@Blue: Oh that's really cool(well, the other leaser braking her foot isn't...).
You really get to taste the horse owners life.
I can't be much help with the boots and chaps I'm afraid. Different brands here, and I just ride with paddock boots.
@kitty: If he slows down when you try to turn, then you need more to use more leg. But in that case you have to get him to turn as well, you can't just let him continue straight. And if he just speeds up, then half halts and turn again. Sometimes when turning is hard, it might be easier to use something that's called leading rein, I think? Like instead of taking the hand back a little take to the side. For example if I were to turn right, I'd move my right hand to right off the horse's neck, kinda like showing the direction to the horse.
@Amy: Aw, too bad about the elimination even though it went othervise so nicely. But on other hand Donny is really looking nice. You've done nice job with him.
@Sin: I think if you hadn't been nervous your position may not have been too bad at all.
@guinapig12aj: Hello and welcome. We are pretty friendly horse crazy bunch here. c:
@Luzien:
Yeah my first show was terrible too, i did not want to do something wrong, with foals ist easy as they are free or put with the leadline on a special girth on the mare, and you only have to walk-trot-toelt the mare and show her and set the foal free when the judge tells too, to let it run and hold the mare, later with the yearlings its a bit more different but not so hard, the most trouble you will have when you get to the breeding shows for young mares and stallions and later the older- but those the owner newer did himself, as there is way to much training, and you dont have a chance against the big breeders and there prof trainers,
We don't have classes for foals that are still with their moms, sadly. As then I would have taken Tý to one... But as you said showing foals is not too hard, just I'd rather not. True, with older horses there are pros showing the horses 99.9% of the time. Here, it's almost the same with foals. Like it's easier to give the foal to a profesional to show than do it yourself. Some do it yes, but I think 80% at least is shown by more or less profesional.
.... lunging them...real lunging or like they do with arabian and akhal-teken who they let trot and galopp around them with rearing up and so on?...really never did see this with foals or weanling...,....is that a rule in your area, maybe they changed it, the last time i had to show a horse it was my girl with her foal, there was no lunging...only walking, trot-tölt on the hand and free first only foal than both together and some more walking with other horses together- when i did not forgot something again and the chip and branding.
Free lunging, so that the foals can show off all gaits(or as many as possible) and speed range. ^^ I think it's pretty standart to all foal evaluations... We used to have it so that the conformation was judged first, then walked and trotted(or tolt, if the foal did not want to trot) in hand to show the judges the movement from front and behind(also used to judge leg positions) and then it was let loose and lunged around to both directions to show the rest of the gaits. Last year they changed it so, that they start with the lunging and then judge the comformation. No suprise that the foals stand much nicer after letting out all the steam first. XD Several years back they used to lunge yearlings(maybe 2 year olds as well?) in groups of 2-4 I think, but they quit that as it got hard for the judges to judge and with colts, little risky as well... So they changed it so that it's one foal at the time.
Is the lower stable more light than the other? Or more open?
Darker I think, since it's mainly just what ever day light gets in from the windows, where as the upper stable has proper lights in the cealing. It's also lot more quiet as there are not that many horses in there often and people don't come in often either. So lot less stress in general. The shape is also different, like there's big open space in the middle and then the 5 stalls are on the wall, like C or U shape. The upper stable is just one aisle and stalls on each side.
To be skittish more to one side can and most do show that they may not see or hear anymore or not good to this side!
Hope the vet finds what those mare has, if ist one of those you need to find her a horse she trusts more and is not so skittich when walking or in her stable...you may need to test long time till the right leeding horse! And she wil need lots of training to get her to trust fully again and learn to life and work with this.
We have one half blind horse at the stable(who was super shy and skittish at first, but now he's like a different horse), which is why they first though about the mare loosing her vision like him. Which is why it's even weirder that there was nothing clearly wrong with the eyes. She has 2 good buddies in the paddock. They also came to the stable together from the same place. Well, there were 4 of them, but the 4th one is in different paddock(with R's fillies and mares) as she's only 4 years old.
The mare who did try to escape when seeing the wbs last time did now go through the fence? Really ...the next day-why?...such a stupid thing... maybe it was the shock that did come back to her at seeing the wb or she did hear the call of the wild and did try to be a mustang^^ she got detension in the inside, thats funny^_^
Yup, the power doesn't run properly during winter and the mare doesn't have shoes on, so even less shock from the fence. I saw her get little shock the other day, but she was hanging on the lines right away again, so it must not have hurt so much. That mare has kind of habbit on running through/under fences in winter... Actually both of the L/R's young mares do. : P Last winter they spent most of their time inside when L got fed up with their escape trips... She was the lead mare in the heard in summer, then the WB was sort of leader of smaller part of the heard. So maybe she had some issues to solve with the WB?
Today they other mare with the foal was inside as well. She probably followed the other mares example, or the filly did. Like the foals are the worst escape artist ever...
...did the vet not check her bevor and after the covering then he would tell you that you must be carefull when she is to small and may have trouble giving birth, and bring her to the clinic to give birth- i know this from an icelandic and thoroughbred.
