Back from State Fair
- From: "jsaranac" <jsalacious@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 13:05:59 GMT
Wow, lots of posts! Rec. Eq. has been busy as always.
Well it was a lot of fun going to Syracuse this year. I haven't been up
that way since college days (20+ yrs.)
We had a great time with the 4H shows, a lot of beautiful horses, some
really good riders and lots of heart.
I also did come home with the palomino described in one of my last posts,
who can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsaranac/
I think those pictures of him are at the very least a couple of years old,
based on current looks. His body looks different, smoother, less downhill
and more
"all together" and that's with being out of work for most of the last year
while the owner had and raised an infant. Also the pasterns don't look so
straight in person : ).
I rode him and enjoyed it. We've taken him home for a ten day trial. I'm
really pleased with our "test rides", with what I've learned from the owner
and with the owner herself, who trained him from a yearling, seems very
trustworthy and trailered him 3 hours to our barn yesterday so we can trial
him for the week plus.
So far I've seen him tack up beautifully, he definitely knows "stand", he's
great on crossties, leads well, lunges well and does the transitions, not
girthy in the slightest, picks up his feet fine and his feet look good (he
has shoes on all four), he has nice comfortable gaits, his canter is very
smooth. He had plenty of "go" and was very responsive.
The issues so far (and today will only really be the second day, having seen
him ridden by me and two others on Sunday, and last night after he was
trailered 3 hours i merely walked him in the indoor ring on a lead line for
an hour):
1) He has a little "throw out right leg/minibuck" thing going on when he
tracks left at the trot and canter. It is checked when the rider
anticipates it
and gently uses and releases the outside rein. His owner says it never
happened when he was younger, it's been in the last year that she's been
taking care of a newborn and not riding him a great deal, and she thinks
it's a behavioral "work protest" kind of thing. Could be, but I'm also
having him vetted this week to be sure he's got no detectable issues. It was
also why I wanted to trial him --I figure it'll either get better or worse
after ten days of steady work.
2) At least in the hour yesterday of walking around, and in his stall, had
a bit of a personal
space issue going on. Likes to come into your territory, till you push him
out. I cut him some slack for having been in a trailer for hours and being
in a new place, but not too much. He's apparently used to being the darling
of the
family, on a small farm with a mare and a 3 year old, and he hasn't been
worked too hard of late (only one show in august in which he won Hunter
Under Saddle and got a 3rd in an equitation class). Shoes are pulled in
winter and just put on for showing in
the spring and summer and he hasn't been consistently ridden. Yesterday had
to be told to get
out of my personal space a number of times. When we walked he wanted to be
a little nippy, didn't actually bite. But was immediately corrected and
seemed to get the "instant retraining"
idea by the end of the hour last night. Looks shocked when you give it back
to him but not scared. He just seems an assertive little puppy, 7 going on
about 5 I think, and needs
some correction but does respond well. Doesn't appear (to me or the trainer
or his owner) to have a mean bone in his body.
He was extremely curious and inquisitive last night about everything. Had
to smell it all. I mean, every inch of everything, every rail and pole and
corner of the indoor. He may be the equine equivalent of a control freak
: ). You could tell he wanted to roll a few times, but held himself back,
finally rolled at the end.
He's a beautiful golden color with almost a white mane and tale and really
purty : ). I'm trying not to let that influence me but he's got "good egg"
written all over him and I think with regular and firm and consistent work
he's going to be something special. He's been shown all his life, he's
papered, and he's got some ribbons to boot, so he will be an excellent next
step up horse for my daughter if he works (and it doesn't hurt that he's
15.3 and I can ride him... and he was cheap <g>).
Wish us luck!!
.
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