question for the cowBOYS!
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08-06-2011 10:46 PM
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Gailforce
  - Joined on 08-23-2010
- BC, Canada
- Under Saddle
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question for the cowBOYS!
i would like my husband to like riding. he has briefly sat on my horse and we have gone on trail rides a couple times for an hour apiece. his complaint--it hurts his balls! there i said it. and since i don't have that issue, i don't have a response or a solution. do you get used to it? do you wear a jockstrap? how does it work for you all? what can i say? you gotta ask. i know what to do with girls, but, i sure don't know what to do with the boys. --gail
Gailforce -- Another old lady rediscovering her inner cowgirl.
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FloridaHorseman
  - Joined on 01-05-2007
- Lakeland, Florida
- Horse of the Year
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
Tighty whities should be sufficient. But I suspect the "problem" is more of a psychological excuse than an anatomical handicap.
Most of us who ride in our adult years started riding as kids. I know very few men who start riding later in life. Mostly because of their competitive nature and the dreaded P word. Pride. They don't want to be seen as being bad at something a woman can do. Especially a woman they wake up next to every day. And Heaven help any man who falls off his horse or has it run away with him in mixed company.
And there's another factor that sometimes figures into a man's reluctance to start riding as a mature adult. I call it Breadwinner's Syndrome. We all know we're not as resilient and fearless as we were in our first two or three decades of life. Getting injured could have negative ramifications on our jobs and household income. It becomes a risk vs. benefit consideration. And we all know how easy it is to get hurt around horses.
I have yet to meet a man who didn't have a "inner cowboy" that gets expressed in some sort of activity or behavior. But actually getting on a horse without the knowledge or ability to have full control over the situation while others are watching is not on the top of most men's to-do list. Yes. I said "control" in the same breath as "men". But that's a whole different thread, if not deserving of its own complete forum.
If convincing a man in your life to start riding with you is very important to the relationship I can only suggest two things; 1) give him the opportunity to take private lessons from a MALE riding instructor. And that's WESTERN riding! Don't expect him to stuff his junk into riding breeches first time out, no matter how cute you think his butt is. Or, 2) get real creative with a birthday or Christmas present and spring for his own separate vacation at a dude ranch, aka Billy Crystal in City Slickers, where he can make mistakes in front of people he doesn't know and will never see again plus, come home with regalia of his natural buckaroo machismo nobody can confirm or deny.
Oh! Three things actually.... don't forget the tighty whities. ~FH
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48northfarm
  - Joined on 03-01-2009
- Port Townsend, WA
- Horse of the Year
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
Good explanation, Skip. Now I know why my partner insists that I don't need to hire a barn sitter if I'm going somewhere. He's hurt b/c I don't ask him to take care of the barn/horses, even though he doesn't want to and he doesn't know how to do it. I guess he figures if a woman can do it, he can do it.
He still thinks that even after a near-disaster occurred when I allowed him to feed the horses dinner when I was delayed in my return from a clinic. Rather than call the barn sitter back--my preference--he said he could do it. I thought all he needed to do is put out dinner and let the horses in--that's easy enough--but unbeknownst to me the barn sitter let the horses in, out of a heavy rain storm, before he had to feed.
He opened a stall door and brought in the hay for Havannah, thinking she'd go straight to the hay and he didn't need to fully close the door behind himself. Well, Havanah was frantically looking for Juno--the horse I had with me at the clinic--and he couldn't read her anxiety. So, she ignored the hay and went for the door. She broke through the half-open door and set out to find Juno. Fortunately, her barn sourness didn't allow her to go very far so after a trip up the aisleway she went back into her stall. He spent the next few hours repairing the door before I got back, and Havannah was no worse for the wear after going through the door. Whew. He would have had NO idea how to catch her if she had gotten away from the barn.
Even after that ordeal, he STILL doesn't want me to hire a barn sitter. Men. Megan
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"The horse you get off is not the horse you got on. It is your job as a rider to ensure that as often as possible, the change is for the better."
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Gailforce
- Joined on 08-23-2010
- BC, Canada
- Under Saddle
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
ha, you guys are funny..... i don't really care if my dh rides or not (ok, it would be nice, but, i've had him 16 yrs, so, i'll keep him even if he doesn't ride), but, he wants to go to a dude ranch and see if trail riding is something he would like. and, that is and has been his big complaint (or excuse), so, i had to ask someone. i'll go buy him a new pack of undies now 
Gailforce -- Another old lady rediscovering her inner cowgirl.
