Great news!
I love happy endings. Not saying this is the end. Maybe it’s a new begining. Sounds wonderful.
Thanks for chipping in Leia. Your post gave me a couple of much needed chuckles.
Dick
I agree it is great to have a happy ending but it leaves me with even more questions.
Why did he act that way to begin with? Harness, cart, driver, enrivonment? What is so different now? Harness, cart, driver, enviornment? If we make mistakes and we can learn from them, what is the lesson? Surely not that we just take the horse to live with the trainer and everything is all of a sudden fixed?
Wow, that was a terrible wreck. I’m just so glad that no one was hurt. Your poor horse might be traumatized after that. I hope you can find out the problem and make the little guy happy again. Whenever mine do things very much out of the ordinary (in a bad way) I get the chiro out and there has always been a pain issue.
(((ab)))
Wendy
Leia is correct about some of the “miniature” horse trainers out there. I totally agree with what she said. The mini was trained in single pleasure and “trained” to be “up” all the time, even when just being a horse. We had issues going on since last October and went through 4 harness, two carts, 3 vet checks, one chiro. horse person and lots of advice from many people.
Sometimes the connection just isn’t there.
Bottom line is horse has nothing physically wrong that we can find. Seems that he has some personality conflicts with me and we just couldn’t get along. The horse has been worked this week by the new owner and has had no problems like I had.
Believe me that the decision to “give him up” was not taken lightly. I really miss him but his well being was my first priority.
He wasn’t hurt in the wreck, I still think he shouldn’t be driven. The new owner is going to be showing him in halter and in-had performance classes at the breed shows. She is taking her time on the driving thing with him. If he never drives again that is ok with her too.
Happy Ending, another chapter closes and may a happy one begin with the new owner.
something is going on
For a mini to take off like that all out ( or any horse for that matter) when he has not done it before as far as you know something has to be going on.:eek: I would defiltley get a very good vet check and make sure the harness and everything fits okay. I would not ride outside the areana for awile if you decide to try again and I would find a trainer or someone with vast experince to come work with you and him. If he has shown try and find out how he did in the shows. If in fact he has been shown before and has a good show record with no DQ or faults than something has changed and it maybe a task to find out what but it would be the safest bet.
[QUOTE=olehossgal;3256972]
Well, I’m not ‘hobbyhorse’, but I’ve owned, bred, trained, driven, and shown (my own, by choice I seldom train for other people) miniatures for 24 years(and ridden and trained, though not driven, ‘fullsized’ horses for MANY years before that, and since, so I think I am qualified to speak to this subject…)
I don’t believe this is necessarily a ‘mini’ thing, per se. I would be the FIRST to suggest that, especially IF YOU WANT TO TRY TO DRIVE this horse again, you explore EVERY POSSIBLE cause of this problem, including having a chiropractor examine the horse, as well as a very complete vet workup, because I have come to believe that there is ALWAYS the possibility of a ‘causal’ agent that NO ONE has thought of, or which is extremely RARE (as with the allergy mentioned by another poster…). I must add, though, that virtually EVERY occasion when I’ve seen, or heard of, a miniature that behaved in this manner, it was ‘somehow’ related to ‘breed show ring’ type of ‘training’(in quotes because I believe what’s done often doesn’t qualify as what I’d consider training…)-or(nothing personal meant, just the facts of my observation), an owner who wasn’t genuinely experienced in that specific area–i.e., driving.)
“Training” a mini to drive for the breed show ring, IMO, VERY often leaves BIG ‘holes’ in a horse’s proper education. In addition, the horses are often ‘rushed’ into the show ring, overused, and ‘soured’ in one or more ways(not unlike other breeds I can think of, but that’s for a completely different post…). I KNOW horses that have won, BIG and often, at least for awhile, in the mini breed ring, that I would not climb in a cart behind…because they are as likely as not to ‘blow up’, usually without warning.
One factor that might be ‘related’ to the horse being a mini is that those who really AREN’T horsemen often believe, and behave, as if they can physically ‘overpower’ a miniature to ‘make’ it perform, or behave, as they wish it to. Now, sometimes this may be more or less ‘possible’, but it is NOT the proper or wise approach, and invariably, I believe, will lead to problems, for SOMEONE–the horse, the original handler(s), or a later owner or handler–someone who has no idea what mishandling the horse may have been subjected to! A horse is a horse, and should be approached and treated as a good horseman KNOWS how to treat a horse. A horse may not exhibit ‘regressive’ behavior until something ‘triggers’ it–something the person handling them at the time has no idea about…
Most of this is simply my opinions, based on long years’ of experience with horses in general and miniatures in particular. It could even just be that this horse really doesn’t ‘wish to be’ a driving horse, and just chose the critical moment to demonstrate it. It could be a malingerer, too–figured out how to ‘avoid’ the work and is an ‘expert’ at it?!!— I do know that with as many prospects as there are out in the world, if it were me, I would probably not ‘push the envelope’, as I value my safety!
FWIW; I wish you the best, appybeads, whatever course you choose!
Margo in New Mexico (aka olehossgal)[/QUOTE]
good post,
[QUOTE=appybeads;3273416]
Leia is correct about some of the “miniature” horse trainers out there. I totally agree with what she said. The mini was trained in single pleasure and “trained” to be “up” all the time, even when just being a horse. We had issues going on since last October and went through 4 harness, two carts, 3 vet checks, one chiro. horse person and lots of advice from many people.
4 harnesses two carts and 3 vet checks and one chiro----
thats way out of line-- to continue with apony or horse with issues
this boy is shouting load and clear somethings not quite right
Sometimes the connection just isn’t there.
i repeat your quote 4 harnesses 2 carts 3 vets and one chiro -
Bottom line is horse has nothing physically wrong that we can find. Seems that he has some personality conflicts with me and we just couldn’t get along. The horse has been worked this week by the new owner and has had no problems like I had.
Believe me that the decision to “give him up” was not taken lightly. I really miss him but his well being was my first priority.
He wasn’t hurt in the wreck, I still think he shouldn’t be driven. The new owner is going to be showing him in halter and in-had performance classes at the breed shows. She is taking her time on the driving thing with him. If he never drives again that is ok with her too.
Happy Ending, another chapter closes and may a happy one begin with the new owner.[/QUOTE]
well maybe hes happy now becuase he doesnt have to drive becuase its not his thing
and he might have been asked to much to soon, and perhaps gave up
as broekn spirit and didnt want to drive no more – sometimes we have to look at what the horse thinks-- his way is no thanks and he shouted that out loud and clear
probably be better being a little show mini as its a job perhaps he likes
UPDATE
The boy is back home with me. It was quite and emotional and expensive lesson. He will be hanging out here and retired from driving.
Nuff said. Thanks 
I’m sorry and I hope he enjoys his retirement. Perhaps he could be a therapy horse or companion?
Leia
[QUOTE=appybeads;3304674]
The boy is back home with me. It was quite and emotional and expensive lesson. He will be hanging out here and retired from driving.
Nuff said. Thanks [/QUOTE]
While my first thought was, “Oh, what a shame” perhaps it was his way of saying he was meant for something else. You never know, he may end up being the bestest babysitter ever.
Thank you for updating us.
