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Vera
Membership Moderator
 United Kingdom
8652 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Apr 2009 : 10:01:30 PM
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I am sooooo F*C*ING ANNOYED.
I've been typing a MASSIVE thread, with my comments throughout the whole programme and pressed the wrong button and lost the SODDING lot!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so annoyed I'm going to bed.
Please comment and I will return when I've put my toys back in my pram.
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Hampshire |
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rosie
Platinum Member
England
3662 Posts |
Posted - 21 Apr 2009 : 10:24:45 PM
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Oh dear Vera - poor you!
I absolutely loved the programme. Would love to have a go at the barrel racing - ace.
I wouldn't be any good at the bareback racing tho ' - they were so brill at vaulting on!
Loved to see the young children helping on the farm. |
     
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heatherr
Platinum Member
England
1882 Posts |
Posted - 21 Apr 2009 : 11:07:29 PM
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Oh bless V 
That woman Alexandra is a total idiot. I wasn't going to watch tonight until 2 of my friends called me to ask if I was watching.  |
Heather 
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Pauline
Platinum Member
England
3185 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2009 : 09:01:13 AM
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As kids we use to ride bare back all the time racing our ponies around the field and riding across the new forest (Bare Back )
barrel racing is great fun again Pony Club games ponies can do it too.
Alexandra was better in practice than she was in the race.
Pauline 
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Pauline Higgs
Equine & Human Holistic Therapist
www.thegentlestouch.co.cc
www.endurancegbmidsouth.co.uk
Berkshire / Hampshire Border |
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nicolanapper
Platinum Member
England
4247 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2009 : 1:09:21 PM
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Oh Vera, poor you, how very irritating, I too have done that and you really could kick yourself. Trust you got to sleep and were not too annoyed!!
Well, I did enjoy this programme, perhaps it was the best of the three that I have seen.
Really want to go to Montana and ride out there.
The only thing I was slightly bemused with was that Alexandra said she had never ridden bare back before. I thought she had ridden all her life. As kids growing up we all rode bare back, my parents were really hard up and my sister, stepsister and I all had to wait several months whilst we saved to buy saddles for our ponies, so as a consequence we all rode bare back all the time. Even after the saddles, we would hop on the ponies backs and take them to and from the paddocks bare backed.
Nicky |
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Roseanne
Moderator
United Kingdom
6708 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2009 : 1:41:52 PM
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Ditto everyone; I also rode bareback loads as a kid. If Alexandra had, she wouldn't have had such trouble sitting back for the barrel racing. I did feel for her when she got such bad nerves. I don't know that I'd have wanted to show myself up after those American women!
Very sad about the horse sales for meat - but horses are obviously just livestock there (apart from the favourite horses); and I guess their land just can't maintain so many animals that aren't working or producing. I wonder if they actually breed them, or whether they're natural herds? |
Roseanne |
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ashabarab
Gold Member
England
1378 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2009 : 3:34:36 PM
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you have said what l was thinking been riding all her life but can not ride bare back?
huh
as kids my mates and l often raced bareback, and as l could not manage a saddle on my bicycle l rode mainly bareback after school for years
also did mounted games...if you can not ride back back there you are no good
as for the horse training how could she NOT have seen Monty Roberts?
apart from feeling like screaming at her at times l enjoyed the programme..but l enjoy any horse program
ash |
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Arachnid
Platinum Member
England
1872 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2009 : 4:38:46 PM
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| Dont you think it was deliberately patronising for viewers who may never have seen a horse? Frankly I think they would keep up. Questions like 'ooh does it hurt riding bareback?' just made her look like an idiot which she clearly isnt. I really enjoyed the Spanish horse episode last week too, where she was slightly less annoying I thought. |
   
West Sussex |
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Joto
Gold Member
855 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2009 : 4:58:19 PM
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I loved the programme. Oh! to live on that Crow Reservation . Montanna is my idea of heaven.
