DefinitelyDressage.com

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I haven't had to clip a horse for a few years and thus have not been blanketing; but, this year I chose to show at the November show which necessitated a body clip. That alone has forced me to blanket at night. I'm further out from the city and the temps do get low here at night especially for the d...

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As one who lives forever in the saddle fitting nightmare and also has very short backed horses, Junior having the shortest back (proportionately and literally) but fortunately not as curvy as some cobs get, I too feel your pain. I have NEVER found upswept saddles work for mine. I also have found tha...

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My EX father-in-law was a horse trader (quarter horses and grade working western stock) and he as well as the reining trainer that lives next door and flips horses weekly claim that 'black' is the easiest horse to sell. I always had people calling me for palominos or buckskins, not caring about much...

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I regularly haul out for lessons. I start my young stock loading and hauling before their weaned so that hopefully it's a nonevent later in life. For those I've acquired that weren't handled the way I do it, I have always had a 'beast' like the stinker pony who LOVES to haul. He truly loves going pl...

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The one Cyndi is riding is a stunning mover. My SO was mesmerized at the last show watching him go.

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Zinnia, FWIW #1 & #3 are what keeps our welsh cob studly happy; but, we're in the desert where green grass exists only for a short while. Not PSSM; but, simply a need for those things deficient.

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Chisamba, the only way I can answer that is when you can look at the offspring and know immediately who the sire is then you know (1) that he truly stamps his get and (2) the traits are more likely familial than just being from a specific breed and adhering to the standard. It's an interesting quest...

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I worked for a farm that repeated the same breeding 3 times. The first two were colts and the third was a filly. They all 3 were VERY similar right down to color and markings but each subsequent was better than the one before which was reflected in their scores at approvals. The filly was exquisite....

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Nice Flight, really nice! I came home from work to find out I won the Passier bridle that was being given away at the last recognized show as part of a raffle. Christmas came early! I'm going to pick it up tomorrow and see how well it fits Junior and if not I've got a few others to try it out on. Sh...

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I'm not going but I got to ride with Hilda during one of the AA USDF symposiums. Her perspective and analysis is more than worth the value of the cost to attend. I wish I could go and audit. I'm sure I would gain more information to add to my tool box. I hope all that attend have a fantastic time an...

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Sorry to read about all the health issues. Hoping that the holidays will bring speedy recoveries to all. My personal challenges are financial, not physical. I had to pay for unexpected family expenses which forces me to forego the upcoming Heather Blitz clinic. Still, I got to have a lesson yesterda...

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I can promise you that more than one vet has worked a holiday whether it's coming into the clinic or off the truck. Some of us do it because we're scheduled that way but many also do it because we own the business and there are hospitalized animals to care for which require a doctor checking on thei...

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I would be upset as well. Substandard care is simply not acceptable. I also feel you should not have to pay the full board if what was expected was not being done. If they cannot come to an amenable solution, you can always file a complaint with the state board. This is not something I mention on a ...

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Like Chisamba I use to do something similar. The real challenge I had was my stallion. He was petrified of horses coming towards him. I use to warm-up "carefully" because of it. I also took advantage of lessons and tried to have as many people riding in the arena the same time I did. He st...

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Just to be clear, my appropriate length of neck is within the realm of the front third of the horse must be in equal proportion to the mid and back thirds. Imo this prevents too long of a neck. The swan neck type which I also prefer not to deal with is also affected by the conformation of the throat...

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I think that's a tough one. I would say that for me the following is most important BUT I think my criteria can still come in many wrappers. My one other caveat is that I still look at the horse as a whole and realize that there will always be those who defy logic/don't read the textbooks and I do N...

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Zinnia if you do test your horse I would be very interested in the results if you don't mind sharing. I have always fed my cobs low NSC food in general. I have always supplemented with vitamin E as well. I have not found any of my cobs to be sensitive to the cold. I have owned one that had metabolic...

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Thank you MC. I'm guessing that she meant he's three equal parts but we'll have see if Linden will clarify. I am very attracted to his type, taller or shorter; but to be honest I can't imagine riding a taller version. He's the right size for me because he's personality is much bigger than he is. I'm...

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No worries. You did not come across as criticizing. I too agree that the toolbox must be bottomless because there is no end to the individuality of horses or circumstances. I think the topic is a valid one that could benefit many. I have learned over the years, however, that while my circumstances a...

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Heddylamar, I"m familiar with the process and would happily use whatever works at that moment, not caring whose name is attached. I have used it in the past and have an extremely strong left leg. Unfortunately due to my physical limitations, not just loss of strength, I am not effective at all ...

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I had absolutely no fear that Junior would try to jump the fence that I was aiming him at because of how it was structured as well as it's height. Not all fences are equal ;) But for argument sake, .... running into a fence might stop them and it might not; but, if it slows them down and makes them ...

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Wow Blob your girl is looking really good. I love how she's using her hind end.

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Perhaps. It's not the first one I've had that's done this. To be fair though one of the others was a welsh cob x morgan cross.

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Yes and no - I have been able to find the 'sweet spot' so to speak so that the saddle locks into position longitudinally - ie, behind the shoulder/wither; but, I still can have problems with the saddle - when girthed being pulled forward, hence I tend to prefer anatomic girths and I've had two that ...

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How exciting. Congrats!

