Recent content by TarrSteps

What does your instructor think? That is, after all, what you pay for. If you are both okay, your doctor is happy with you competing, jumping goes well this week (including an XC school) and the course is a) easier than the last one and b) well within your skill set and you know your mistake was...

Wow! Well done. You've had such a long road it's great to see you getting some recognition. Good luck on the selection day

Plastic poles are the work of the devil. :)

I think it also depends a lot on the exact situation. I deal often with the fall out when people buy more horse than they are really competent to handle. Sometimes they can raise their game and 'catch up' quite quickly and safely. Sometimes the horse is simply not fit for the job and it's unfair...

Agreed on both counts. While I think it's only good manners to be back in touch promptly, I don't think it's a one way street. The number of sellers who seem to be willfully difficult belies the 'buyers market' idea.

Definitely worth a conversation. At the very least to be helpful, as they should know if they have a batch with a flaw in them.

I'm another saying mum unless there is a compelling reason not to. I almost always had my horse at work in one form or another, as I couldn't afford options, but I found I often did less with him than when he lived with my trainer, even though I didn't ride every day. I agree about being asked...

I know nothing about hunters but I've now run into quite a few that people have bought out of that job to event/compete and it's pretty clear success in one sphere does not guarantee anything in another. If the OP wanted to promote the mare as a hunter I'd suggest photos and even, if...

I find jumping alone also makes me inclined, even subconsciously, to stay in the comfort zone and 'ride to leave the rails up' which is exactly what you DON'T want to be doing with one that's not bothered. I'm not saying you want to trap the horse or intentionally ride it badly, but you do want...

My reply to that is you only have to be on the roads for 5 minutes to realise how many people who have driven 'forever' could stand to take some lessons!

It depends why the horse is having the rails. If there is a hole in the riding/training, weakness etc then yes, those things can be improved. If everything is going right but, in a pinch, the horse is happy to have the rail down, then that is trickier to address. Every horse is a combination...

Have you had a session with a good trainer? It sounds like anxiety but impossible to say the source without seeing. Pulling him up may have produced a short term improvement but if he's rushing to get to the fence it's likely to make him more anxious in the long run. What have you tried...

Well, considering straightness is just about weighting all the feet evenly and appropriately, longitudinally and laterally, I'd say so. It's all about the most efficient, stable, long lasting mechanism.

If I knew a horse that I thought might excel at that game but isn't really 'marketable' right now, how might i go about finding an experienced person to advise?

Straightness is a never ending quest. . .