Testing his strength.
Boy is he DOMINANT! He is upset today by the move and he is very much on his toes. "On his toes" includes "on MY toes" and he is quite prepared to knock a human out of his way when he wants to get somewhere. That I can understand, and correct strongly but calmly. What he also does, which I correct with maximum impact, is barge you away from him when you are not "in his way", but simply doing something that he does not like - like asking him nicely to pick up a foot or taking him away from the others. Instead of moving away, he moves towards, and deliberately attempts to knock you flying. I understand that he is upset, but he cannot for one moment be allowed to think that is an acceptable thing to do to a human. But he's also very sweet - even after being corrected this afternoon, he is leaving the other two horses to come and talk to me. They have teamed up again and are excluding him a little, but he is also trying to boss Jazz around. I think he might succeed with that, but I doubt if Tia will put up with a moment's nonsense from such a whipper-snapper :-)
I have managed to get all four feet picked out. I tied him up in the barn where I have more space than in his stable. (He ties up fine, thankfully. He pulls back but gives up when he reaches the end of the rope.) Then I just asked time and again until I got something. I praised him for picking his foot off the floor, no matter how short a time it was up for, and then he was prepared to do more next time. He is a VERY quick learner. Much sharper than Jazz, I think. His back feet are very deep and very concave, much like Caddy's were. They need trimming but it will be a couple of days for that yet. At least they are upright, not splayed. He is very much in the TB mould, a completely different prospect from Jazz, which is partly why I bought him. I don't thing that he is going to rival Jazz in pure presence, but he is going to be a very elegant eyefull. It will be such fun to have two of similar breeding backgrounds who are completely different types.
Jazz is still a bit lame today but better than he was yesterday. This slow steady recovery is beginning to look like a really nasty bruise in the foot. If he's better again tomorrow I will breathe a bit easier, as this is now beginning to concern me a bit. Tia seems the most settled of the three, the two boys are screaming for each other when they are separated. It's ear-splitting :-0000!!!!
Photos tomorrow!
C.
ps Jean asked what KWPN meant the other day and I have done a bit more research. Not all Dutch Warmbloods can be KWPN's. They have to be bred from KWPN graded horses or go through a grading. It is also possible to KWPN grade non-Dutch horses, and Zip's father, for example, is a Trakhener, which I think is a German breed. The major reason why KWPN horses are so good seems to be that it is extremely difficult to get a stallion approved (and presumable mares aren't easy either). And if a stallion's offspring fail to perform then his grading can be removed. The best stallions, which is both Jazz and Zip's, are "performance" graded, meaning that they themselves have to compete and win.
Apparently, the reason why there has been a significant improvement in Irish Sports Horses in the last few years is that the ISH Society asked KWPN to run their grading for them. It is a lower standard than KWPN, but still massively higher than the old HIS grades (which was after all "hunter improvement" so they weren't starting from the best base!) The British Warmblood grading doesn't seem as difficult either, as I have heard it from two sources that if a horse fails the KWPN then the owners sometimes get them graded in Britain instead. So there you have it, the answer to why the UK is importing dozens of continental horses a week instead of buying homebred or breeding our own.
posted by cptrayes @ 3:28 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Sounds as if someone has been allowed to run rampant as a child. Right now, he thinks you are just another little horse he can push out of the way. I do think Mr. Zip is in for a rude awakening.
I have heard Trakeners can be more "Throughbred" in disposition. That will mean good doses of correction, repetition, so he actually believes you, and praise so his highness does not get too insulted. *G*
You might want to put a bridle and bit on him when you are working him in hand. You could attach a lead rope instead of reins so if things go astray you won't break good leather. The bit will give you a little edge in keeping control. It'll be a pain for a while to it that way, but the kid needs to know who is boss sooner than later.
I was wondering if Jazz and Tia would do a double team on Zip. Too bad you can't get Tia to take charge of him to teach him some manners. Lockie Richards once told me the best thing for an arrogant young horse was to turn him out with a dominant mare.
Keeping my fingers crossed for Jazz. There must be plenty of frustration along with the worry about his lameness.
Speaking of...wonder how long that abscess was bothering Tia. Interesting that your recent ride was so easy without all the stiffness. Perhaps she was protecting a chronic problem that now has resolved itself.
Sounds like you have got your hands full now!
Regarding the breeding and selection - the continentals have been very strict with their breeding programmes you can now take a mare to these and be pretty certain you are going to get a decent foal - unlike trying to breed a TB when you don't really know what might appear and throw-back.
I went to France in the autumn and over the past 25 years they have developed a new trail riding breed, a Henson. I was there for the mares, foals and youngstock roundup and there were about 300 Henson horses there that day, with ridden ones. There wasn't one with bad conformation. Some were nicer looking than others, but they all had good limbs.
When I was looking for a horse it was a lesson in conformation defects, let alone trying to find one good to ride as well.
Judith
Jean, a bit and bridle are on the cards for tomorrow! "Rude awakening" is booked for around 10 o'clock :-)
I've never heard of a "Henson" Judith. How interesting. And that's another thing that they do on the continent,isn't it? They need a horse for a specific reason - showjumping, dressage, eventing,trail riding - and they decide what characteristics it should have and they selectively breed to get them. The consistency is the thing. I once owned a horse who was 2 inches bigger and had half as much bone again as either of his parents. He had an 18 hand half brother who looked like a full shire and was out of a full TB mare by the 16.2 3/4 bred stallion. How can you breed with confidence if they don't breed true to type?
How did you get the opportunity to go to France to see the round-up? It must hve been fascinting.
C
I don't mean to suggest, by the way, that no-one in this country can breed a nice horse. A friend of mine has a British bred one which is at least as good as either of mine. But they are not bred consistently or in anything like the numbers that they are bred in Germany and Holland in particular.
C
Post a Comment
<< Home