up date on Foxie.

Do to the fact my dogs ate my phone, I do not have the pictures I wanted to go along with this post.

I was told many things about Foxie when she first came to me, one of them was that she was too spooky and high strung to make  a trail horse. Here again, I keep trying to believe people are not that blind when it comes to an animal that they have owned for years so by impulse, I wanted to believe that there was foundation to the things she was telling me about the horse she had since Foxie was  9 months old.

Again I was proven wrong about assuming the best of people when it comes to their animals. I can say with out a doubt that Foxie is far more of a study mount for trails then my tried and true trail horse I have now. On a whim I took Foxie out for a ride at dusk, spooked up a deer and rode through the trees and under brush (all after a couple days off by the way) without so much of a side step through it all.

the next morning I took her out again for an hour ride through anything I could find to go through to the same results! Turning for home I even asked for the canter to see what she would do. Not only did she pick up the right lead but she never tried to pick up speed or grab the bit.

I keep looking for something wrong with her but as hard as I've been looking the only conclusion I can come up with is;
 A) I just got a really nice free horse
 B) People are very stupid when it comes to their horses!

the one that I couldn't save

I found this guy too late, he was owned by a kill buyer and on Sunday was sent off. With only a couple of hours I posted his pic on rescue sits but I ran out of time.

If you rescue horses you'll understand the obsession with the ones you can't save. To date I've saved, retrained and re-homed five horses. but it's this guy that will haunt me. He was only 4 or 5 years old and trained to ride and drive.

Riding the wet noodle

     For a twelve year old, Foxie is far behind even where most three year old's are. With her, I've been taking the slow road because with older horses that have never been asked to do anything it's hard to get past that sometimes Lunging has become an important part of our daily routine. It helps reestablish that I am the boss mare and it also gives me a heads up on where she's at for the day.

     For the most part she is doing well under saddle. guiding can be an issue still, Sometimes it feels like I'm trying to push a wet noodle in a strait line,  but again she has the experience of a two year old. The rail gets to be helpful in building her confidence in what she is doing. Because of that, circles and changing directions off rail has also gotten easier. She is truly a wonderful horse that is trying her hardest to please.
I'm looking forward to posting more updates and pictures on Foxie, as she progresses.

 

Horses tell on them selves

     Horses are honest creatures. They will tell you when their about to act up and if your paying attention they will even tell you where. Foxie for instance is a good one for bowing her neck right where she is thinking about trying to quit on me. Over the last month or so she quit but if I miss a couple of days in a row, she doesn't seem to feel that she needs to go back to work.
     When I'm giving a lesson to a new student I almost always start off with lunging the horse,because first and for most it's a great way to see what the horse's mood is before you start and second the bast way to show someone the body language and movement of a horse is on the ground where they can see it for them selves.
     For reasons I don't understand the importance of ground work has gotten lost. For every discipline I've even have been involved  in grown work like long line, and lunging are always the foundation to a good start to building a good working communication with your horse. not to mention it's a great way to learn your horses tells.
     As for lessons I've found it makes it easier and quicker for the student to learn how to read a horse.

a 'free' horse

Every once you  get that offer to take a free horse. Now if you own a horse you know nothing about horses are free. however, every once in a while one comes a long that could do something for you. As it so happens this one is a cremello Quarter horse stud.

A few things to consider before taking on a free horse let a lone a stud.

A) Can I afford another horse? this means unforeseeable things like that late night vet call. where to keep the horse is another, after all I'm talking about a stallion here. just turning him out with the herd is a bad idea.

B) how long will it take to get this horse going? In this case I'm looking at about a year because he has never had anything done with him and he's five now.

C) what will the long term cost be? true he is a nicely put together horse even with a stud that you can keep booked through breeding season. you have to look at showing expenses (to get their name out there.) Promoting, and advertising expenses. Remember this is a business after all. If you have horses you know that it is complete myth that you can make money off them. your doing great if you just brake even at the end of the year.

So back to my main point there is no such that as a free horse.

Lady's and gentlemen this is Smoky. He belonged to an old man that could no long make it out to take care of him.

And this is the proud flesh that was growing on Smoky's neck that had gone untreated for about a year.

