Hi I am new here

Hi guys.

I am very interested in bitless and treeless riding so I've registered here.
I'd like to introduce myself and my 2 mares.
I have rescued mare Nikita and her 1 year old filly Vihar. Nikita is approx. 10 years old spanish bay mare bought off meat market in France. She came to me in September 2008 and gave birth to filly Vihar in April 2009. My friend started to retrain her under saddle about month ago and we progressed to bitless now.
We are using leather bitless wonder bossal and freeform anduro saddle and we enjoy hacks.

Welcome here! I'm sure you'll learn a lot here (as I am), and no doubt you'll have stuff to teach us as well

Thank you Cyndi.
I will be good student as I am just a beginner with horses.

Welcome to our little group!! As Cyndi said, you will learn lots here!

Hispano Horse, are you fairly young getting into horses, or are you an "older" beginner? I've always loved horses and grew up around them, but didn't have a lot of horse experience because I was quite young. By the time I was old enough to have my own horse, we didn't have them on our farm anymore. I didn't get my first horse (and only horse) until I was 40, so I'm really quite new to all this too!

I would love to hear how you are coming along with your horse experiences, so please keep us posted! I ride bitless and treeless (and barefoot).

Hi Cyndi and HorseHippie.
Thank you for lovely welcome.

I always loved animals and as a city girl grown up in Prague/Czech Republic I just had guinea pigs as kid. Later on I got 2 dogs that moved to Great Britain with me and OH.
I am old horsey beginner. I am 35 years old. I've got into horses when I moved to South Wales few years ago. I started to have lessons in riding school and then went for hacks with my friend. When I finished my studies to be veterinary nurse and passed my exams I got Nikita as a present. She was one of those horses destined for Italian plate. She was abused and it taken us about 1.5 years to trust us humans again (been deleyed by foal, taken everything slowly and easy with her).
Now we are bitless, treeless and also barefoot. All so far so good.
She is safe as houses on the road and does not bother about traffic, other horses or dogs on the road. Even my non horsey OH ridden her on Sunday (well sat on her and I walked by for his reassurance).
I am so proud of them and

Monika

Okay, if you think you're old, then what am I, getting into horses at 40??!! LOL I recently read about an 84-year-old lady who takes riding lessons, and got her first horse at the age of 83!! I believe someone in the bitless yahoo group mentioned that story.

Bless your heart for saving Nikita. How wonderful that she's safe on the roads and so on. Still working on that with my horse...not that I take her on the roads, but I'm trying to build up her confidence in the arena. She's still pretty spooky and I end up falling off her. We both need lots of work.

Well. Let's say it right...we are as old as we feel and as our mind is!
I feel pretty the same as in my twenties but sometimes bit sore after hard exercise.
Unfortunately, I sat on Nikita after 2 weeks I got her, she was still so scared and I ended up on the ground. Then I found she is in foal so she had a long break. We still have some issues with her feet and farriers but I got very good friend that will work with her and farrier. She already done miracles with her - re trained her under saddle. It took her two hours just to sit on Nikita first time. Now she is so happy to ride out end even in school (been so scared of enclosed spaces and all men, tolerated just females).
Unfortunately, we have only lanes between farms here to ride on. Drivers are very careful on roads here as there are many stables around here.
We need a lot of work as well but we've got al the time needed. I do not care if it will take us years to be good partners. The same with filly, luckily she is easy going as she had no bad experience with humans.

What an extraordinary lady - riding at age of 83. I am sure if you want something - everything is possible. Human's mind and will is so powerful.

I like your picure. What a beautiful horse. Is it you and your gelding/mare?

What a story Hispano!!

And yes, you are only as old as you feel. I am only 31 and have had horses since I was 13 but I still consider myself a beginner.

Do you have pictures of Nikita? How about the filly - does she have a name?

Yes, Monika, that is me on my mare, Fanny She is eight years old, very sensitive, smart and sweet...but can be skittish.

Hi HorseHippie,
I like your donks. I always wanted to have a donkey.
It must been lovely to grown up with horses, you are very lucky. You can learn so much from them.
I'll post some pics later as I am off to work now. Filly's name is Vihar that means Storm in Hungarian language. I am half Hungarian and also Vihar was beautiful horse in one book/story.

Hi Cyndi,
I've read your thread about bareback pads and I know her name now and also what her name could mean, never heard that.
She is lovely girl a credit to you.

Welcome Hispanohorse! I'm so glad things keep improving for you and Nikita If you don't mind my asking where in south Wales are you? I used to live there myself, and went to university there. (I'm now in beautiful Gloucestershire, just the other side of the border )

Hi lightrertouch.

I live in Caerleon and my girls are in Ponthir.
I used to drive to Hartpury college in Gloucestershire every Wendnesday when I studied to be veterinary nurse. I loved that place.

Here are promissed pics of my girls.

Nikita after our first hack (then bitted, not anymore)





And Vihar and me in field next morning

What wonderful horses!! Beautiful!

hi, Love the pictures of your horses, their beautiful names and Nikita's fairytale happy ending. She was so lucky to find you.

Thank you veru much Cyndi and fin for your lovely comments.
I am the lucky one to have them, they're giving back so much every single day. Sure we have our good and bad days.

Hello! That's weird, i've just joined and read the other intros and thought, i know those horses! Hello, it's Ellen with Gaia

Hi Ellen.
Just got on this forum, haven't been here for some time as very busy at work.
Hope you and Gaia are well.