Me and my horse Stetson

[Chickerdoodle13]

This is the horse we bought late last summer after my other one had the accident. In the beginning I was very unsure whether or not I liked him. We had some trailer troubles at first and he hated to have his ears touched. He would turn around as if to bite when cinched and was very different to ride. Very light on the mouth and I was not used to that. Anyways, my dad and I have spent quite a bit of time with him and he has come such a long way! He was originally from a ranch in Mexico and probably had very little TLC. Now he's been coming to the fence for treats and pats, lets you get inside his ears, is curious when you cinch him but no long tries to bite, and is even getting a whole lot better with trailering! Loads and gets off no problem!

Tuesday was the first time I got to ride him on the trails. That day I was sold. He was excellent! Did everything I asked and was very relaxed and comfortable. Went riding again Saturday and the same thing. Here are a few pics I took of him and one my dad took of me.


Here is a picture of his brand


A picture of my dad's horse, Sonny.


If anyone has any idea to either of their breeds, please give me your input! We have a feeling stetson is part quarter horse, but he has this funky little gait that is slower than a trot. Not sure if it is just a quirk or a sign that he has some gaited breed in him. Sonny we think is part standardbred.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Here are a few more pictures. Realized the first few were not so good and that they are thumbnails.

 

[CarriBrown]

The gait that is slower than a trot... How many beats is it? Could it be a jog?

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Hmmm, haven't ever counted the beats, but it's more see saw like than a trot. His shoulders really swing back and forth. It's not a pace, but almost like a faster, bumpier walk. Still VERY smooth though, where as his jog/trot can get bumpy. I'm not too familiar with gaited breeds, but I know this "Gait" he has is unusual for something like a paint or quarter horse! If I kiss or give a little kick when he's in this mode, he kicks it up into a jog/trot.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

He may be doing what we call a running walk.

DH works on them to do that. It is comfortable to ride, covers ground quicker than a walk, and doesn't tire the horse out.

Since he was a ranch horse, when they went out checking cattle, this is probably the gait he was asked to do.

I would say Stetson is a Quarter Horse due to what he was used for, and his build.

I don't know about Sonny. He looks like he is part Quarter to me.

I am glad to finally see pics of the horses. I am glad you & Stetson are getting along so good.
He is a good looking boy.

Jean

 

[Judymae]

I just love horses and yours are sooo beaufitful!!!

 

[xrayman]

i'd say quarters too. It's too bad that some ranches don't keep track of how they breed. well I think mares they do but they just geld most of the stud colts so why have papers on a working horse i think is what they're getting to. You could search the brand because they're all registered. If you could find out the ranch they might be able to tell you how he might be bred

 

[Standard Hen]

I see Quarter Horse also. If he is out of Mexico the horses there are not treated like the horses here. I can see if he had issues and glad to hear he is coming around. Good Luck and they both look good!

 

[chicks rule]

Beautiful horses, tell me how did you get him over having his ears touched? We have a mare that hates her ears touched and is horrible to try and bridle. She has a notch in one ear and we figure she was abused by that method at some time. Any ideas appreciated

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

When we bought stetson we noticed he didn't like his ears touched. We were told that since he was still so new to the area, he needed time to get used to the gnats and flies in his ears. We didn't see it as a big problem, so we still decided to get him.

In the beginning he would pull his head away and back up. Rarely flipped out, but what we started doing is rubbing his forehead a whole lot. We'd do desensitizing with plastic bags and just rub him all over. He absolutely loved his forehead to be rubbed. As we were rubbing his forehead, we would move closer and closer to his ears. It got to the point where he would let you touch the outside, then slowly the inner part, and now you can just go right to his ear and touch them. It definitely took time, but he is doing well. He still has his quirks, but he's a good boy.

Some horses will never let you touch them in certain places no matter how much you try. It will probably take a lot of time, but just be patient and start slow. Sometimes training takes a very LONG time!

I forgot to mention too: The funny thing about Stetson is that even though he didn't like his ears touched, when you went to bridle he'd let you touch them as much as you wanted. He must have been so used to working, that he was a no nonsense kind of horse. When we first got him, putting on his saddle and bridle was like putting on a suit and tie. He is still like that, but he's become more relaxed and seems to be enjoying what we use him for. Some horses I've ridden seem bored on trails, but he seems to genuinely like trail rides. He loves the scenery and loves to explore! I keep telling my dad that he's had an early retirement! lol

He's very lucky though, because as much as they probably used him on the ranch, he has excellent feet and legs, and has not been lame at all since we've bought him. I do have to say that they know how to train horses in Mexico, they just don't get the love like they would in a home. After we bought him, he gained some weight (He had never had grain before) and he grew in his mane and tail.

We are going trail riding again this coming sunday. I'm definitely looking forward to it! We've been doing quite a bit of riding already!