# Almost Perfect - MFT with PSSM1



## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I used to write a lot, for work, for myself, I really enjoyed it. Over the past few years I've pretty much stopped completely but my "new" horse has inspired me. Hopefully this journal will motivate me to keep writing in one form or another.

This horse in particular is quite special to me. He is a 9-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter gelding with a curly coat. My better half calls him a "mutton". I'm not sure if it's the French in him that makes it so funny, but the nickname has stuck. Our friends and family call this horse "Curly" but I call him Magnus. 

I first saw him for sale online in December of 2019. The universe has a funny way of working out because I wasn't in a position to buy him even though I really, really wanted too. He is very striking, having been a stallion for 8 years of his life, he has those big jowls and very much a commanding presence. Anyways the ad was taken down after a couple weeks and I assumed he had sold. 

The next time his ad popped up it was in January and I was ready, after having sold a couple mares and was looking for prospects. After meeting the woman who purchased him in December, it almost seemed like he had been put on "hold" for me until I was in a position to buy him. 

Once Magnus was home, it only took a few days for another person to reach out to me over FB messenger. She had been involved with the rescue of Magnus and 8 other stallions from the breeder. They had been skin and bones with toes so long they were curling up on some. As it turns out, two other MFT mares that I had bought in the fall were from the same situation and had been just as neglected as Magnus. This whole thing had happened I believe in the spring of 2019. The mares had already put weight on when I bought them, and Magnus had been gelded for quite some time.

Unfortunately that wasn't the end of the revelations. This person told me there was a rumour that the sire of Magnus had PSSM. Now this was something new to me. Obviously as a long time lurker on this horse forum, I have come across posts about PSSM so I had a vague idea of what it was. Having dealt with Tennessee Walkers for pretty much my whole career, I have never come across even the mention of PSSM in the breed. After doing some research it does seem to have some prevalence in the MFT breed. 

I'm sure it was the very next day I marched out to Magnus's paddock and took a hair sample to send to Animal Genetics. Two weeks later I had the results: n/p1. My heart sank. 

Keep in mind at this point although I wanted to keep Magnus long term, the plan had always been to train him and resell him eventually. Now even this didn't seem really possible with the diagnosis, it really was bittersweet.

Despite the diagnosis Magnus always seemed very healthy. One thing he did during the start of his training was biting while being cinched up, but that has gone away overtime. My husband and I have tried to be very careful about his diet and exercise. We are very blessed to have a large amount of pasture so this has been a bit of a struggle in regards to his diet. Our other horses have so much room to roam in the summer while Magnus is cooped up in a dry lot.

I think another part of this whole story that is really important to understand is what was going on with me. Internally I was really struggling with enjoying to ride. I was really looking for a connection with my personal riding horses and wasn't getting it. The last time I truly felt connected to a horse was the very one who brought me to the horse forum to begin with ten years ago (my user name is his registered name). He was diagnosed by multiple vets with Wobblers. It was a brutal decline and it broke my heart. Boe was a horse that gave me _*the feels.*_ One time, right before the end, I took him into the arena and let him loose to play. At this point he was kept in a small enclosure for his own safety. I let him loose and he stayed beside me so I started walking, and then jogging. He kept right up with me, even gave his head a playful toss and a little buck. That was all he could muster before the wobbly legs took over and we came to a stop. I'll never forget that moment. Even now it brings tears to my eyes. I rode him alone when I had no right to ride a green broke three year old out alone. He was absolutely terrified of cows. He would meet me at the gate everyday. He was gentle with my mom, who is terrified of horses. 

One time I was riding him in a cutback saddle along a narrow river where a beaver was swimming. It slapped its tail right beside us and it spooked Boe so bad. I lost my seat almost landed on my feet, but ended up breaking one ankle. Boe came right back to me and stood like a statue for me to climb back on. It was a long ride back home and he was a saint. Man I loved that horse.

In August, someone came along who really, really wanted to buy Magnus who wasn't even advertised for sale. The money came at the right time, it was something we needed and couldn't say no to, even though both of us at this point were in love with Magnus. I'm sure you've already figured out that Magnus comes back. I don't really believe in coincidences, but something very similar to the events of when I originally purchased Magnus, occurred. This buyer was a placeholder. 

After the sale of Magnus, I was pretty disillusioned about my other riding horse. I was looking for a connection, it had never seemed so important as it did now. If I didn't have it, then I might as well sell her to someone else who could enjoy her. I was resigned to solely riding the sales horses and not keep any for myself. This particular mare ended up selling really fast, and not long after her sale, the opportunity to buy Magnus back arrived. Blessed with the funds from the mare's sale, it was feasible to buy my boy back.

I have been riding him almost everyday since his return and it has been amazing. He is so chill, never spooks, rides alone, rides in a group, smooth as silk, I really could go on. He is like having Boe back, except Magnus isn't scared of cows. 

I am hoping that we are able to manage the PSSM 1 and use Magnus as my go-to riding horse. He will be used to help train colts, move cows, competitive trail and mountain riding.

If any of you reading this have any comments or experiences or suggestions in regards to PSSM 1 horses, I would love to read them. I've done my own research so I can keep Magnus healthy but there is nothing like personal anecdotes. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our intro!


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I have Fox Trotters too (well, one at the moment) and don't know a thing about PSSM1, I will need to look that up. But mainly I wanted to congratulate you on finding a wonderful horse that you can bond with and enjoy. That's just wonderful! My friend also has a curly Fox Trotter but he's a palomino and close to 30 years old now. He's a fabulous horse. Congrats on your boy! :smile:


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Interesting story, OP. I have a foxtrotter, also. I thought they were not that common in Canada — certainly not in Saskatchewan where I am. May I ask a bit more about him, please? Where was the location he was rescued from - some place in Canada? Whereabouts are you located in Canada?


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## AragoASB (Jul 12, 2020)

I have never heard of PSSM 1 so I looked it up. PSSM Type 1 | HorseDVM Diseases A-Z
Fortunately it can be mananged. It seems Magnum is just meant for you since he keeps reappearing in your life.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I LOVE a feel good story! I hope Magnus gets to stay. He is quite handsome!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

You and that horse are just meant to be. Off and on, all my life, I've had horses and had a few with "Monday Morning Syndrome", which we now know is probably PSSM of some sort. I've had horses that were carriers of the PSSM1 gene and really, they have been easy to manage when you know what you're looking at. I feed a low NSC feed (Purina Enrich Plus & Ultium Competition formula) and the key to these horses is consistency in their work. You need to work them every single day, not necessarily to the point of dripping sweat but if you're going to lunge for 15 mins, do it every day. You can work up to a full work routine, just keep it consistent. If you see one tying up, go get the Banamine and give it to them. LOTS of water to flush their system. Keep work outs consistent and take your time when adding new things, like increasing time or difficulty of movements, always add things slowly. 

