Introduce yourselves

convert

Welcome to the forum, guys!

wosheen

Hi folks

I'm a newbie on the forum, but already enjoying reading all threads and seeing lovely photos!

I'm originally from the USA but have been living in Ireland 10 years (moved over after I finished university). I rode horses when I was a kid in New Jersey but had a bad fall and mother wouldn't let me back on so only came back into it as an adult over here - been taking lessons 3 years and I LOVE it. Jumping, hacking, cross-country courses (Badminton here i come, haha)... there's nothing like it.

AND, most importantly, 3 weeks ago I became the proud owner of Con, a fantastic 4 year old Belgian warmblood, who is a complete gentleman and will jump anything! Hard to stop myself from spoiling him rotten. Happy days ahead! And looking forward to lots of tips and advice from everyone on this forum, I'm sure I'll need it...

denise100200

Hi everyone,
Just thought I'd post an introduction here as I've been dropping in since I discovered this forum for the past month or two now and think it's about time I joined in instead of watching everyone else enjoying chatting about my guilty addiction - horses:o
I'm 39 and have been totally besotted by horses for as long as I can remember, although I didn't get the opportunity to learn to ride until I was 16! there's been no stopping me since although I've never been lucky enough to actually own my own horse!!! Even after 20+ yrs of lessons I still do a weekly flat or jumping lesson and whenever possible get in some cross country, though it's hard to find anywhere local - lately I usually end up in Annaharvey if it's just a day out, or have been known to go as far afield as Castleleslie in Monaghan, Clonshire in Limerick or Flowerhill in Galway if it's a weekend jaunt! I've been lucky enough to ride in Wyoming following the wild mustangs, South Africa on horseback safari, and a shorter break to Portugal to do a little classical dressage... yep, you've got it, if it involves horses, i'm there.
If anyone is looking for someone to exercise their horse a couple of times a week, I'm currently unemployed:( so have a little time on my hands which I'd love to spend riding! (i'm 5ft 11" so ponies would not appreciate my sitting on them:rolleyes:)
hope to spend many happy hours talking horsey with you all as my husband has banned all equestrian related topics from the house, and even my two daughters who love horses get fed up listening to me!
Denise:o

Kitiara

hi,
i'm kitty, these are my babie's. We live in north sligo in a detached house with 12 acre of land behind it, 5 dogs, 2 horses and 13 cats..All animlas (except 1 dog & 5 cats) are rescue's and that includes the horses. my chestnut mare was taken form an owner who said they would put her to the factory if i wouldn't take her and the pony comes from the North west SPCA..

denise100200

Hi there Kitty, welcome on board!! (get it boards.ie). love ur two, they look very happy, fair play to you rescuing them. they're very lucky to have you....:)

Cybersue

Hello everyone
I've posted a a couple of messages on here since I joined a few days ago. Basically I am 42, very overweight and very shy. I want to reignite my love for horses since my pony club days over 20odd years ago. I am willing to work for nothing maybe a coup,e of hours a week to find my way around a yard again. I won't be riding any poor horse until some of the weight comes off first. I found a fetac course on the very basics of horse care and that was the start of my into to Boards to see if anyone had done this before. good advice has been given that hands on is much better than any book and I suppose they are right. Anyway hello to all, my name is Suzanne and I live near Abbeyleix.

denise100200

Hi Suzanne,

just want to say welcome to the forum. I've only been a member for a short time but find the site very interesting, as I'm sure you will!!!
Hope you manage to find somewhere to practice your long forgotten horsey skills soon and feel fit enough to jump onboard!:p

Denise

pearliewhite

Hi all
I'm from Mayo I'm 23 and recently started back riding. Doing lessons and starting to get some confidence back- only jumping around 30cm so still babysteps! Rode on and off as a child but never stuck with it long enough to get anyways good- mostly just bareback, hacking and messing round on ponies never did any real jumping lessons or anythin! Gonna stick with it now and see how it goes, found a good riding school and am really enjoying the lessons. Have a 5month old baby so it's nice to get some exercise and time for myself!

Also have a 3 year old 14.2 at home ready to be sent away for breaking /schooling - he's out of a connemara/tb mare and a friesian stallion.
Have been enjoying reading all the posts over the past few months but
I'm only now startin to post

convert

Welcome!

arbourhill

Hi everyone

Im 17 years old Originaly from Poland Im living in ireland almost 5 years I have been horse riding since child but never had a trainer as we owned a stable back in poland. I had my first lesson with professional trainer when i came to ireland I can offer volunteer work.

I would be intrested in volunteer work as i love horses and i dont afford riding classes. I'm intermediate rider. I have good experience in stable care.

