# Spring Herd Photos



## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

New tack for Sawyer.



















Brandy's looking good, but fat.



















And Buddy is a jerk, as always (anybody want a crappy dun gelding?).



















And then a few spring fever herd shots.


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## RedTree (Jan 20, 2010)

what a beautiful bunch of horses, love the first herd photo


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## A knack for horses (Jun 17, 2010)

I'll take Buddy!!! :wink: I think he is handsome. Lovely photos!


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

Great pics! Love the new tack, and the pics of them playing in the pasture!!


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Lovely pictures, the paint is gorgeous! I'll take that crappy dun gelding off your hands for ya ;-)


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

For those who want Buddy, let me just fill you in on a little something. 

I took him on a short ride today to check out a new stretch of trail, and it was OMG-muddy. First problem. It's difficult to sidestep mud like a sissy girl and avoid scraping against trees and boulders at the same time....so we did a lot of scraping. Then it came to an OMG-actual-water-crossing. So of course it's a balk. And I ask him to walk calmly through it, thankyouverymuch. And he, naturally, does the sensible thing and lurches over it like an obese, crippled, mentally handicapped deer. Straight over the water and headfirst into a tree. Pity the blow to the noggin didn't knock any sense into him...


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Those aren't very good examples of a horse being crappy, both issues can be easily fixed with proper training and are examples of something I see EVERY green or improperly trained horse do.

Gorgeous pics, I'm envious of you and your green grass.


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## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

Sooo...because you might not work well with this gelding, it makes HIM crappy???


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

MacabreMikolaj said:


> Those aren't very good examples of a horse being crappy, both issues can be easily fixed with proper training and are examples of something I see EVERY green or improperly trained horse do.


"Crappy" was the word I used to avoid a potentially offensive-to-certain-members other word. How about "stupid?" Because he is. God love him, he's as immature and flat-out dumb as a horse can be. And that's not a value judgment--that's a fact. He's mentally challenged.

I've had him for a while but never confronted sticky black mud or small water crossings before. I don't have frequent access to trails, and I doubt his previous owners ever trail rode him, either. His brain was fried from being cowboyed and roped off of, so he's a nervous wreck whenever things deviate the slightest from the norm.

My beef isn't that he skirted the mud or jumped the creek. He's inexperienced; he's not used to that stuff. Whatever. My problem is that he ran headfirst _into a freakin' tree_ when he had 20 feet of clear space to make the leap, and that he **** near skidded sideways off a cliff trying to keep his tootsies dry. A 16-year-old using horse should be more sensible than that, regardless of the circumstances.



EveningShadows said:


> Sooo...because you might not work well with this gelding, it makes HIM crappy???


Yes. Obviously. :roll:


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

So you know his brain has been fried from a certain type of work, and then just expect him to be "smart"? That's a pretty crappy reason to call a horse crappy. No reason to get defensive, you're the one who called him a crappy horse and proceeded to give pretty lousy reasons why. Why not sell/give him to someone who doesn't have such a problem with his "stupidity"? :roll:


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

What's a horse with no trail experience or no experience with mud or water supposed to do when confronted with both for the first time with a rider? You'll remember that horses cannot see directly in front of them, so actually running into a tree isn't all that astounding if he was otherwise occupied. Leaping over something (especially water/mud) when confronted with it for the first time is a _completely_ normal reaction for a horse - even if it was less-than-graceful. 
Poor guy sounds like he needs a change of scenery. 
Horses are naturally weary, and naturally sure-footed. They don't want to step in the slick mud (or get stuck in a substance that they don't know!) so they skirt the edge - even if that edge is on a cliff, the horse feels safer being surefooted on the cliff edge than trying out footing it has no idea about - problem is the rider can greatly, greatly disrupt a horse's balance and surefootedness. 
I fail to see how EITHER of these completely normal reactions are supposed to make this horse "stupid."


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

I know exactly where a horse like him would end up, and it ain't pretty.

I don't expect him to be smart. I don't expect him to meld his personality from anything other than what it is. I do, however, expect him to not jump headfirst into trees, so I figured those standards are pretty low. Figured I was doing him a favor by letting him retire from the high-stress disciplines of roping and barrel racing and doing easy-on-the-body-and-mind trail stuff, but guess I was wrong there, too.


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## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

My pony used to LEAP over ditches and will now tip toe through - it's about investing time and patience instead of just expecting...