I took this from the Animal Genetics site: 

Management of Horses That Test Positive For PSSM1:

Horses that test positive for 1 or 2 copies of the GYS1 mutation should be carefully managed through diet and exercise to help prevent the onset of the disease. For many horses affected by PSSM1, strict control of diet and exercise can reduce, or even prevent the onset of symptoms related to PSSM1. Eliminating many high sugary foods in their diet and consistent exercise are two simple ways to help prevent the disease from developing. Although taking these simple steps may not be effective in every situation, research has shown that often they will provide positive results. It is always important to let your veterinarian know if an animal has tested positive for PSSM1.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Chevaux said:


> Interesting story, OP. I have a foxtrotter, also. I thought they were not that common in Canada — certainly not in Saskatchewan where I am. May I ask a bit more about him, please? Where was the location he was rescued from - some place in Canada? Whereabouts are you located in Canada?


I don't think they are that common in Canada either. He was rescued from Saskatchewan. I will PM you some more details. I am in central Alberta.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> You and that horse are just meant to be. Off and on, all my life, I've had horses and had a few with "Monday Morning Syndrome", which we now know is probably PSSM of some sort. I've had horses that were carriers of the PSSM1 gene and really, they have been easy to manage when you know what you're looking at. I feed a low NSC feed (Purina Enrich Plus & Ultium Competition formula) and the key to these horses is consistency in their work. You need to work them every single day, not necessarily to the point of dripping sweat but if you're going to lunge for 15 mins, do it every day. You can work up to a full work routine, just keep it consistent. If you see one tying up, go get the Banamine and give it to them. LOTS of water to flush their system. Keep work outs consistent and take your time when adding new things, like increasing time or difficulty of movements, always add things slowly.
> 
> I took this from the Animal Genetics site:
> 
> ...


Thank you for the wonderful advice!! So far he does not seem to present many clinical signs. If I were to pick at him, I've seen him do the "bunny hop" at the canter once in a while when he's playing around. But under saddle he canters so easily and doesn't tend to bunny hop with his back legs that I can feel. In the summer I put him in a dry lot with hay and in the winter he goes out to pasture when the grass is dry and finished growing. His personality stays the same, he doesn't tie up nor does he get muscle twitching. His muscles are always soft and loose when I check. I try not to "hover" and look for things, but just to be educated and aware so I can help him. He never tends to get fat, even when his head is buried in a bale. 

I found some wonderful webinars here about PSSM1 that are very up to date: Home


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

So cool to see the other MFT lovers popping in! There is something very special about the breed.

I've never been one to trick train, unless you count teaching the walkers to park out and I did manage to teach one horse to say 'yes'. 
Anyways I've always wanted to be able to ask my horse to lay down and Magnus is way taller than I'm used to, so I am now two days into teaching him (and myself). Does anyone follow Sam Van Fleet on youtube with her mustangs? She has a wonderful video tutorial and she made the steps super easy so even I can stick to them. I am filming our progress so I will definitely share that in the coming weeks. I have no idea how long it will take, but hopefully eventually I will be able to proudly post our achievement. LOL. 

Pictures in order should be Magnus working in the arena a few days ago, you can see his winter curls are starting to come in.
The champagne MFT is the other one I have from the same breeder but entirely different bloodlines. 
The picture of him dragging the sled was take at the beginning of September.
Magnus always makes funny faces. I have so many pictures of him smiling or smirking.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

MajorSealstheDeal said:


> Thank you for the wonderful advice!! So far he does not seem to present many clinical signs.


I had a boarder's horse here who was PSSM1, same as yours n/P1 and he was 7 or 8 years old, had never tied up. She came out and rode him every single day, either in arena or out on trail, and one night after her ride I noticed he was having trouble getting down to his feed pan. Picture a horse all set up to eat his bucket but, instead of demolishing his feed as he normally did, he was rocking and stretching down trying to get his head down to the feed. I went over and felt him and found the rigidity asked him to walk away a few steps and he was very reluctant. Gave him some Banamine and in 15 mins, he was right as rain. Ate his dinner gladly and has never had another episode. She pulled hair and had him tested and that's how we found out and got confirmation that he was PSSM1. I took him off Strategy which has a higher NSC content, and put him on Ultium Compete and he's been fine ever since. Since then I've met and owned several with PSSM1 and not a problem. Sounds like you've got this boys best interests at heart and you're not being a "helicopter mom", just being diligent about his care.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I had a Paint mare I leased and she had Pssm type 1. She was thin and difficult to put weight on. Despite the proper diet (high fat, high protein, low sugar), she never felt very good under saddle and she finally tied up badly enough that I called her owner and had her picked up. The owner was not aware she was pssm and had planned to breed her (maybe even did breed her, I don't know).


She was a deadhead, non-spooky, very calm and had a lovely personality. However, I doubt she will ever be a normal healthy horse. Now she could have had a double copy of the pssm 1 gene. I don't know. But I would never want another horse with that disease. The day she tied up I had called the emergency vet because I thought she was going to drop dead- she was staggering around with her head to the ground and her abdomen tucked up. Her owner didn't want the vet up and said she would come get her. 



My current paint is probably type 2 pssm, but I have not had a muscle biopsy done to confirm. :frown_color: I believe the difficulty in cantering is more common in type 2 pssm. She never could hold the canter without swapping leads. For many years I thought she was just lame behind, until she started having episodes of tying up. :shrug: It is not a fun disease- my mare has gone down on trail rides and usually takes 20-30 minutes to recover. For the most part it is manageable. I find high heat and humidity is a huge trigger for her. If it is hot outside, she gets 20 minutes of walking and is done for the day. 



I also suspect she has more than one issue (pssm type 2 and arthritis) or maybe kissing spines even though her back is never sore. Or perhaps the muscle stiffness is making her look lame, I really don't know. After spending a fortune on vets trying to chase down the issue, I finally bought myself a sound and healthy foxtrotter. 



There are many different muscle diseases (RER, Pssm type 2 and MFM) and they all have a large variability in presentation. Some horses do okay despite the disease, others are non-functional. Just be aware your horse may be okay for years, until he isn't. My mare with type 2 pssm, never really had an issue until we started getting insane heat waves in the summer- I also cannot discount the possibility that the disease gets worse as they age. It is possible the damage is cumulative. 



While my mare isn't the definition of sound, she isn't really painful and is more than happy to go out and explore. Unless she has an episode (which is about 1-2x yearly). 



A heartbreaking video on type 2 pssm. I don't believe most horses become neurological with the disease like this one did. My mare just can't hold the canter- even as a 2 year old. 









And here is my mare at the canter- as you can see she switches leads behind, then I correct her and she tries to get the correct lead, but loses it again. If I could only get her sound she would be phenomenal at flying changes because she really does try to get the correct lead when I ask. Unless she ties up that is the extent of the problem, but when she does tie-up she can't walk, move, and sometimes goes down (which is very terrifying for the rider). She always warns me when she feels bad and it is a matter of recognizing the symptoms before she gets worse. I like to ride bareback because you can feel the muscles start getting tight, long before there is any issue. She loses speed and slows way down and that is another warning sign something is wrong. 