I've enjoyed the whole series and hopefully it will be available to buy on DVD. 
I dont agree with sending the unwanteds to slaughter hundreds of miles away but apart from that i coudnt see anyhing wrong. very well cared for horses and that cowboy guy was so placid and calm. |
Edited by - Joto on 22 Apr 2009 4:59:51 PM |
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Vera
Membership Moderator
United Kingdom
8652 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2009 : 5:32:24 PM
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Ok Now my toys are all tidied away 
I really don't think that Alex was the best presenter for this serious of programmes. She is a wimp and totally let the female side down!!!
First she moans at having to get up at 5.30am - the rancher has been up since 3am.
Then she shows up to herd cattle in a short sleeved T-shirt and hair up in a clip, then moans that she has got sun burnt PLLLEASE anyone with an ounce of commonsense, come on now really....... The ranchers two small children show her up with their herding skills.
Then she has a go at join up and all she is worried about is getting kicked and would the horse be aggressive!!! I don't know if anyone else spotted it but I think 'Softee' (the horse) was in dire need of a drink and looked very lethargic. When she eventually sat across him (all the while moaning how scary it was) he was resting a back leg.
I was touched that the rancher got emotional when he explained why he had to send the two horses to the auction, and how one of them was certainly going to be slaughtered. He knew he was going to lose money just getting her there but she just didn't make the grade as a ranch horse so has to go. There was a very brief dialogue about the journey to Canada or Mexico to be slaughtered.
Then the visit to the rodeo. She asked 'why do they do it' (the cowboys ride the broncs) - Rancher replies 'entertainment', she says 'they're all mad', Rancher says that the horses are especially bred to buck!!!!!!!!! WHAT COMPLETE AND UTTER TOSH!!!!!!!!! All those viewing public who don't know better now think wow horses can be bred to buck!!!!! No mention of the VERY tight bucking strap around the horses flanks, or the cattle prod usually used to get them to explode from the cute.
Then onto the Indian man and his bareback race horses. I loved this part, Oh to ride like his jockey!!!!!!!
Alex asks how does he balance without a saddle and stirrups!!! No more need be said to that statement!!!
Then she gets on, what I thought was a very kind mare, bareback and exclaims 'I can't feel her spine and muscles'. No kidding!!! Again she is wining and scared but does admit you feel closer to the horse riding bareback.
Barrel racing, quite frankly watching her was embarrassing. She moaned and wined the whole time. The poor horse was not at all happy with the way she hung onto his mouth (with one of the vicious spade bits don't forget).
Branding the calves - I have to say that I was really surprised at how much the calf DID NOT STRUGGLE despite having a red hot branding iron held on its side.
Then to the barrel race. I must admit I can understand her nerves as I too am a wreak before going in the ring but when she did finally go in her riding was appalling. Thank god the announcer said that she was from the BBC, her name and that she was from Russia.
Overall I enjoyed the programme the most of the three. If they were to do some more I would watch them but would prefer them to replace Alex and be more truthful about the less glamorous side - just like they did in the first programme.
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Zan
Platinum Member
Scotland
3213 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2009 : 8:44:39 PM
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"More truthful about the less glamorous side" would have been good. The whole US horses for slaughter is a disgrace---the long journey to barbaric slaughter houses in Mexico---surely it would have been better to shoot that mare in the pasture than send her off to that, yet the cowboy sounded shocked that some people would do that---even though the money he got for her was ridiculously low because she was so thin. He had no right to sound sorry about her fate because he could have made it an easier death.
As Vera points out rodeo horses aren't bred to buck, that's the bucking strap and the electric cattle prod as they enter the arena. As for the poor bulls---why put them through that.
Misssed opportunities again to show the reality of what goes on. And that simpering, whining Alexandra Tolstoy was an embarassment from start to finish.
ETA---Vera " Branding the calves - I have to say that I was really surprised at how much the calf DID NOT STRUGGLE despite having a red hot branding iron held on its side."
