Re: Update on fetlock injury/Walking & Training

["Mskit" <mskit@utec.net>]

Hello List -

A few years back, my Bobby was stallbound after a gravely serious cut to his
heel which went down into his hoof.  We were allowed short hand walks after
a couple weeks; but as he progressed further we did more things like jogging
together, visiting the road crews (hey, if you stop by when they're on their
break, sometimes they have apples!), practice bending & yeilding,
sidepassing, backing, etc. With fingertip pressure, over, around and thru
real obstacles. Pack your (and his) lunch and hit the road (and trail).
Don't forget to lead from both sides. Spend a few hours out there hiking
together, w/out worrying about times, recoveries, etc.

As for young horses, the lessons they learn here carry over so well as they
grow.
I brought Bobby home at 4-1/2 months (I bought him at 3 weeks, and visited
every day). He was already used to me, his hay, grain and even his water (I
had switched his diet to what he would be getting here, well before he came
to make the transition as smooth as possible). We handwalked together all
over the farm and neighborhood, everywhere. As a little guy, he learned how
to swim in the creek, climb in and out of the ravine,  jump ditches and walk
along the opposite side from me, cross the bridge, wear a pony saddle and
bridle, sidepass, backup, bend and yield to pressure, stay & come. He
learned to not be fearful of atv's, bikes, farm equipment, etc., because we
"chased" them away. The farm has an airplane and he's been alongside the
runway on takeoff and landing, then we chased it back to it's hanger. We
chased the hay-loaded semi and when we "caught" it, we grabbed some hay!
We've been in the middle of a concrete pour(stuck our nose in the chute),
the crew thought he was soooo cool.

There's no limit to what you can do together. Bobby did his first 25 miler
as a 7 month old, ponied off of Kit. We did 40's as a two yr old, and I got
on his back when he was three. He routinely spent 8-9 hours out on the trail
as a foal, and he is clean legged and sound as a dollar. He ponied either
led or loose, walk, trot, canter. Learned to travel single file when
necessary, switch sides, watch where his feet were, handle scary stuff. He
ponies off of another horse, a bike, atv, the tailgate of the truck. He's
not afraid of dogs (he's allowed to kick them, he's hurt three so far). At
eight years old, I still pony him loose. He is totally rope-trained. My QH
neighbors are in awe of him (he's an Arab), I ride him strictly in a rope
halter, and get stop and go, rate, leadchanges.

 The point is, all this stuff gets built on ground work first. Sorry this
has run on, I'm still on the mend from falling off Dani, and there really
isn't a whole lot else to do right now, so I thought I would brag about my
boy a bit. Go out and have fun w/ your boy, as he heals, progress to new
things. Good luck.

Cheryl in WNY
Horse kids Kit (Appy), Bobby (Arab) & Dani(QH)

-----Original Message-----
From: Maureen Mathisen <blueoak@snowcrest.net>
To: Sarah Roxanne Zawacki <zawackis@pilot.msu.edu>
Cc: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Friday, July 02, 1999 12:47 AM
Subject: RC: Update on fetlock injury


>Sarah,
>
>So glad to hear your horse will eventually be O.K. and you're right--a
>rest is a small price to pay for a sound horse!
>
>As to walking--you might get creative to make it more fun.  I do this
>with my foals and yearlings to get them used to all kinds of different
>experiences while they learn ground manners. It is a great opportunity
>to introduce him  to useful ground work, and maybe NOT quite so boring
>for you.  .....Maureen
>
>
>
>Sarah Roxanne Zawacki wrote:
>>
>>      I can hand walk and hand graze him until he's ready
>> to ride again.
>>     >>     Any ideas for creative, non-stressing hand walking?  I'm not
going to
>> start for at least two weeks, but eventually, Elliot's going to need to
>> get out and the vet said that he'd be fine if it was just walking.
>>
>>                             Sarah
>>
>> --
>>
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=