Trainer or no trainer?

In the last year I have gone from 6 horses to 2.  The last two horses I have are 3 years old; with all my other responsibilities, they are not broke out.  In the past I have started a couple of young ones, both of them I worked with from the time they were born.  This time, however, even though these two were born here, I have not really worked with them.  They are terrible for the farrier and don't have the best manners.  Mind you, they aren't horrible to be around when you lead them with a halter or if you are working in the pasture.  The dilema is this:

1.  Can't seem to find enough time to get out daily and work them.
2.  When I do work them, I am not sure that I am doing it right.  I just don't want to train them with a cue and have them be re-trained because I did it wrong (different).
3.  I need them to be "kid" safe as my daughter wants to show next year.  I don't expect that she will be showing either of these two, however, I am trying to keep in  mind that it may be possible that one of them (or both of them) will end up in the show ring.
4.  Brings me back to #1; I know I HAVE to find time to work them daily.
5.  Can't afford a trainer right now...maybe late winter?  Please note the word maybe...  :)
6.  If I do find the money for a trainer...how to choose one?  I have had a couple of trainers and most of them were not the best experience for my horses (or me).  There is a good trainer locally that I used once before, but she is very busy and now she works mostly with Andalusions/Crosses.

I have access to RFD TV where I have been watching a lot of different trainers...I find that I really like Ken McNabb and Clinton Anderson.  I try to pick up different tips and tricks from them, but not easy to do from a short show.  Clinton seems to have a great way of teaching, but I can't  seem to find the money now...his DVD's are very expensive.

What techniques or trainers do you use and reccommend?  I know that your trainers are probably nowhere near me, but how do you choose a good trainer?  It seems every time I ask other people around here, no one has anything nice to say about anyone else.  If you do your own training, did you have a mentor (how did you find one) or are you self taught and where is the best source for information?

First Barrel Race

I was just reading A&MD Ranch's post about DD's race last year.  It totally brought back memories of my daughter's first barrel race.

I bought my mare (Tabby Bar Leo) as a six year old.  Her history was barrel horse from two until she was about four then she was sold to a farm for breeding purposes.  I found her there with a very pretty paint filly at her side.

A side note about me.  I was buying my second horse as I had made the common mistake of buying a green horse through someone who was going to help me "train" him.  Another story for another day.  Anyway, I love color breeds and while I was there to look at their paint selection, they suggested Tabby.  She was proven to throw color.  She was bred back to the same stud (next beginners mistake...which did turn out well).  I rode her and asked about her background.  They told me that a 14 year old girl had been using her as a barrel horse and that she was not fast enough for her.

Tabby is 16hh, which makes her a bit tall for me, but her disposition was just what I was looking for.  The breeding farm she was on, really wanted me to buy her with the filly at her side.  I knew I didn't know enough to handle the baby, but thought I would learn enough by the time Tabby foaled.  Again, another beginner mistake.  You cannot learn enough without help and living on the farm, which we did not.

Back to my daughters first ride.  We knew that Tabby was used to shows and arenas and both my kids wanted to show.  No problem!  We had a great 4-H leader, she took Tabby in for 30 days for reminder training and my kids went there for lessons.  They learned to set her up for halter classes, and walk, trot, lope, patterns for western pleasure.

Tabby was always level headed and very even tempered.  Where we boarded her, there were always people practicing their shooting with various guns and we were right off a busy highway with motorcycles and semis passing by.  Nothing ever seemed to bother her.

We get to the show and she is her usual self, until...my son, who has shown before but is still very green himself, takes Tabby (at halter) into the INDOOR ARENA.

Tabby gets about 4 steps into the arena and decides this just isn't for her.  She rears up, my son keeps hold of her.  Gets her back down, starts to move forward, she does it again.  This goes on about four times.  The judge has now backed way up and I am on pins and needles...what to do.  Well, after the fourth rear, my son shakes the halter (he may have said something, we couldn't hear) and she just walks forward.  Completes her class and places middle of the group.  Next up...my daughter.  She is 6 years younger than her brother and I am not sure what to do.  Well, she takes Tabby and walks right into the arena with no problem.  Does not place as well as her brother, but who cares...she is just learning.

Tabby did fine in all her under saddle classes, they were held outside.  The last day of fair are the speed and fun classes.  My daughter only entered in the walk, trot classes which meant she could only enter the walk, trot speed groups.  She signed herself up for the egg race and barrels.  None of us thought anything about it.  During the egg race she dropped the egg early and was out.  Getting a little down as she did not get a blue ribbon all week.  She got herself ready for the barrels by watching some of the others go first.  Then she mounted Tabby...

OMG!!!!  The mares ears went forward, she tensed completely up and I grabbed the 4-H leaders arm and said sh#$#.  The gate opened and the mare NEVER broke the trot.  My daughter won the trophy for best time in the walk, trot group.  We all went home happy.

I must say that moment when I realized that I just put an animal with competition experience and my daughter with no barrel experience in that situation I was paralyzed.  I was 5 months pregnant and trying to figure out how I was going to jump the fence and save my daughter.  We laugh now, but at the time...wow!

