Tell me AAALLLLLLLLL about horses...

[welsummerchicks]

Oh man I must be a lot sicker than I thought.

I only just saw your location.

Sandy-eggo.

I just saw that. That's really good.

 

[turney31]

Quote:
Wc...... I'm fine, thank you for your concern. LOL You have so many interesting things to share, I just don't understand why you can't say it without being condesending to others. There are others here that think your rigid, my way or you're an IDIOT, ways of horsemanship are silly. We just don't tell you.

Just because we do things different doesn't make it wrong. My point is, say the same thing , just be nice.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Quote:
Hehe thanks! Funny we're both sick at the same time.

 

[welsummerchicks]

there's no intention to be condescending, actually, in general, the effect I'm going for is actually - humor. I usually stop when I think - ok, it's funny enough now.

 

[froggiesheins]

Quote:
And lets not forget Fury!!

ANother thing to remember is that if you get a horse, 1 horse you will need a companion animal or two so that when you take your horse for a ride, the animals won't get bent out of shape while the horse
is gone. Sheep or goats make good companions.
Don't get 1 of those, get a pair, even llamas are good.

When you go saddle shopping, remember some serious advice.. 1- get a wither tracing of the horse's back, 2- work with a person or a store that will let you leave your credit card number OR check
so you can see if the saddle fits, if it doesn't you can return it and try another (use a clean thin towel OR a sheet to see if it fits so you don't get hair on the fleece/underside of the saddle).
Don't be "wow'd" with looks on a saddle!!!
4- the saddle needs to fit the horse 1st!!, then fit you.

When horse shopping, take an experienced person with you OR pay a trainer to come with you.
Caveats when horse shopping.. IF the horse is standing there waiting for you all saddled up.... ask the owner to remove the saddle and turn the horse out so you can see how it is to be
caught and saddled/handled/groomed. If they refuse walk away.
IF they refuse... walk away. A good seller shows how the horse is to be caught, groomed and saddled. You can learn alot about the horse watching this.
Now its not always a bad thing... my BO has a mare who a great mare, but once she has been caught and ridden... the next time she sees that halter, she is off like a rocket, and refuses
to get caught. So we put her in a smaller paddock instead of the big pasture, the mare is a great mare she had learned she could get away with things by taking off when we wanted to catch her.

Ask the owner to walk the horse out to see how it travels, walk/trot being led, see it lunged at w/t/c. Is the horse cinchy or bad to tack up??

Then have the owner OR one of their people/relatives ride the horse first, if they refuse, walk away. They are hiding something.
The horse is familiar with these people, you will see more things right and wrong, then when you or the trainer try the horse.
Have your experienced horse person go over the horse with you, perhaps have them try the horse, and then you.
IF you see things you don't like, IF the person you brought with you doesn't think the horse will work for you, listen to them.
This is a buyers market, you can find a good horse at a good price.
Don't just go look at the "pretty" horses...
I have seen time and again people say they are looking for a 16HH black and white (fancy horse) OR Pearl white/buckskin/palomino/dun/roan horse.
The boring chestnut, with 1 white leg, high withers, straight shoulder, ugly(ish) head.. could be the most perfect, trustworthy horse you will ever have!

SO stay away from the bling, look beyond the drool factor pretty horses and look at ALL the horses in the area you are moving to, to purchase.
Stay away from sellers who refuse to show you how the horse is in the field/tacking up/riding their own horse(or having a relative/trainer do it).
Get a proper fitting saddle for the horse, then see how it fits YOU.
Don't get a baby or green/young horse unless you truly know how to work with a young horse and can wait the few years it will take for it
to grow, then be trained.
Be open minded and look past the stereo types of breeds of horses, Saddlebreds being super high strung, Arabs being hyper, Appy's being stubborn and will go blind from moon blindness.
TB's from the track only knowing one gear (fast).

And lastly IF you are going to show, remember the fashion trends for western (HATE IT!!!), english is more traditional and boring

.
Give your new horse time to settle in, take things slowly, work with some one if you can. AND WEAR A HELMET!!!

Keep us posted of what you are looking for!!

