Re: [RC] Re:starting an older horse - put on the miles - DVeritas
In a message dated 11/20/2004 3:17:19 PM Mountain Standard Time, judyshatir@xxxxxxxxx writes:
I had that experience with a really talented Witez II bred gelding that we didn't get until he was 12. He had been out to pasture and done mostly ring work.
I remember visiting Doc Munson and moving cattle for him in 1993.
He had an own son of Garaff, (which made the horse a Raffles grandson), Shalimar Kelly.
He said, "Frank, could you take that Kelly horse and do something with him. He's opening all the gates and letting the mares out?"
I asked how old Kelly was.
"Fifteen and he hasn't been ridden for over three years, but he is hard and smart and sound," he told me.
I took Kelly back to Colorado with me and six weeks later, he finished the Big Horn 100 9th out of 16 starters. I'm not sure I even "used" him as hard as I could have. He looked remarkable at the finish and still didn't care anything about me, just wanted to be left alone with his food and water and that's exactly what I did, after I cleaned him up a bit.
At the finish, we pulsed down to 52 immediately after crossing the finish line.
The point?
A good horse is a good horse at any age.
It's kinda what makes 'em a good horse.
Then, as a rider, know what you're doing and don't complicate matters too much with too much of this or that, just ride the horse right.