I can do jobs involving general stable duties such as mucking out, grooming, changing rugs, bringing in and turning out horses, sweeping and tidying yards and more for no more than few hours of riding! PM if any one is interested I live in dublin city center.

texasgal

Hope "ya'll" don't mind the intrusion....

I'm from Texas. I found this board through another interest, but love all things 'horses' too!

I hope you don't mind my enjoying your pics and stories etc.

Thanks!

~deb

GreenSkies

I'm Carrie, short for Caroline:D
I'm 13 years old, going 14 soon.
I'm mad about animals especially pandas, giraffes, horses and dogs.
I'm resuming my horse-riding lessons in Kildare next week hopefully:)
I'm willing to train hard and I hope one day when I'm older, I will have enough experience to enter a national competition with my own horse.
I'm up for the stable work no matter how smelly it is :P

Hope to talk to you guys some more in the future
~Carrie

convert

Welcome texasgal and Carrie!

Best of luck with your lessons, Carrie. Keep us posted as to how you get on!

loopyloulilly

loopyloulilly wrote: »

Hope to compete her soon, in Hunter trials and show jumping. 7 years old, 15hh a real diamond!

Here's a action picture of myself my four year old skewbald boy competing in Cavan EC this year.

convert

Lovely pic, Loopy. He has a fantastic jump! No doubt you'll have great fun with him in the future!

carisma

Hi to everyone

My name is Eva, I am a 19 year old german girl and I moved to Dublin 2 month ago. I was riding horses in germany for 11 years - just for fun and I just love it. I really, really miss it already
Here are a few pictures from the years before





me riding a paso fino





have fun with this pictures there will be more soon

Greetings

Eva

convert

Welcome to the forum. Love the pictures!

Scruffles

hello everyone,
am female,twenty seven,and born in england though that is the only connection to this country as everyone else in close and distant family excluding sister are irish.

have been riding since young childhood once a week in riding schools but never lasted long at one as am severely autistic,learning disabled, epileptic and profoundly hyperacutic & mainstream riding schools coud not accomodate.
however,have been a member of the RDA [riding for the disabled association] for years now and have ridden at several of their riding schools,the current one am at now has been incredible in trying to accomodate as much as they possibly can-it takes a long time to learn things but have finaly started remembering how to untack [with prompts from the RI] and am also highly rated by the RDA experts for both the special olympics and paralympics but they recognise that due to a lot of autism issues causing irremoveable barriers competing in anything is not possible,not now at least anyway.

the horse that ride is called jas/jasmine,she is a beautiful mare with a very bad past through no fault of her own-poor jas had been beaten by previous owners with a head collar and she was neglected,until the RSPCA rescued her and the school took her in.
she had a lot of behavior issues due to the bad treatment but with a lot of love and care she has become a real softie with most people,she is also a 'support/assistance horse' as she will stop if am ever head banging or having a seizure and will not move if have fallen off,she also will not lean her neck down if am resting on it due to a seizure,until have been lifted up.
she has a phobia of headcollars because of the way she was abused with them,and wont let anyone get one near her and she is a bit iffy about bridles to.

have got a private lesson every week and ride fully bareback or semi bareback [using a christ lammfelle bareback pad],never use stirrups, tend to concentrate on dressage and jumping.
will often be paralysed from the waist down if have had a seizure or a bad sensory overload so seat aids are needed for control but due to the nature of disabilities have always got one or two helpers at the side anyway.
am a huge fan of NH [natural horsemanship] and have had profound connections with horses since the first time had ever met a horse.
was always given the 'green' horses in previous riding schools; usually thoroughbreds or ponies that bomb off when riders get on,however it feels like we are one together,we both feel each other and think together,have become great friends with several fiery stallion ponies on our farm that no one else likes to go near due to their behavior.
if it wasnt for horses,woud be a completely different person today; in terms of autism.
-apologies for the essae post but here is a photo of self and jas together, very recent,had not been riding her-a fellow resident from home had been riding and had been past the lead rope to get a photo of us.

coco_lola

Hey Everyone!

I'm originally from Limerick but living in Dublin. Worked in a large stables in Limerick for almost 5 years doing everything from breaking/training youngstock, to teaching lessons, to doing office work I used to compete in SJAI, IPS, Eventing Ireland, Dressage Ireland, and go hunting and fun rides etc. Now I don't get to do it as much as I'd like with work, and trying to find a good stables that isn't expensive! I still go when I go home! Anyway, here's me and the horsies:

Heydeldel

Hi all,

I'm a 26 year old who after years of repressing her horse crazy side ( due to study and never having any money) is starting to let it out!

I've been riding since I was a kid but never really competed etc due to parents not being willing to drive me around etc. I did have my own ponies and was pretty much left to my own devices.

Mad to get back into it and have my own horse again now that i'm a grown - up and independent.

Also on the hunt for a nice horse in August/ September ( am currently working in the UK).

