Looking for Feedback on a Rocky Mountain Horse

[TXKing99]

Hello!
Many of you have followed my story with my first horse Jasper (see thread titled: Neurological Issue? Need Help. Gelding with strange behavior that no one has seen). I am actively searching for my next horse and would appreciate feedback on this Rocky Mountain gelding. I am not familiar with them or gaited horses in general, but I know people how have them and met one who I really like. This one came up in my area and I knew people who had seen the horse and know the owner/trainer. They have seen him on trail and he said he was great. They seem to have confidence in the trainer as well.

He is 9 years old.
Registered name: Bandit’s Gun Powder and Lead
He has a really nice personality, soft eye, and willing mind. I have looked at and ridden him twice. The second time with my trainer. She isn’t familiar with gaited horses but she really like his personality, calmness, brain and willingness to learn.

The trainer has been focusing on preparing him for trail. He is a little green in the arena, but willing work on things like leg yield. Today we were in the arena with a dog, another rider and 2 horses that were tied up. It was raining and windy. Nothing phased him.

Concerns:
I would love feedback on his movement. He swishes his tail quite a bit. I know it can be normal for this breed to lift their tail but I am concerned that he could be swishing it more than normal and it could be an indication of pain or discomfort. Does he look stiff?

https://youtube.com/shorts/glDTAHVW3vA?feature=share

Gunner - 2

Gunner - 3

Gunner - Walking

Gunner - canter

Gunner - gaiting 2

[AnastasiaBeaverhousen]

What are your goals?
He does look stiff to me, and a bit disunited.
His hind legs do not have the same rhythm as the front.

He is also traveling with his head, neck, and nose up which indicate either a bitting issue, or neck or back problems.

Or it could also be a condition issue.

If he was a younger horse , say a three or four year old , it would be less concerning.

But at 9 it would give me pause.
Certainly a proper training program might help him get more balanced , but if he has some conformational issues , no amount of conditioning will change that.

However, if your goal is trail riding , as long as the horse is comfortable he might suit.

I would probably keep looking. He looks like a kind horse and seems to be a good sport but I would want more.

Good luck on your search. After all you and poor Jasper went through, you deserve it.

[MsM]

I would keep looking. He doesnt look established and comfortable in his gait and you would need someone knowledgeable in RMH to help. At his age this is concerning.

And after the issues with your last horse, be aware that gaited horses are harder to evaluate for soundness for most vets.

[AMackechnie]

In a gaited horse I’d be looking for a softer, more relaxed way of going with no tail swishing. The gait should be relaxed and swinging and this horse simply looks tense and somewhat uncomfortable and, as others have said…stiff.

Even with his apparent greenness to leg and rein aids he should be able to move along with regular cadence and this isn’t apparent for more than few strides in your videos.

[TXKing99]

Thank you so much! This is what I needed to hear.

[stargzng386]

I would keep looking. He definitely looks stiff to me not just in the hind end but also in his head/neck. I watched the whole walk video and he doesn’t even fully relax just walking. You did not have a tight or hard contact on the reins and he was still gaping his mouth and fussing. I would expect that from a 3 year old just broke but not from an older horse. The high tail might be normal for the breed but he really swishes anytime you changes speeds like walk into a trot which to me indicates discomfort.

[TXKing99]

Thank you!

[TXKing99]

Thank you. My eye started twitching when I saw that tail swish… it didn’t look right to me. I am going to keep looking and probably stick to a WTC horse.

[TXKing99]

I can definitely see the disconnect between the front and back. Something seemed off but I don’t know enough about them. Appreciate your feedback.
I definitely don’t need/want or have the energy for another horse with a high head, stick back end, disconnected front to back and swishy tail.

[OzarksRider]

I agree with what others have said. Even to my very untrained eye this horse looks uncomfortable, but the question is “Why?”. It could be pain from a bad back or neck, but it could also be something easily fixed, such as a bit that doesn’t quite fit or teeth that need to be floated. Or maybe your cues are confusing him. Or maybe the saddle isn’t comfortable. Or maybe he’s used to being ridden Western style with less contact (although I didn’t think you were too tight on the reins).

Did you watch the owner/trainer ride him? Did he seem stiff and uncomfortable with him/her? Watching the owner ride could help discern whether the horse is unsound in some way or whether he’s just not comfortable with new tack or a rider not used to gaited horses.

Were you riding with your saddle and bridle, or were you using the owner’s tack? What type of bit is this horse used to wearing? Did you try adjusting the bit a little to see if that would help?

