Goats!

[Hot4Spots]

Aaargh. Blew it again. Managing my horse's soundness with his long term suspensory injury can be tricky. I am riding him, limited trot work, etc. Decided that since I hope eventually to take him on some of our easier trails, I would make today a " hand walk to the trails" day. I gave him a light dose of ACE, let him graze briefly in the pasture next to the stable driveway, and headed off down the road. He was pushy, but controllable, and then...OMG, I had not noticed that Goats R Us was hard at work in the local catch basin. So, now I was trying to lead a 16.2 Araloosa that had become 18 hands, was high blowing like pistolshots, tail over his back. Had he been turned loose, he would have won any Arabian liberty class. Meanwhile all I can think while he passages, piaffes, and whirls, is, "your leg!!!! " I got him turned around and tried to lead back to the stables. I was not helped by a neighborly palomino mare running up to her fence to join the fun. I managed to get us both back in one piece, but I'll see tomorrow how his leg is.

[Sue B]

Sometimes horses are sooooo maddening!
Jingles for good out come HFS

[Tarlo Farm]

(someone crossed an Arabian with an Appaloosa???)

[Moutaineer]

How's he doing, H4S?

[Kyra's Mom]

Yes...how is he doing?

I can sympathize. A long time ago my friend and I used to load up and go to a close trail head and we could make a nice 45 min-1hr loop after work.
Well one day we unloaded and said oh, look, a sheep herd (a couple hundred at least). Waaay over there. It looked at least 2-3 miles away. Off we went on our ride. On the way back, we topped a small hill and as we descended, this moving sea of sheep came boiling up from the gully below that hill . Apparently they weren't as far off as we estimated. We started talking to our horses to trying to get them to calm down and pondered which would be a quicker death...staying on or getting off and leading them. We chose to dismount and lead them and actually made it back to the trailer unscathed. But holy cow or should I say holy sheep?

I hate those kind of surprises.

Jingles he is OK.

Susan

[Hot4Spots]

He appears to have done no further harm to his leg. I've ridden him every day, and he seems to be as sound as he's ever likely to be. We're up to about 15-18 minutes of trot during a 40-45 minute ride, in 4-5 minute sets.

And yes, Tarlo, someone crossed an Arabian with an Appaloosa. Go to Confetti Farms Facebook page, and you can see some of her WB and other crosses. There is a video of one of this year's foals in which she references them meeting a horse called Levi. That's my guy's 17 hand full brother (Aul Magic x Confetti's Red Rose).

[fergusnc]

Glad he's no worse for wear after the fact, and as far as the experience itself...yikes!!! Closest I have is a weekend that my then-trainer was off showing and she had me teaching the beginner lessons all weekend. For fun, she and I decided that I would take the group lessons off on trails rides for a change of pace. We took the horses off the farm, through and around surrounding acreage of nice neighbors way out in the country. When I got everyone off property, and got remounted, I came to find out that my horse for the day...a draft/Paint cross lesson horse with a wonderful laid back personality and absolutely ZERO lateral flexibility and a tendency to be pretty heavy in your hands must have never been on a trail ride in his life despite having gone to lots of local "fun shows". As we crossed a lovely field and I recognized my dilemma at the trot, I keep a constant eye on the three kids on their notoriously steady mounts, calling out feedback and encouragement and keeping the "oh crap, this isn't going to be a lot of fun" out of my voice as my horse decided to buck for the only times I had ever seen or hear about, and try really hard to test his gas pedal. As I convinced the kids that walking really is fun, we round a corner to hit a trail that cuts through the trees and come face to face with about 50 cows at the fenceline that is RIGHT beside the trail. They all crowd the fence and moooooo in stereo, really interested it the visitors. Being a good trail guide, I went first to check things out so I was the first to meet them, lol. My Paint never got the memo that his genetics should have given him a little cow comfort. He started a lovely passage, considered bolting, and I got to use my " all is good gang...trail rides are fun" voice and call out some directions, including hey you, kiddo with the least number of lessons but the golden retriever in a horse body, it's your turn to lead the group! I made it through intact, the kids had a BLAST, and I endured another ride or two on that guy that weekend, but learned to adjust the order of the horses, lol. It was just hilarious that the most cowboy-looking horse in the barn was the only one who was terrified of cows!

[Hot4Spots]

You'd think draft (calm, quiet) and paint (cowy) should handle that situation. I think my guy might have handled cows better than goats. I watched the colt starterr pony him through her herd some years ago, and he seemed unbothered. Who knows what goes on in his Arab ( spooky) Appaloosa (stubborn) mind.