A consistent exercise program really helps- but how many people can ride 2-3 hours a day? She really needs hours of exercise to feel better, every single day.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I had a MFT mare that switched leads like that at the canter. I though it was just because she was a gaited horse and had trouble because she could also be a bit pacey at times.......and people always tell you gaited horses have trouble cantering if they are laterally gaited. So........gee, I wonder how many gaited horse cantering issues are actually PSSM? Scary thought, I had no idea. My older mare in question never tied up that I ever noticed, but it does make you wonder. 

I even had a name for the gait.......her canter-pace, because it was like she was swapping her back legs into a pace even though she was cantering. I thought it was her switching in and out of gaits. And maybe it was.....or maybe not. It felt a lot like Harmony's gait looks.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Some horses are very pacey - think of Standardbreds that are bred to pace instead of canter. Some gaited horses have trouble with the canter and might canter in the front and pace behind. It's not the same as pssm. It just means that they are too gaited to canter.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

@4horses, that video was very powerful. I am so sad for that poor girl. I hope lots of people watch that video. And I hope Harmony's pssm can be controlled.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

@4horses, that video was very hard hitting, more so than many of the videos I have seen. When Karlo starting displaying Ataxia, it really reminded me of my gelding Boe when his Wobblers progressed. PSSM is a brutal disease and I sincerely echo this young woman's plea to breeders, get your horses tested. How many did Magnus's breeder breed with this disease and how many people don't even know their horse is a carrier? I wouldn't even have known if this third party hadn't reached out to me. 
@trailhorserider, yes some horses are very pacey and cannot pick up or hold the canter, BUT knowing PSSM is in the MFT breed, that is something I would test to find out. Especially when you consider the very nature of a Fox Trot gait. It is the only diagonal easy gait (a trot in the back and a walk in the front, to but it very simply), therefore it should be easier for them to canter then a horse with a very lateral gait like a pacing standardbred. Now there are always extremes to the breed, I'm sure there are pacey MFT out there who can't pick up a canter, and there are square ones who can't pace or hold an easy gait. It's the same with Walking Horses, RMH/KMH, etc but that's besides the point.

I am very aware that PSSM is progressive and I am very lucky that my horse doesn't display classic clinical symptoms. I am aware that he may eventually, but I am going to enjoy every day I have with him until I can't anymore. 

It was unseasonably warm here today so I spent as much time riding as I could. A friend trailered over and all of us spent a few hours riding in the pastures. The dogs had a blast and even went for a November swim in the dugouts. My friend's mare had a bit of a melt down when my dogs were running through dry reeds. They were near invisible but made a very strange, dry, crackling sound. My husband was riding a green TWH gelding, it was only his third trail ride and here he was coaching my friend through her mare's meltdown. Magnus is so level headed he isn't phased by much. Once her mare emptied her cup as Warwick Schiller would say, the rest of the ride was pretty relaxed. 

I snuck ahead a few times to enjoy Magnus's gait. He does a classic head shaking, teeth clacking flat walk and power walk. After that he likes to into a rack or saddle gait, depending on what you want to call it. It's super smooth, there is no hip action back and forth like a big moving TWH, nor is there the one-two-one-two in the hips from the fox trot (that's the best way I can think to describe it). My husband's young gelding has a real swinging gait but can't hold the flat walk for long yet before breaking into a pace. I see lots of hills in his future!

All the horses were pretty sweaty by the time we got home from the warm weather and their thicker coats. I was really hoping this would be my secret weapon to encourage Magnus to lay down on cue, but no such luck. He responded to all of my cues appropriately but we have yet to connect the dots.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

We woke up to snow today! First real load of the white stuff in our area this year. It's been so nice the past couple weeks I was really hoping it would stay that way. Still, it wasn’t really cold at all so my husband, myself and his daughter got dressed and caught our horses for a morning ride. Everything started out alright, but Magnus was really sliding with his back feet if we were in short grass. Most of the pastures are covered with thick, long grass unless we were on the lease road. 

Actually as soon as I led him out of the barn his back feet slid on the wet cement near the entrance. I was looking ahead to get the next gate but I heard the sliding and then I saw Magnus bounding into the air and out of the barn. He had all four feet off the ground at one point. Husband was behind us and he said Magnus’s back feet slid and it must have scared him, hence the bounding leap out of the barn.

This happened again when we tried to venture onto the lease road and it was like he had skis on his back feet. They slid forward, he spooked, then his front slid, it was like the snowball effect! We somehow managed to get back into the thick grass and get ourselves together. I stayed in the thick grass after that and he didn’t slip anymore. However we kept getting blocked along our favourite routes because the snow was covering standing water/ice. There was a lot of stopping and backing up, or turning and disengaging in tight spots. He was getting cranky with the contact and direction; I was tense worrying about him slipping. So not fun anymore.

It has also been a struggle finding a bit that works with him. I’ve spent a lot of time doing softening exercises with a low port Myler snaffle in the summer and we were making progress, but since he’s been back I’ve been dabbling with different bits and all on the trail. Today I put him back in the Myler and he was clearly not happy. He would gape his mouth, lean on the bit, just generally the opposite of soft and supple. He had his teeth done in March. I’m going to try a hackamore next time. 

I felt a little defeated when we got home because a lot of what he does can be equated to normal horse things, but then people say horses with PSSM do those things too (like not accepting contact). It is frustrating not knowing when or if he is struggling with normal horse things or his disease. I don't want to school him when in it isn't a training issue, but I don't want to say "Oh it's his pssm" every time either and end up with a monster on my hands.

I've done a lot of digging into Magnus's pedigree since I was told he went back to Curly Jim. This name doesn't actually show on his papers, but if you follow his bloodline on All Breed Pedigree, you can find Curly Jim on his lineage. On his papers there are two spots with the title "saddle horse". I was able to find on All Breed Pedigree that one of those horses is Curly Jim. He was one of two horses of unknown ancestry brought from Tennessee to Missouri. Both stallions were gaited and curly with conformation similar to a MFT. One of the horses died, but Curly Jim survived and was bred like crazy to the local MFT. Magnus's line is a bit different because it does not include Walker's Prince T., who was a grandson of Curly Jim and used extensively to breed gaited curly horses.

On another exciting note, I put a deposit down on a five month old TWH colt from Montana. He's a chestnut sabino with old time bloodlines, which is quite different from my other walkers. Very excited for this little guy!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Not too much to update on lately. I've been really busy with work so Magnus has gotten some time off in the pasture. The best part about doing chores is him greeting me at the fence every time. He has a very deep nicker, I just love it. It sounds like it rumbles deep from his belly, especially when I'm reaching for the pitchfork. 

My little colt from Montana arrived on Tuesday afternoon. I think the little guy was bone weary from travelling so much. His trip took quite a bit longer then expected and he had to lay over at a barn in Montana for four days. The shipper warned us that he was quite head shy and hard to catch, but once you had him he was good. 