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

You won't get very far _expecting _certain things from horses when it deviates from their natural instincts. Taking the time to train them out of those natural instincts (i.e. jumping water/avoiding water and mud) takes, well... time. And training. He doesn't know what YOU want. He just knows that he's never seen this weird substance before, and for all he knows, it might suck his legs under - so his instincts kick in. Not a thing wrong with that. He might make a splendid trail horse if you train him how you would like him to handle certain obstacles, but you will get nowhere fast if you just expect a horse to know what to do (contrary to their nature) when confronted with something new. 
Again, not shocked at all that he jumped the water or skirted the mud. Once again, he isn't the first, andwon't be the last horse to run into a tree - their vision is extremely limited to the front of them. Nonexistant right in front of them. 
You're not wrong about him possibly making a fine trail horse - what you are wrong about is expecting a horse to know what you want, when confronted with something it has never seen before. 
He looks like a sweet, but very attentive, extremely responsive horse. Shame he was pushed too hard.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Horses do a LOT of self endangering stupid things that make no sense to us. It certainly doesn't make them stupid.

I understand what you were trying to say, and it was probably a joke, but YOU'RE the one who tried to "give him away" for being crappy. I guess I just don't personally understand that state of mind that can call an animal stupid for being ruined by humans and reacting to natural instincts.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

JustDressageIt said:


> What's a horse with no trail experience or no experience with mud or water supposed to do when confronted with both for the first time with a rider?




Jump. I have no problem with that. I asked him to walk quietly; he panicked anyway, whatever. He's not experienced. I forgive him.




> You'll remember that horses cannot see directly in front of them, so actually running into a tree isn't all that astounding if he was otherwise occupied.


 
Well, it was a rather large tree, and he sort of had to jump sideways to get to it, and I was attempting to guide him in a straight line (and he _is_ a broke, reined horse), and even after hitting the branch square in the forehead he still tried to keep plowing through it while it scraped his face all up, so I'm not really going to cut him much slack here....




> Leaping over something (especially water/mud) when confronted with it for the first time is a _completely_ normal reaction for a horse - even if it was less-than-graceful.


 
Sure is. Though I still rather doubt it was a 16-year-old's first time seeing mud or water, ever, especially since the woods/pasture where he lives is full of it, and he happily clomps through it all day long. Oh, I get it, being ridden is a different thing--but doesn't that just lead us back to our "smart" argument? Sure, horses have different associations in different situations, and blah blah blah, but come on. Even the water-jumping I can see. But mud is just not that **** scary.




> Poor guy sounds like he needs a change of scenery.


 
I'm going to pretend I don't know what you meant and just say that, LOL, this WAS a change of scenery!! 




> Horses are naturally weary, and naturally sure-footed. They don't want to step in the slick mud (or get stuck in a substance that they don't know!) so they skirt the edge - even if that edge is on a cliff, the horse feels safer being surefooted on the cliff edge than trying out footing it has no idea about - problem is the rider can greatly, greatly disrupt a horse's balance and surefootedness.


 
Rocky shale, thorn bushes, boulders, and crumbling ground (not to mention sharp tree branches to repeatedly bash against) on the side. Scary slippery pokey stuff. Versus ugly but perfectly solid mud--which you'd think he would have figured out after about the, oh, fifth time slogging through it, when nothing remotely bad happened to him, and with me reassuring him with nice wither rubs and soft words. But nope.




> I fail to see how EITHER of these completely normal reactions are supposed to make this horse "stupid."


I could give other examples....herd sourness to a max extreme, panicking when other horses are out of sight, going ballistic after a trailer ride when he's been hauled his whole life (and never a bad experience that I know of), an insane desire to the point of obsession for treats (which he must must MUST have, and though he's never rewarded and always disciplined for rudeness/pushiness, he never gets the hint), an innate NEED to attack any knotted rope with gusto, fervor, and true aggression by grabbing it in his teeth and shaking it like a dog, the inability to find his own stall after almost two years (so instead he goes in the big herd bully's stall, and gets rewarded with a bite and kick)....


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## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

I don't understand why you have him...someone else might have a beautiful relationship with him instead of your intolerance for his insecurity.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I have no idea how any of the above is an abnormal reaction from a horse. 

"Righteo, but I can't exactly invest time and patience on the very first water crossing we encounter, now, can I?"
Sigh. Yes, you can, and should. I'm not getting into it.

