We used to have a little spitfire of a gaited horse who threw a shoe half way through a class and since I knew he was too anxious to stand for his shoe to be replaced, we finished the second half with one bare foot, trotted and racked just fine.
So…I have to ask. Why go through all the expense and potential hoof damage if the horse already has it? More is better? It makes zero sense to me. It’s either a conspiracy or dumb.
I loved Rob Beyers horse. That shoe looked like a toe weight with NO pad. Or just a single with no wedge. That is awesome and exactly where the breed should be going.
If the horse already has it? Shoes keep hoofs neat and, if a horse doesn’t have the best hooves, protected–those are a few reasons. And, I don’t think anyone, regardless of discipline, would argue that a skilled farrier can’t help refine movement/motion. Now, refining by adjusting distribution of weight or adding a pad–with the end result along the lines of the image links posted on this page–is why I personally would shoe a horse vs. not.
Growing a hoof grotesquely long and adding thick pads to try to “help” the motion of a horse is something that mystifies me. I so no reason for it. It rarely helps much, does not create a pleasant picture, and, IMHO, if a horse needs that much “help” it probably doesn’t belong in the division/job the owner is attempting to put it in.
What earsup said - and also for support.
A horse who has feet which are too long and is carrying too much weight has a rather mechanical way of going (which I personally find very unattractive). And while the weight and length of hoof might help SOME it really doesn’t change much. There really is a fine line between helping a horse achieve it’s best and trying to force an animal to be something it isn’t.
That being said - there are people out there, who don’t know any better, who grow feet too long and put too much weight hoping for some sort of miracle. In general, it doesn’t work, and when it does you get the above mentioned “mechanical” looking movement.
The desired motion comes primarily from two sources:
- Natural ability
- Training/Collection
Shoes just refine it.
And I absolutely agree with you sunridge1 - that IS where the breed should be going.
The Morgan and Arabian Associations have weight and length restrictions for their saddle seat divisions. I think such restrictions would benefit the saddlebred association as well.
Well… dis is my Saddlebred mare at liberty, all “jazzed up”, at her mare inspection. She wouldn’t canter and was loping around with her neck level with her back, totally relaxed, and so myself and two others had to grab some whips (2 had plastic bags tied to the ends) and wave them at her, yell flail arms, just to get her to canter - and canter she did. Like this.
http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr321/ASBJumper/Sasha-inspection_zps93c46fe0.jpg
She does not curl her tail over her back like pug, she does not raise her head up at an impossible angle, she does not show the whites of her eyes, ever. And her ears are normal, and big, and I love them to bits. :love-struck:
She is an old-style, solid Saddlebred with non-fashionable lines, and she moves like a really nice, high quality Thoroughbred. She has been mistaken for a TB, a W-line Hanoverian, a Draft cross (!)… but she’s 100% American Saddlebred.
And yes, Laurierace, they are PHENOMENALLY tolerant horses - all they want to do is please. It really needs to be experienced to be believed. It’s like they’re not even horses, they’re dogs - and even when they are sh*tting bricks on the inside, they will still do what they’re asked to do. Politely. Safely.
I have owned 3 Saddlebreds and known/seen a bunch more in person. None had extreme natural motion, none flipped/bushed their tails, none had hooky ears, and all were incredible athletes who would bend over backwards to give you whatever it is you asked for.
I won’t weigh in on the Saddle Seat stuff, I have no direct knowledge of it. But I will argue that are many, many Saddlebreds who move level, who are not overly animated and who do not choose to go around with their heads at a 90 degree angle from their back when at liberty. If that was nto the case, then a) there would not be so many pulling buggies for the Amish or sitting in killpens at auctions and b) there would have never been a need to create divisions OTHER than the 5-gaited ones at Saddlebred shows.
The extreme mover IS the exception. Less so than perhaps 100 years ago because of our selective breeding (:dead:), but they are still the exception nonetheless.
We just don’t see the videos of the “non-animated” ones on Youtube, or on the ASHA site, or on breeder’s websites. Those horses are quietly hidden behind the barn or simply not featured as prominently as the others. Doesn’t mean they’re not there - in large numbers.
Thanks for sharing, she is beautiful.
[QUOTE=ASBJumper;7416922]
And yes, Laurierace, they are PHENOMENALLY tolerant horses - all they want to do is please. It really needs to be experienced to be believed. It’s like they’re not even horses, they’re dogs - and even when they are sh*tting bricks on the inside, they will still do what they’re asked to do. Politely. Safely. [/QUOTE]
Accurate! This is Lucian, a Saddlebred who went through the kill pen at New Holland but got fished out by a broker. He usually traveled totally level like a hunter. This is as high as his head ever went and he’s pretty psyched in this photo!
Photobucket isn’t loading so I can’t see your pic 
You don’t have to convince me. We fished lots of them out of the kill pen over the years. I remember we got one on Monday and I rode him in a hunter pace that Saturday. My daughter was really little and having trouble with her pony trying to gallop up the steep hills so I literally had him walk sort of sideways up the hill so the pony couldn’t get past. He was awesome.
It’s nice to see this thread become so positive. Great hearing about good experiences and cool saddlebreds in multiple disciplines.
