Conference noted::equitation

1. attitude/temperament -- hard to tell with an unbroken foal, so check into
parent's reputation and history, and that of any brothers or sisters.

2. correct movement -- 3 pure paces (walk a clear 4-beat, trot a clear 2-beat,
canter a clear 3-beat, no hint of pacing), with good overtrack at walk and
several inches at trot. good natural engagement behind, equal bending of all
joints of back legs (shows up best at trot). Don't be fooled by a horse that
overtracks 40 miles at the walk, but is not walking in a clear 4 beat -- purity
is the most important thing. (don't let some 2-bit dressage hustler tell you
that they all end up pacing -- that's only if they are trained incorrectly or
paced to start with!) legs that move parallel in walk and trot when viewed from
the front and from behind. naturally uses whole body when moving (showw up best
at walk, but watch trot carefully). naturally somewhat balanced (normal balance
of typical horse is 60/40, arabs are 50/50) natural brilliance a plus if you
plan to compete, otherwise good for generating envy from others ;-) 

3. conformation -- overall balanced appearance with nothing that jumps out at
you, good shoulder and pastern angles, hind end not higher than front. not too
short or long in the back. Good depth through body. neck set on well. Good
strength in loins (not dropped at all), but beware of a "roach back." I've seen
a lot of people in recent years buying horses that they thought had an
advantageous topline, but the horses really are roachbacked -- they will run
into problems sooner or later. not too straight in the hock joint. 

I'd ask to see the horse at liberty, on line moved back and forth in front of me
and directly toward and away from me, on lunge and, if broken, see under saddle
and ride. When riding, test his reactions to things. Ask for more than he knows
and see how he responds -- does he get nervous, blow up, give it his best shot,
or ignore you?

My guess is that prices are the same as always -- you can luck into a great
horse for free, spend a gazillion dollars on another cull from Germany, or
anything in between. What have you want to spend? (just kidding -- first line
from a typical hustler...)

    
    Mary should add that this in not really a colt yet :-) the horse we are
    interested in is only 4 weeks old.  So we can't see his movement on a
    line or thing of that nature. 
    
    But his full brother is on the land, he's a nice mover and nice
    temperment.  The mother is a classic "Mare" she's veyr MarISH.  
    
    We need to find out more about the farther.
    
    The little guy has a nice butt on him, and we know alot about the
    owner.
    
    Lou

    Mary,
    
    With all the rideable horses in the world, the first thing I would
    do is sit down and have a good heart-to-heart with myself about why
    I thought I'd want to put in years of time and $$$ before I would
    have a clue if I'd have a horse that would be what I want to ride.
    
    Raising a baby is a very rewarding venture but it's also a huge
    crap shoot.  I know...I've done it.  I've raised three full sisters.
    All very nice, responsible citizens but all completely different from
    one another; different looks, different sizes, different personalities.
    So, even if you can look at a full sibling, it won't mean
    that what you'll get is anything like what you see.
    
    If you really want your own horse, it's my opinion (and you know
    opinions are like noses, everybody has one) that you'd be happier and
    better off in the long run buying something that's already trained or
    at least ready to be trained.
    
    As always, take what you like and leave the rest.
    
    cheers,
    gwen
     

At 4 weeks, it's a colt, and was from the time it's sex was determined.
Foal is the gender-neutral term. 

<caution: soapbox alert>

Personally, I think buying anything that young is a big crapshoot.  So
much can happen between now and when you can actually ride them.  For 
myself, and especially since I am tall, with long legs, I  prefer to
look at two or closer to three-year-olds.  That gives me a better idea
of what that individual's final height/conformation/movement will be.  

How they move as infants can be very different from how they move 
when they're bigger and have different proportions.  Seeing the 
parents or a (full) sibling can give you some idea of how this 
individual will turn out, but they are still individuals. Consider
how often (human) brothers and sisters look/act alike.

Who knows, maybe when this guy gets a little older, *he* won't 
want to be a dressage horse.  It isn't for every animal.  Maybe
he'll like to jump, or want to be a hunter.  If a horse doesn't 
like the career you've chosen for him, it's an uphill battle.

I know this is off the topic, but Are you ready to raise a baby? 
Will you have expert guidance on baby care and handling?
What will you do if, when he's ready to be broke, you find
out that he's not going to fit your bill.   Remember, that's
~3 years that you will have invested already, emotionally and
financially.  And ~3 years of hoping nothing happens to his
mind or legs.  Personally, I want to spend the spare time that
I have riding, and not waiting for my horse to grow up.  

When you get a baby, the price is not just the price of the horse.
Be sure to add in the upkeep (board/hay/grain/whatever) for the 
number of years before it's anyting other than a lawn ornament or
toy. (and I mean these terms in an affectionate sense.  I like the 
little ones, and would love to have one, but I can only afford to
keep one at a time, and I prefer to be able to *ride* the one I have,
since it's a sport I enjoy. I'd rather get something that gives
me a little more instant gratification.)

<end soapbox alert>

kathy

Hi Gwen, I started to write a lengthy note on the perils of raising your own,
then changed my mind and went for a walk.

Crap shoots is a good way to put it. Age 0-3 is when a horse is the most likely
to cripple itself while playing in the pasture. But if you don't turn out -- in
good turnout (lots of running room, preferably with some slopey hills) -- it can
permanently impair physical development, such as bone density and lung capacity.

If you have several  siblings, half siblings, and line bred siblings to compare,
you *may* pick up some common traits. My horse was 3 inches shorter and
considerably lighter built than a close cousin, and when overfed, his cousin put
on fat while Algiers puts on energy and a haughty (optimistically speaking)
personality. Other close relations looked very different from either of them.
But while they were bred, raised and trained by different people, they all
share(d) a similar underlying structure, movement and character passed on by the
father/grandfather. Certain horses can carry very prepotent characterisitcs
(e.g., Justin Morgan).

Without even that to look into, the foal will grow up to be like his mother, his
father, his grandparents, or some *random* combination of the above. Do the
parents differ much in size? In bone? In substance?  The more similar the
parents, the more likely you will have some idea what he'll grow into.

Does the father have any sort of reputation for passing on specific traits? For
example, I've heard through the grapevine that Rampal's get are very sweet
tempered. Even that I take with a grain of salt. If I were standing a stallion,
that is just the sort of rumour I might take some pains to start myself!

Ditto to what Gwen said. I'd think long and hard. Better to save your money for
3 years and pay for a well bred, well brought up baby. In the long run, it's
much less costly!

Mary 

    
    This is a situation where I will have a partner, so the financial
    aspects are minimal. And I have a knowledgable partner and a good
    support system to do this, I wouldn't be thinking about this venture if
    I didn't.
    
    Believe me, I have been riding various horses at different stages for
    the past 5 years. All the ones that are recommended as being a suitable
    horse for me are very high priced and I ride them and wonder why anyone
    would consider that price range for them, maybe I am picky. The 4-year
    I was riding as a school horse was super, but his price tag was
    $20,000 (which he sold for recently).
    
    I understand it is a long haul, but it is a long haul with any horse. I
    ride a friend's now who we have been working with and I will still have
    him to ride and work with. He has had some limitations, but tries his 
    hardest, so it makes it worth the adventure on him. And let me tell you, 
    EVERYONE, including his trainer told his owner to get rid of this horse 
    3 years ago!! And now, EVERYONE, including his trainer loves him because 
    of the advancements he has made. So, everyone is entitled to their 
    thoughts, but aren't always 100% accurate. I don't know of any horse, 
    even the trained ones, that still don't need work and the training 
    process is a continuing thing.
    
    This is not something I am taking lightly and has been something we
    have been thinking about for several years. If this is not suited to
    us, we continue to look around, it is not something we are jumping in
    to.
    
    All the questions everyone are posing are good ones, and certainly ones
    we will add to our list to ask the owner, who has three babies from
    this mare, two have the same father, one does not. The other two are
    there on the premises to look at also, they are older, around 3 I
    believe.
    
    Mary
    

Do you plan to break the baby yourself, or send him out? Unless you're going to
do it all yourself (and have experience doing this -- we're too old and our
bones break to easy by now!) I would definitely buy an already broken youngster
-- that way you can tell from when you try him out not only how well you two fit
together, but if he was handled and started correctly. After my experience in
sending out Algiers, I will never, ever, *ever* do that again.

    >With all the rideable horses in the world, the first thing I would
    >do is sit down and have a good heart-to-heart with myself ...
    
    Amen. I've bred 'em and trained 'em. I've bought youngsters and trained 
    'em. I've bought older horses that were already well started or even 
    fairly well trained. 
    
    Buying youngsters *is* the proverbial crap shoot. My mare is now 22. At
    the breeding farm where we bought her, they had 2 sisters and a
    brother. None of them look a bit alike except they're all chestnuts! ;-)
    The brother would just as soon stand around and sleep. My mare (even at
    22) would rather gallop as fast as we can go. Her sisters wer somewhere
    in between.
    
    I think my next horse will probably be a yearling or 2YO that has been 
    handled but not started on the lunge or under saddle. I'm tired of
    correcting other people's training mistakes. My 22 YO mare *still*
    won't lunge with proper bend because she was started incorrectly before 
    I bought her. Our gelding was 8YO when we bought him. I thought that
    we'd be able to solve his problems. We haven't. So, next time I'd 
    rather have a horse that hasn't had anything beyond basic haltering,
    leading and grooming. And maybe a trailer ride or two.
    

    
    No, we will not be sending him out, we will break him ourselves.
    
    

While every horse can benefit from correct dressage training, not every horse is
well suited. Another thing to consider is the horse's breed. Actually, I read an
article by Lendon Gray in which she said any horse can do dressage, but if you
have an arab, trade him in! (or something to that effect) I take that with a
huge grain of salt -- arabs just need to be treated with proper respect.

However, since you know up front you want a horse for dressage, I would tend to
pick a breed with a history of excelling in that discipline. You haven't
mentioned what breed or cross this colt is.

I'm sorry that the school horse that you liked was $20K. That is a reflection of
how difficult it is to bring a horse to his level of competence (plus demand, of
course). 

Mary

    
    I'm sorry that the school horse that you liked was $20K. That is a
    reflection of how difficult it is to bring a horse to his level of 
    competence
    
    	Level, the horse was not at a level and he sold for 20K he is
    	4yrs old!
    
    I worked for 3yrs w/ TB weanlings at a large race tack farm, I raised
    6 weanlings by myself and help break them and run them on the track.
    It was the best 3yrs of my life.  I wish the farm was not so successful
    and moved to arkensaw on me, or I'd be a jocky now (I'm 4'11")
    
    I will be one of Mary's partners
    
    We have a ton of reasons for doing this, too meny to into here.
    
    lou

    
    I don't think we mentioned that the baby's FULL brother is on the
    farm and of course the mother, and we know the farther.
    
    All are a warmblood and all have a super temperment, even the mother.
    
    All have super movements and are derssage hores's.  We also know the
    owen of this animal and she is an accomplished rider and trainer from
    Canada, who just moved to the US last year.   She has sold some very
    impressive animals for over 30K, and she will also be there to lend
    us a hand.  I have trained 6 TB's and she has trained over 20
    warmbloods.
    
    lkp

And the price reflects the cost of breeding, raising and breaking a horse of
that quality.

If bringing up a baby is what you want to do, it sounds like you have a
potentially  high quality baby. Don't let anyone talk you out of it if it's what
you really want. Just be aware of the potential pitfalls of babydom and
partnerships and be prepared for them. Come to think of it, going into a
partnership, you will need to have some sort of written agreement for ongoing
expenses and responsibilities, along with what to do if someone wants out of the
partnership (or must get out of it) for whatever reason.  Also, don't take any
shortcuts or cheap out on anything in his raising. As I mentioned before -- even
inadequate turnout can be enough to turn a valuable foal into a slabsided,
splint-ridden cull! 

As has been made clear, I think, from all the notes in here, the best you can do
with a foal is know the bloodlines and family as much as possible. Also, even
though he's only a month old and hasn't actually done anything, you should have
him vetted for possible congenital problems. (I know of someone who got a lovely
young warmblood very cheap because of a bone chip in his hoof that he was born
with! I also know of someone who's potentially very valuable warmblood became a
trail/pleasure horse at age 2, due to a pasture injury that left him permanently
unsound, with very unlevel movement.)

    >Level, the horse was not at a level and he sold for 20K he is
    >4yrs old!
    
    Heck, that's nothing. Lots of the warmblood *yearlings* go for that
    kind of money. Friend of mine looked at one a couple years ago. Owner
    asked $25,000 for a yearling. Friend offered $15,000...

    
    Yes, this one at 4 years old was a winner. He was 17 hands and is 
    very willing to learn and was considered a great prospect. But I have 
    seen others at the barn that folks by for big $$$ and things happen. 
    One recently had to have colic surgery and has not been able to do a 
    thing since the owner got him but stand in his stall and pay his rent, 
    one is a previous horse of Robert Dover's that has not been able to do 
    anything in months because of an injury, etc. So even broken and 
    schooled, there are potential problems that can arise, so that is not 
    even a guarantee either.
    
    This youngster will go to a place that has 7 acres of pasture and
    will be cheated out of nothing when it comes to his care, needs and
    training. We have also told the vet that comes out for the other kids, 
    and she is well aware of what we want to do, and I am sure if we asked, 
    would take a look at him. 
    
    I feel more comfortable that I know the owner, her ability as a
    trainer/rider/breeder, and the fact that there are others from his line
    there to look at. We are certainly going to be asking all sorts of
    questions and I know Karen will provide us with all the necessary
    information on his bloodlines, etc.
    
    Currently at the barn we ride, the granddaughter of Secretariat has
    been breed, and I believe the stud was Rampal, and the baby is due is
    March, so we can watch the workings of that baby as we progress along.
    
    
    Mary
    
    

    And now just a word from the purely emotional side of the argument:
    
    My baby, who is now 8 years old, is the dearest sweetest horse
    in the world.  I absolutely love her.  She has been possessed of the
    most wonderful personality and attitude from the minute she hit the
    ground.  She was born on a Sunday, the first day of Spring.  Her 
    registered name is Ad Lib because I didn't have a script for the
    breeding...her mother was in charge.  Betsey-Lizzie-FreckleFace is
    her mother's third child and, for my purposes, the best of the lot.
    
    I would not trade her for Bay-El-Bey.  I would never sell her.
    And the experience of raising her has been nothing but sunshine.
    
    Mary and Louisa, if you do buy this baby, I hope your experience with
    him is what mine has been...it will be one of the most rewarding things
    you can do for yourself.
                                                  
    cheers,
    gwen
    

    One other major consideration you should have is how your
    partnership is going to work.  Many friendships have gone
    south over partnerships with horses!  Everyone has their
    own ideas about how horses should be trained, managed etc,
    and that should be worked out ahead of time I think.
    
    I have raised a foal, I was there to see her born, did all her
    training, raced her 40-something times over the course of 4 years,
    made some money with her, had a ton of fun, learned a lot, and
    had some real heartbreaking experiences in the process.  She
    and I had a really special bond, she'd neigh to me from across the
    paddock at the races and would throw a fit when I walked away.
    She's now retired at a friends house as a trail horse and won't leave
    my side when I go to visit.  I had had horses over 25 years
    when I did that, and have also bought racehorses, and bought yearlings
    that I trained myself.  As a foal, you've got a long time to wait
    before you have a horse that's usable for dressage or whatever it is
    you want to do. There is a major time commitment with any young horse,
    they thrive on consistancy, before you know it, your cute little baby
    can be a half broke 16 hand 2 year old that doesn't know his own size
    and strength.  
    
    There's no denying it though, raising a foal can be the most
    rewarding experience you'll ever have.  It can also break your
    heart.  Good luck with whatever you decide.
    
    
    Linda

I have been reading these last notes with keen interest, as this is something I am contemplating entering into
myself in the near future.  

A friend of mine bred her Paint mare to an Arab stud, and has produced a filly.  "Skit" was born on May 13.  I
have not yet seen this baby, although I plan to in the next few weeks.  *IF* I like her now, I will take a few
more looks of the fall/winter, and consider purchasing her in the spring as a yearling.  From what I am told,
Skit has the potential to be everything I could want in an endurance prospect.  Her sire is known for producing
nice endurance horses (Polish-bred).  Her dam is predominantly Quarter.  I know the dam (Apache), and have done
several long distance rides in her company.  She is ridden by my friend's 10 yr old daughter. Aside from liking
the cross of Arab/Quarter, one reason I am interested in Skit is because of her mother.  Apache is a *very*
nice mare; dead calm, bombproof, comfortable, wonderful conformation, strong and healthy, etc.  You name it,
Apache has it.  The possibility that Skit could inherit some of her mom's excellent qualities is very intriguing.

And so far, it appears that Skit has indeed inherited her mom's temperment.  Sherry is a very responsible
owner, and experienced in foal-raising.  Skit was imprinted at birth, and at a mere two months old leads, ties
(both straight and cross), clips, has her feet handled daily, vacuums, baths, walks into the pasture pond on
the lead line (as well as on her own, she's apparently a water baby), and loads onto the trailer.  All without
her dam at her side!  She goes for walks along a paved road beside/behind her mother, and appears to be
practically road safe, as well.  I am told she takes everything in stride, and is extremely friendly, happy,
and easy to work with.  

With so good an early start, so wonderful a dam, and such nice (for my purposes) breeding, I am most defineatly
interested in considering her next year.  Am I ready to take over the raising of a yearling?  Financially and
logisitically, yes (or I would not even consider such a thing).  I have the barn space, the money, and Skit
is a perfect age; when she's ready to begin serious work (at age 4, I don't believe in hurrying under-saddle
work), my current mare will be approaching 25 years old and will probably be ready for a much-deserved
semi retirement.  I have handled youngsters quite a bit, although never raised a baby of my own.  I am not trying
to impress anyone with my experience - yet I am confident that I can do a good job.  I have broken several
horses to saddle on my own, have owned horses since I was old enough to know what they were, and do feel I am up
to the task.  Like Louisa, I have spent time working at a race track (although unlike Louisa, I was not 
impressed by racing and didn't stick around long).  

Do I think this is a good idea?  I don't know.  Ask me again in the spring, when Skit is a budding yearling
and I have to make a final decision.  I'm glad I have the winter to think it over, to get to know her, and
to see how she grows.  So far, so good!

- Linda

    
    
    Re: .10
    
    Hi Mary,
    
    Are you talking about the same Lendon Grey who just recently started a 
    regular column in "Practical Horseman" (I thought her first piece was 
    marvelous)?  In this article she states that dressage training can help 
    any horse move better no matter the breed or the riding discipline.  
    
    Also the little biographical blurb at the end of the article lists the
    types of horses currently in her barn:
    
     Warmbloods
     Quarter Horses
     Arabs
     Connamara crosses
     Ponies
     TBs
     etc.
    
    Your comment about trading in your Arab just sounded out of line with
    the philosophy of this article. (Not that people don't contradict
    themselves all the time 8^))
    
    Simone
    
    
    

    
    RE: 19
    
    Agreed!!
    
    There was also an article in Dressage Today recently about various
    breeds being seen in the dressage ring these days, and the article was
    quiet positive. 
    
    And I know a little Arab who is placing at his Training Level
    shows and has benefited a great deal from his training. 
    
    As my instructor said, "This is basic horse training, ladies". :.)
    
    Mary ( The other one)
    
    

    >Are you talking about the same Lendon Grey ...
    >In this article she states that dressage training can help
    >any horse move better no matter the breed or the riding discipline.
    
    Ah! There's the difference. Yes, it's the same Lendon Grey but she's
    talking about 2 different things. Dressage training *can* help any
    horse but that has nothing to do with dressage competition which is
    what she probably meant with the "trade in your Arab" comment. The 2 
    things(training and competition) are entirely separate. 
    
    It's a simple fact that the dressage tests and rules are oriented
    towards German methods and German breeds. If you want to win in
    dressage competition(especially above 2nd level), you probably will 
    need both a German warmblood and a German teacher. Well, you could 
    probably "get by" with a Scandanavian warmblood but you get the idea.
    
    

    
    An update, we have decided to purchase this colt. His name is Comet and
    we will be getting him in September. We are looking into insurance for
    him also. He is a Hanoverian/TB cross.
    
    We got to see his full brother Ziggy (who is 4 and beautiful, what a
    mover!), mom was there, and very sweet. His father is a Canadian
    Hanoverian named Wilmington. His other brother just sold in 
    April. He is very receptive to folks, he comes right out when you get 
    there. 
    
    Over the next couple of months we will be spending alot of time with
    him before he comes home.
    
    Mary
    

It's been a while since I read the quote, which I've paraphrased in here pretty
loosely, but I don't think she was referring to competition specifically, since
she singled out arabs, not other non-german breeds. I really think the statement
was just a reflection of her difficulty in working with them. And I think it was
just a case of her contradicting herself. If I remember where I saw it, I'll try
and find it.

Mary

    >she singled out arabs, not other non-german breeds. I really think the
    >statement was just a reflection of her difficulty in working with
    >them. 
    
    I can buy that. My experience with Arabs (and a couple other breeds) is
    that the rider has to:
    	1. be sensitive, 
    	2. respect their personalities,
    	3. treat them as partners not slaves (even if this means doing
    	   what *they* want to do today.) and 
    	4. be smarter than they are.
    
    If you flunk any of those requirements, you won't get anywhere training an
    Arab, Morgan, Lipizzan or Andalusian. I guess you could say just about
    any hot blooded horse, eh?

You got it, John. I think that is where arabians sometimes get an (undeserved)
bad rap. Insensitive clods, people who lack self-respect (a requirement to
showing others respect) and/or people who are not as smart as their horses
(frighteningly common!) do not do well with arabs.

    
    
    Sure seems to me that would apply to *any* horse, not just hot-bloods!
    

    
    I think this conversation is turning into something that should
    probably be in the dressage discussion. :.)
    
    M
    

Some breeds are somewhat less sensitive and are more able to tolerate various
kinds of unintentional abuse. I've seen warmbloods trained to higher levels
trucking along in good balance and reasonably comfortable with their (wealthy
and sometimes oversized) beginner riders bouncing hard and jerking their mouths
with every trot stride. Try that on an arab or t-bred and you will have a
totally hollowed out horse doing whatever possible to protect his or her mouth.

In fact, many trainers who train horses to sell them deliberately "de-sensitize"
horses so they can tolerate "beginner abuse." It enables beginner riders to ride
and show upper level dressage horses. Poor Algiers was -- against my specific
directions -- subjected to that kind of "training" by two different "trainers."
He's never forgotten. I was able to fix saddling him by risking my neck riding
with a loose girth for 6 months (the trainer tried to "de-sensitize" him to
being grithed up to save herself literally 10 seconds each time she saddled
him). Bridling he got over after several years, although he still occasionally
regresses. His mouth has never (and probably will never) be the same as it was
the first time I rode him. Its a painful reminder to me every time I ride him
with contact.

This is an excellent topic with some great input!  For the first time in a long time it is
becoming profitable for breeders to raise babies.  Like many other noters have mentioned,
a good foundation is the best way to start your baby.  We usually raise 1-2 babies a year
and work very hard at having quiet, well mannered individuals.  Since most of the people
who buy them are not trainers, they need to have a good foundation.

As mentioned in previous notes, family history IS important.  It gives you a good indication
of what the growth rate is on your baby, are they early or late maturers, etc.  The manners
and the disposition of the mare are very important, since this is where baby will learn 
for the first 4-6 months of his life!

Every baby we've raised will lead, load, clip, tie in the stall, cross-tie, trim, and set up
quietly by 6 months.  My father has the time to spend HOURS with his babies everyday, and he
loves working with them.

When I was looking for a horse my only request was anything BUT a weanling!  I am not as committed...

Karen

     
     We are getting all the family history from his owner now, she will
    gives us copies of all the information on ma and pa. We are also going
    to have our vet look at him, although one has been out there since he
    was born and we are going to talk to her also.
    
    Ma is very laid back, I mean extremely laid back and Comet  does not
    mind someone in the stall mucking it out around him or human contact.
    
    I was there last night and had the stall door open and was rubbing him
    and he is just so calm. His brother is there, he is 4 so we get to see
    him in action als.
    
    We plan to take one of the horses he will be living with and putting
     them down with Comet when the weaning process begins, this way, it
     gives him a way to get use to the boys he will be living with.
    
    Mary
    

    
    Just an update on Comet, who is now 2 months old! Karen is working
    with him for his halter and has been picking his feet up, which seems
    not to be very tramatic, he doesn't kick or buck or anything.
    
    Louisa and I were out there last night and he is shedding his baby
    hair and is filling out nicely! He is just the most precious little
    thing I have ever seen! He is very use to us now, he comes out to see
    us and we can work around him with no problem.
    
    We can't wait to bring him home!!
    
    mary
    

    
    Our little Comet will be 3 months old on Saturday, and he stands at
    11.2hh at the moment.  He loves people, he does not mind the halter,
    but he hates to stand still for long (he last about 3min) but with a
    stern NO/STAND - he gives in and he'll stand a little longer.  We have
    been trying to increase his standing a little more each day.
    
    As soon as we let him go, he runs back for more attention - but he just
    hates the restraint.  He will need to learn alot in the next 4weeks, we
    plan on leading him home on 9/30 :-)
    
    Louisa

    
    Yes, our little bundle of joy is just amazing. He is the most beautiful
    creature I have seen!! Not that I am biased or anything. :)
    
    We have been brushing him also, and yesterday he let me put a little
    bug spray on him without having a fit.
    
    He is very interested in his brothers on the other side of the fence
    and just wants to play with them!
    
    Just have to watch out for that little mouth swinging around sometimes.
    The halter is helping and he is very good about having it on.
    
    The ferrier came a few weeks ago and seems he was good for him. We need
    to start working on his legs so he gets use to them getting touched, he
    is still a little jumpy over that.
    
    Got the information on his father, Wellington II, a 16.2 Hanoverian, 
    what a beautiful looking horse!!
    
    Mary
    

Is your baby still with his mom?  He seems to be doing well.

I went to a clinic this spring and the clinician was excellent.
He showed us how he had taught his baby not to panic should
his legs get tangled in anything, with a big soft rope.  He worked it
all over his body, around his belly, under his tail between and up 
and down his legs.  

Sounds like he's coming along.

Karen

    
    Yes, he is with mom right now. The plan is to wean him at the end of
    the month.
    
    Last night we did the halter again, and he was very quiet about it.
    Then we brushed him again, I ran my hand down his from legs, which he
    does not mind, and Carolyn did his back, which makes him a bit nervous,
    so we will brush down a little farther each night.
    
    Next is a lead rope and we'll see how he does. He just seems to love
    all the attention.
    
    A couple of times he did try to wrestle his head away from me while I
    held his halter, but a good tug and a firm NO and he settled down
    nicely. We don't want to let him try to pull his way away from us, so
    he is learning.
    
    Mary
    

    
    In the past 4 days, we have accomplished so much!!! Comet now will lead
    with us, but his back legs are still a sensitive issue, but he is
    getting better.
    
    It is very sad though because momma gets very upset when he take him
    out of the stall and lead him around the center isle. She screams for
    him and gets all nervous.
    
    So we leave the door open so she can have him in sight while we work
    with him.
    
    Louisa and Carolyn have been fantastic with him!!! 
    
    Mary