I led him to his new pen and then when I reached up to take his halter off, he spooked big time. I wasn't ready for it and he took off with the lead rope dragging. You think he wanted me to catch him after that? Yeah right. Probably felt pretty good to stretch his legs too. Eventually I was able to walk up to him and ask him to look at me by rubbing my coat or my mitts together. Every time he faced me I would back up a step or two. This really worked as he started to step toward me. With some patience I was able to get my hands on the dragging lead rope without any more dramatics. This time I gradually worked my way up to the halter and was able to undo it and take the halter off without him spooking. 

I picked up some foal feed for him in town today. I am not above bribing him to like me. He ate the handful I gave him from the bowl in my arms. I was able to stroke his face and down his neck without holding onto him. His bloodlines are known to be very calm and easy to train. I'm pretty confident that a lot of this spooky and reactive behaviour is from the trauma of being taken away from the only home he's known. 

His name is Boss and for good reason. I had him in with a very gentle five year old gelding but it seemed as if the gelding ballooned overnight from the extra feed we put in their pen for the colt. Obviously this free feeding thing in a smaller enclosure isn't a good idea for Nashville. Husband and I decided to swap out the gelding for a yearling colt who could stand to be on free feed with Boss. The yearling tried to push Boss but there was no way the little guy was going to let that happen. He stood up for himself and put knocked poor Ash down a peg or two. It will be interesting to see if Boss can keep up that dynamic. I hope to see more of that side of him in the years ahead. I want a confident, bold trail horse!


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Eventually I was able to walk up to him and ask him to look at me by rubbing my coat or my mitts together. Every time he faced me I would back up a step or two. This really worked as he started to step toward me. With some patience I was able to get my hands on the dragging lead rope without any more dramatics. 

This is such a smart and terrific way to teach a reluctant horse to be caught! I wish everyone would read your journal!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

knightrider said:


> Eventually I was able to walk up to him and ask him to look at me by rubbing my coat or my mitts together. Every time he faced me I would back up a step or two. This really worked as he started to step toward me. With some patience I was able to get my hands on the dragging lead rope without any more dramatics.
> 
> This is such a smart and terrific way to teach a reluctant horse to be caught! I wish everyone would read your journal!


Thank you! 😊


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

The weather was amazing today and I think we took full advantage of it! Husband and I used a couple of green horses to bring our main herd in from their gigantic pasture. It was actually really fun and a good experience for the horses we were on. What a tough sell to ask these youngsters to push some of our older, very established herd members. The babies in the herd thought it was really fun to see horses coming across the field to them. Everyone kept their cool when the herd doubled back on us and took off bucking and running. Husband really pushed his mount out of his shell to get ahead and turn the herd back around. By the time we got the horses through the pasture, into our yard and ultimately into the corral, everyone looked like they did this everyday. 

Boss has been getting much friendlier with me. I go in a couple times during the day to visit him, one of those times I bring some foal feed with me. I hold the pan while he eats. I no longer have to get his attention to face up with me. He didn't balk at my hand once today and I was even able to stroke down his neck, to his shoulder and back. I'm not trying to halter him yet, I want him to stand still on his own while I rub and scratch him.

The best part of the day was going out on a long trail ride with Magnus. The snow is light and fluffy so the horses seem to float through it. We saw a bunch of deer and tire tracks from the Hollywood hunters. Our dogs were all sporting blazing orange vests, just in case. What else can I say, the ride was great. Magnus was hitting his smooth gaits and his teeth were clacking with his rhythm. We were on loose rein the whole time and he was super responsive to riding off my leg and seat. After we got back I once again asked him to lay down, hoping a good roll would feel great after his workout. He popped his back legs like he was going to go for it and he kept his nose to the ground all on his own so I was pretty pleased with that. There is no time limit to get this, he has all the cues, we just haven't put the whole "why" of it together yet. Maybe by the spring I can spray some water on his back to encourage him to really go all the way and lay down for me.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I wish our whole winter could be this way! The wind has been non-existent with temps above 0 Celsius. We've been riding for several hours everyday. Magnus went on two big rides this week and he was his fabulous self on each ride. He doesn't care if he's in front or in the back or in the middle. I can take him away, the group can leave, it really doesn't matter to him. We even found a "new" loop to ride through which has been fun. With hunting season having just ended, there are endless tire tracks and we like to follow those. The tracks tend to take us on a scenic route through all the pastures. The tracks have good footing and are less work for the horses so we can hit the faster, smooth gaits that our horses are bred for. My friend trailered over on Friday with her big Friesian gelding. He had to work pretty hard to keep up to our horses even at a dog walk, but he was up to the challenge. Her horse sure made Magnus feel small though!

Boss is an entirely different colt then the one who arrived. Just goes to show how much time it takes for a horse to settle in to a new environment. Boss is no longer jumpy or shy. He greets me at the gate everyday to get haltered and led to the barn for his goodies. My husband is now able to catch him and so is his daughter. We practiced blanketing him now while it is warm, no one wants to train when -30 C is looming. I am very pleased with his ability to learn and retain, as well as his curious nature. Love that! 

Both of us are riding like we will be able to compete in competitive trail next year. All the races this year were cancelled. If we don't get to compete next year, at least our horses will be in amazing shape for our annual 14 day pack trip deep into the mountains.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Cold weather and lock down restrictions have me feeling nostalgic. One of the things I wanted to accomplish by having a journal was to write more. This post will not be about Magnus or Boss, but about a horse who deserves some sort of eulogy.

Saga was my mare's first born, and you could say he was mine as well. It was a very exciting time, I was much younger and had no real concept that anything could go wrong during a mare's pregnancy. I sure understand that a lot better now, unfortunately. We were a group of three friends and all of us had mares bred to the same stallion with due dates staggered throughout the spring of 2013. D, one of my friends, owned the property and arena where we all kept our horses. She put up a round pen in the indoor arena and filled it full of straw. My other friend K pulled in her RV next to the round pen. Each of us would call this home during our respective mare's pregnancy.

At the time I worked twenty minutes away in an office. When D told me it was time to start my nightly vigil with Bloom, I moved into the RV for two weeks. I woke up every fifteen minutes to check on my mare. I got ready for work in a freezing cold bathroom with no running water. Bloom was very disgruntled about being kept alone in the arena. She has never been big on stalls or being inside, so she held onto her baby until one morning after I left for work. D turned her out into a grass paddock while she cleaned the round pen. By the time she came out of the arena to collect Bloom, a little red colt was already trying to get to his feet.

I named him Saga and he was perfect right from the start. He did not get as much attention as K's foal who had a big back end and looked like he would have lots of talent. Back then we were really big into showing where its all about the biggest over stride, the biggest head shake and a snappy front end. Although the three of us were friends, there was certainly tension when it came to competing against one another.

Saga grew up well, he was always healthy and sound. He was quite different from his dam who has always been more fiery and aloof. Saga was friendly, curious and quiet. 

