I value your opinion very much and appreciate it! That's
a huge complement considering how I feel about the majority of vets out there
LOL.
I agree with you on taking babies slow, perhaps I should give a
few more details. He's a January baby, I didn't even start riding him
until the mid-spring/early summer this year. Cantering is something
we have just in the past few months started working on and most of the time
that's been on the lounge line or in a round pen. I agree these symptoms
are from overexertion. What I don't understand is why. Honestly he's
not getting worked hard on the trails at all. He gets worked a whole lot
harder at home, but it's a lot more flexing and bending too, learning to do
straight lines and circles, leg yielding etc. I know he uses himself
totally different on the trails then when he works at home. Perhaps
instead of letting him relax out so much I should keep him more
collected??? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but if I'm muscling him up
and training him with his head more level and flexed at the poll. Him
going out on the trails with his head more in the air and unflexed is using
a totally different set of muscles right? Especially through the back
area? I've also thought about taking a portable corral with us next time
instead of tying him at a hitching post. Maybe that will help his legs not
stock up??? He's not coming back with them stocked up, it's after he's
stood for a little while.
I also agree a good saddle maker is gonna be a must with
him. I've been looking for one somewhat close for awhile now. I've
found someone that makes saddles at a local tack shop, but how do you know if
they are good or not?
After I'd had about 10 rides on him we did start taking some
basic dressage lessons lol. Seeing it'd been almost 10yrs since I'd
trained/showed a horse and throw in having a kiddo, I wanted to make sure I was
getting my seat back correctly. Now that her husbands rodeo session is
over going back on weekends sounds like a good idea. See Susan your ideas
aren't very far off my own lol. Someone else also suggested maybe he
needed some electrolytes when we went trail riding, what do you think about
that? I don't change his diet when we go, except for he gets free choice
of hay obviously while tied. He gets oats with some gold coat mixed in at
the mill and then I add powerhouse to them. This last batch of hay I got,
to me, is really really good stuff! It's a nice grass mix of orchard,
timothy, some fox tail and a very small amount of alfalfa in
it.
Buffy Spellcaster Miniature
Horses Beware... They'll cast a spell on your heart! www.geocities.com/spellcasterminis/ Yahoo
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