Sorry about the lack of pictures...my scanner went down today and these were taken over 8 years ago.  Before I had a digital camera.

Thanks to A&MD Ranch for taking me down memory lane!

Down on the farm...Lethal White Part 2

Lethal White Part 2...

How the stallion breeder handled this situation.

While all the heartache of losing my beautiful baby (my daughter named Flicka) was going on; it didn't occur to me what was going to happen next.


I contacted the breeder and she did inform me that her stallion had been tested and confirmed for lethal white. What she didn't know was if the results had been back at the time we bred my mare. Her opinion was that I knew about the disease and was willing to take the 25% chance that I could end up with a lethal white baby.


I assured her that I did not know those risks and knowing the risks I would not have chosen another Overo. I most certainly would have chosen a Tobiano stud. She let me know that there is a live foal guarantee and that a lethal white baby is not considered a live foal. I then asked if what that did mean for me as my mare was no longer alive and my Quarter Horse mare was already at the breeder's. I had no other mares or options.


Kim was very flexible. She told me that I could "lease" a mare, have a baby already on the ground or she had a mare that had not yet foaled. The colt on the ground was going to possibly have dental issues, I could not afford the lease option so we worked out a deal for me to take the baby that had not yet been born.


After many discussions, I asked about bringing the mare to my property for foaling. Many people thought I was crazy. This option made me responsible for feeding, vet care, hoof care, and all other daily management of the mare. My thoughts were; if I had the mare, I could control the nutrition of the mare and foal as well as get to immediately bond (imprint) with the baby.


We trekked over 2 hours to pick up Ginger and here is the beautiful gift we received about a month later...

















I was supposed to wean Misty around Thanksgiving and return the mare, however, I received a call from Kim in October saying that she was ill and having to reduce her herd. For a very small fee would I like to keep Ginger? Needless to say, we now have two additions instead of our one.


Please do not misunderstand this post; there is nothing that will ever replace the beautiful Flicka for me.

I would also like to thank the breeder for her support during this very difficult time for me. I am just sorry that a life was lost due to my lack of knowledge.

Down on the farm...Lethal White

Lethal White

I was so happy last year (2006); I found the perfect stud to breed my beautiful (yet old) Paint mare to. I happily drove her 150 miles dropped her off, before leaving I whispered to the stud that I wanted a loud tri-colored filly. A few weeks later, I picked her up and took her home to wait the 11 months and 5 days. Her due date: May 17, 2007.


I brought her home and started to have some troubles...she was losing weight, having trouble walking on all four of her legs and seemed to be cranky no matter what I did for her. I got her weight back up with the help of three nutritionists and a great feed mill. For her legs I called in three veterinarians (one was a chiropractor) and an equine massage therapist. She hated the massage and all that the veterinarians could tell me was that she was suffering from severe arthritis. I started her on some Bute (a pain reliever), glucosamine and several other joint supplements. The Bute seemed to help but did not stop her from limping. Needless to say the mare was not feeling well and if she was not pregnant I probably would have ended her suffering as I hate to see any animal suffer. As winter progressed Classi had good days and bad days but the good seemed to outweigh the bad. Winter progressed into spring and I finally stated to think that Classi would make it to the foaling date and I would just have to try and hope she would make it through the nursing portion. Nursing a foal takes a lot out of a mare and I was hoping she was up to the task.



On Saturday (May 5th) I went out to the barn to find that Classi had foaled two weeks early. At first I was elated that the baby seemed to be alive; then I looked closer...there was only white on this foal (Paint horses are supposed to be a combination of at least two colors or a solid red, brown, black etc.). I had heard the term lethal white and was so scared that I ran to the house and called the veterinarian.



While waiting for the veterinarian, I ran back to the barn to get a closer look at the foal. I turned the baby over and got her to stand up...no other color, then I looked at her eyes, they were not only both blue, but a very light blue. I thought, okay, this might not bee too bad...an albino. I can live with that; I wanted a filly and that is what I got...Right?



Wrong...
The veterinarian came out and checked the baby over, I asked him about the difference between lethal white and an albino. I was shocked by the answer. The difference is the lethal white baby would not have intestines that worked properly. A portion of the intestines grows together instead of being hollow; in essence the baby could not pass any digested foods. He gave the baby an enema and hoped for the best. This poor beautiful baby could not pass anything. She had to be euthanized.



I called the stallion owner only to find the answers to questions I did not know to ask. Lethal white is a gene that is specific to Overo Paints. My mare was an Overo and so was the stallion. This does not mean that you can not breed Overo to Overo; but it does mean that you should know if your Overo carries the gene. Her stallion had been tested for the gene after the time my mare was bred and he tested positive and I knew nothing about the gene, but now know my mare is positive.

I hope that my heartbreaking story will help others learn from my tragic mistake. If you own an Overo paint horse and plan to breed it. Have it tested for the gene or make certain that the other horse is either negative or not an Overo.