Holler if you have a nice one!!:)

Here's a pic of me on a friend's pony. As you can see I'm a wee bit big for him! Whoops!

Valentina

Heydeldel wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm a 26 year old who after years of repressing her horse crazy side ( due to study and never having any money) is starting to let it out!

I've been riding since I was a kid but never really competed etc due to parents not being willing to drive me around etc. I did have my own ponies and was pretty much left to my own devices.

Mad to get back into it and have my own horse again now that i'm a grown - up and independent.

Also on the hunt for a nice horse in August/ September ( am currently working in the UK).

Holler if you have a nice one!!:)

Here's a pic of me on a friend's pony. As you can see I'm a wee bit big for him! Whoops!

Wow he's stunning! Good luck on the search for your own horse.

Ah_Yeah

Hi All,

I hail from Limerick, living in Dublin 18 months now, used to spend all my days around horses but now I've moved I don't get to do it very often. Have decided to forfeit some other luxuries for horse riding, it's totally worth it as I missed it too much! Am currently taking lessons at Carrickmines, but I hope to start horse sharing/leasing soon enough. Eventually (once the car loan is paid off) I'd like to buy!

Here's some photos of me at a Hunter Trials back home last year

This looks like my concentrating face, but in fact I was shouting "course" at a couple of kids who wouldn't move from my next fence, and my youngster was very keen to keep moving

(photo Copyright Oaktree Photography)



This was coming up to one of the first few fences we did, he saw the camera man and balked - I love it cause it looks like he's sticking his tongue out for the camera :P

Heydeldel

Great pics!

I must get out with my camera.

Valentina

Hi everyone!

I'm 28 and have been riding since I was 4. I took a few years off recently after injuries and operations but am now back riding properly. This is my horse She is mad as a hatter but is very, very sweet. Her schooling is virtually non-existent so we're working that at the moment.

shellbean

Hi Folks

I am 29 years old from Dublin and am just getting back into horse riding again after a break of about 6 years. I am lucky enough to have a lend of my mums horse until February 2013, absolutley loving it and wondering why I stopped in the first place!!

dave66

Hi,

I've only just started visiting this forum. I'm an unpaid groom, transport manager & official photographer for my Daughter who has a 14.2 Connemara cross on loan since last June. I did ride many years ago and over the Christmas holidays I found the pull to get back riding, haven't ridden in 22 years!

Turns out that my daughter's obsession with horses and me being a photographer is actually working out well, she and her friends get photographs & I've lots of willing subjects.

holly_24

i everyone... i was just browsing in this forum, I was ridding for a good few years and like everyone i gave up when i was 16, i have just started back now and just today got a horse share. I would love to get back into XC but would be quite nervous. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in doing pairs for a hunter trial. I know I'm very early for the season but I am also interested in renting a course for some training but don't want to go alone again.

if anyone is in the same boat let me know.. thanks

Ah_Yeah

holly_24 wrote: »

i everyone... i was just browsing in this forum, I was ridding for a good few years and like everyone i gave up when i was 16, i have just started back now and just today got a horse share. I would love to get back into XC but would be quite nervous. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in doing pairs for a hunter trial. I know I'm very early for the season but I am also interested in renting a course for some training but don't want to go alone again.

if anyone is in the same boat let me know.. thanks

Hey Holly, welcome to the forum!

Where are you based? We're from all over, so Im sure there will be someone that would love to pair up.. In fact a bunch of us were only chatting about how we'd love to do a xc masterclass soon!

Have a wander over to the Equestrian Meet Up thread

holly_24

Ah_Yeah wrote: »

Hey Holly, welcome to the forum!

Where are you based? We're from all over, so Im sure there will be someone that would love to pair up.. In fact a bunch of us were only chatting about how we'd love to do a xc masterclass soon!

Have a wander over to the Equestrian Meet Up thread

i am based in South Dublin but would be willing to travel but not too far..

ill head to that one and have a luck... thanks the masterclass sound like a great idea, i would be worried out on my own and i think its great having other people around to give direction etc... I am only very new to the ridding Scene in Dublin so am clueless to where is the best and worse, but i am learning a lot from the forums annaharvey sound really good and punchestown.

Ah_Yeah

holly_24 wrote: »

i am based in South Dublin but would be willing to travel but not too far..

ill head to that one and have a luck... thanks the masterclass sound like a great idea, i would be worried out on my own and i think its great having other people around to give direction etc... I am only very new to the ridding Scene in Dublin so am clueless to where is the best and worse, but i am learning a lot from the forums annaharvey sound really good and punchestown.

Most of us are in the South Dublin area - you should come to our meet up (we'll set a date soon I hope!), I am mad to get back into xc myself as it's been ages since I've done it, I'll be doing a Hunter Trials down home in Limerick myself in March so Im excited!