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Post by prizmbluekigers on Apr 1, 2008 13:35:53 GMT -5
Sorry to hear of your bad experience. Gosh, he has a kind face and a calm eye and seems to have potential.
Another contributing factor to stiffle issues is a horse that is long in the toe and low in the heel. It throws the whole leg out of "whack" (not a professional word, but you get my meaning).
So the low muscle mass, hooves in need of a trim, low weight and stress of the trip can all be contributing factors. Please keep us posted with pics and updates. I hope that in the near future you will see the potential grow and blossom and the issue gradually disappear.
I remember a trainer telling me years ago to work a horse with a stifle problem is soft deep sand to help develop muscle tone and ligaments. That horse did not display the degree of stiffness we saw in your videos, the back legs "clicked" when he moved them. Witih some conditioning the condition never sidelined the horse. I jumped him with no trace of the limp or lack of action.
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Post by kimk on Apr 1, 2008 13:39:22 GMT -5
Hey Melissa,
8258....wow. I actually bid on him in November in Burns, and won the bid ( I was the only one...) but then I decided I needed another stud colt like I need you know what, so I turned him back. But I really liked him! Please keep me informed as to how he is doing. He couldn't be in better more capable hands!
Kim
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Post by dazzlingduns on Apr 1, 2008 18:55:02 GMT -5
Kim,
That's interesting. Thanks for sharing. I like him also. He is calm and quiet, and he's a gelding now.
Thanks,
Melissa
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Post by MustangsInNC on Apr 1, 2008 23:03:26 GMT -5
Ok, so here's my first update: He’s so frustrating! The only way I can think to describe him is "thoughtful". He doesn’t get snorty and white eyed, he doesn’t bolt or crash the fence. He doesn’t charge me or act threatening at all. He just watches me closely and tries to figure out what I’m all about. I wish I could have gotten a pic of the look on his face when I kneeled down in the ring. It was absolute confusion, lol. He was like, OMG, you shrunk!
If he hadn’t lost his halter, I’d probably already be touching him, or at least teaching him to give to pressure. He turns in towards me when I lunge him, and even takes a few steps towards me. But he won’t touch me, and no chance in hell I can touch him. If i’m outside the fence, he’ll walk right up to me and sniff my hand. But inside the fence he’s keeping a pretty good distance. I started desensitizing him to a swinging lunge line today, and he took that pretty well, I’m hoping I can get a rope on him then rehalter him, but I’m not quite ready to traumatize him that much yet. He’s too willing and smart for me to ruin my reputation quite yet, lol. So it’s just slow going right now. I’m going back out tomorrow to try again!
And I’m still leaning towards Tesoro for his name... after all, he is a treasure to me!
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Post by stormyranch on Apr 2, 2008 10:30:46 GMT -5
Sounds like a few Kigers I've known. They are sooo smart! When we get one without a halter Kevin tosses a rope over their back and they run for a while but then realize it's not going to eat them. Then he can flip the rope up the neck and eventually to the head. Once he has it behind the ears he takes a long stick (acually he desensitizes the horse to the stick first, rubs it all over their body) and drags the other end of the rope toward him. A soft cotton rope works best as it won't burn. He then gets both ends of the rope even and twists them together and he's got a good tether.
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Post by nrly on Apr 2, 2008 15:55:38 GMT -5
you will have him eating out of your hand soon, how did the halter come off. I remember when I went to pick up Stormy, she barreled out of that trailer like the thunder storm, ran around the paddock for about an hour, then Rick had to load her into our trailer, for the ride home, here she again stormed out it had just stopped raining, she again stormed around the round pen, hence her name Little Dunder Storm AKA Stormy, but the next day as I set in the round pen in the middle reading a book, she ran around me several times sniffed me 3 times decided i guess I was ok, laid down and took a nap, hence we have been close since.
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Post by stlkigers on Apr 2, 2008 22:48:20 GMT -5
Amanda:
Keep it up girl.....You are doing good with him....Any sign of strangles yet???
And Melissa...how's your boy doing? Did you name him? Hope he's weathering this strangles episode ok...and your other horses escape it.
Angela
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Post by DianneC on Apr 3, 2008 0:15:38 GMT -5
It took eight years to get this far, he'll soon be trusting you and coming to you. Enjoy this special time. When he turns toward you and takes the steps what happens if you back up a step? Most horses will keep coming as you back slowly away.
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Post by dazzlingduns on Apr 3, 2008 5:28:00 GMT -5
Angela,
My boy is doing fine. He is in quarantine at this time and will be for at least the next four weeks. I had a name picked out, but decided against it. As for now he has no name.
Melissa
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Post by fantasykiger on Apr 3, 2008 12:11:22 GMT -5
Oh it is wonderful to hear that things are going well so far, I like the name Tesoro. I can not wait to hear more about your experiences with him. He is facing you and keeping his eyes on you that says alot about him, in no time he will earn the right to enter into your space. Then get lots of loves and find out your a pretty awesome person and the best place to hang out is close to you.
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Post by MustangsInNC on Apr 12, 2008 20:50:11 GMT -5
Tesoro amazes me more every time I work with him! Today was a milestone. The past few days he would let me clip a rope on his halter, he would give to pressure, eat from my hand, and let me pet his face. Today I pushed it further. He now comes towards me with slight pressure on the lead, leads around his pen, lets me pet head, neck, withers, and chest, and let me brush him a little! We took his halter all the way off because the crown piece was twisted (which is why I removed the drag rope, I was afraid it would rub a sore on his head), and he stood calmly and let me put it back on. He's so amazing! And to think.... he's only been here 2 weeks tomorrow! Now to start on the desensitizing. He's already used to seeing me ride the other horses around outside his pen, hanging saddles and ropes on his corral gate, and me climbing over the corral to get in and out. I plan on getting a blue tarp, some plastic bags to tie to his corral, and maybe an umbrella.... anyone else got any suggestions?
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Post by nrly on Apr 13, 2008 0:18:33 GMT -5
we put empty milkjugs with a few rocks on baling string and hung them all around Stormy's and then Riddles stall, and feed bags also so whaen the wind blew they flapped and made noise
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