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Yes know Lisa and have for quite some time. She is an exemplary breeder and just an all round good person.

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Blob, I think I can relate to your dilemma. When I was first offered the stinker pony, I said, "ahem, thank you but NO WAY." Then a month later the breeder called me (not the owner who had contacted me first) and begged me to take him. I went to see him and caved. Fortunately despite being...

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Nice Zinnia! I was wondering where Lisa's crosses were going. Glad to see an old UDBB member is his person. He looks great!

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FWIW, my stinker pony wasn't receiving any alfalfa and still isn't. He still had episodes much like those you describe. He also doesn't have PSSM type 1 or 2 and he IS A WELSH .....COB. One of the confounding issues which you may be dealing with and I know I did was that his 'issues' were handled wi...

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My riding instructor went and won her GP freestyle qualifying class and came in 8th for the GP freestyle championship. She came in 9th for the GP championship. Pretty darn good IMO and to think I knew her when she was a kid, watched her grow up and develop as a pro. I'm told the scoring was as she e...

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1. ULCERS - with his issues this can be a continuous problem requiring maintenance and management change (not sure how much turn out you're able to give, etc). I do not think this is his only issue but are likely not only secondary, persistent. 2. Dental X-rays and skull/cervical x-rays are highly r...

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I appreciate the support khall. Linden, this one is pretty neat in that he's got a similar character and personality to Monty (who you saw in Flag) but is better built for the sport. We'll see if that makes a difference this time around the block. Yesterday we rode 9+ miles on the trail, which was b...

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Thank you Chantal. It's a fun age. Looks like you're rolling full steam ahead with yours as well. I like how well your horse is developing muscle through his hind end/loin based on your last pictures.

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Well this is from the first test on Sunday. He was definitely a wee bit tense and trying to avoid the contact at times or going against the hand, especially trying to blow through my right hand. Though loads of room for improvement, I'm still happy with the performance Junior put forth. The score im...

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Blob - we were just competing at training level. He's only 4.

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Tsavo you are correct. I was actively shortening the reins hence the cocked wrist(s), albeit one at a time. Thank you Ryeissa for the suggestion. Right now I am willing to look as ugly as need be to establish a consistent acceptance of contact. What that means and especially for me with my physical ...

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Thanks y'all. I am very pleased with him. Congrats on finding a new avenue/venue greenholmeshandy. My son and I got into obstacles/trail competition when he was actively riding and competing. It was a blast and like you we got great feedback from the judges along with scores per obstacle. What was r...

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Thank you Tsavo that was the goal and we achieved it for moments. I did get marked down, severely a couple of times, for the times he went BTV. Fortunately I think the judge understood what I was trying to do because she kept giving me 7.5s for my position and effect of aids.

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He's not always thrilled about stepping up to the plate and in the warm-up at one point on Saturday he took it into his head that running through my right rein and trying to take off was the way to get out of my requests. I use to be able to just muscle through such episodes; but, three times runnin...

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Hell yeah! We're BACK! We earned all blues (though admittedly we were the only open riders in two of my four opportunity training level classes). It was a huge win, not for the ribbon, but for the fact that Junior was so obedient and tried extremely hard to please for the most part. He got tense and...

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Well we rode opportunity classes today for the sole purpose of continuing to work on contact while giving Junior recognized show exposure. All in all still a work in progress but I feel we're still making the right type of progress none the less without sacrificing the contact. There were moments of...

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We achieved our first recognized show! Of course I must first confess that we showed in the opportunity training level classes thanks to the recommendation of the show secretary; but, to that end we did at least 'earn' our two of four 1st place finishes in that we actually had competition in the cla...

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I am now riding with a shorter rein consistently. The key, I am told (and agree), is to ride with a forward thinking hand/elbow without giving up the elbow. The reality is that my arms are only so long so to not ride back to front but to have the horse encouraged to always seek the hand I must ride ...

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Specific breeds/types do tend to have a more compact frame and thus higher likelihood of a short back; however, keep in mind that mares within those breeds are more likely to not have as short of a back as their male counterparts. Mares have to have some depth of frame to accommodate foals. While I ...

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Kudos on the accomplishments! I love bringing this young ones along. Nothing better than seeing the light bulb go off and/or feel the relaxation with assurance.

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milestones = first bath, first body clip and first time wearing a stable blanket/sheet - successful! set backs = did rear (and an impressive hi-ho silver away type) at my insistance to accept the contact BUT did not repeat it and followed through with 3 satisfactory trot to canter transitions withou...

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Well I have more than a few personal challenges to juggle, mostly aging adults, one in hospice; so, my goals are brief: Junior - compete at our first recognized show, participate in another Heather Blitz clinic and improve our connection and willingness to come through over the back ...... oh and co...

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Wow that's all I can say is wow and you're welcome to walk in my shoes any day of the week and do better.

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Flight - I have not been able to audit/watch any of the other rides. At least for me, she seems to be a decent teacher. She's got a good eye and is honest. She also makes sure I have homework until the next clinic. I think it will take me at least one or two more rides to really make a accurate asse...

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No but their caregivers do including vets. YES IT DOES. I'm 55 years old and I've been practicing for 30 years. While evidenced-based medicine has been a 'thing' for the past 15 years, I've used it for my entire career; however, I don't just use published research. One of my valued learning over my ...

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