to ride are now housing estates or fenced off .
I supposed stuff like rugs have improved but there s lots of things from yesteryear that i d like to go back to !!

 

[riotgirl]

I know! Me and my friend used to go off on our ponies with saddle bags stuffed with drink and snacks (and the obligatory baling twine, hoof pick, and 10pence for the phone) and be gone for hours on end.

 

[burtie]

[ QUOTE ]
OMG Had forgotten about 'thatching' a wet pony - rub down with straw - then stack straw all over them, throw a 'string vest' sweat sheet and then a rug and leave them to dry!!!!!!


[/ QUOTE ]

I still do that!!