Here are some pics of my 9 yr old Saddlebred cross, she is neurotic, high strung, goofy, gets bored easily, but I can do anything I want with her, I trained her myself, and she is a
horse that only a few people could like.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/Wnnahrse/Horses/DSCF1264.jpg
Indi and I in a costume parade

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/Wnnahrse/Horses/Indishow3.jpg
Indi and I doing dressage

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/Wnnahrse/Horses/DSCF1993.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/Wnnahrse/Horses/DSCF2008.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/Wnnahrse/Horses/DSCF1975.jpg
Barrel racing and pole bending

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/Wnnahrse/Horses/_MG_0967.jpg
Christmas parade

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/Wnnahrse/Horses/DSCF2295.jpg
Costume trail ride that was 3 hours long

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/Wnnahrse/DSCF2683.jpg
Indi and I last summer in a parade (she hadn't been ridden in a few months)

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/Wnnahrse/DSCF3058.jpg
OUr last trail ride of the year last fall, I had broken my shoulder and she had
not been ridden in months again. only 3 times last year.

And a pic from winter
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/Wnnahrse/DSCF0097.jpg

BRAVO TO YOU AND INDI- GREAT JOB & GOOD HORSE!

 

[froggiesheins]

wHITEMOUNTAINSRANCH asked this question: why did my morgan nick his front feet with his rear? This is ca

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Quote:
LOL

I will read your posts with a different tone now

 

[welsummerchicks]

On the idea that a horse's desire and will are more important than conformation.

Oh I don't know....

If you're talking about that average horse that the show ring people didn't think was purty enough to give a blue ribbon, that wound up being a reliable companion for some other kind of activity, sure.

If you're talking about that show jumper headed for the Olympics - you can bet someone is going to go over every little bit of his body looking at every single bone and angle, before they say, 'I'm betting the farm on this guy'.

First, most 'first horses' just aren't going to be leaping tall buildings with a single bound. They'll be teaching someone how to ride - basic, easy stuff. It's not going to 'test the mechanism to the max'.

And 'desire', 'heart', all that stuff - the quieter, more reliable and laid back Mr First Horse is, the better. If he has a lot of 'heart' and 'desire' he's going to not really be a first class Mr First Horse. If he's a little old, maybe a little bit stiff, maybe doesn't just go ZING every time you sneeze, maybe you need to be a little OBVIOUS to get him to shuffle off into a nice, comfortable slow canter, maybe that's a good thing.

Conformation IS related to function - well - a lot of it is. Some people refer to 'show ring conformation' and contrast it to 'using conformation'. Others point out, 'well...WHAT function'.

In other words, what's the job the horse is going to do? Show jumping for 10 years culminating in the Olympics? Or carrying a novice around a ring at walk, trot and canter, step over a few little rails on the ground, go for a trail ride, maybe sort a few cattle, maybe a local show.

There are an awful lot of horses in this world whose job it is, to teach people the basics. Many of them aren't going to win and win and win at shows. Their value is a different sort of thing.

A good many of them teach all the kids in one family, and go on to the next family, and one day maybe they find a home with some eager adult novice who loves horses and needs that First Horse. They're slow, they're reliable, they're steady, they don't get a lot of fancy ideas, they don't get easily offended by the fumbles of the novice, they take it a little easy, and they are worth their weight in gold.

My whole point is that your first horse doesn't need to be a perfect specimen. He should be in good health, sure, he shouldn't have anything wrong with him that would prevent him from being that First horse, any severe injuries, chronic problems that would prevent him from doing what you have in mind.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Quote:
It's an over-track or over-reaching. It means that his hind legs were coming underneath him--which in dressage--that's a good thing, sounds like a nice big flexible walk with good energy.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Forging is caused by the front foot not getting off the ground and out of the way in time for the rear one to land there. There can be a bunch of causes, probably the most common is a lousy farrier trimming the feet unbalanced (there are a *lot* of lousy farriers in the world), but other common causes include feet too long (too long between trims), poor conformation, soreness, or being ridden such that the horse is seriously on the forehand. In many/most horses it is fixable by upgrading one's farrier if possible, but there are certainly exceptions. Also if it is just a rare event e.g. one 'click!' every few rides it is not a big deal, just an unbalanced step.

So if drive and heart (and being an easy keeper) are more important than conformation how is that something you can "tell" by looking at the animal or working with it a bit before buying it?

I would not say that drive or heart are particularly important at all for the recreational rider. What is most important is basic soundness for whatever level of riding you want to do (invest in a good prepurchase exam, the quality of the dude doin' it is much more important than xrays out the wazoo), a levelheaded temperament without any exciting quirks (evaluate when seeing horse ridden and trying him out, including on the ground), and a personality you get along with (ditto).

And perhaps you're meaning something different by "easy keeper" than the conventional meaning in the horse world, but it can be rather inconvenient to have an ACTUAL easy keeper ie. an air fern who gets whale-fat on nearly nuthin'. They can be a real nuisance, management-wise.

Pat​