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by happyday on 19 March 2009 - 01:03
Uber you are a chick? didn't guess. - Women rule - wether Texan or Alabaman - you give great insite - should have known......
by ShelleyR on 19 March 2009 - 13:03
Shelley Strohl is 100% California girl, sadly displaced in the frozen wastes and humid mountains of Eastern PA now.
Actually, where I come from we don't even call land-forms like the Poconos "mountains". We call them "hills."
All this sharing about back injuries makes mine hurt. I've herniated several discs back when I was a jockey. Never had any surgery for them, don't take anything prescription for pain unless I have a new injury, sprained ankles, knees, dog-bite, something that puts me in bed temporarily, but if I didn't wake up in pain every morning I would be afraid I'd died in my sleep! Most people don't know that because I try to ignore it myself. I really feel for all the folks who come out here with more serious physical issues than mine. I probably don't have a lot of years of handling dogs left in me, 57 now, but I will treasure every one of them. Anyone who thinks I am in great physical shape needs to see me try to board the airplane home from a week at a major event. LOL
SS
Actually, where I come from we don't even call land-forms like the Poconos "mountains". We call them "hills."
All this sharing about back injuries makes mine hurt. I've herniated several discs back when I was a jockey. Never had any surgery for them, don't take anything prescription for pain unless I have a new injury, sprained ankles, knees, dog-bite, something that puts me in bed temporarily, but if I didn't wake up in pain every morning I would be afraid I'd died in my sleep! Most people don't know that because I try to ignore it myself. I really feel for all the folks who come out here with more serious physical issues than mine. I probably don't have a lot of years of handling dogs left in me, 57 now, but I will treasure every one of them. Anyone who thinks I am in great physical shape needs to see me try to board the airplane home from a week at a major event. LOL
SS
by bobbyc1980 on 19 March 2009 - 14:03
shelley, did you ride TBs or QHs?
by happyday on 19 March 2009 - 14:03
My aunt lived in Texas - she said everything there is bigger than in Alabama...Is that true?
by ShelleyR on 19 March 2009 - 14:03
I rode mostly TB's, but at the CA fair meets and in Phoenix I rode anthing they'd pay me for, including those damned Appies and an Arabian at Fermdale. I drew the line at Bishop Mule Days. I couldn't see bowing over and getting an ear in my mouth, much less somebody getting a picture of me on a mule and posting it on the racing office door at Bay Meadows or something. LOL Back then, (70's) girl jockeys endured harrassement the likes of which most modern women will never know. We few women had some very simple ways of dealing with it... all involving injury to the source. Sometimes I wonder how a nice, sweet little gal like moi got to be such a mean old bitch. Then I remember my 9 years on the race track, particularly Aqua Caliente in Tijuana... where the boys tried to put me over the inside rail for months before I wised up and got mean, afraid for my life. I still thank Henry Moreno and Shorty Allard for taking pity on me, teaching me to ride "dirty" (and not get caught.) We kept the ambulances busy for awhile there, but we cashed a lot of big gambles once they got done with my "riding lessons."
I only got caught once, in Boise, when I damned near stood apprentice Gary Stevens on his head dropping in on him on the first turn. 5 days suspension... It didn't help that the Stewards found the $.35 sewn into the popper on my whip while they were trying to decide if I did it on purpose. Ha ha ha.
SS
I only got caught once, in Boise, when I damned near stood apprentice Gary Stevens on his head dropping in on him on the first turn. 5 days suspension... It didn't help that the Stewards found the $.35 sewn into the popper on my whip while they were trying to decide if I did it on purpose. Ha ha ha.
SS
by happyday on 19 March 2009 - 15:03
Shelley you are quite the woman... I am 44 and I have been called mean, aggressive and much more as well. I think I am sweet...I guess that is just my opinion..lol I think most women after 30 get mean in one way or another - What got you in to the jockey business...
by bobbyc1980 on 19 March 2009 - 15:03
that had to be a while ago if gary stevens was an apprentice.ive talked to him quite a few times. i have a big picture of him that he signed when he was riding silver charm for bob baffert in california. gary of course went on to become one of the greatest west coast jockeys. julie krone led the way for female jocks i believe. she was as tough as any of the men out there. but nowadays theres not too many females riding at the top level, which is a shame. if anyone ever wants to see what theyre made of, try balancng all of your weight on an 1100 pound animal running at full tilt. and you have to balance on the ball of your feet. try that for 8 furlongs and see what you feel like.
