"when is it OK to start this breed with riding basics..."

Hi Heather,

I have a Rocky Mountain Pleasure Horse who will be two in April. My questions are when is it OK to start this breed with riding basics. I hear many conflicting stories...some say two, some say three. I'm not in a hurry, but he is a smartie-pants so I'd like to keep him engaged and working and if he will be ready this summer for light riding that would be great - if not it will not hurt me to wait. Second is, do you recommend sending him to a trainer who specializes in gaited horses for starting? I have a trainer I trust and really like, but she does not specialize in gaited horses. Again I get conflicting stories on this question as well. Any opinions are appreciated! Thanks - Jenn & Traveler

Heather Holmes' Answer:

Dear Jenn and Traveler,

Most Tennessee Walking Horses are started by the time they are 2yrs. I always look at the horse's size, and if he looks like he can carry the average person (not 200-300 lbs.) I don't see why he can't be started. I do all my ground work first, so that by the time I'm ready to get on, the horse already knows whoa, back, and knows how to turn in both directions. The rest is easy. I wouldn't go a 100 mile ride at this young age, but 15 or 20 minutes is pretty good. What you are going to want to do is teach him to walk and flat walk (a little faster walk) first. DO NOT go zooming around at a fast gait early, because you will ruin him. Just remember, every gait starts from the walk or flat-walk. Once he has his balance and is totally relaxed and is consistant and comfortable with his walk, then you can go from there. It doesn't matter who trains them, as long as they don't try and make them trot or especially canter them too soon. The canter is the very LAST thing you teach, and the horse must be solid and consistant in both walk and mountain gait (or running walk) before you even attempt that. Most gaited horses are not cantered until late in their 3rd year or when they are 4 yrs.

Good luck and thanks for the question.

Heather Holmes

" I always have trouble tring to catch her. ..."

Hi Heather,

I have a gaited mare, she is a very good riding horse but I always have trouble tring to catch her. Once you catch her and saddle her up she is the best riding horse I have ever riden.When we plan a trail ride I have to stall her so we can be on time to get there, it takes me at least 10 minutes. to catch her. What can I do?

Heather Holmes' Answer:

Dear Cameron,

The best way to get a horse to come to you is give them a treat everytime they come. Use carrots or something they really like. Work with her in a stall first. Stand in the doorway and call her. When she comes to you praise her and give her a little treat. Transfer this process to a little larger area. See how that works. You migt have to drop back a notch once in a while, but be patient. You can also put a catch rope on her when she's out. Take a very short rope, not more than 2 ft and tie it to her halter while she's out. It will give you a better chance at grabbing something other than her halter. I prefer working with her the first way with the treat. All the horses I have ever had, followed me around like puppies. Of course the younger the horse is, the quicker the learning, so be patient. Always be sure to praise her and love on her when she comes to you, then give her the treat. Eventually when she comes to you, you'll be able to back off with the treat. Good luck and thanks for the question.

Heather Holmes

"she'll start foaming real bad but she'll let you ride her for a while, so is this normal or?..."

My husband & I have a 2 1/2 yr old Tenn. Walker. We just started breaking her to ride and when she has the bit in her mouth for like 5 to 10 mins. she'll start foaming real bad but she'll let you ride her for a while, so is this normal or? Or why does she do it, and is there something we can do for her? At first we didn't know if it was where it's something new in her mouth that she wasn't used to but she been riding for about 3 weeks now and she was keeping the bit in her mouth before even getting on her to ride. It was getting her ready to start riding for about 2 weeks.

Heather Holmes' Answer:

Dear Jessica,

Don't worry, there is nothing wrong with your horse. In fact it is a good thing that your horse has, what we call a "wet mouth". When a horse salivates with the bit in their mouth, that means they are not intimidated by the bit. You want that. If they have a "dry mouth" that usually indicates that they are unconfortable with the bit.

