I hadn't thought that it could be some muscle development,but you may be right. When I started a half-lease on one of my trainer's horses this past September, we began doing one lesson a week on the longe line, and it has made a *huge* difference in every aspect of my riding, and I know my leg is definitely stronger, so maybe I'm bulking up! ;> Kristyn

Yes, the reason I bought the Ariats was that I decided to ride in my barn's schooling show last spring, and all I had was a really cheap pair of suede half chaps, which I knew were not acceptable for show. I bought the Ariats in time to break them in a bit before the spring show, and they polished up nicely; I got compliments on them that day, in fact, but then the zipper issue started not long after. Like you, I am a "schoolhorserider" ;>, and I only ride in lessons @3x a week,

Yup, live and learn #98857473737: get half chaps which zip DOWN, not up! Our local tack store has a somewhat limited selection of half chaps, so I may just start looking online. I am planning to ride in my barn's schooling show in January, and I definitely cannot show in them unless I devise some mechanical way to keep the zippers up. So, to the Internet! thanks all for taking the time to reply.

I have the Ariat close contact half chaps. Bought them last spring, and liked them for awhile, but now the zippers keep sliding down while I ride. I make sure the zipper is in the locked position, and have tried other things short of taping them down, to no avail. I have wide calves, so I don't if that makes it worse; the only other rider at the barn who owns a pair has very slim calves, and she doesn't have the problem. Anybody have any ingenious ideas for keeping the zippers up? And why

If you have a Dept. of Agriculture extension office, or whatever they call it in your area, they should be able to provide you with all sorts of advice on pasture management and horse care. The Kentucky Horse Council also has a document on minimum horse care standards on their website. I think if you google "minimum horse care standards" you should find it. It's free for anyone to download. Cherry Hill also has an excellent book on managing the small horse acreage. I can't remember

This is somewhat of a follow-up topic to the thread on saddle recommendations. I am an older returning rider, riding 1-2x a week, and currently am only riding school horses. I have no current plans to buy my own horse, although I am beginning to explore leasing. I am tall and er, Junoesque;>, so there is generally only one saddle at the lesson barn which fits me, anyway, no matter which horse I ride. It finally occurred to me that maybe I could purchase my own saddle, even without the horse. I

I am glad to see this thread, as I just started riding again this past February after 20+ years away from it. I will be 50 in January. I am still trying to figure out exactly what my goal is. I'm taking lessons 2x a week, but what comes after that? I have never owned a horse, just rode school horses, but now am looking at leasing options. I do now have the income to support one horse, but probably not to compete or show much, nor do I have access to a trailer--never hauled anything that way,

It's been a while since I posted this, but just wanted to thank all of you who took the time to post your thoughtful replies. They are very helpful to me in getting a good picture of what I should be prepared for if/when I do get a horse. Another good resource I just found recently is a relatively new book published by the Humane Society on horse care. I know the HSUS is not universally beloved, but this book addresses the ethics involved in horse ownership as well as the mundane aspects. Chapter

I was originally attempting to be brief in my first post starting this topic, but based on the tone of some of the replies, maybe I should provide some context for my question. I do not own a horse, nor have I ever owned one. I took lessons on and off for years, then quit, and now started riding again recently after a 20 year hiatus. I do know that I am now at a point in my life where I could financially care for one horse, but only if I keep working ;>, so I really am simply gathering information

So, the lottery isn't working out for me, so I thought I'd ask--how do you fit it all in? Do you ride in the morning before work, or after, or only on the weekends? Do you *always* ride him/her when you see your horse, or just turnout/spend time? How many days a week do you ride, and for how long? I don't have kids, but I do have a husband who needs some time, too ;> Thanks! Kristyn