by ShelleyR on 19 March 2009 - 16:03
Yeah. Gary went on to the top of the top. Back in Boise in 1980 he was a smarty-pants bug-boy riding for his father, leading trainer in the bushes. He learned some hard lesson from the old bush-track, bull-ring riders that summer. LOL
Actually, riding a mile (on a mile track) is a lot easier than 5-7 furlongs. You can rate your self and your mount at a mile, while you have to ride the hair off them the whole way at shorter distances. I used to love riding QH's. I could eat all I wanted and still have to carry lead, and the "strategy" was pretty simple: Break on top strapping, go to the front and improve your position. No traffic in the lead... There is nothing in this world to compare with breaking out of the latch on a quick 1200 QH. (as long as it stays on its feet and doesn't do something stupid, like bolt from the one-hole to the outside fence and stack the field on thier heads, that is... ;)
They say any part of the track you land on anything but your feet is yours for life. I own a lot of real estate. I broke 18 wild & wooly colts one year at Golden Gate fields, "bought" a lot of race track that year. I still shy at styronfoam cups bouncing across my path 30 years later. There's also a special patch at the bottom of the bank at the 1/2 mile pole (down by the barn) in Boise with my name on it and another one in the creek behind the clocker's stand on the back-stretch at GGF. Many a day I had to sweep racetrack off my floor when I got in the shower. amazing where that stuff can get on your person when you spontaneiously open up 3-4 lengths on your mount. :-( The girls didn't get the good mounts in the old days. the ones we got were uusally the ones the boys refused to ride, generally for very good reason... like they were still in Intensive Care. Most of the ones I was named on I had to get off the Starter's and Steward's lists before the racing office would take the entry. Good thing we were invincible when we were young, otherwise I'd have been dead after the first meet.
Small wonder I'm so arthritic. I put a lot of orthopedic surgeons' kids through school in the 70's and 80's, on first-name basis at every ER servicing Western tracks. Ha ha ha. I love the new Animal Planet show, Jockeys, but sometimes its hard to watch the wrecks. Been there, done that. The jockey fight makes me laugh. I beat the snot of of a couple of riders (one 3 times... she was a slow learner) ) towards the end of my career. (Phoenix, Ferndale, Pomona) They desperately deserved it, so the stewards turned a blind eye, but I did it in the jock's room, not where the crowd could see. BIG bad (long vacation) to stand in front of the stewards when you do ANYTHING untoward where the betting public can see it! Its long walk from their office to the stable gate. They do NOT let you stop by the barn for your purse and your helmut on your way out.
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Younger, stronger, cuter... and invincible?
How's we get on to horse racing?
SS
Actually, riding a mile (on a mile track) is a lot easier than 5-7 furlongs. You can rate your self and your mount at a mile, while you have to ride the hair off them the whole way at shorter distances. I used to love riding QH's. I could eat all I wanted and still have to carry lead, and the "strategy" was pretty simple: Break on top strapping, go to the front and improve your position. No traffic in the lead... There is nothing in this world to compare with breaking out of the latch on a quick 1200 QH. (as long as it stays on its feet and doesn't do something stupid, like bolt from the one-hole to the outside fence and stack the field on thier heads, that is... ;)
They say any part of the track you land on anything but your feet is yours for life. I own a lot of real estate. I broke 18 wild & wooly colts one year at Golden Gate fields, "bought" a lot of race track that year. I still shy at styronfoam cups bouncing across my path 30 years later. There's also a special patch at the bottom of the bank at the 1/2 mile pole (down by the barn) in Boise with my name on it and another one in the creek behind the clocker's stand on the back-stretch at GGF. Many a day I had to sweep racetrack off my floor when I got in the shower. amazing where that stuff can get on your person when you spontaneiously open up 3-4 lengths on your mount. :-( The girls didn't get the good mounts in the old days. the ones we got were uusally the ones the boys refused to ride, generally for very good reason... like they were still in Intensive Care. Most of the ones I was named on I had to get off the Starter's and Steward's lists before the racing office would take the entry. Good thing we were invincible when we were young, otherwise I'd have been dead after the first meet.
