About Troubadour--He's a 5 year old (coming 6, April the 27th) bay Quarter horse. He just came home yesterday, and he turned out to be such a good boy considering I bought him sight unseen! (pictures only)
He was broke western, and knew the basics. Walk/Trot/Lope with a solid back up and stop. He hasn't been ridden in about 10 months, and I won't be able to ride him myself until the 1st when I have access to a saddle. We went out in the round pen, and he worked pretty well for me! He was trying to look out at the other horses, and was convinced he'd die of starvation if he didn't eat that grass, lol!
Anywho, he already improved! At the beginning of the round pen session, he was looking out, ignoring my cues, and I'd have to put the fear of God in him to make him lope! And by the end, when he's lose energy at the trot all I had to do was point and maybe kiss and he'd pick it up for me.
He's also pretty hefty.. I'd put him at about a 5 or so. His diet at his previous home was 1 scoop of whole oats and two flakes of costal hay twice a day plus pasture during the day. I'm taking him off his outs all together, but I don't want to scale down his hay because he's stalled. Stalled with all day turnout other day.
My questions at the moment:
-How to I encourage him to turn into me and not the fence?
-What should I do groundwork wise to prepare him for getting him back under saddle?
-What can I do to get some weight off him and get him into shape?
I should also add, the barn where he is boarded at is 30 minutes away from me.. I'll be lucky to get out there once a week. So all the solutions to the above questions, would have to work around that.
Now about me-- I'm 16, I work and go to school (junior) and I'm paying for all of his care myself. And tes, I DO have an emergency vet plan. I have ridden off and on since 1st grade, friends horses and so on. I have owned about 5 horses total, and worked helping a trainer break colts for awhile. I've owned quite a few green horses, and have struggled but learned a lot. Over this past summer, I took barrel lessons 3 days a week. My trainer is helping me out with this horse as well. I 'm very confident on the ground, and in the saddle. But more so on the ground.
Our goals-- I'm going to try to take at least a weekly barrel lesson with my trainer, and my BO barrel traces and is helping me teach Troubadour once his basic riding is up to date I'm hoping we will be ready to go to some playdays by the time in starts back up! We'll be hauling up to my friend's arena where they do roping about every week, so he can get out and get accustomed to the sights and sounds. We'll go out there in the warm up pen and get used to that, we'll push the cattle into the shoot, trail ride when I get the chance. Keeping him fresh and exposing him to as much as I can at the hsame time!
I don't expect anyone to read this, but if you did, KUDOS! Lol, now for some pictures anyone wanna confo critique him as well?
Same in the picture from the front, he has his legs a bit wider than normal. I do think he has a slight pigeon toe though. (And yes, his feet will be done SOON)
He was broke western, and knew the basics. Walk/Trot/Lope with a solid back up and stop. He hasn't been ridden in about 10 months, and I won't be able to ride him myself until the 1st when I have access to a saddle. We went out in the round pen, and he worked pretty well for me! He was trying to look out at the other horses, and was convinced he'd die of starvation if he didn't eat that grass, lol!
Anywho, he already improved! At the beginning of the round pen session, he was looking out, ignoring my cues, and I'd have to put the fear of God in him to make him lope! And by the end, when he's lose energy at the trot all I had to do was point and maybe kiss and he'd pick it up for me.
He's also pretty hefty.. I'd put him at about a 5 or so. His diet at his previous home was 1 scoop of whole oats and two flakes of costal hay twice a day plus pasture during the day. I'm taking him off his outs all together, but I don't want to scale down his hay because he's stalled. Stalled with all day turnout other day.
My questions at the moment:
-How to I encourage him to turn into me and not the fence?
-What should I do groundwork wise to prepare him for getting him back under saddle?
-What can I do to get some weight off him and get him into shape?
I should also add, the barn where he is boarded at is 30 minutes away from me.. I'll be lucky to get out there once a week. So all the solutions to the above questions, would have to work around that.
Now about me-- I'm 16, I work and go to school (junior) and I'm paying for all of his care myself. And tes, I DO have an emergency vet plan. I have ridden off and on since 1st grade, friends horses and so on. I have owned about 5 horses total, and worked helping a trainer break colts for awhile. I've owned quite a few green horses, and have struggled but learned a lot. Over this past summer, I took barrel lessons 3 days a week. My trainer is helping me out with this horse as well. I 'm very confident on the ground, and in the saddle. But more so on the ground.
Our goals-- I'm going to try to take at least a weekly barrel lesson with my trainer, and my BO barrel traces and is helping me teach Troubadour once his basic riding is up to date I'm hoping we will be ready to go to some playdays by the time in starts back up! We'll be hauling up to my friend's arena where they do roping about every week, so he can get out and get accustomed to the sights and sounds. We'll go out there in the warm up pen and get used to that, we'll push the cattle into the shoot, trail ride when I get the chance. Keeping him fresh and exposing him to as much as I can at the hsame time!
I don't expect anyone to read this, but if you did, KUDOS! Lol, now for some pictures anyone wanna confo critique him as well?
Same in the picture from the front, he has his legs a bit wider than normal. I do think he has a slight pigeon toe though. (And yes, his feet will be done SOON)