[lila]

They are Borg....resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

LOL excellent reply! (Yes i am a Star Trek fan).

[Trakehner]

Sounds pretty typical...a sorority masquerading as a stable. A sad group of insecure riders....or a trainer with a huge ego.

Have fun being the odd one out. I love it when the Borg show up at shows in identical jackets, boots and matching drapes on the tack stall. I knew one barn where the girls were told they weren't to eat anything except what the barn brought. The ideas of a show weenie with chili brought tears to the eyes of the BNT. Luckily, they didn't win much...hard to watch the jumps with your nose in the air.

[harveyhorses]

I visited a barn like that when I was looking for a place for my step-daughter to ride. Spoke to the trainer, looked around, I could see her starting to panic, politely left, when we got in the car, she said with considerable alarm "Do you want me to be like THAT??"
She rode a dun rescue pony for years , then went western for her teenage rebellion
Just do your thing, you're probably giving them a lot to talk about....

[RedTahoe]

I am leasing a BNT's really lovely mare at their barn.

BNT? Is that Beer, Nose, and Throat?

[TBDressage916]

My friend calls trainers with students like that the "harem syndrome"

[CamdenLab]

At my trainer's barn everyone rides in the same brand saddle and if they don't, they are in the process of selling their current saddle in order to get one. Trainer rides in it, her trainer rides in it, so everyone rides in it. She suggested I get one and when I looked into it, just about died because of the cost. I haven't paid attention to the bridles, bits, pads or boots, but I'm sure there are several matchers.

[mjrtango93]

The nose thing may just be breed, and I am sure with everything else matching and the horses looking similar that you have several from even the same line. There is a line of Hanovarian I know that have that dip (friend had one, very arab-y head) and I believe there is a swedish line that does as well. Could also be on some of them from a stud chain when they were younger. Never heard of a crank noseband doing that before, but I guess it would be possible.

[tangledweb]

The nose thing may just be breed ...

I assumed the nose thing was a troll waiting for somebody to say "Oh they all use ANKY saddles, maybe the nose thing is a long term side effect of ROLLKUR"

[vineyridge]

Naah. Just a few well placed tacks in the nosebands. Or a bicycle chain inside. Great for training, don't you know?

TROLLKUR?

[EponaRoan]

The Stepford Riders would make for a great parody video. I'm just sayin' ...

[Czar]

I guess I'm the odd one out...I wouldn't mind that at all. I've always said when I have my own barn I will have matching everything - sheets, halters, polos, tack & even feed buckets! I've even considered owning only chestnuts with white! I also have a huge tupperware fetish & label EVERYTHING so it's really not a stretch for me.

[Trevelyan96]

Some people are just OC about having things organized, and it morphs into the Borg or Stepford syndrome.

The bumps may be from the entire barn being taught collectively to tighten nosebands too tight. My old guy got one from that when I let him go out on a lease. I was horrified the first time I accompanied the rider to a show and saw how tight she did his noseband. He came home the following week.

[Dispatcher]

At my trainer's barn everyone rides in the same brand saddle and if they don't, they are in the process of selling their current saddle in order to get one. Trainer rides in it, her trainer rides in it, so everyone rides in it. She suggested I get one and when I looked into it, just about died because of the cost. I haven't paid attention to the bridles, bits, pads or boots, but I'm sure there are several matchers.

How is that possible that one brand of saddle fits EVERY horse in the barn? Are they Stepford horses?

[smhlin110]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWuiGWkd7mM

There's Coke on my keyboard now....

[InWhyCee Redux]

Go purchase a Western saddle now, before the Stepford Riders catch Anky's reining video. BTW, does each SR have a DH (Dressage Husband) to carry their gear from the SUV to the barn?

[JulesGirl]

How is that possible that one brand of saddle fits EVERY horse in the barn? Are they Stepford horses?

They're custom fit to each individual horse; at least they were in the case of the barn I worked at.

[Pirateer]

Sometimes its a trainer requirement, sometimes its just the kool-aid.

Be happy its $3000 saddles.

At my barn its the "baby bump". Those cost a LOT more.

[Silver Snaffles]

I went out for an early morning ride this morning.

Head into the indoor and there is a guy there riding western, on a little QH mare.

Yippie! A normal person. We got chatting about western riding and qh's bloodlines ( if you ever want to get a cowboy talking, ask him about his horses bloodlines) I asked him what the deal was with the "stepford riders", apparently there is one lady who is the head honcho, and they all try and keep up with what she is doing and what tack she has.

The borders horses seem to be bred along the same lines, big honking warmbloods, with super wide backs with galloping housewives on them!
So, that solves the puzzle.

I was not intending on trolling about the nose bump,
I am just puzzled as to why all the horses, of different breeds have the same weird dent / bump. They do seem to have very tight crank nosebands on, so perhaps thats the cause?


Re the Salute , you do it twice of course!

[Ambrey]

How is that possible that one brand of saddle fits EVERY horse in the barn? Are they Stepford horses?

Well, almost everyone in the OTHER dressage barn at my stable has the same "brand" saddle, but actually they are custom saddles made by a local guy on individually chosen trees, etc. I'd totally Stepford along with them if I could afford it, those saddles are NICE!

[mswillie]

Stepford riders . . . or is that too old of a reference??? :-)

My first thought as well.