Small wonder I'm so arthritic. I put a lot of orthopedic surgeons' kids through school in the 70's and 80's, on first-name basis at every ER servicing Western tracks. Ha ha ha. I love the new Animal Planet show, Jockeys, but sometimes its hard to watch the wrecks. Been there, done that. The jockey fight makes me laugh. I beat the snot of of a couple of riders (one 3 times... she was a slow learner) ) towards the end of my career. (Phoenix, Ferndale, Pomona) They desperately deserved it, so the stewards turned a blind eye, but I did it in the jock's room, not where the crowd could see. BIG bad (long vacation) to stand in front of the stewards when you do ANYTHING untoward where the betting public can see it! Its long walk from their office to the stable gate. They do NOT let you stop by the barn for your purse and your helmut on your way out.
Younger, stronger, cuter... and invincible?
How's we get on to horse racing?
SS
by sniffydog on 19 March 2009 - 16:03
*drags topic away from horse racing*
I think you left out a few options on the dichotomy. I've done SAR air scent and track/trail, obedience, and agility with a German/Czech dog who had terrible conformation and fell apart on me (iffy hips, crap topline, and a predisposition toward cancer). I am now doing herding, tracking, and obedience, with an eye toward agility when he gets older, with a US show-lines pup who was evaluated as an excellent Schutzhund prospect at 4-5 months. He's been in the show ring and would probably have done better if the other end of the leash had a clue, but I can't stand to hand him over to someone professional. MY boy. We'll keep doing it until I get it right. It's supposed to be a versatile breed, and if I have a good one, I may as well put him where other people can see him.
Doesn't anyone else around here put sheep in front of their shepHERD?
I think you left out a few options on the dichotomy. I've done SAR air scent and track/trail, obedience, and agility with a German/Czech dog who had terrible conformation and fell apart on me (iffy hips, crap topline, and a predisposition toward cancer). I am now doing herding, tracking, and obedience, with an eye toward agility when he gets older, with a US show-lines pup who was evaluated as an excellent Schutzhund prospect at 4-5 months. He's been in the show ring and would probably have done better if the other end of the leash had a clue, but I can't stand to hand him over to someone professional. MY boy. We'll keep doing it until I get it right. It's supposed to be a versatile breed, and if I have a good one, I may as well put him where other people can see him.
Doesn't anyone else around here put sheep in front of their shepHERD?
by Mystere on 19 March 2009 - 17:03
i did with two and it was not pretty.
My first sch dog (trained and titled to Sch 2) was tested on a group of sheep with a ram ( I have been told it was not a ram, but, it had curved horns like the devil). The ram burst out of gate and I screamed, dropped the leash and ran. The bitch, then 9 months old, went for the ram and backed him up. Once he was under control, she played herder with the whole group...with the tester. I refused to go back into the enclosure.
My second sch dog, ( male trained and titled to Sch 3) was tested at 8 months. He did not "herd" the sheep. He chased, grabbed and took down a sheep. Then,he looked like "Now, what?" He ended up having a disagreement with the herder/tester about hitting him with the crook and backed the tester into a corner (after they struggled over the crook, which broke).
I have not had my third and present sch dog tested. She has dogs in her pedigree that I swore I never wanted in a pedigree of any dog of mine (Fero, line-bred) and Crok). I won't have her tested on sheep or anything else, because I am convinced that she will kill one and I don't feel like paying for mutton.
My first sch dog (trained and titled to Sch 2) was tested on a group of sheep with a ram ( I have been told it was not a ram, but, it had curved horns like the devil). The ram burst out of gate and I screamed, dropped the leash and ran. The bitch, then 9 months old, went for the ram and backed him up. Once he was under control, she played herder with the whole group...with the tester. I refused to go back into the enclosure.My second sch dog, ( male trained and titled to Sch 3) was tested at 8 months. He did not "herd" the sheep. He chased, grabbed and took down a sheep. Then,he looked like "Now, what?" He ended up having a disagreement with the herder/tester about hitting him with the crook and backed the tester into a corner (after they struggled over the crook, which broke).
I have not had my third and present sch dog tested. She has dogs in her pedigree that I swore I never wanted in a pedigree of any dog of mine (Fero, line-bred) and Crok). I won't have her tested on sheep or anything else, because I am convinced that she will kill one and I don't feel like paying for mutton.
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