Thank you for your question

Heather

"If you watch his back legs you can see the tendon we believe snap like a rubber band from the side of his leg all the way down to his fetlock..."

Hi Heather,

We have a Walker who will be 3 on Dec.6. He is my daughters who will be 14 on Dec. 3rd. We have had him since he was 6 months old. I noticed when we got him and she started working with him in halter he had and still has a hitch in his backend. After he turned 1 he had a growth spurt and his tendons in both back legs started popping very loud, you can hear them clear across the arena. If you watch his back legs you can see the tendon we believe snap like a rubber band from the side of his leg all the way down to his fetlock. We have had 2 vets look at him and one said he will grow out of it and the other gave him an injection of like a cortisone to reduce any inflamation, but it didnt work. You can tell he is use to it and has learned how to compromise when he walks. Another vet recommended cutting his stifles. I wanted to know if you have seen this before or heard of it. we are trying to figure this out cause we love him a great deal and would like to get this fixed so she can show him and not have to worry if eventually he is going to go lame. I would appreciate it if you could get back to me.

Thank you for your time. Vincelle and Shelby

Heather Holmes' Answer:

Dear Vincelle and Shelby,

It's not uncommon for young horses to have "growing pains". Are you riding him yet? If not, I would try to locate a specialist or massage therapist to see if they can recommend some type of physical therapy. If you are riding him, he may just need strengthening in the hind quarters, and to do that , you might want to ride him somewhere ther is heavy footing. Long slow walking in heavy footing, like deep dirt or sand will help strengthen the hind quarter muscles. Because he is only 3, I would not recommend cutting the stifles unless either one of them is locking. Sometimes with certain bloodlines, the stifle muscles and others in the area are large and loose and they just need some time to grow into them. If the the horse were older, then I would say you might have a problem. Most of TWH do not mature before 5-6 years of age. Do you have shoes on him? You might have your farrier take a look, sometimes corrective shoeing can help with needed support.

Thank you for your question

Heather

"Is it possible that I could use this bit forever? ..."

I have a wonderful 5 year old gelding, who is out of Royal Ivory. Great pedigree with lots of old lines. My question, I am using the Imus bit, and I have been very happy with it, but I have found that it has been the only bit I can use on my TWH, that works best with gaining collection. Is it possible that I could use this bit forever? I occasionally switch out bits, for a different riding experience, i.e., a snaffle, but trying to get my horse to property gait in that bit is useless, he will pace and throw his head up high. Why change bits at all? Well, I sometimes think a humane bit (less pressure the better) will have fewer adverse affects on a horse's mouth. I been good about having soft hands, but sometimes, I have to use a greater amount of pull, to get a point across. I know he is young, and ideally, I would like to see my guy trained to the point where he sets his head when I pick up the reins. We are getting there:)

Heather Holmes' Answer:

Dear Ally,

Unfortunately, I don't know what an Imus bit is. At least not without seeing a picture of it. I may know what it is by another name. I have found that some horses, especially older horses go better with bit changes. The young horses, once they get comfortable with a bit, seem to prefer less bit changes. If your horse is comfortable with the Imus, I don't see any reason to change it, until the horse decides he doesn't like it anymore.

Thank you for your question

Heather

" his right front fetlock joint looked very enlarged. I felt it and it felt "puffy"..."

I have just purchased a 2 yo TWH gelding who is newly started under saddle. He is coming along quite nicely, but I noticed the other day that his right front fetlock joint looked very enlarged. I felt it and it felt "puffy", he also was not very comfortable with me feeling it. We let him rest for a week and see no change. My husband rode him around the house today so we could observe and I can see that when he speeds up from the walk he begins to strike the back of that joint with his right back hoof. After a few strides he actually tripped himself. We immediately dismounted so that he would not get hurt. We did not see this when we purchased him, and he does not limp or favor that side when riding. Any ideas or suggestions about this?