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mtegge
  - Joined on 03-12-2007
- Kamloops, BC
- Yearling
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
Hey Gailforce, as a fellow British Columbian...and having a similiar dilema...i would suggest taking your hubby to Sundance Guest Ranch in Ashcroft, BC. Not only will it provide you with a fun getaway for the 2 of you, its an amazing place! but it will give him the chance to experience a lot of wide variety of trail rides. They pick the horses to the level of rider and you go for 2x 2-2.5 hour trail rides a day. My hubby used to work on a ranch do irrigation, and help occasionally with cows and ride. So when he got with me i tried to get him riding more often. He would come with me, but as FH said his pride was in the way. I have my horses, so we went to the ranch, we got seperate into 2 different groups (advanced and beginner/intermediate) he had a blast and so did i. now i even bought him a horse and he'll come riding with me without having pride issues. He even got barn chores down including feeding lol. It helps we have the horses at home:) He was in a group with a bunch of guys that were like him, so it helped and you go out with a wrangler. Just an idea!
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Gailforce
- Joined on 08-23-2010
- BC, Canada
- Under Saddle
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
thanks mtegge. i'll check out their website. i think we might go to one called the flying u at 70 mile house. my friend went and she loved it. you get unlimited riding without a guide. my friend said you could keep the same horse or change, so, she tried several different ones and thought they were all good.
Gailforce -- Another old lady rediscovering her inner cowgirl.
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mtegge
- Joined on 03-12-2007
- Kamloops, BC
- Yearling
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
Flying U is pretty good! We have a cabin out at green lake! So in the summer it would be awesome to go there!! Both are have different set ups with what they provide! but are fun!!!
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
When/if I get a chance to go to a Canadian dude ranch, I want to go to The Homplace Ranch near Calgary. They will even shuttle you to Spruce Meadows during the big shows there - so it would be an english AND western vacation, lol.
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Gailforce
- Joined on 08-23-2010
- BC, Canada
- Under Saddle
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
 schoolhorserider:When/if I get a chance to go to a Canadian dude ranch, I want to go to The Homplace Ranch near Calgary. They will even shuttle you to Spruce Meadows during the big shows there - so it would be an english AND western vacation, lol.
i've done that dude ranch. it was called my childhood  i grew up in calgary and we kept our horses toward bragg creek, not too far from the homeplace ranch. i started drinking at the ranchman's at 18 (ok, before, ssshhhh ) and i've eaten at the powderhorn restaurant dozens of times (wonderful resaurant, just like an old west hotel) and, of course, i've been to spruce meadows (the first barns i'd ever been in that have wrought iron chandeliers). loved it all, and that is the most gorgeous side of alberta, the foothills! one place they didn't mention worth visiting is heritage park. you can go there on the same day you go to spruce meadows, it's on the way. it's an old west town with horse drawn trams, blacksmith shop, lots of gorgeous old houses and old time shops where you can buy all kinds of things like fresh baking or candy out of the glass jars like in 1890, very nicely done. nicest one i've seen. if it wasn't for dastardly cold winters and crazy summer days that start hot, hot, hot and end with thunderstorms and golf ball size hail in the early evening and the possibility of snow every month of the year, well, gee, i might still live there. but, i'm a wimp and i bailed and went for the mild west coast weather. i haven't actually ridden at the homeplace ranch, but, i would give it thumbs up just from the website info and knowing the area.
Gailforce -- Another old lady rediscovering her inner cowgirl.
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
FH, Agree with the tighty whities, but now you might be able to use the boxer briefs that have elastic in the legs like briefs, but are longer but not as long as regular boxers. Frank
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Cotoncandie
  - Joined on 11-05-2005
- Quebec/New Brunswick
- Champion
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
My ex used to wear tight boxer briefs and still complained. His riding instructor (man) told him to suck it up, sit up straight and be a man...
Magic, 30 mins later, no more hurt! He wanted to go again! ;) I think it was more psychological than physical!
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Gailforce
- Joined on 08-23-2010
- BC, Canada
- Under Saddle
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
Cotoncandie: His riding instructor (man) told him to suck it up, sit up straight and be a man...
LOL
Gailforce -- Another old lady rediscovering her inner cowgirl.
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
Cotoncandie: My ex used to wear tight boxer briefs and still complained. His riding instructor (man) told him to suck it up, sit up straight and be a man...
Magic, 30 mins later, no more hurt! He wanted to go again! ;) I think it was more psychological than physical!
When I was riding Mystic, I was still using briefs. I just started using the boxer briefs rather recently. Frank
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Gailforce
- Joined on 08-23-2010
- BC, Canada
- Under Saddle
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
my dh name is frank. you're making me think he's spying......lol
Gailforce -- Another old lady rediscovering her inner cowgirl.
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Meg
 - Joined on 08-04-2005
- Oak Harbor Wa
- Champion
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Re: question for the cowBOYS!
Hmm the first thing that comes to mind is for him to "adjust himself" to a more comfertable pisition LOL you see men everywhere adjusting all the time so why not do it to get comfy on horse back?
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