He really reminds me of one horse I worked with - needed a certain type of approach to him; he was called "dense" on more than one occasion, too... 
Anyways, good luck with him. I don't want to create any more commotion in this thread than I already have - just irks me when a horse's natural response is degraded or otherwise mocked when the horse has done nothing wrong. A misunderstanding, if you will.
Nice-looking herd. Jealous of the greenery.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

EveningShadows said:


> My pony used to LEAP over ditches and will now tip toe through - it's about investing time and patience instead of just expecting...


Righteo, but I can't exactly invest time and patience on the very first water crossing we encounter, now, can I?



JustDressageIt said:


> You won't get very far _expecting _certain things from horses when it deviates from their natural instincts. Taking the time to train them out of those natural instincts (i.e. jumping water/avoiding water and mud) takes, well... time. And training. He doesn't know what YOU want. He just knows that he's never seen this weird substance before, and for all he knows, it might suck his legs under - so his instincts kick in. Not a thing wrong with that. He might make a splendid trail horse if you train him how you would like him to handle certain obstacles, but you will get nowhere fast if you just expect a horse to know what to do (contrary to their nature) when confronted with something new.
> Again, not shocked at all that he jumped the water or skirted the mud. Once again, he isn't the first, andwon't be the last horse to run into a tree - their vision is extremely limited to the front of them. Nonexistant right in front of them.
> You're not wrong about him possibly making a fine trail horse - what you are wrong about is expecting a horse to know what you want, when confronted with something it has never seen before.
> He looks like a sweet, but very attentive, extremely responsive horse. Shame he was pushed too hard.


Already addressed a lot of that post in a reply above. "Sweet," OK. Pocket pony to the extreme. Nosey. Obnoxious. Pushy. But all right, good-natured enough. Friendly. That's a plus, right?

Not too responsive because he thinks every cue means "stick your head up in the air and take off at a run." I guess that's what the ropers taught him. Just getting him to not snap, bull up, and run back to the barn has taken a lot of work and time. Any sort of leg cue, obviously, means go faster. And a touch of the reins means "oh crap she's going to jerk my face off so I better beat her to the punch and stiffen as tight as I can to brace against the pain." We're still working through those issues, but it's taking a lot of time. I try to cut him slack because of his past. I doubt he was ever outright abused, but he was obviously ridden very, very badly...I saw him at a barrel race once, and he was crazy out of control. I imagine that was pretty typical.



MacabreMikolaj said:


> Horses do a LOT of self endangering stupid things that make no sense to us. It certainly doesn't make them stupid.
> 
> I understand what you were trying to say, and it was probably a joke, but YOU'RE the one who tried to "give him away" for being crappy. I guess I just don't personally understand that state of mind that can call an animal stupid for being ruined by humans and reacting to natural instincts.


Even if his brain hadn't been fried under saddle, I still strongly suspect he'd be a little....challenged....when it comes to normal horsey things. He's not a quick one to grasp new concepts, that's for sure.

I got him to try to protect him from a bad situation. His previous owner was going to either give him away to a gal I know who takes rather shoddy care of her animals (and whose horse had just died of colic) or sell him to ropers (who are notorious for poor horsemanship, as ol' Buddy can clearly attest). I rather liked the guy, and of course felt sorry for him, so I paid way-hay-hay too much for him and brought him home. He rode pretty decent at first, but he had bloody scabs in the corners of his mouth when I got him, and he'd been out of riding for some time. Once he realized I wasn't quite as forceful as his old owner, all of his old issues which had been lurking beneath the surface came right back up. You can only cover those up for so long....


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

EveningShadows said:


> I don't understand why you have him...someone else might have a beautiful relationship with him instead of your intolerance for his insecurity.


I rather doubt that. It takes a special person with the patience of a saint to get along with Bud Man, and in loving but inexperienced hands he'd quickly become dangerous and unmanageable. He barely treads the line of sanity now.

Why do I have him? Because I'm an idiot with a big heart and apparently a penchant for impulse horse buying.



JustDressageIt said:


> I have no idea how any of the above is an abnormal reaction from a horse.




I've worked with a lot of horses, and have several others with very similar backgrounds to him (pushed too hard, mentally strained, retired rodeo-to-trail mounts), and they're all living in the exact same situation now. None have his anxiety issues. Those, I'm sure, were pre-existing things from before the bad riding. None have his nasty pocket pony behaviors, either, or his strange obsession with knots, of all things.  Or his inability to stand still on the ground. Or understand simple concepts. Or take so long to learn cause/effect relationships.