Heather Holmes' Answer:

Dear Donna,

That is something a good farrier should be able to correct. If the horse has shoes on the rear, I would pull them off and ride him barefoot behind for a while and see if he corrects the problem himself by wearing down his hoof to a comfortable angle. If he does not have shoes on, he probably needs some type of corrective shoeing to enable him to travel a little wider behind.

Thank you for your question

Heather

"have absolutely no idea as to which breed and age to start out with. I am 27, I love trailing riding ..."

Hi Heather!

I have always loved riding horses, but have never owned one. I am thinking of buying one and have absolutely no idea as to which breed and age to start out with. I am 27, I love trailing riding and would love to have a horse gentle enough for my little one to ride with me. Can you give me ideas of where to start? PS. I am in Mississippi. Thanks!

Heather Holmes' Answer:

My recommendation would be a Tennessee Walking Horse. They are noted for their smooth gait and calm disposition. I have worked with a lot of children over the years and people with little experience in riding and have found the Walking Horse a suitable one for all. Since you live in the South, there should be plenty of Walking horses around. If you want some color, you can also look into a Spotted Saddle Horse. These are Tennessee Walking Horses that are usually black and white, brown and white, or some type of smoothe gaited horse with color. I would not recommend a young horse. You want to look for something over 5 years old and has had some training or trail experience. Good Luck.

Heather

Thank you for your question

Heather

"Do you know of a good trainer in the Phoenix area for my TWH? Thanks..."

Heather Holmes' Answer:

Dear Lois,

There is a lady in North Scottsdale who is very good with TWH's. Her name is Tina. Her cell phone number is 602-751-9999. You may use my name as a reference.

Heather Holmes

"He is about 12 years old and he is very spooky...."

I have a Paso Fino that we've had for about 7 years. He is about 12 years old and he is very spooky. Just recently I have started riding him again. He was not ridden or hadn't even had a saddle on for 3 years until about 1 month ago when I decided that I wanted to ride him. Well I rode him the first time I put the saddle on and he was pretty good. But lately he has started trying to take off over anything. Whether I'm holding my hands up too high or barely touching his sides with my feet. So pretty much he's very spooky over everything. I'd like to know how to fix that. He freaks out when any sudden movements happen, when I touch his sides with my feet when I'm on him, even when I put the reins together in one hand when I'm riding him. I'm very short on time cause I'm also riding an Appaloosa that I got that hasn't been ridden for 5 years so I need a solution for this problem if it can be fixed?

Caitlin

Heather Holmes' Answer:

Caitlin,

With regards to your Paso Fino, it is common for older horses who have been layed off for some time to become, "barn sour". That is to say, they haven't had to work for a few years, and why should they now? If the horse wasn't spooky before, I would say he is trying to intimidate you so perhaps you'll not ride him. I would try to ride him in a confined area where you have the control. This would be important at this stage, because it sounds like he is trying to control you. You might try putting him on a lunge line for some time before you get on him and see if that doesn't help work him down a little. Right now it's a battle for control and until you get control he will probably keep testing you.

As for the Appy, it's no surprise she has an attitude problem. I have foundover the years that it is a common trait. I would try doing a lot of ground work. Handling, lunging, and again working with her in a confined area where you can maintain control. Be sure to reward her for good behavior, and scold her for bad actions. Good luck.

Thank you for your question

Heather

"The trainer wants to lunge/round pen him...."

I have a 4year old TWH in training. The trainer wants to lunge/round pen him. I've heard from other reliable gaited horse people that this is not a good idea because it will ruin his gait. the training we are working on is poor ground manners, respect of people. Any information about lunging/round pinning a gaited horse would be appreciated.

Heather Holmes' Answer:

I have worked many gaited horses in a round pen. It's a good place to establish discipline. I have tought horses to whoa, do 3 gaits on command, park out, and even canter in a round pen. I think it is an essential training device.

Thank you for your question

Heather