I Hart Booth Fan Club

Sure, phoebs. What exactly do you want to know? How far horses can travel without rest?

Exactly, Razz. We had to do what was right for him 'cuz he couldn't stay inside all the time and we couldn't take him outside every 5 minutes.

So, now we are looking for a puppy that we can train so we know what we are getting ourselves into. That's the problem with getting an older dog, you don't know their history.

that would be very helpful. I don't know really... I'm going to be writing a lot about traveling via horse. Perhaps any common mistakes made by people who don't know anything about horses or horseback riding. I'm trying not to include a lot of the technical details but again I don't want to say Gail rode from point a to point b in an unrealistic ammount of time for example.

We had really wanted to adopt and "save" an older dog, but at the Humane Society, it's so hard 'cuz they're all sick.

yeah... puppies are much better, if you have the time to train them. that's what we're trying to figure out now, cause we'd rather get a puppy, just cause then we could train it the way we wanted, but neither of us is sure when we'd have the time to care for one :-(

phoebsfan wrote:that would be very helpful. I don't know really... I'm going to be writing a lot about traveling via horse. Perhaps any common mistakes made by people who don't know anything about horses or horseback riding. I'm trying not to include a lot of the technical details but again I don't want to say Gail rode from point a to point b in an unrealistic ammount of time for example.

I gotcha. It can be hard to determine amount of time, especially when considering if the horse is walking, trotting, cantering, or galloping (the 4 main gaits). Oh, and 1 important thing: the rider always gets on the horse from the left side by placing the left foot in the stirrup and swinging the right leg over.

We DO have the time for training, so I think a puppy will work best. We just got a bit ahead of ourselves with the other dog. If they had told us he was an outside dog, we wouldn't have gotten him!

that is perfect right there... I wouldn't know the left thing. Now I do and I would probably make that mistake...now I won't. Thank you.

Meegs82 wrote:We DO have the time for training, so I think a puppy will work best. We just got a bit ahead of ourselves with the other dog. If they had told us he was an outside dog, we wouldn't have gotten him!

:-( that really sucks. they should have told you! That's a pretty important thing to just not mention.

No problem, phoebs. Oh, and something that might be helpful: horses are incapable of throwing up. So, if a horse gets sick in your fic, make sure it doesn't throw up. Instead, the horse colics, the same as a baby.

himbeer29 wrote:

Meegs82 wrote:We DO have the time for training, so I think a puppy will work best. We just got a bit ahead of ourselves with the other dog. If they had told us he was an outside dog, we wouldn't have gotten him!

:-( that really sucks. they should have told you! That's a pretty important thing to just not mention.

No kidding! They told us "he loves to be outside." Well, so did my last dog. But we thought we would take him for walks and go to the dogpark and throw him a ball every day. They didn't say "he is an outside dog."

that is interesting and brings up interesting possibilities as well... hmm perhaps for another fic though. this one is getting out of hand.

Did jonezy's computer crash again? He disappeared.

himbeer29 wrote:and jonez... not to bring up bad memories... but does this mean the stones are gone? or do they just keep coming back?

If one is not careful they can produce stones constantly. I produce an average of 6 in each kidney at any given time. They randomly elect to move about. The process is that the sediments in your kidneys gather together and crystallize forming multi-faceted sharp edged stones. They can be granular like sand or very large like the end of pencil erasers or bigger. They form from diet, stress, calcium from the bones and lack of hydration. The solution in the kidneys becomes super saturated and that is the perfect breeding ground. After cutting through the kidney tissue the stones follow the urinary tract and cut and get lodged an dislodged indiscriminately. The back pressure from urine build-up pushes them along. They burn, itch, gouge, scrape, cut, clog, block and ultimately find their way out of the urethra. The process for a single stone may average 7 or more weeks and sometimes they get to a comfortable spot and don't hurt and then without much warning become vicious little bastards. The stone I'm passing right now has at least another three weeks through the smallest passages along the journey. It causes back pain and pressure like the lower back and abdomen are being squeezed like a toothpaste tube. For males, the added enjoyment comes from it activating all the nerves normally associated with the ultimate pleasure and turning it into the ultimate pain. The sensation for both genders is that of peeing broken glass and a severe urinary tract infection off and on for weeks at a time. The male also gets pain in the testes which feels like being stepped on and the nearest description but no where near the equivalent pain from that would be a stick in the eye that stays there. As any number of stones can be at any place along the journey -the fun is remarkably varied.

If you have any other questions, phoebs, just let me know.

Geez, jonezy. I feel for ya.

Horses can't throw up? How fascinating.

himbeer29 wrote:

Meegs82 wrote:He was really sweet dog, too. But we just couldn't provide for him. He was ALWAYS wanting to be outside. It was sad, I cried. I just hope he finds a good home.

awwww... yeah, you can't keep them indoors when they're used to the outside. Ultimately, that's why we had to give away our second dog (the first one died of old age), because my dad didn't want her and my mom moved to a smaller house in a neighborhood with small yards and not very roaming-dog friendly. (we used to live way out in the country so the dogs could jsut roam whereever). It's sad for us, but best for the dog :-(

Any of the small breeds are going to be extremely high energy for at least the first 3-4 years. They are all super cute and super smart. They are also super jealous and stubborn. If you look at hounds you have to deal with drama and lots of barking.

oh wow jonez. I don't know what to say. :-(

Yup, will. That's why horses poop so damn much...everything can only come out one end!

True true, jonezy. We are prepared for that, though. Although, we don't want one that is too yappy. That would suck.

I can see it now, Jake and Heather are having a nice romantic picnic and the horse is pooping in the background... "Did you know horses can't throw up?"

"Why no... let's make out."

I am not a fan of hounds. Especially basset hounds...bad experience with an evil one...

yeah. yappy dogs are the worst. my next door neighbor has a dog that barks all the time and it seriously sounds like it's dying. for the first month I lived here I was concerned until I just realized that's how it barks.