Eventually I moved away from K and D. I took Bloom with me and kept boarding Saga with K (who now had a property of her own to keep her horses at). When he was two years old, I had an opportunity to take him with me. I was working for another barn who was quite competitive. I was riding some of their green horses and showing them. They offered to board Saga there and add him to the roster of horses. I jumped on the chance to start him under their program. I showed him under saddle that fall and the only horse I couldn't beat was one that my trainer was riding, so I was very okay with that. Saga got tons of compliments and I was really happy with him. He took everything in stride and was so level headed for such a young horse.

Nowadays I don't even bother to saddle train my two year olds let alone take them to a riding class. The older I've gotten, the more I see the two year olds as babies. Anyways, my trainer really didn't like Saga despite his success. He was too trotty and he didn't have the big movement they liked to see in their flat shod horses. (We do not have bick lick/performance classes, most of our horses show barefoot). This trainer did like to grow insanely long toes though and use as heavy of shoes as they could legally get away with. Ultimately I moved Saga because of this, I was very worried about his feet. I took him to the barn where I kept Bloom and had her farrier fix his feet. He said Saga was very close to going lame at the time. 

My life changed a lot during Saga's third and fourth years. I quit my nine to five and moved out into the country with the love of my life. I started training horses full time. This really affected my relationship with the trainers I used to work for and with my good friend K. We really drifted apart during this time. Our ideals and morals were obviously quite different and it was hard to see eye to eye. I only mention this because it really affected the way I looked at my horses. Clearly I was struggling with where my place was in the world of gaited horses and with my own business. I wasn't a barrel racer or a jumper, I didn't own quarter horses or stock horses, so what exactly was my niche? I was surrounded by walking horse people who wanted performance horse lines and big over strides. They trained their horses for show and did tons of arena work. My husband and I just didn't fit that mold at all. We were getting into big multi-day, multi-week pack trips and long distance events. Our rides were less about the length of over stride and more about comfort of gait and endurance. 

During this time I was really struggling with where Saga fit in. He didn't have the fast gaits like his dam and he didn't hold up to what my friends had. Eventually I ended up trading him for another horse that a client brought in for training. It was a decision I regretted for years. The mare was great, but nowhere near the quality and demeanor that Saga was. It was a poor decision made while trying to keep up with the Joneses. Trying to fill a hole that couldn't be filled.

Saga was well taken care of at his new home and I got lots of pictures and updates. But a lot of my friends who were not in the show scene were very surprised that I had traded him for another horse. This did not help my feelings toward the trade, and it made me quite resentful of the mare.

During the time that I traded Saga, Bloom was due to have her second foal. This foal was eagerly anticipated. I had shown and trained the sire for his owners and we had won almost every class we entered. We installed foaling cameras, created a big box stall for Bloom, everything you are supposed to do. It all amounted to heartbreak when the foal wouldn't wake up. The negative feelings toward trading Saga and now losing his sibling was almost too much to bear. I don't have children of my own, this was a choice I made early in life and do not regret. But these animals are my children.

Life goes on though. I kept riding the mare and missing Saga. I focused on building my business and finding where I fit into the whole horse community as I drifted even further away from my roots. The next year, 2019, Bloom gave birth to a beautiful black filly.

This spring I wrote down a list of goals. One of them was to bring Saga home. A little while later, my husband got a call from Saga's owner. I thought this is it, she wants us to take him home. 

It was not though, because Saga was gone. He had slipped on some ice in the pasture and broke his shoulder. There was nothing to be done for him. I won't go into the whole story, it was tragic and she told it to me herself. We cried and cried together. Saga wasn't coming home.

Saga was so much like Boe, the gelding I mentioned in my very first post. Somehow I had gotten wrapped up in having hot, fast mares and lost touch with the comfort of having a steady Eddie around. It's even more important these days because after riding greenies and youngsters all day, when I go out for a 'fun' ride, I don't want to train anymore. 

Maybe a trainer shouldn't say things like this, but it's the truth. Horses have become my job and I had to find an outlet where they aren't work anymore, just pure love and joy of the animal and the sport. When Magnus came into my life, I saw so many parts of him that reminded me of the parts of Boe and Saga that I loved most.

Saga would have been seven this year. He was with me until his fifth year. During our time together he got to go on a couple mountain trips. My husbands daughter showed him in hand and under saddle. He was the youngest horse being shown by a youth. My non-horsey brother could ride him. He packed my husbands youngest kid around the trails. He loved to chase the flag, so much so I couldn't help but wonder if his dad was actually some Quarter Horse who passed by in the night. I chased a runaway long horn steer with him. We used him to pull the sled and to ski-jor with. I still miss him and I still feel very guilty about trading him. It's something I think about almost everyday.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

The regret of letting a good one go is something I share with you. I appreciate you sharing your story and so glad that Saga did find a home with someone who loved him and will miss him as much as you do.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

@MajorSealstheDeal, that is such a sad story. My heart goes out to you. I'll bet everyone who has had horses all their lives has a "one that got away" story.

I will tell mine. My neighbors got horses without knowing much about them or how to ride. I rode with them regularly and helped them as much as they wanted. They had a friend who supposedly led his pony walking from Florida to Maryland (I found this hard to believe, but that's what he said). When he got to Maryland, he gave the pony to my neighbors.

The pony's name was Pawnie Pony and he was waaay too hot for them or the original owner to ever ride. He was probably about 12 hands. Pawnie clicked perfectly with me. He suited me in every way, except that I am tall and he was 12 hands. He was an extremely sturdy pony, and knowing what I know now, I could have ridden him anywhere. I rode Pawnie for about 4 months, and I truly did enjoy everything about him. He was super hot and super fun, the way smart hot ponies can be--level headed, loved to go, ready to listen. The owner offered him to me several times, and I really wanted him . . . but I thought he was too small for me. I was into showing hunter jumper at the time. Also, I didn't think I could afford a second horse. Ha ha--now I have 4 horses and somehow make it work. 

I let the owner sell Pawnie to a man who said he was buying him for his son. I knew that wasn't going to work, and I knew the story was fishy, as the son wasn't even along. A week later, I asked to go visit Pawnie, and he was gone, sold for dog food, I am certain. It broke my heart. I wish to this day I had accepted that amazing pony. I would never have regretted it, I am sure.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

carshon said:


> The regret of letting a good one go is something I share with you. I appreciate you sharing your story and so glad that Saga did find a home with someone who loved him and will miss him as much as you do.


This means a lot to me, thank you.



knightrider said:


> @MajorSealstheDeal, that is such a sad story. My heart goes out to you. I'll bet everyone who has had horses all their lives has a "one that got away" story.
> 
> I will tell mine. My neighbors got horses without knowing much about them or how to ride. I rode with them regularly and helped them as much as they wanted. They had a friend who supposedly led his pony walking from Florida to Maryland (I found this hard to believe, but that's what he said). When he got to Maryland, he gave the pony to my neighbors.
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing your story, it makes me realize I am not alone. I think you're right about when you've had horses long enough, there is a tragic love story somewhere along the way.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I wanted to keep my update separate from the much appreciated responses to my last post. Thank you guys.

