Owning a Standardbred?

B

bren

New Member
Dec 21, 1999
88
0
0
Ridgetown Ontario Canada
Visit site
Hello everyone, we just took in a standardbred (today), looking for sites that deal with changing them to riding horses or would like to talk to someone who has one. Marty has been ridden for the last year or so, he was in a handicapped riding program for about 3 months. He seems very level headed and calm. He's about 8 yrs old and has arthritis in one leg so the owner wont race him and didn't want him to go to slaughter. Plan on really paying attention to this site not just for social things now. Thanks in advance for help! :)
 
The woman I started riding with had 2 from cornel equine senter, they were test horses and had electrodes and wires threw out their body, Dezzy said they were hooked up to a macheen and basicly run until they were ready to drop (How creul :mad :) but anyways, she saved them when they were done with the tests, (the were going to distroy them :mad :) she traided them both to ride and they were both very sweet. the gelding Snickers was a compleet gentlmen. Silky, the mare, was a sweet heart, but a bit of a spook undersaddle. Snickers, because they are taught to run with their head up, had to be ridden in draw rains to smooth out his trot, and I never rode Silky because I was a beginer and she was a spook, Snickers was a willing companion and great horse. You basicly have to start over with them because many are taught to lean on the bit, the harder you pull the faster they go, I'd start with lunging and ground driving (should me no sweat for him :) ) teach giving to the bit and that sort of thing. I'd treat him just like you would a young horse and see how much he really knows about being a riding horse. Maybe have someone ride him while you lunge him or vice versa when you have him going on voice. One problem you might have is geting him to canter, whey are taught not to break into a canter and many don't like to, again, the lunge line might help with this. I don't know how to get them to canter if they don't, so I can't help you there. I don't know how far he is in training under saddle, but feel free to e-mail me, I'm no trainer by any means, but I might be able to help a little. good luck :) Oh before I forget, my e-mail is dreaming_heart@hotmail.com
 
Dreamer, I've often wondered...does it make a difference if the horse is a pacer or trotter as to how well it adapts to being a riding horse?? Seems to me a trotter would make the transition easier...??

[This message has been edited by Horselover2 (edited 30 December 1999).]
 
thanks dreamer. I dont think I will have to worry about him pulling on the bit :) i have a post on here about how he wont go when i ride him :)! i dont know about the center that you were talking about but this horse was dearly loved by his previous owner, she was teary-eyed when I picked him up and I made a deal with her that if for any reason I had to get rid of him she was to know first. He was well taken care of there(as were all the other horses) I don't know why people wouldn't take care of their racehorses, since you cant make money off a dead or sick horse.But anyways I am going to try to lunge him soon(weathers miserable here)I dont have any fancy eqipment(special halter, surcingle etc, how do I rig up an ordinary halter/bridle to do that?
As far as trotting or pacing goes, the pacers have to be hobbled so they dont break into a canter so maybe it will be hard to train a pacer to trot? Not sure what Marty is but the pony I had when I was growing up was a natural pacer and boy was it rough to ride(I had a pony cart too) :)
 
I don't think you should need any fancy equipment to lunge him, I don't and I had to train my horse (I was green, he was green, luckly he was a very patent and understanding horse and we're doing great at shows right now) If your line has a chain on it, and you don't want to use it, you can just loop the chain through the ring under the horse's chin and back to where the chain is attached to the line and clip it there. (that is if you have a stationary ring under there and not one of the ones that move left or right, if you have one of those attach it to the ring you would a cross tie the same way you would under the chin) For a regular lunge line, you just attach it under the chin or on the side ring. I don't know if your horse has been taught to lunge or not, it can be a bit frustrating some times to get them to get the idea that they have to stay out there and not come in to say hello, I'd make sure you get whoa and walk down pat while you slowly increase the distance he's travling away from you. Also, pratice leading on the oposite side than he's use to, this will help when you want to go to the right with them on the line.some horses catch right on, others will do fine for a moment and then seem to relize that your not beside them and come back in, (I had a yearling who would go fine as long as the barn was on that side, but as soon as I was between the barn and her, she'd come rushing right in. But she was a bit of a spunk to the point that when I led her I'd have to loop the lead thew her front legs and over her back then back threw so that she wouldn't rear on me she quickly leaned that she couldn't go up and decided to behave I think she was just trying to intimadate me like she did the other girl.)so it's best to start at the walk. This will also help if your horse won't go under saddle, when you get the voice comands down so that he'll walk trot canter on voice comand alone, you can get on his back and either have someone give the comand from the ground while lunging you, or give the voice comand from his back just after you give the physical cue (squeezing the legs) use as light a comand as posible, and give him a moment to respond before you ask again. If he even takes one step forward and stops prase him to let him know that's what you want and that he did good. Then give the comand again and so on. If he still won't go, try having a friend lead you while your on his back. You give the cue and if he doesn't respond, have your friend lead him for ward, then prase him because he walked and just work on it until your friend doen't have to do anything and then ween him off being led. If you really want to attach rains or something to a sergical, you can always attach them to either the rings on the saddle or the girlth, (english) or to the girth rings on the western saddle or the girth and so on, you can attach draw rains as long as they aren't too loose and you have them adjusted properly. He should be use to this sort of thing, but you might want to take it slow just to make sure, and always attach things to the saddle so that you can get them off easly if he does panic, like a quick release knot. I didn't do this only once or twice when my gelding was being stubern about picking up a lead that I knew he could do and there wasn't any physical reason he couldn't. I really don't know that much about them cantering, I knew someone told me once that alot of times they're trained so that they won't, but Dezzy's horses were already trained for the most part when I got there, Snickers would some times go into a half canter half trot but if you kissed to him he'd usually break into a chanter. :) :D
 
Well i was out with Marty today. Seems he listens better when I have my crop in my hand! He learned fast! Actually, he did very well today, I think maybe it was too cold for him the other day. He doesnt know much about leg pressure at all but I reinforced my leg with a tap of the crop and he seemed like he was more willing today. My hubby took him for a walk and my daughter (who looked very tiny on him!) went for a walk around the pasture,I lead :) I could see her riding him alone in a few years! He is very mild mannered and willing.
Well, I found out the bumpy way that he is a pacer! I have no idea if this can be trained out of him or I have to learn to ride the pace.!! My hubby said it looked very funny us pacing down the pasture, I guess their feet kind of dish out when they pace!! But mostly I want him for hacking around and trailriding, I think that he will be safe and bombproof for that and he doesnt have to be fast!!
 
Hello, just thought I would clarify something from the above post. :confused: When I used the crop,which was when he just refused to walk on after cueing him with legs and voice,or when he just stopped on his own accord, it was just a tap on his rear,just enough to make him wake up! not a full out whack! Just so you know Im not up here in the snow beating my horse!! :eek: :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back