Dressage prospect: Bunny hops

[rememberthenight]

She is a risk no matter what. Who knows how she will gentle, or what she can handle physically or mentally because you can’t do a PPE. I have seen that type of canter with horses with stifle injuries or from being tense. My own mare does have some moderate stifle weakness and canters this way when she isn’t fit. I have to be very aware of conditioning her properly. She cannot hold up to rigorous work, and we topped out 2/3rd level.

No way to know until you get her gentled and start working with her.

[soloudinhere]

Given the way she is standing in the still photos, way back over the hind end with toes turned out, I am inclined to say there is a physical issue. Her eye doesn’t look tense or afraid in the still photos but she is still pushing her butt hard against the wall.

Is this the way I would want to approach dressage were it me? No, because you and the horse both have to learn, and there is some serious hippie dippie crystals and anthropomorphism being thrown around here.

But, if you’ve got the money to raise 16 head of horses who will be alive until you’re well into your 80s, and this isn’t going to be another one of those animal hoarder situations, well, more power to you.

[Speedy_Alice]

Hard to draw conclusions from a nervous girl in a tiny pen with deep footing. That said, I’d tend not to worry too much about the bunny hopping, but that’s probably because my first Lipizzan used to do it when I first got him, due to his anxiety and lack of balance/strength.

She reminds me of a Mustang that has participated in a number of SRS clinics I’ve organized. His owner had bought him sight unseen for $125. I first saw him when he was 5 and she was just starting him. He’s 12 now, and was schooling 3rd level/polishing his changes at last summer’s clinic. A really lovely partner for her, with a great work ethic and personality.

Good luck with yours! What a wonderful home and hope they are being given - I hope you have a great time with them.

[Eventer2483]

@soloudinhere

Given the way she is standing in the still photos, way back over the hind end with toes turned out, I am inclined to say there is a physical issue. Her eye doesn’t look tense or afraid in the still photos but she is still pushing her butt hard against the wall.

Is this the way I would want to approach dressage were it me? No, because you and the horse both have to learn, and there is some serious hippie dippie crystals and anthropomorphism being thrown around here.

But, if you’ve got the money to raise 16 head of horses who will be alive until you’re well into your 80s, and this isn’t going to be another one of those animal hoarder situations, well, more power to you.

She’s leaning back on the gate in the still photo… not sure you u can judge conformation with these crappy pics?

[eightpondfarm]

@soloudinhere

Given the way she is standing in the still photos, way back over the hind end with toes turned out, I am inclined to say there is a physical issue. Her eye doesn’t look tense or afraid in the still photos but she is still pushing her butt hard against the wall.

Is this the way I would want to approach dressage were it me? No, because you and the horse both have to learn, and there is some serious hippie dippie crystals and anthropomorphism being thrown around here.

But, if you’ve got the money to raise 16 head of horses who will be alive until you’re well into your 80s, and this isn’t going to be another one of those animal hoarder situations, well, more power to you.

i agree her eye doesn’t look like she is in panic. But she is waaaay uninterested in stepping forward. That leaning back thing though, do you actually think that she was trying to hold herself up? really? or are you just throwing stones?

yes, i suppose i am a hippie. with resources…enough to put a caretaker in the caretaker house we have on the edge of our property when i can no longer do the work. So don’t you worry your pretty little head about my herd when i’m 80…i’ve got that all figured out.

not a hoarder, i only have one cat. funny though, a person can have a hundred fifty sheep (which we did at for a few years…now only about 100) and nobody questions it. But put 24 horses there instead and folks get all-twitchy. But…i don’t know you, so i don’t actually care what you think.

[pluvinel]

I saw a horse that rocked back on its haunches and did a nice roll-back. The bunny hopping may just be the small pen that not letting the horse get balanced before changing direction. If you look at the horse in the stock, she is butt high, but this could just be age (4 yrs) so this horse may have a lot of growing to do.

[Ambitious_Kate]

I too see stringhalt in the mare, both in the bunny hop and especially in the trot. I find that a butt high horse is going to be a struggle to get off the forehand, especially for someone who doesn’t have dressage skills. Its very hard to learn dressage on a horse who hasn’t the foundation for dressage. I don’t see good movement. I’m sure you will enjoy her though.

[Scribbler]

This recent thread covered similar ground.

https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/dressage/10624847-“doesn’t-move-like-a-dressage-horse”

[skydy]

The BLM was paying people to take feral horses off their hands. Are they still doing that, or are they back to selling them?

Looks like they are paying people 1K per horse to adopt. https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-ho…entive-program

[outerbanks77]

@skydy

The BLM was paying people to take feral horses off their hands. Are they still doing that, or are they back to selling them?

Looks like they are paying people 1K per horse to adopt. https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-ho…entive-program

You pay the adoption fee, and then receive the incentive money back after demonstrating that you are caring properly for the animal over 6-12 months. The initial adoption fee may be >$125 if the animal is adopted via competitive auction. You can apply for title to the horse after caring for it for 12 months, which is why it’s called adoption rather than sale (there are some instances where direct sale occurs, though I don’t know the current status on that).