On a much happier note, I spent the afternoon on Magnus trying out our brand new custom made tack. I had two sets of mohair cinches, breast collars and one headstall commissioned a few months ago as a Christmas gift to myself and Husband. His horse has alopecia and I'm not sure if his tendency to rub is correlated to that or not, but Husband has had a tough time finding gear that doesn't rub him. I bought him a very expensive mohair cinch from the local tack store in the spring and it seemed to do the trick. That said, even during our two week pack trip his gelding did get a bad cinch burn which sidelined him for a few weeks. I did some more reading on forums and came to the conclusion that our biggest mistake was being lazy and not washing the cinch after every ride, especially since we dealt with some very muddy conditions in the back country this year. Anyways, my point is that's how I got interested in mohair tack. I also really wanted to support a local business so I found a young lady who has very good reviews and also lives in Alberta.

I am very happy to report that there were zero rubs on either horse after a two hour long ride with some good run walking and fox trotting. The gear fits them so good, with the exception of the throat latch on Magnus's bridle. Apparently the years of being a stallion have gifted him with chubby cheeks and a thick throat latch. I tied it into his braids to keep it from flopping around, I couldn't even do it up properly without cutting off his airway. I've already got a custom extension coming later this week. Husband is very good with knots so he's going to rig up the extension nicely for me.

We did have one very interesting wildlife encounter earlier this week while we were out working some of the greenies. Coyotes are everywhere around here and it is not uncommon to see them during a ride. The odd one will yip and bark at us but generally they stay away. This one that we saw looked very different from the regular coyotes, he was bigger with a white chest and very dark markings. He followed us for a ways and his voice was so strange. He barked like a coyote but it was so deep and then he would howl after every bark. To be honest it spooked me and the horses, who even for greenies are used to busting coyotes, deer, moose and we always ride with our three dogs. When husband first saw him he thought it was a wolf, I still remember watching him bound over a little rise and I thought he looked like one too, but his behaviour was more like a coyote. There's a rumour around here about a coywolf, so maybe that's what we saw? Farmers have seen wolves before but they are very elusive and rare for sure. 

Boss is doing really well, our blanket prep really paid off. When it came to the real deal he was a champ. He had his first little rasp on his feet here the other day and he was a perfect angel. Having him in the barn during farrier day was great exposure. I had him loose in a box stall with some goodies, he could see all the activity and hear all the noises.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! It was definitely a different one here, usually my mom, brother and husband's older kids come spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us. Without all of our regular guests, we were able to go for a wonderful Christmas ride on our personal horses.

Since his daughter moved in with us, I "sold" her my 13 year old TWH mare. Instead of paying me in money she works off the dollar amount by helping with the horses and farm chores. She keeps track of her hours in a journal and one of us has to sign off on it. She has been riding Bloom on and off for almost six years now so she already has a strong bond with her. Bloom has always liked kids more than adults and she treats husband's daughter very well. I used to show Bloom back in the day, we've dabbled in endurance together and of course she is a pack trip veteran. Bloom HATES cows, but you put that mare on a flag and she will lock onto it like nobody's business. She will also hit the brakes so hard she slides when locked onto the flag. Her son Saga also had the same love of flagging and at the same time, had no problem chasing cattle even when they were as big or bigger than him.

We wanted a picture of the three of us on our horses so Husband propped his phone on the round pen gate. The longest timer on his phone was ten seconds. He was able to maneuver his gelding into position with four seconds to spare!

We all had a lot of fun on our horses. Bloom is super competitive so we had a lot of fun getting into the faster gaits and trying to pass her. Magnus doesn't really care but husband's horse is half brother to Bloom and really got into the fun. Of course Tiberius is also the youngest of the three and had the hardest time coming down after all the excitement. I think it is really important to help these younger horses learn how to go up and down, "empty their own cup" as Warwick Schiller would say. Magnus is four years older than Tiberius, who was started at the age of three. Magnus was started at the age of nine. What Magnus lacks in finesse at this point, he definitely makes up for in maturity. 

Between the three of us we spotted four coyotes and our neighbours started target shooting. This is a big reason why all of our horses are gun broke. It always seems that when they start shooting, we are riding right past their field.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

The breast collar on the horse in the middle looks cool. My hubby wants a mohair breast collar but we ride in some overgrown trails and even the girths pick up a lot of debris. Your picture makes me want to ride in the [email protected]! (Alas - no snow here in NW IL)


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

carshon said:


> The breast collar on the horse in the middle looks cool. My hubby wants a mohair breast collar but we ride in some overgrown trails and even the girths pick up a lot of debris. Your picture makes me want to ride in the [email protected]! (Alas - no snow here in NW IL)


I never even thought of the debris they may/will pick up! Even in the mountains though it is very rare we are actually in overgrown trails, the odd time we have to bush whack down the mountainside off of our favourite ridge.

The snow right now is great for riding, it's not too deep and it's easy to keep the trails open. Hope it stays like this for awhile (until spring would be nice).

It hovered around -11C today so all of us stayed inside With above zero temperatures coming this weekend, it's hard to tough out the colder days when we don't have too. I wrote the following this afternoon in an attempt to get the writing juices flowing again. I don't really care who reads these things, or if anyone does. Of course I am very grateful to those who do! I've always loved to write, not necessarily about horses either. Even when I was in college I was terrified of being judged or having my teachers read my writing. This continued into my career after school working for a magazine. No matter how much I loved to write, I was so scared of what people would think. The simple fact that I keep coming back and updating this journal is a huge milestone for me. In the old days I would have been to scared to come back after the first post. Somedays I hover around the forum still for half an hour before I get the guts to click on my own journal.

Here is the story about Della:

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my mare Bloom lost what would have been her second foal in 2018. After the loss I did a lot of reading and research to find out what could have possibly gone wrong. I did not get a post-mortem on the foal, we buried it before that thought even crossed my mind. It was not a red bag, I easily broke the white bag with my bare fingers. I started to suspect placentitus or maybe even fescue toxicity.

I did not have any intentions of rebreeding Bloom after the loss of the foal. I blamed myself for not being properly prepared, for freezing, for not trying harder to wake the foal up. We did have a huge box stall set up for delivery and we had a baby monitor set up so I could watch her from our bedroom. I gave her all the appropriate shots, I monitored her bag and vulva for changes. On an eery note there was an extremely high foal loss in our club alone that year. Almost every person who had one or more pregnant mares lost at least one foal, and many like me, their only foal. We were all spread across Alberta.

About two months later, I started think baby thoughts again. I casually started looking at stallions, then casually sending out feelers. Then I casually called the vet and later that afternoon I was hauling Bloom down the road. The vet told me she was ready to be bred that night, and that she didn’t see any signs of her having had any kind of infection that could have caused the loss of our foal. The stallion I had chosen wasn’t too far from the vet so off we went.

