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[RC] failing flex test - rides2farI need some advice from vets & riders with experience with such. I have another installment of my continueing saga of trying to find a horse for my friend Bekki Crippen to compete LD's on. For those who are new, Bekki is 35 yr. old, 4'10", slightly mentallly handicapped, overblessed with commitment, and desperate for a horse to replace the 26 year old she's been doing LD's on. We found the horse of her dreams. I was willing to look at *anything* at this point after driving to check out horses and bringing 3 home that haven't worked out in the last 18 mo. This horse is *maybe* barely 15 hands, 9 years old, and BROKE TO DEATH!!! I was very pleasantly surprised at his build which is light and handy. Most horses like that would be too quick for Bekki, but this horse has been doing Wagon Trains behind a team of mules for 3 years and is incredibly businesslike and methodical. He's also had drunks galloping by him for 3 years and totally ignores what the others do so I think will do well at the start of a ride with her. Who knows what kind he is. They guy thought TWH & QH. I don't think so. He will go into a pace at times, but mostly walk,trot&canter and he's light bodied with not much of a butt. Maybe Standardbred & Hackney would give you a mental picture of him. He's careful where he puts his feet, travels with an arched neck and his nose low and watching the ground. Just a dream come true. So... He's got a left rear fetlock the size of a grapefruit. "Old barbed wire injury". He seems perfectly sound on the trail, but this fetlock is huge. The owner said he had it when he got him and it's never given him a bit of trouble on the wagontrains (which are 95% walking). Yesterday I flexed (he flexed it easy like it wasn't stiff, I didn't pull on it at all just held the toe) him on it and he trotted off dead lame for about 20 yards, then looked OK again. I'm not looking for a future 100 mile horse here. I just want a horse she can make it through an LD with. This horse has, by the way, one of the most attrocious shoeing jobs in history. Shoes straight out of the box, with caulks and borium on the toes, MAJOR long low low heel job with the heels hanging way out the back. One hoof, at some time has been split all the way to the coronary band. The result is that it looks about like a cow's cloven hoof close to the quarter area. His bulb is literally deformed from it. Sounds bad hu? But let's retrace....he's INCREDIBLY SANE, light, honest, nimblefooted, calm but not deadhead. She rode with me yesterday on him and it was so nice to have her on a safe horse that could keep up. Her place is to die for. She's got 7 miles of jeep road type trail (looks exactly like Biltmore's trails) on the property where they rent. She could saddle this horse up and go riding by herself back there every day! After the flex I asked her, "If you could ride this horse like this every day, but he couldn't do endurance, would you want to keep him and ride him or keep looking?" She thought it over, looked torn, and said, "Keep looking". (We have him on a 30 day trial, no money has changed hands). What do ya'll suggest? They do anything I tell them and it's a big responsibility for me >stress< I *really* like this horse. Angie McGhee Wildwood, GA ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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