Posted 2007-10-07 10:11 PM (#68968 - in reply to #68569) Subject: RE: ten year old quarter gelding " blew up"??could it be teeth???
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385 Location: washington
My horse can run forward, as long as he wants to, with his head cranked around to my knee. He is exteremely supple in the neck and athletic...he can go any direction with his head bent around. Fortunately for me, he does not do this any longer, with lots of work and the help of the occasional poke with a spur. But it is possible, absolutely. When he was 3, he ran me into a tree trying to avoid a creek, with his head pulled around to my knee. I realized at that point I would need to think ahead of this horse and anticipate every problem area and what I was going to do about it, well in advance. If there was a place I felt I could not safely win, I did not go there. I chose trails I could always safely win the battle. Once he gained confidence, we ventured out to the questionable trails and then the challenging trails. Now, at 8 years old, he is the best horse I have ever owned... smart and wants to be a good riding partner. We ride endurance and he is awesome, but can still run forward with his head cranked if he wants to.
Posted 2007-10-07 10:19 PM (#68970 - in reply to #68672) Subject: RE: ten year old quarter gelding " blew up"??could it be teeth???
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385 Location: washington
My first guess would be that he was getting frustrated and a little muscle cramped with the backing and tuning... I never realized how much back strength it took a horse to back up, until I worked with my horse as a youngster. It takes alot of muscle strength to back up and spin, etc. If your horse was worked too much after sitting so long, he may have gotten really uncomfortable. If this was the case, the rider should have sensed something was not right. Not trying to assign blame, just offering a possible explanation.
ten year old quarter gelding " blew up"??could it be teeth???