She was checked for heat cycle before covering(lol, she was in full heat, so I had bit panic moment XD). I wasn't there, but I assume nothing was wrong. Then the next check was to see if she was pregnant, which she was and everything looked fine. Then I the final check was 3 months mark I think. The vet who did that check was not someone I was familiar with, nor did she leave that good impression.. But she said everything looked good. None of the vets ever mentioned her size, but she didn't have that big of belly before winter any way. Then it suddenly grew and she was huge. XD
Haha, our clinics do no such service. XD Unless your mare is serious risk case, then they might. We only got handfull clinics in the whole country(most are small and work next to the race tracks) and I think only 2 have 24/7 service(like emergency colic surgery etc. intense care), others you always have to have appointment or come in on normal work time(after calling before you arrive).
Was Heta on her own as she was foaling, or was she with the herd outside?
When she was totally not herself right after foaling, and it was her first she really may be sore as you dont know how long the birth did take place.But most mares get there foal in the early morning.
How wet was Ty and how sweaty or tired Hets??
She was inside in big stall. L and one other person took shifts on checking up on her every two hours I think. I got a call around 7am that there was a wet foal in the stall. XD The placenta had already passed as well when L had come in and she said that Heta had maybe nibbled it a little already. Later we checked the placenta and it was in one piece and generally good looking. When I got there(takes me 35 minutes to drive in summer) Tý
(my first sight of him <3) was pretty much totally dry already and Heta was watching over him while he slept. Heta was little tired looking, but wasn't really sweaty. She did aknowledge me when I came in though, so she wasn't totally beat. There was some moist on her belly and other places, but most of it was probably fluids from the foaling. She did sleep while laying down a lot on next few days, I remember that. And felt little off for while(like mentally), but she tends to do that a lot... Probably the soreness paid part as well, and then the fact they didn't get out much right away(moving is good for the mare after foaling from what I've heard). :\
And did the vet check her inside after the birth, maybe she had a small tissue wound, or really her hipbone got pushed out to much aat the birth, or she pulled something..?.but that only could the vet know not you!
Nope, as everything looked fine we didn't really bother having the vet come over. Honestly it didn't even cross my mind as I my head was floating somewhere for next few days. XD And the placenta looked fine, so we though there was nothing to concern ourselves with.
@SassieC: Any chance that his teeth are in bad shape again? There's also the high chance that in past the bit has been causing him pain, seeing that he had been over ridden as well, and now he remembers the pain everytime someone goes near his mouth. Dipping the bit into honey or molass might also be helpfull to get him connect the bit into something good instead of bad. But I'd maybe start with just teaching it's okay to have someone touch his mouth and open it nicely. Pretty much re-training him to the bit is the thing I'd do, and that start from being able to touch the mouth and opening it.
How is he when riding with the bit? Like does he accept it with no problem or get tense or resist it.
@Huntsman's Prowess: I'd leave the sesame out... I'm not sure about it, but I have a feeling it's not okay for horses. Honey is safe though.
________________________
Cooooooold(-12 to -15C)..... BUT it's supposed to get warmer(just -8C) on Sunday. I really hope it will.... Though frost covered horses are super pretty. :3
I was supposed to lunge Heta days ago, but she and Tý are alone in the hockey ring/round pen, so I can't exactly take Heta out of there as then Tý would freak out probably jump out(he's so big, he might actually make it over the fence)... And walking Tý and Heta no longer sounds so easy, as Tý's been little terror to walk. : P
I worked with him the other day in the pen. He was kinda okay, little naughty here and there, like when I asked him to back up he messes around with his head instead. : P I think that was on Monday...
Since on Tuesday I walked Heta around in the pen and Tý decided it was play time.
Poor Heta I really feel sorry for her(she even had the look, please take that thing away or let me out), Tý's pretty merciless on her... He jumps on her(like from the side so that his front feet are on Heta's back, which probably are reeeally great for the sore back(sarcasm in case you didn't realise)), bites her here and there, bites and hangs on her mane... And Heta just tries to ignore him, instead of really telling him off. -_- But if he bites really hard then Heta might try bite back, but then kinda drops it... Yeah, it'll do Tý well to be told of by bigger boys. >_< He did sprint around as well, so it wasn't all 'Lets torture mom.' He trots a lot more now than tolts, though the tolt is still there in the curves or when slowing down. For speed canter/gallop is the choice. ;D
Oh, and L said Tý's butt is almost as high as Heta's withers. o_o I really need to get them on even ground before he goes.... My little boy is growing up and becoming a big boy soon. ;_;
____________
@June: I have a sprenger bit. Almost like the one in the first link Luzien gave you, but eggbut ring(which actually is almost a D-ring). ;D I love it, love it, love it, though I hated the price. The sizes on Dynamic RS is little big I think, at least the one I have for Heta is little big even though it's supposed to be the right lenght. But it works, even the one size bigger worked better than our old bit. XD
Poor Grande... Loosing weight is no good at all, and then still having to work hard. :c Hopefully all that junk will come to an end soon.