Two weeks later Bloom was confirmed in foal. The vet once again reassured me that if Bloom had any kind of infection she would not have caught as easily as she did (one live cover). This was especially reassuring since placentitus tends to be recurring. I took Bloom back at 21 days for a re-check and again at the end of the summer. To be on the safe side, the vet gave Bloom a Caslick’s.

This time I was not fooling around. I bought Blessed are the Broodmares, Blessed are the Foals, and every book I could find on Amazon, some very technical and hard to read. I put together a foaling kit including a stethoscope, thermometer, towels, navel dip, just to name a few. I attended webinars online through The Horse and through our club. This time I decided to create a foaling pen instead of a foaling stall. My husband helped me clean up the pen and dump clean straw in the shelter.

Three months prior to her due date I pulled Bloom off pasture and hay. She went into her foaling pen and transitioned to soaked cubes with her daily supplements. I was not taking any chance of fescue in our hay or pastures.

Our friends came by to see our progress and all of them pointed out that Bloom would NOT make use of the beautiful foaling bed we had made her. I diligently kept the pen and the straw clean as she came close to term. Instead of staying in the house, I was sleeping right next to her in the camper. The video monitor was installed as was a big light so that I could see her in the dark.

The best thing I added to my kit was test strips for her milk. Also, our neighbour down the road is a retired vet so we made friends with him and he gladly agreed to late night phone calls if I needed any help.

The day of June 1st, 2019, Bloom’s legs were soaked with sticky milk. Wax was dripping from her udders and the test strips said IMMINENT. I hovered around her all day. In the evening, my husband put a movie on after supper. It was really boring, and it was a beautiful evening so I decided to take a walk over to visit Bloom. I saw her standing in front of the straw bed looking at it. Her tail was cocked to the side and a white balloon was protruding from her back end. It was a foot. I used my phone to call my husband and asked/ordered him to call our neighbour right away.

I was shaking, freaking out, terrified and so excited. My husband joined me outside her corral just out of Bloom’s view. She was now laying in the straw and her contractions were visible. The foal was almost out to the shoulders now. By this time, our neighbour had pulled up and was walking quietly over to us. The bag had not broken yet and I went right in there and broke the bag myself. I cleared the nostrils, there was no way I was going to let that baby suffocate. NV (neighbour vet) was urging me to leave her alone though and my husband looked like he was going to haul me out himself so I started to back away. A couple more pushes and the foal was out completely. She was moving too!

Bloom was resting flat on the ground now. The filly was throwing her front legs and hitting Bloom as she struggled to get her feet. I was a little worried about Bloom now. It seemed like forever that she just lay there while the filly tried to get her attention. Finally Bloom lifted her head and looked behind her. I swear as soon as she realized the filly was not only alive but looking at her, my mare came to life. She started nickering at her little newborn and licking her. It was game on from there.

NV said it was a textbook delivery. The filly was up and nursing too just as if she had read what to do prior to birth. I did not rest that night until I was sure she had passed the meconium. First thing in the morning I had our local vet come out and do a snap test to make sure she had gotten all the necessary antibodies and colostrum from her mother’s milk.

The filly’s registered name is Della The Druid because of the sickle shaped stripe on her forehead. She is 1.5 years old now. For the record, Bloom did use the beautiful bed of straw for foaling and nothing else.

On Della’s first birthday this year, Bloom was rebred for a 2021 foal. She caught first try once again. I am rereading all my books, going over my foaling kit, looking at options like having her foal out at the vets versus at home. The anxiety and the excitement is just as intense as it was last time. If all goes to plan, this will likely be Bloom’s last foal, at least for a few years, so she can go on lots of adventures with my stepdaughter.

For the record, that support post in the shelter you can see in the first image, of course that's where Della was trying to get up for the first time. I was so worried she was going to hit the post so I put my back to it and pivoted around it as Della tried to get her legs, that way if she fell or wobbled near it I could be the "buffer".


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

She is gorgeous. I cannot imagine the heart break of losing a foal. Although I have had horses my entire life I have only bred twice. Both from the same mare (and Impressive bred QH) her first foal we had to sell as I was pregnant when it was born. He went to a good home but I always felt guilty and years later tried to track him down - I fear that he came to no good end because the people I sold him too eventually divorced and Ben had never been broke to ride. He would have been near or over 16H and was a gorgeous palomino - they never transferred his papers out of my name. It breaks my heart to think about what happened to him. His half brother we kept until he passed away unexpectedly in 2016 - he was 12. The vet thought stroke as he literally had fallen over in his tracks. No sign of a struggle or paddling - and I just just fed them a couple of hours before- his feed was gone as well as a lot of his hay. My daughter now has a really nice TWH mare she purchased 18 months ago. One of the things we love the most about her is her curiosity - she is not a spooky horse in the least and would rather walk up and investigate than spook. Her gaits are very smooth and conformationally she is pretty good. My daughter would like to breed her in the next 2 years with hopes of getting a foal with the same curious spirit. The mare is 16H and my daughter is 5'10" so she has been looking for a taller stallion to breed to and that does shipped semen. There are not a lot of TWH studs in NW IL. The mare will stay here as my daughter is in the application process to Vet schools now. the idea is to breed Sawyer in her second year of Vet school - leaver her here with us until my daughter is out of school and more settled. By then the foal will be ready to break and Sawyer and the foal can move to wherever my daughter ends up. We will see!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

carshon said:


> She is gorgeous. I cannot imagine the heart break of losing a foal. Although I have had horses my entire life I have only bred twice. Both from the same mare (and Impressive bred QH) her first foal we had to sell as I was pregnant when it was born. He went to a good home but I always felt guilty and years later tried to track him down - I fear that he came to no good end because the people I sold him too eventually divorced and Ben had never been broke to ride. He would have been near or over 16H and was a gorgeous palomino - they never transferred his papers out of my name. It breaks my heart to think about what happened to him. His half brother we kept until he passed away unexpectedly in 2016 - he was 12. The vet thought stroke as he literally had fallen over in his tracks. No sign of a struggle or paddling - and I just just fed them a couple of hours before- his feed was gone as well as a lot of his hay. My daughter now has a really nice TWH mare she purchased 18 months ago. One of the things we love the most about her is her curiosity - she is not a spooky horse in the least and would rather walk up and investigate than spook. Her gaits are very smooth and conformationally she is pretty good. My daughter would like to breed her in the next 2 years with hopes of getting a foal with the same curious spirit. The mare is 16H and my daughter is 5'10" so she has been looking for a taller stallion to breed to and that does shipped semen. There are not a lot of TWH studs in NW IL. The mare will stay here as my daughter is in the application process to Vet schools now. the idea is to breed Sawyer in her second year of Vet school - leaver her here with us until my daughter is out of school and more settled. By then the foal will be ready to break and Sawyer and the foal can move to wherever my daughter ends up. We will see!


Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry you lost him like that. Horses can be so strong and yet so fragile. It sounds like he didn't suffer though.