Why is this horse for sale? It may be that he’s basically a good horse, or it may be that they’re trying to get rid of a horse with an unfixable problem.

What do you want your horse to be able to do? If this horse has been trained as a trail horse, then that’s probably what he’s going to do best. I don’t know much about gaited horses, but all of the ones around where I live are used as trail horses, and they excel at this. And one local trainer sometimes trains a gaited horse to work cattle. But if you want to do dressage, a non-gaited horse would be better suited. A good general rule is to look for a horse that already knows how to do what you want to do.

Good luck finding your horse, and please keep us updated on your search.

[beowulf]

Gunner looks like a sweet boy. I would pass on him but want to say that the headset and tail animation in this video are characteristics of the RMH breed. If you look at gaited horses make sure your vet is experienced with gaited breeds as what is normal for a gaited horse can be a sign of neurological issues in a non-gaited breed.

Tail swishing is just another way a horse communicates and not always suggestive of a lameness. It is good to keep an eye on how the tail is held in ridden work though. A stiff, straight tail, bent to the side or not, is typically a red flag since this often is a symptom of SI soreness which could be from any number of things.

I would keep looking also. He looks lovely and kind but I believe you would have some soundness complaints to unpack here. He does not look strong or in shape to me.

[AnastasiaBeaverhousen]

OP
You are a lovely rider. You have such a good seat and great position!
I also admire your attitude.
You were so good to Jasper, and after all you went through, you still want to get another horse.
I’m sending good vibes your way that you get the horse you deserve.

[tabula_rashah]

I have a RMH mare that I compete in endurance. To me he looks uncomfortable and stiff behind for sure (hocks???)

[4horses]

I don’t think he’s a bad horse. The question is if he’s the right horse for you? Every gaited horse moves differently. There’s a huge variation in gait. My friend has probably had 40 Pasos. Each one is different and offers different gaits despite being the same breed. Some fino. Some corto. Some do a broken pace. Some can flat foot walk. Some pace. Some are too trotty. Some have a lovely canter. Some canter so slowly you could trot faster than them.

If you are going to buy a gaited horse, you need to try several and see which horse has the best gaits and personality to match.

[fordtraktor]

I am not at all a gaited expert but have been around a lot of them and used to own one (had him for 6 months, lovely trail horse, got him to sell for my dad, whose back couldn’t handle trail riding. I fitted him up and sold him to a lovely home…not an inexpensive horse at all!)

I think the tail and the neck position indicate a back problem. Usually these horses tend to travel quite round easily. This horse is the exact opposite…travels as a U. It’s not what I would expect at all. I will say the horse looks quite trained…most gaited horses don’t walk-canter much, and this one does a walk-canter transition easily in the videos. To me it seems like a sweet horse but not one that is comfortable. I’d get a vet familiar with gaited horses to vet it for sure. (Most vets are not trained in gaited horses! My buyer had to look rather hard to find one with gaited experience!)

[Paint_Party]

@fordtraktor

I think the tail and the neck position indicate a back problem. Usually these horses tend to travel quite round easily. This horse is the exact opposite…travels as a U.

I was going to post almost the same comment. Two of my friends have RMH and they carry themselves quite round and soft. They do hold their tails a bit aloft but not stiff and constantly swishing. RMHs do come in several “types”, so there is that. However, this one just looks like he really hasn’t been brought along slowly and correctly. And/or there’s a pain issue. His gaits seem all over the place.

I’m glad OP is going to continue her search.

[Jackie_Cochran]

I had a Paso Fino mare for a few decades, got her as an early weanling and trained her myself. By the time I finally got up on her back I had been lunging her for many months. She did not have “regular” coordinated movement at first, but even when I started training her she moved much better than this horse (mostly pacing but it was coordinated pacing), even at the beginning when I was trying to explain to her what I wanted her to do for me.

I would NOT buy this horse. I am an Arabian person and love a well carried tail. His tail is not well carried at all, there is too much tension somewhere in his body, probably his back. I suspect that he hurts somewhere, again probably his back.

[atr]

If anyone on this planet deserves a sound, uncomplicated horse, you do.

This isn’t it.

[Rackonteur]

Please don’t look at another horse you think may be stiff or otherwise not quite right. Please don’t do that to yourself.
I like gaited horses and I have a friend who has a Rocky Mountain Horse. But I would not touch this guy.
Please be kind to yourself. And firm.

[Djones]

He’s not sound, he’s got a lot of stiffness and he’s guarding a very sore body. Pass.