Hi! you may have seen my post in health problems about a mare at our rescue http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/interesting-mystery-equine-tourettes-130784/
Well, I came here to ask if anyone has heard of or knows the routes of her training problems.
Here's what happened. We got her at our rescue because she kicked her hind leg through a wall and got hung up for a night. It took a few months of stall rest to get her sound again. Her home right before ours was a summer camp program who had just gotten her. The only one to have ridden her was a trainer who liked to barrel race, i don't know if they tried on her because she certainly does not know how to neck rein. We've had conflicting reports about what bit she wore from a french link snaffle to a walking horse bit.
Being at our rescue and having joined the ranks of our crippled and insane horses, we really disregarded her issues for far too long, there was always someone who had more pressing issues to work with. But being sound and being one of our favorite teenage girl volunteer's favorite horse (a girl who can't afford riding lessons) I've decided it's about time we get her into 'work' again. At least enough to let this girl learn to ride on.
HAA boy was I wrong!!
I put the softest western bit I could find around the barn that fit her and hopped on her. While she didn't throw a single buck or do anything to otherwise dislodge me, she also had NO breaks and no steering (direct or neck reining)! At that time I had been told she was a camp horse, not the whole rest of the story, so I was a little taken aback.
Now she's a little Spanish gaited horse, my best guess is a Criollo? but feel free to offer any other suggestions. But when I rode her she would only do her gait, she wouldn't walk.
I've immediately got her working on ground work (having the volunteer who loves her do alot of the work too, to learn about it) especially learning how to give tot he bit, we found a nice soft myler bit she seems to love. But, right away I noticed she does the same thing on the lead! She gaits everywhere and doesn't seem to know how to walk!
Is this common in gaited breeds? To be trained not to walk only gait?
After about 3 days of working on her we got a consistent walk in hand without her breaking into her gait. here's a little video of her and her girl practicing ground work:
Well, I came here to ask if anyone has heard of or knows the routes of her training problems.
Here's what happened. We got her at our rescue because she kicked her hind leg through a wall and got hung up for a night. It took a few months of stall rest to get her sound again. Her home right before ours was a summer camp program who had just gotten her. The only one to have ridden her was a trainer who liked to barrel race, i don't know if they tried on her because she certainly does not know how to neck rein. We've had conflicting reports about what bit she wore from a french link snaffle to a walking horse bit.
Being at our rescue and having joined the ranks of our crippled and insane horses, we really disregarded her issues for far too long, there was always someone who had more pressing issues to work with. But being sound and being one of our favorite teenage girl volunteer's favorite horse (a girl who can't afford riding lessons) I've decided it's about time we get her into 'work' again. At least enough to let this girl learn to ride on.
HAA boy was I wrong!!
I put the softest western bit I could find around the barn that fit her and hopped on her. While she didn't throw a single buck or do anything to otherwise dislodge me, she also had NO breaks and no steering (direct or neck reining)! At that time I had been told she was a camp horse, not the whole rest of the story, so I was a little taken aback.
Now she's a little Spanish gaited horse, my best guess is a Criollo? but feel free to offer any other suggestions. But when I rode her she would only do her gait, she wouldn't walk.
I've immediately got her working on ground work (having the volunteer who loves her do alot of the work too, to learn about it) especially learning how to give tot he bit, we found a nice soft myler bit she seems to love. But, right away I noticed she does the same thing on the lead! She gaits everywhere and doesn't seem to know how to walk!
Is this common in gaited breeds? To be trained not to walk only gait?
After about 3 days of working on her we got a consistent walk in hand without her breaking into her gait. here's a little video of her and her girl practicing ground work: