Goodness! Drugging to ride, combination for trouble! Horse is uncoordinated, going to hurt YOU BOTH! Vet should be whacked upside the head for such a suggestion!! Plus read the possible reaction of male horse to ACE, damage to his system in above messages. I also would back up, go to training. Perhaps lunge him a bit before mounting to go. Getting an unfit, older horse into a fight, as you head out for a long ride, could hurt him, maybe permanently. Strains and sprains would be easy. Tuning a horse to stay quiet, calm on a group ride does take work. Not a one or two day project, plus you have to stay consistant, not allow any backsliding to bad behaviour. I take mine trail riding for a week. We have the Cross State Trail in Upper Michigan. Usually several scheduled rides each spring and fall. Takes about a week to ride the distance. New horse can be a little brat the first day or so, wants to be a groupie. I ride alone. He gets passed by others, has to keep walking, no jigging. We do circles, turn around and head back to start until he DOES walk quietly. Sometimes he will cover twice the ground other horses do in a day. He can walk as fast as he likes! When he allows others to pass, keeps walking quietly, then we add a trot. We now might even PASS someone during the day. I alternate, walk and trot, mostly walking. I am out riding to see the countryside, enjoy the view. Not a race to the next camp or keep up with others. He stays alert, looking ahead, noticing but not over-reacting to wildlife. By day 4, he is pretty good. Walking BIG. Knows that ahead are other horses, camp, food. Doesn't fuss when passed or passing others. This is because he has not WON any of the arguments. We do alternatives to his bad behaviour until he settles. Usually not having to jerk or haul on the reins for control because he is redirected immediatly from bad actions. Being tired at the end of ride is helpful as well. He is fairly fit when we start, not soft, unridden. You can hurt an unfit horse doing 10-20 miles a day, over rough trails. It isn't training, just exhaustion, they are not learning. I wouldn't drug to ride trails for any reason. Kind of like loosening the nuts on steering of a vehicle then zooming down a rough road. Not IF, just WHEN will the trouble start.

It didn't make me smile...it made me mad. Not at you...God, bless you for caring, but I would not rest five minutes until I had the Humane Society, Animal Control or anyone I could get over there to confiscate those animals. I wouldn't give a flying you know what, if they got mad at me or not. Mad...that would be fine. Who would want to associate with such scum bags, anyway. I live in the country, and I have animals, and I also work very closely with the humane society, because I rehab wildlife, and it is one of my biggest pet peeves...oh, but worse than a peeve, really....the idiots who move to the country and think a couple of acres of land is enough land to have multiple horses and all kinds of livestock. They end up standing in mud, chewing on trees and fence posts. The same fools will have a dog tied on a chain in a muddy yard. Even if you have plenty of land, there is so much involved in caring for livestock...besides feeding, which is especially expensive in the winter...but they also need regular worming and other care. I could say, "Well, be a good neighbor and gently teach them how to take care of animals" but, believe me...they are too stupid to learn, or they would have done it already. Sorry to vent...not at you...but this touched a nerve.

Very, very nice garden horses. You paint wonderfully. The one already in the garden is looking really nice. Please post pics of them when you are completely finished. Sal

WOW once again your work is so beautiful!! I do not understand the resin. Do you grout and then pour resin all over it or?? Just because I am not familiar with resin I will ask why? Is it a different way of grouting? I hate to be a dummy on this. And because you will know the feeling. I just finished adding the last glass to my mannequin.I will need to look her over tomorrow or when I get to it for missed spots. Just not enough light in the room tonight and too many places with glass drying. Thanks for adding your picture. Chris