....There were three people sitting on it/holding it down! You just had to watch its breathing to know how much it was hurting. Although I realise they have to use other methods than UK farmers because of the scale of the operations and the terrain, I see nothing glamorous as Tolstoy did about calves being roped the same way as they were 200 years ago. If anyone saw a British farmer dragging a terrified calf across the ground at speed by a rope round its hind legs there would be an outcry. I am sure pens to drive them into and cattle crushes could be organised, even out there, but I suppose the real reason they continue doing it like that is becausee they enjoy the machismo and being real cowboys. |
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Edited by - Zan on 22 Apr 2009 8:55:54 PM |
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susan p
Gold Member
Scotland
915 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2009 : 9:00:39 PM
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I deliberately did not watch this,as I was so annoyed by the last two(sounds like this one was the best of three)
I think she is a daft blonde bint JMO |
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The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its animals are treated
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jacki
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
1988 Posts |
Posted - 23 Apr 2009 : 09:23:18 AM
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I agree with vera on the barel racing rodeo and the racing also with zan (on the branding!) i watched it last night on catch up! I loved the way the horses roamed the reservation and were loved by the wole community.
That woman is an embarresment to female english riders! God knows where shes had horses all her life probably my little pony in her bedroom! i used to Pre children be able to vault like the bareback jockey and clearly remember doing it at a gallop after doing gates across fields jumping and doing xc like it! The mare she rode was so quirt you could see her rolling her eyes! and her only comment was this is really hard balancing on the spine? Excuse me???
Over all the bbc tried and the potential was there for really informative programes for horse lovers and those who have had nothing to do with horses but that poor excuse for a horsey presenter ruined it and the skimming over details made a farce of the entire mini series! |
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Vera
Membership Moderator
United Kingdom
8652 Posts |
Posted - 23 Apr 2009 : 10:15:53 AM
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'I can't feel her spine and muscles'.
Opps this should read
I CAN feel her spine and muscles.
ZAN - do you visit the Fugly site? I do, and from what I gather the americans have got a real thing about killing any animal unless they intend to eat it. Thats why so many are abandoned or sent to sales rather than having them PTS. Not that I am saying I agree with this but it appears to be the way it is in america - again not that I agree with it. Totally agree with your comment about the Rancher.
Also my comment about the calf wasn't meant as I think this is OK because he didn't struggle. I was just surprised that he didn't even appear to flinch when the branding iron was put on.
Jacki - couldn't agree more! |
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Emma B
Silver Member
United Kingdom
412 Posts |
Posted - 23 Apr 2009 : 1:04:28 PM
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| have to agree with you vera on everything you said I love the programme although dont agree with some of the things you show - but hate hate hate her - all she does is moan she is getting the most fabulous opportunities to ride all these different horses and try different things and she moans. I did have to laugh when she said she had never ridden bare back as i agree with all of you as a child thats all we wanted to do. Excellent programme though and makes a change to have a horsey programme on tv.... so far I am desperate to ride the spanish horses go bare back riding and ride western and barrel race. I am so hoping she goes to visit arabs... |
     
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Evie
Platinum Member
England
3513 Posts |
Posted - 24 Apr 2009 : 11:54:50 AM
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I agree about the horses for slaughter, my friend and I were watching the programme and we both said 'Why don't they just shoot the horse there at home where it knows its surroundings, instead of sending it off on a horrible journey to a slaughterhouse in Canada or Mexico?!!'
I also agree about Alexandra not being a very good presenter for these programmes. All she did was whine and moan!
I had a go at barrel racing in Texas last summer and I loved it!!! After one hour of practise in the arena at the ranch, we went off to the rodeo and did the barrel racing and I got 26.06 seconds which was only 7 seconds slower than the top people there! Not bad for my first ever attempt with only one hour of practice beforehand I thought! I would love to go and live out there and go barrel racing every weekend!! |
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