Sunday, October 21, 2012

Wishing though I never could


On Wednesday my dear friend, Melanie Berra, met me at the barn for a quick three mile run and then volunteered her photography skills to capture my gorgeous boys. Melanie was tapering for a half marathon that she ran this morning in Hershey. She ran a 1:55 and that isn't even her PR!!! 

At my barn she took 100 photos on my phone and more on her own camera. I will share other pics soon but this one, below, cracks me up. I am bending over so it is a little distorted, but you can get an idea of just how big Pie is - at 5'3" I look like a tiny munchkin beside the gentle giant. Kristen, over at sweet horse's breath mentioned that she can mount from the ground. I stood beside Pie the other day and looked at my stirrup and starting laughing so hard. I have to put my foot up practically to my shoulder to even attempt to mount from the ground. Lowering the stirrup doesn't really help much. My father-in-law is going to build me some mounting blocks this winter for bareback riding. The green, three step plastic mounting blocks work well with the saddle, but so far, the barstool is the the only thing that works when I get on bareback. 


9 comments:

  1. I'm glad to be able to mount most of my horses from the ground. I can even get up on the percheron's back so long as a certain someone isn't trying to make me yell by pinching my butt.

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  2. Oh yeah, no problem mounting from the ground here! I have such long legs I can pretty much get on anything! Except when I ride the english horses at work and they have an english saddle on, then I use the mounting block!
    I guess I never realized you were only 5' 3" tall! You look tiny next to Pie!!

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  3. My, he is a big boy! How tall? We made a mounting block with zip ties and milk crates--cheap and sturdy.
    Can't wait to see more pics!

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  4. He is a big guy. I could never get on my horse Erik from the ground either. 17-2 vs. 5'5" just doesn't work. We have a mounting block with four steps, that might help and you might not have to build one for bareback. I'll check my blog and get the name of the company for you.

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  5. I found the name of the company and the link if you're interested:

    Freedom Rider
    http://www.freedomrider.com/Mounting-Ramp-Plan-Non-Skid-Step-Stool-Block.html

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  6. So how tall is he? My friends had a mounting block made for me and it is extra high...would not dream of getting on a horse without it. The horses appreciate it too.

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  7. Thank you everyone for the great comments!

    Grey Horse Matters - I used your link and found the 4 step mounting block. That looks like it might work! Thank you!

    Imel and Lori Skoog - Pie almost 17 - 16.3 and then some...he is built downhill though so his rump is higher at the croup.

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  8. Pie is a big boy! Laz is I think only 16.3 and I'm almost 5'7" so it's kinda perfect. I use a double stack of milk crates as a mounting block usually, but be warned, I toppled off it the other day and would up with TWO huge bruises! Bareback is tricky and NO way could I do that from the ground. Back in the day, I knew how...I would run at the horse face first and last second, hop and leap/twist onto their back. I tried it on Laz a few weeks ago and he was PISSED and told me that I was RUDE for slamming into him, lol!!!!!!

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  9. Love the photos. How wonderful to have a friend to take lots of pictures - oh, that is heaven. I'm with you on using a mounting block- I love them! I got a three step block when I brought Buckshot to his current farm home, and I love it- I can get onto him rather gently.

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