I did a foolish thing; I took some confirmation shots of Moon and posted them online for judgement. Talk about a big mistake, especially when this is your first horse.
I figured he had two big flaws: a short neck and hollow back/high wither. The high wither bit wasn't too much of a worry, since he's never appeared to have saddle fit problems, and it certainly keeps the saddle from spinning around.
...but now, these 'judging' people, have me all worked up...
They say he has low hocks. They say he's calf kneed. They say that he's sway backed. Short necked. Not suited for jumping. Hard to saddle fit. Likely suffers from back pain.
...and now I worry.
But then, I wonder why?
We've ridden for 9 miles together. We've jumped together. We've had a great time together. Is he supposed to be some elite competitor? No. He's supposed to be my buddy. We're supposed to have fun. He doesn't need the most elite confirmation in the history of horses. We won't be jumping so often that it should affect him. And yes, I should check my saddle fit, but hell, I haven't even been riding in a saddle lately!
Are any horses fault free? I doubt it. And those with great confirmation, might have horrible personalities.
...the only thing I have decided, which I decided before this whole 'confirmation' thing, was that I want to get him some splint boots. I was using polo wraps, but the easy of splints would be awesome. I tried that pair from Western Rawhide, but they don't fit...so now, horrible, money spending me, wants to get him a pair of Pro-Choice of Classic Equine Boots. I've been trying to find them used, but the best I can find is $50 shipped, which is 1/2 the price of a 4 pack from ebay, brand new. Or I can go to pleasant ridge or apple saddlery and pay like $160 and get whichever pro-choice elite brand I want.
LOL. Get this. Pro Choice Elite boots are $45 each (in any color) at Fleet Farm, or a 4-Pack for $75 in...get this...any color! And that's without shipping costs! Crap, that's what I'm getting without a doubt! And I can get whatever color I want!
Brand spanking new.
I love America! Now to just make sure that A. They have them when we go down, and B. We go down to Fleet Farm!
Now...would Moon look better in Turquoise, Crimson Red, Black or Chocolate Brown. Or white or houndstooth...
I'm thinking Turquise. I just love blue, and while I know red looks awesome on my boy, blue is just...blue!
The other thing I need to do, motivated by the critiques, is start finding excercises to work his back. Lots of excercises, to really work those muscles and get him as fit as possible to keep him healthy.
I've got a boat-load of books from the library, lots of 20 minute excercises and stuff. Since I can't afford a lot of gear at the moment, my intent is to get him the SMB's, find a saddle pad to make life easier on his back, MAYBE a flysheet for summer, and the EC books for training.
Considering my birthday is coming up, and mom and dad are always down in the states so maybe I can tempt them into the SMBs...though I think I'm getting the BBQ from them.
BF on the other hand...It's a fairly inexpensive gift for him, and something I really want. And perfectly in time for when I'll be riding a lot more.
...and I suppose, maybe I should invest in a good saddle fitting appointment for him. So that someone can properly find me what we need to keep him comfortable...funny thing is, he's never seemed uncomfortable after a long ride...
Though did seem off after jumping last fall...I thought it was a leg issue though...now I'm wondering if it was a back thing...
...it's been almost a month of owning Moon; and the one thing I've learned, is that owning a horse is stressful. It shouldn't be, but like all things, being new makes things nerve-wracking. I don't yet know always what to look for, or how to tell what's going on. I don't always understand all the big words people use to describe movement and body action.
Suppose I kind of felt this way when I got my dog 3 years ago. I knew she was wonderful and had great talent, but I had zero experience in developing it. I had worked with a few client dogs, I had read a lot of books and made a lot of decisions. But I had never gotten to put any of it into practice. I worried about back injury, being cold, illness, disease, genetics, everything. And now, now that I know her, and what's normal and how to work with her to really drive her to her potential, I don't worry so much...'so' being the opperative word! Heck, Monday when we left her lose in the house, I was worried she had strangled herself with her collar! Like gees, get real!
To this day, she's spoiled in care and held to strict behavior rules; and trained a lot. I think there's a lot of her personality in Moon as well.
...I wonder if we intentionally fit best and chose a specific personality in companion animals? Like I just naturally go for the scared, intelligent, need-to-convince-you're-right type?
...guess I better finish reading my horse behavior book!
Oh, and if anyone is going down to fleet farm....lemme know!
Hey I went back and read a bunch of your old posts and this one really hits home for me.
ReplyDeleteI've been told Grayson is sooo crooked...blah blah blah..."it's amazing he moves the way he does." Just that one comment makes me always think something is wrong with him. ha ha! I have to remind myself that he's a $300 rescue...I didn't pay for confirmation or experience, I just wanted him for his personality!
I stress the same way with Grayson too. They're awesome stress relievers but they cause a lot of stress too. And I stress about what other people may think...I always feel like people judge me (and Grayson) because we "should" be doing more. Like you said, I want him to be my buddy.
Anyhow I'm rambling...just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. :)