> He really reminds me of one horse I worked with - needed a certain type of approach to him; he was called "dense" on more than one occasion, too...





> Anyways, good luck with him. I don't want to create any more commotion in this thread than I already have - just irks me when a horse's natural response is degraded or otherwise mocked when the horse has done nothing wrong. A misunderstanding, if you will.




Yet I somehow don't get the impression that he's horribly offended and hurt because I'm posting unkind (if true) things about him on a website. Haven't caught him crying or cutting, anyway.

I'd gladly sell him for a very reasonable price to a home where I know he'd be properly taken care-of and enjoyed. I just doubt that such a place exists. And as it stands, he's got a pretty **** good life, so....


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

bubba13 said:


> Yet I somehow don't get the impression that he's horribly offended and hurt because I'm posting unkind (if true) things about him on a website. Haven't caught him crying or cutting, anyway.
> 
> .


Well shows how much you know Bubba, I confiscated Appy G's cell phone earlier and it seems that Buddy is VERY upset with you bad mouthing him, well I _think_ he's upset, his spelling, punctuation and grammar haven't improved much have they??


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Lovely looking horses, I still want that paint (was his name Mack?)

I would be in trouble too, I love my TB mare more than I would like to admit to anyone, especially myself, but I have some questionable terms of endearment that I use for her too. Even now that she is beautifuly behaved and doesn't deserve it ha ha:

Garbage Guts
Horror Show
Bugalugs
Monster

But when no-one can hear me say it, I call her my "Little Girl." 

She knows I love her :wink:


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Oh for crying out loud. I didn't mean the horse would be upset - rather that I'm disappointed that Bubba would have this reaction to perfectly normal responses to a new situation. I've no beef with the horse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

It's OK JDI, we know where you were coming from! I think the water crossing was an example of said horse's intelligence (which was the original beef I believe). Whilst it wasn't the best example, it is true that some horses are more blessed than others in the neurological department and everyone has different ways of dealing with it.


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

He is a gorgeous boy & I wouldn't mind taking him off your hands, but we've already got a couple airheads of our own. Lovable though they are, it can be very frustating at times.
My sister's paint has no retention. You get her through something and in 5 minutes she has completely forgotten what she just did. She can't find her way home on the trail even though she has been riding on the same trails for 3 years. She is very responsive, but literally needs to be told every single thing. Great if that is what you like, not so great if you are just taking a leasurely trail ride.
My buckskin would be considered fried. She has done just about everything, but still spooks over butterflies and hates new things. I think she is actually smart though, and just does it to try & get out of working.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Golden Horse said:


> Well shows how much you know Bubba, I confiscated Appy G's cell phone earlier and it seems that Buddy is VERY upset with you bad mouthing him, well I _think_ he's upset, his spelling, punctuation and grammar haven't improved much have they??


Well, Appy G isn't exactly the best influence either, is he? Do you know how big of a texting bill Buddy racked up last month? And how many cell phones he busted with his hooves? I think he may have abused his priviledges for the last time....



sarahver said:


> Lovely looking horses, I still want that paint (was his name Mack?)
> 
> I would be in trouble too, I love my TB mare more than I would like to admit to anyone, especially myself, but I have some questionable terms of endearment that I use for her too. Even now that she is beautifuly behaved and doesn't deserve it ha ha:
> 
> ...


I think your "mean" names are still considerably kinder than mine. Buddy doesn't have any special terms of endearment (besides Ol' Stripey), but Brandy has several. One of which also starts with a B. Gotta love mares.

Mack is pretty. He's not too bright either. Must be a dun thing. ("Dun and Dunner," I call the pair.) Right after I snapped the trotting photo he turned around, and with great exuberance and love for life but no malice whatsoever, aimed a kick right at my head. Granted he was several feet away and I was in no real danger, but still. All the other horses beat him up because he's such a sissy pushover. He's the only one of the herd who seeks out people just to stand and be petted.



JustDressageIt said:


> Oh for crying out loud. I didn't mean the horse would be upset - rather that I'm disappointed that Bubba would have this reaction to perfectly normal responses to a new situation. I've no beef with the horse.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Running into trees is still not particularly normal.

Thought of a few more Buddisms (not to be confused with Buddhism).

