I can't stop thinking about Fred but my instructor doesn't like him. Firstly because he is an Irish Sport Horse, secondly she has says he has head issues.
Fred is a 6-7yo Irish Sport Horse chestnut gelding 17hh. He was broken in around the end of 2009. Once he was bought back in after a spell in 2010 he had about 6-8 months of work. He has competed up to Prelim Level eventing. Been to clinics, shows, stood by the truck at competitions just for outings. He is for sale because he is not going to make a 1 star eventer. Fred has been used for unbalanced riders and nervous riders in lessons.
At the moment he is in very light work and in poor condition as you will see in the video footage. I did not ride him well as I was so nervous, Shaun is well known here in Australia as an eventer. I never felt scared while on him, and I enjoyed riding him.
This is Shaun the owner riding Fred, click here to view the video
This is me riding Fred, click here to view the video
The trot work in the beginning of this video footage I quite like. It also shows our first canter.
More canter work in this video, I think Fred was starting to get tired as he was having real trouble holding a frame and I was having trouble keeping him going.
In this video footage we were trying to wind him, warning it isn't pretty and I really didn't enjoy doing it.
In this video we trotted over some trot poles.
For me the things I didn't like about Fred was that I found him hard to stop. Not that it took ages but I found him to brace, stiffen and kind of block when going to halt.
He has a nasty wound on his hind cannon bone. It doesn't not effect his way of going but it isn't pretty.
His condition, will his temperment change when he is fit, has a tummy full of good feed and feeling better? Will he become too much for me to handle?
I would appreciate, honest raw opinions.
The footage isn't too clear which doesn't help and yes my riding is terrible but I can only improve!!!! The photos are when he was in full work, last year.
5 comments:
If he's been out of work/on light work and isn't fit, he's likely to become more of a handful as he becomes fit. Sounds like his training isn't complete as well. That said, I've nothing against ISHs and have met some nice ones.
I had a wonderful ISH and I would buy another one in a heartbeat! They're amazing. With that said, it concerns me how fast he was pushed up the levels, then relegated to beginners in lessons. Successfully partnering with a young horse as an amateur is about finding one that had a really patient, slow start. If you're trainer was keen on him and maybe if you could re-start him a bit so he's not so bracey through his whole topline, then maybe??? I dunno, retraining and building up that confidence (yours and his) is a long road!
I've got an ISH right now and I love her to death. She is the most forgiving, patient, and willing horse I have ever been on. She loves to work too, which makes riding very enjoyable. What does your trainer have against them?
I've never had an ISH and if I was horse shopping, I certainly wouldn't reject one on the breed alone, but they certainly wouldn't be my first choice. They tend to be (from my observations) VERY opinionated and strong willed. That is certainly something that you can work with (and many people do), but it's something that I wouldn't appreciate about them. Maybe your trainer has had similar experiences?
I'd be more concerned about her other objections. Horses in inconsistent work sometimes have soundness problems that only show up when they're fit and working hard. Just a thought.
Thanks guys. I have a feeling I may be able to get him on trial. Win, win situation. I feed him up, get him looking better and fitter so if I don't take him at least he is in better condition for them to sell him in. Also I get to know him better, see what he is like when in work and I can have him checked out by my vet.
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