Re: RC: Do slow, young horses ever speed up?

[Roger Rittenhouse <roger@vmaxept.com>]

Hello Karen,
   well- IF you REALLY dont want to work with her .. sounds like a dud
   ..
   YOU CAN SHIP HER TO ME!!!
   Kidding   ..
   Should make a great 50 miler then 100 miler..

   After Omni  worked through the 'slug' days  - I kept working and
   pushing and 'baiting' him with other horses and my wife's horse ..
   as in 'go get em' and then 'motivate' with a device ( crop)

   Well it worked great. Now after 4 years of working with the
   attitude and getting him working my way, he is going quite fast and
   staying together.

   I bet it will take a few years to get her into the working grove.
   Omni has a blast - and so do I - now that we are going faster and -
   yes - doing some racing .. just had a blast at the last 2 races.

   Guess he may not be good for a 100 miler  now  .. but then who knows.

   You have to ride her with pressure to keep going and pushing out -
   and use the crop and heels - till she figures it out.
   They ALL will get into the speed thing.
   
   Then again you could ship her to me .. I sure would like a 6 year
   old anglo-arab MARE. I started this sport 25 years ago with one.

   Roger R
Sunday, December 23, 2001, 10:25:06 PM, you wrote:


KS> I now have a 5 and half year old (got her a year ago) that is just a
KS> plodder.  She is an Anglo/Arab (you might think hot), but seems to be fairly
KS> laid back and even lazy.  I have devoted the last year to getting her out,
KS> both ponying her off horses that walk fast, and more and more riding.  She
KS> is especially slow walking down hills, but just doesn;'t have any kind of a
KS> nice, fast walk....her trot is slow with not much impulsion, and her canter
KS> is slow and she keeps dropping back to a trot.  In a nutshell, not much go.
KS> If I go out with other horsees she will  keep to their pace, which means I
KS> can just about drop the reins on a trot (and believe me, this is nice after
KS> all the pullers I have had!).  But, I just can't tell at this point, after a
KS> good, solid year on hte trail (out 3-6 times a WEEK), if this is just her
KS> temperament, or if the will "pick up" the pace willingly at some point.
KS> This is a tall, long-legged mare (15.3), and the little 14h arabs can
KS> out-walk her.  Believe me, I am appreciating her laid-back qualities, but
KS> also just wonder if she is not going to enjoy this sport.  So, those of you
KS> with lots of experience bringing babies along.....does this change?

KS> Thanks,Karen