[skydy]

@outerbanks77

You pay the adoption fee, and then receive the incentive money back after demonstrating that you are caring properly for the animal over 6-12 months. The initial adoption fee may be >$125 if the animal is adopted via competitive auction. You can apply for title to the horse after caring for it for 12 months, which is why it’s called adoption rather than sale (there are some instances where direct sale occurs, though I don’t know the current status on that).

Yes, I remember reading that when the program was started.

[soloudinhere]

I don’t understand why people ask questions and then argue with everyone who gives them an answer they don’t like.

[eightpondfarm]

@soloudinhere

I don’t understand why people ask questions and then argue with everyone who gives them an answer they don’t like.

i argued with you and you alone. And the ‘why’ of it is because i am not a doormat.

[Scribbler]

@skydy

The BLM was paying people to take feral horses off their hands. Are they still doing that, or are they back to selling them?

Looks like they are paying people 1K per horse to adopt. https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-ho…entive-program

Yes, if you look at the link to the mare, OP bid $25 for her and is eligible for $500 in 60 days and another $500 when she takes title to the horse.

[WildLittleWren]

@Scribbler

Yes, if you look at the link to the mare, OP bid $25 for her and is eligible for $500 in 60 days and another $500 when she takes title to the horse.

Yes this is exactly how it works. Unfortunately, I know the BLM needs to get these mustangs off the government’s feed bill. But I, and many others in the mustang community, think this is a disaster in the making. The crazy thing is, you can only have 4 BLM untitled mustangs at any one time (you don’t own them for one year, and must produce a vet statement that the horse is healthy, well kept, in good shape and has all vaccinations and coggins, then you receive title in the mail).

The crazy part is that with sale authority horses (online auction horses, and horses who are put up as outright sales), there is no limit on the number of horses you can purchase as far as I am aware. This puts these sales authority horses at risk. Someone can keep the horses for 60 days and receive $500 a head. Granted, that’s just a drop in the bucket when you are caring for horses properly, but a lot of people don’t.

I adopted my mare from a TIP trainer so I will have to own her a year and get a vet to provide a statement and documents, to receive her title. Those with good intentions don’t care, we are in it for the horse. Since she wasn’t adopted completely wild straight from the BLM I will receive no money, but had I bought her outright with no training, then I would have receive the $1000, split up in two payments over a year. Sadly, a lot of people don’t have the skills to bring these untouched horses along, and they go through a litany of owners. Some never become titled simply because they go through more than one home a year. Its really sad.

As a disclaimer, I am NOT saying this is about the OP. I am not saying the OP has bad intentions. But, it’s a process I feel is flawed, it’s an incentive, sure. If you plan on training the horse and making it a solid citizen. But a lot of people see just the receive $1000 for adopting this horse, which by the way is wild and you have to have skills to bring them along and do them justice. I know many people who do, but again, lots of people who don’t and the horse suffers for it.

I applaud the OP if she feels she can bring this many mustangs along at one time. However, I have to put so many hours into my mare a week, it takes a lot of commitment. I can’t imagine even having one more to bring along at the same time and I get overwhelmed!

[eightpondfarm]

i completely agree that there are people who do not have the resources or the experience to take care of a horse…any horse! let alone a wild one. That they sell for such little money is pretty scary, that the BLM PAYS you to take them is more frightening still! People in the mustang chat groups actually complain about a 200, 500 or 600 dollar horse being ’too expensive’! I see the photos of how some of these folks keep their horses and it makes me queasy. Like vomit-y queasy. And seeing the youngsters…little 2yo mustangs being backed makes me so mad i see red…(i’ve reported more two people to the BLM btw) We all know that there are people who suck. We all have seen them in horses. (and dogs and on cattle ranches).

I bid to win for the mustangs i picked. well in excess of the 1k i stand to receive. This one i only paid 25 dollars for, (which was a shock because i think she’t The BEST~!!), and will indeed get 1000 back if and when, one year from now, she gets signed off by a vet. My farm has been scrutinized…not in person, but they google-earthed me, asked specific questions… asked for photos of gates, panels etc. They know how much land i have, the barns and their sizes, the layout of our ponds and creeks. They asked how many gallons our stock tanks hold, sizes of our pastures and for addt’l pics of our fencing. We passed everything they need and they told me that i was the type of adopter they always hope for. We are borderline between a facility that is allowed to adopt / purchase and a LTH (long term holding) that they (the BLM) pays per-head/per-annum to keep. I’m authorized to adopt four per year and purchase four every six months. No requirements by the BLM on whether the horse needs to be trained to ride or to drive…to be ‘useful’. And since i never sell, it really doesn’t matter to me if one of them is lame, or for any reason unrideable. I’m more than happy to provide a home for the rest of that mustang’s life. It’s not imperative for the horse to have a career. Of course the horses all need to be able to get annual vaccines, teeth floated, get dewormed regularly and stand for my farrier every 6wks. Tie, load, lead…etc.

