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Re: [RC] jiggy horse questions... - Don Huston

Hello Karen,
I have a short backed high rumped Arab that jiggs. IMHO it's personality, genetic, whatever, he is hardwired to go and go flat out. I got him as a 10yo and rode him in endurance till he was 16 and retired him mostly cause he was killing both of us. He is 21 now and I rode him last week and he is still the same hotrod as he was at 10. After a 10-15 min warm up walk (more like a dance) I leaned forward slightly and instant trot. We never got back to a walk again and only went 5-6 miles but we both burned 15 miles worth of energy. I always ride him with my modified western saddle, no horn and bucking rolls which he put into play 5-6 different times trying to get me to let him run. I know his tricks and I've let him run many times (not this time) and it's always scared the crap out of me. It's like driving a race car but somebody else keeps stomping on the gas. During the first 2-3 hours if you try to stop while others are moving on he will jigg and even canter in place. A beautiful rolling 3-beat canter with no forward movement. He is definitely carrying his body correctly for him and he's agile as a cat but not fun to ride. A jigger thru & thru cause he just can't contain himself and I don't have the skills to control him either but what a fine yard ornament he is. Head & tail up snorting and sprinting around with 2 buddies. His name? Indy (and he came with that name I swear)
Don Huston

At 07:20 AM 1/3/2006 Tuesday, you wrote:
have been pondering over the years, and recently, if people believe any particular type conformation tends to produce horses that want to jig....or is it horses that don't carry their bodies correctly?
I have observed a number of sort of long-backed, high rumped horses are inclined to sort of bunch up and jig...is it part conformation, or is it just personality and training?
 
Horses I have bought that have straighter backs have not had that inclination to jig....horses that I have had that really stride under themselves with hind legs don't tend to jig....
 
Then there is the question of gaited horses....do they also jig or just want to gait faster?
Karen  (who greatly dislikes jiggy horses!)

Replies
[RC] jiggy horse questions..., Karen Sullivan