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  Discussion on Green rider, greenish horse- advice?
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 29, 2000 - 1:16 pm:

My husband has gotten the team penning bug, and we have purchased a horse for him. We have had him 2 weeks and passed the prepurchase with flying colors. He is a gelding, 6 years old, not a mean bone in his body. And really cute in all ways. The problem is, we used him for penning and he has no idea how to do a sidepass, a roll back, nor will he watch a cow. When you ask him for these moves, he will toss and toss his head, and then flip his bit. We have tried several bits, and they all work great until we start pressing him for "trick" moves. My husband and I do not know how to properly cue for these moves, and we have had several people who do ride him, and they all come back saying he is a nice horse, but does not know that much, and isn't finished. My question is, would we be better off getting a more broke horse until we learn the cues, or can we try to learn together on this one? Can he learn to watch cows at 5? He comes from a cowy background, but supposedly he has worked a lot of cows in his short life... We did not get a great deal on him because he was not finished, either. Any advice?

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 29, 2000 - 1:57 pm:

Jill,
If you can, I would sure think about getting an older, more broke horse--preferably one with penning experience--rather than trying to "learn together" with your new horse. That rarely works, as at least one of you needs to know what's going on in order to be the teacher. Your boy's head-flipping is a sure sign that he's both confused and agitated, perhaps having mouth discomfort as well. If you choose to stick with him (and he does sound nice), you'd probably be best off to put the penning plans on hold this year; speed increases the degree of difficulty of any maneuver, and team penning requires a lot of advanced moves done at speed. The three things you mentioned need to all be taught at a walk, without even moving to a trot until he's feather light and relaxed at the slower speed. Tracking cattle, especially, is something he needs to learn by just walking along behind them, or trailing them quietly in a big corral. He won't really have the confidence to pay attention to the cattle until he trusts you and understands what you're asking of him, away from the cattle. If you go too fast too soon, he'll learn to hate the whole thing.
He sounds like a promising prospect, but for more immediate fun, I might invest in a horse that's further along this path. Good luck, whatever you decide.
Hope this helps.
~Amy

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 29, 2000 - 8:28 pm:

I agree with Amy,either take the time to train "this" horse with the help of a cutting or reining or penning type trainer, or get a horse that is a little more "broke". This horse sounds nice, but is obviously confused. If you continue on this vein, I won't be surprised, if he ends up with real avoidance problems and the possibility of your husband getting hurt.
Janette

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 30, 2000 - 2:46 pm:

Jill-
If others say he is a "nice horse" do they mean they can get him to preform? If so, might I suggest that you have your husband and your horse take lessons. Some very well trained horses will act up when they are given the incorrect ques. This would also help teach both you and the horse the proper skills to participate in this event.

If your not speaking his language, you can't have a conversation with him... get an intrepreter...

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 30, 2000 - 2:55 pm:

No, they mean he is nice looking and kind. They can't get him to do the fancy stuff, rollbacks, etc. We have got him to control his speed as he likes to pick up the pace anytime we ask for more than a walk, but the more complicated stuff seems to be the issue. We have made the decision to try an older, more broke horse that would be more fun. I have an 11 yr old that is steady and reliable. He can do anything you ask, he just lacks speed. I think we are going to try and find a faster version of my horse. We are both taking lessons, me twice a week, my husband once a week. There is so much to learn!!! Thank you all so much for your advice!!!
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