This is were it stands today. My plan with him is to try him on Barrels. I will keep putting up post to see how he is doing.

Let the horse pick it's own discipline.

Like almost every other horse owner I've ever known when Foxie came to me I had certain hopes for what I could do with her in the future. ( A good solid trail horse for one.) I like most people find a horse with an idea already set about what I what to do with that horse. But unlike most people I've ran across am more than happy to let that hope go right out the window when I get to know the horse.

recently a guy came to me, who was wanting to buy a horse and wanted to know if I would take a stud on to train. ( warning number 1)
Upon further question this guy told me that he really didn't know much about breeding quarter horses but really liked this one because of his size. (warning number 2)

Further into the conversation this guy told me that this horse had already been used as a stud and shown in halter classes (third and final warning )
Stopping him right there I asked him if he had seen this horses papers and I also told him if this horse was a halter horse there was a good chance there was Impressive in his bloodlines. I was right, there was, and on the top and bottom of his papers, pay dirt! Impressive was a beautiful horse who produced outstanding get, however, he is also known for the genetic disease known as HYPP. http://www.bringinglighttohypp.org/ More to the point this horse was tested for the disease and found to have the reseive gean. What that means is this horse that this guy is wanting to make into a trail horse will not show the symptoms but his foals will stand an almost 99% chance have having it.

If all you want to do is some trail riding why would you think it was a good idea to get a horse like this! This is a horse that is bred to stand there and look pretty and make other horses that will stand there and look pretty. There are a million horses out there that need a good home and would be willing to let you ride all day long anywhere you wanted to.
  This is not the kind of horse anyone needs if all you want to do is ride around a little bit.

As for this guy, I have no idea if he really bought this horse. I'm hoping that me telling him over and over again to keep looking got through but I doubt I will ever know. As for Foxie, and my idea to turn her into a trail horse shes turning into a really nice dressage prospect!

Impressive 1974

knowing when to say when

Well little guy finally made it Home! After a couple days stay this little guy got picked up.

I'd love to be able to say something about fences being fixed or worried owners but I can't the guy sent two friends to pick him up in a cattle trailer filed with calves.

I will say one thing this mini turned out to be a lesson in the fact you can not save them all. He had enough to eat with just what he could find in the field to keep him healthy and outside of the lack of anything like good fence for his safety he really wasn't in any danger or being abused. This little pony brings up one point that is the hardest for horse people to remember, you can not save them all. True, he would take up almost nothing in space and feed but when taking on another horse the question of cost for vets and to have their feet trimmed on time as well as that late night vet call on a weekend that always comes up when money is tight.

With reports piling up about horses being seized from rescue groups and from good hearted people that just wanted to help ask your self first do I really have the time and money for this one too? if the answer comes back sounding like, 'well I'll make it work' or 'I'll find the money' please walk away or find someone that has the money and time because you alone can not save them all.

throw away horses

     This is Foxie an 11 year old saddlebred that was a 'gift' horse. the owner gave her to me with papers under the one condition that I never try and return her. I was told that this mare was too high strung and a danger because she kicked, pawed and acted spooky.

     I must say in all my years with dealing with horses and their people I have never seen people take off that fast after dropping off a horse. Unfortunately, I have seen horses like Foxie. She was purchased  out of  Iowa sight unseen and shipped to Texas. Her owner had no experience with Saddlebreds just thought they were pretty and wanted one. What happened after, I never got a clear answer. What I do know is this mare is 11 years old and untrained outside of a little Parelli that her owner didn't understand.

     This country is filled with horses like Foxie, horses that people bought without any really thought about the horse outside of their pretty and they want to own a pretty horse. It's always the horse that loses when people try to live out their fantasies about what a horse should be to them. It has always amazed me when someone comes to me and says that this horse doesn't do this or he dose that. Very few times people are willing to see that the problem might be them.

     I've had Foxie for just over a week now and I can tell you that she is a sweet mare that, even at her age wants to learn, she is very smart and is looking to please people. I'm going to us this blog to track her progress in hope that people with problem horses might be willing to take a second look at their horses and why they have them.

     There are far too many horses out there that through no fault or wrong doing of their own have found them selves on the hard end of life. Remember a horse can be no more or less then what you make them.