He can neither walk nor back in a straight line. It's not a neurological thing. It's a "I gotta swing my head all over the place to look at stuff over there and make sure the other horses didn't suddenly disappear, and I guess my feet will just have to follow the direction of my head." 

You can't look at his nose. Seriously. If he catches your eyeballs pointed as his nostrils, he'll freak out, go into a snorting fit, sneeze violently, and then hide his nose from you.



flytobecat said:


> He is a gorgeous boy & I wouldn't mind taking him off your hands, but we've already got a couple airheads of our own. Lovable though they are, it can be very frustating at times.
> My sister's paint has no retention. You get her through something and in 5 minutes she has completely forgotten what she just did. She can't find her way home on the trail even though she has been riding on the same trails for 3 years. She is very responsive, but literally needs to be told every single thing. Great if that is what you like, not so great if you are just taking a leasurely trail ride.
> My buckskin would be considered fried. She has done just about everything, but still spooks over butterflies and hates new things. I think she is actually smart though, and just does it to try & get out of working.


I wonder if some of these "challenged" horses were dummy foals, or suffered head injuries, or were just not very blessed to begin with. Honestly.


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## Utnapishtom (Jul 22, 2010)

Haha...cool horses. I'm sure your dun doesn't mind you calling him crappy...I call my dog crappy all the time, but everyone knows I still love him...not sure why people are having a problem with this. You did him a favor. He looks well cared for and you should be proud of yourself


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## AngieLee (Feb 20, 2011)

its hard for horses to back in a straight line. acording to my instructor thats one of the "finished products". is backing lightly in a straight line. or a striaght line in general. (its something im currentlt working on with my gelding... well backing up in general. as soon as you pull back on the reins, his head shoots up. i dont think his previous rider did much backing up with him)

he's a very beautiful horse tho!  i love the paint to, i'm persinally not a huge fan of paints, but he is freaking gorgous. i love the first herd shot. but all your horses are stunning! and im VERY jelouse if of your greenery  my boy and his fellow herd mates are still stuck in slop. stupid mud season *grumble grumble*

my boys a very intelegent horse. learns very quickly, and willing to try everything. and i'm not just saying that because i'm bias, i'v had others tell me that to. However he does have his moments, today we were walking out of the barn, and into the indoor arena, he droped his head to sniff something but continued walking foward and walked into the gate:roll:.

and he has his not so nice names to. lol the main one being f*cktard.lol or just tard. but i love him to freaking peices!


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Got a few more of Mack....



















And the group.


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## reining girl (Jan 30, 2009)

no fair!!! look at those huge fields of green grass! everything over here is still brown. How about the palomino, ill take him =)


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

You can fight my mom for that one.
But you CAN have the grass. Pretty and all, but when you have a herd of fatties, it's bad news. Three with grazing muzzles and two banished to a drylot, and still gaining weight...


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Couple o' Bones...


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

Wow! She doesn't look nearly as hateful as she usually does!


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

She was about 90% asleep, so that may have helped.


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## AllThePrettyHorses (Dec 15, 2010)

corinowalk said:


> Wow! She doesn't look nearly as hateful as she usually does!


:rofl: I don't know why, but this made me laugh my @ss off.


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## lacyloo (Jul 1, 2008)

Gotta be nice when posting on this forum bubba, you know how many hate you from the previous threads :lol: 

Just bustin your *****, love the pictures. Feel free to send me any of tack you have LOL I am feeling tack poor :-(


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

I _have_ made quite the name for myself, haven't I? 
The real reason that Bonesies looks a little dopey is that she wasn't listening to my Tom Thumb bit, so I bloodied her mouth up with the barbed-wire curb and whacked her over the head a few times with a 2x4. She was pretty loopy but way more agreeable after that...

I ain't gonna _send_ you know tack, but I'd sure sell or make you some! I do have several sets for sale....


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

That last picture almost looks pro -nice composition.
Your poor horsey's look so abused (heavy sarcasm) -LOL:lol:


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## Frankiee (Jun 28, 2010)

wow super gorgeous !!!


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Thank you....wish I had a nice camera, but nice cameras cost _money_....*whine*


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## lacyloo (Jul 1, 2008)

Please tell me you left rusty nails in the 2x4? :wink:


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Oh no, wouldn't do that. Couldn't stand to abuse my horse. Might have left a few inch-long splinters in her skull, though, but I'm sure they'll work their way out in time.


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## lacyloo (Jul 1, 2008)

I heard motor oil helps with that :wink:


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