I am the last house on the block. When an animal is born here (i used to breed, have not in several years) it will live here it’s entire life. We don’t eat our sheep, we don’t sell our sheep. Nor our cattle. At this point, i have resources (land/barns/hay production) for 24 equines. As our cattle age-out, and our sheep flock also, i will have room for more. Whether i decide to get more or not remains to be seen.

[WildLittleWren]

I certainly hope you have 6’ fences for them! Because those ARE the requirements for adopting an unhandled horse from the BLM. There has to be a shelter and a corral at least 6’ high until they are gentled. Not many people have that set up. It doesn’t matter if you have 100 acres you must have 6’ fences for containing them. I have seen many a mustang go over a 5’ fence, without a thought. That’s why I adopted a tip trained, fence broke mustang for myself, I don’t have 6’ fences, mine are only 5’.

It sounds like you have a lot on your plate. Good luck.

[eightpondfarm]

thank you for your comment WildlittleWren. Yes, the BLM is quite adamant about the 6’ fencing. And with good reason! My gentling corrals exceed the minimum requirements. Because you are concerned, i tried and tried to attaching a couple of photos, but couldn’t get them to load. (*maybe it’s the rain… ) Anyhow, my panels are 13 gauge 2by square bars six feet high that are not only chained but also bolted to eachother and then attached to heavy duty poles planted 3’ deep in a bag of cement each. edit: fun photo of one of my corrals with mondoUploading: IMG_2021-07-27-13-41-03-213.jpg… 6’ panels and my mules solar-charging.

[J-Lu]

Without having read all of the comments, I note this from the video:

She’s super tense. Yes she moves with her legs together and there is no indication that she WON’T do that with you. That said, I don’t think we’ve seen her real canter. The QH in the pasture next to my horse always starts her galloping sprees with the hind legs together to accelerate, and she went to and won at Congress. That’s how she accelerates and has phenomenal vet care. This horse might have the same tendencies to accelerate.

Examining her walk, not shown, can help you figure out this canter.

The footing is very deep and not ideal.

That very deep footing highlighs her spectacular trot and hock action. She uses herself so well already at the trot.

I think things will depend on her starting and nature. My current BO has a 14.2hh mustang named “Pogo” because she jumped out of most enclosures. She seems to have a lot of Paso Fino in her and is fine boned (yeah, Paso Finos aren’t known for their jump, but oh well). The BO before her had 2 mustangs with a lot of draft. They weren’t going to jump over anything! The resident trainer has worked with several mustangs to show that over time, they can be great partners.

So, I don’t know what you can conclude from that short video in that unfortunate footing except that she can use her hocks well at the trot. I’d try to see if I could watch her walk and “calmly” canter. I know many of these mustang videos are not made under calm conditions.

[WildLittleWren]

@J-Lu

Without having read all of the comments, I note this from the video:

She’s super tense. Yes she moves with her legs together and there is no indication that she WON’T do that with you. That said, I don’t think we’ve seen her real canter. The QH in the pasture next to my horse always starts her galloping sprees with the hind legs together to accelerate, and she went to and won at Congress. That’s how she accelerates and has phenomenal vet care. This horse might have the same tendencies to accelerate.

Examining her walk, not shown, can help you figure out this canter.

The footing is very deep and not ideal.

That very deep footing highlighs her spectacular trot and hock action. She uses herself so well already at the trot.

I think things will depend on her starting and nature. My current BO has a 14.2hh mustang named “Pogo” because she jumped out of most enclosures. She seems to have a lot of Paso Fino in her and is fine boned (yeah, Paso Finos aren’t known for their jump, but oh well). The BO before her had 2 mustangs with a lot of draft. They weren’t going to jump over anything! The resident trainer has worked with several mustangs to show that over time, they can be great partners.

So, I don’t know what you can conclude from that short video in that unfortunate footing except that she can use her hocks well at the trot. I’d try to see if I could watch her walk and “calmly” canter. I know many of these mustang videos are not made under calm conditions.

I have met several mustangs that wouldn’t jump over a log gracefully. My current mare, she has unfortunately jumped my 5’ twice. Once for a romp in the back neighboring farm’s field, of which she calmly let me catch her like “Heyyyy!”. And the other night my dogs spooked her barking and she went over into the side neighbors pasture and proceeded to run around with their Appaloosa gelding (her fenceline buddy). Luckily she is easy to catch and I’ve been home at the time. We are actually looking into ways to extend the existing fence upwards a foot or two if even possible or electric, which I would hate to do but can’t risk her getting loose. She cleared that 5’ fence with a foot to spare! I told my daughter (my 12yo), we may have her jumping horse sitting right here in the pasture 😂 . But it totally depends on how she comes along in her training.