That's so exciting! With the miracle of AI you should pretty much have your pick of stallions in nearby states. I was looking into AI this spring and was surprised that my vet has an easier time getting cooled semen from the US then from across Canada. Depending on what type of walker you guys like, the Heritage bred walkers are supposed to have that same easy going temperament like your daughter's mare, more of a "born broke" demeanor. 

Magnus is doing great. With all this warm weather we've been having, all the horses on our rotation have been getting some good saddle time. I'm always looking for ways to improve Magnus' life style and be more like a normal horse. I recently bought a Green Guard grazing muzzle for him. Last year I pulled him off of the pasture in the spring and kept him in a dry lot until this fall, when he was put back out in the big pasture with his herd mates. Ideally I would like to keep him in the pasture where he can move around much more instead of having his head stuffed in a bale. 

This year I will try putting the muzzle on during the day where he can be out with his herd mates and then at night putting him in a dirt corral with hay or soaked cubes. I also bought Camelina oil for him and our other horse who will be doing competitive trail and long distance packing trips. One of my clients purchased it when I advised her that her MFT needed some more weight. She recently sent me photos of her mare and I was amazed at the difference. Not only had she put on weight, but her mane had grown long enough for me to actually notice. This mare is 7 years old so, not something that you'd think would pop out at a person after only a few months. 

My husband doesn't usually buy into gimmicks or supplements, but to my surprise when I showed him the pictures and then showed him the product online, he was totally into it! The Camelina oil has Omega 3's and 6's, which are really good for PSSM horses, as well as natural vitamin E. It's also supposed to be really good for dogs and we have an old shepard who might be getting a drizzle with his dinner once it arrives.

I'm really excited for this upcoming riding season and of course, our annual two week pack trip. Every year I compile all the footage and make a video. I'd say 2020 was our least successful trip, two of our best horses were rubbed raw in strange places, our friend had to leave early due to bouts of vertigo, and our other friend kept losing shoes on her horses. Despite all of that, it was still the best place to be in the world and I can't wait for our 2021 trip. 

Our 2020 trip:


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Magnus moved pastures, right now we have two herds. One consists of sale horses, boarders and consignment horses and the other is what we call our keepers, so that herd does not see many changes. Magnus was introduced to the keepers a few days ago when the mare I sold in order to keep him finally left for her new home. The best part about that herd is in the winter they trek right through our yard to get to the waterer. They tend to hang out in the yard when they aren't at their bale, they come investigate yard activities, as well as pushing the boundaries on our horse-proofing.

I am just loving the extra interaction with him these last few days that isn't just riding or feeding. He follows me around the yard and comes up for attention. This will never get old!!

Bloom came up lame, husband checked her for abscess but wasn't able to find one. She doesn't appear to have any swelling, heat, cuts or obvious injuries, but visually her walk is very off and becomes more of a hop in the front when asked to speed up. She is just over 7 months pregnant right now. She is out of the herd for now in her own corral. Her daughter Della is not happy, it's like second weaning all over again. I'll give her a few days and then go from there. Our local vet is very small so for lameness like this I will have to haul her an hour away. Given that she is pregnant and comfortable in her corral, I don't want to stress her out over a trailer ride on winter roads if I don't have too.

We have come up on quite a few moose on our rides lately, even a group of three relatively close to the house. One dog got caught in a coyote snare, luckily we were right next to him when he did. He gave a little yip to let us know he was in trouble. Husband was able to loosen the snare with his fingers and get it off. There aren't supposed to be any snares on our loop, turns out it was a miscommunication and the snares were cleaned up right away. 

Boss experienced his first Canadian snow storm last week! It was above zero the whole time but the wind was insane. It only lasted a few hours. He has become very bold and personable, and now becoming very nippy and a little bossy. Go figure. Can't wait to get him gelded and turned out with the main herd.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I just had to post the little bit of info I dug up today in regards to Magnus's pssm1 gene. I did a search of "fox trotter" on a PSSM Forum page on FB and pulled up a two year old post about a curly MFT in the states who tested positive for pssm1. This mare has a half brother who went to Europe as a breeding stallion, where he was tested for a whole bunch of stuff and came back positive for PSSM. Upon learning this, the lady had her mare tested. Now she suspected the dam line since this is what the two horses had in common. The owner of the dam and grand dam refused to test when she asked.

This poster supplied the registration number for her horse so I looked it up on the MFT directory. I was shocked when I saw the grand dam of this mare is Magnus's dam.

The rumour was that his SIRE carried the PSSM, but now it sounds more likely that it was his dam. She has 8 registered offspring in the MFT database. It also sounds like the owner knew and bred her anyways, to carry on the curly MFT blood she so coveted. 

I've reached out to the OP, I don't know if I'll hear back from her or why it means so much to me, but I was always so curious about where it came from. It's not like knowing it changes anything, but there is a sense of closure I guess. It also makes me think about future purchases, at least I know the line it came from and can avoid it.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

It's been terribly cold here for at least a week now, although it feels much longer than that with no end in sight. 

The owner of Magnus's half sister did reach out to me over messenger. I was very interested to know how her horse had fared since her original post was over two years ago. Apparently the mare laid down a lot during training so after her diagnoses she became a pasture pet. I didn't ask about what she fed the mare, but from one picture and the way the conversation went, it didn't sound like she kept her horse on any special diet. 

Magnus has really settled into our herd well. He plays with our coming 3 year old gelding a lot, and the lead gelding Tiberius seems relieved to have an older, gentle leader. The trail from their hay bale to the waterer goes right past our living room window and it has become very apparent that Magnus has to make a big entrance every time he comes in or heads out to the pasture. He gallops past in his bright blue winter blanket, braids flying and kicking up snow. Della, who will be two this spring, is trying her best to be snotty and mean to Magnus but he completely ignores her when she gets like that. Usually one of the geldings is always with the youngsters, especially since Momma Bloom has been rehabilitating in her own corral. 

She has been rooming with two colts, one being Boss. Before she went in with them, it was like a frat party all the time. Constant roughhousing and just being boys. Bloom sure put a stop to that, now there are rules and they must have manners! I think she has been a very good influence on them. Her movement has dramatically improved, she can now flat walk without hobbling like she has an abscess or broken leg. She can even move up into a run walk and while I am sure there is still a hitch in her stride reaching forward, it is barely noticeable. I put EQU Streamz bands on her two front legs but every time I went out to check on her, the same one was on the ground and in a colt's mouth. I'm sure she was pulling it off herself. I switched that band to the back leg and since then it has stayed on. 

The only other "new" thing is that Magnus has officially been transferred into my name with the breed registry. It's a simple thing and he will never be sold again, but it has some symbolism I guess! Whatever, it feels good. I can't wait to get into our training routine again and spend some time in the saddle with my boy.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Stumbled onto this while researching PSSM. I have been struggling to figure out what is going on with my horse Rusty for some time, and now think I might have stumbled onto something so thanks for sharing! Rusty also really struggles to canter. After looking at the few videos I have of him cantering, and comparing to PSSM horses cantering, it seems he is a strong candidate. 

Can you tell me where you got your horse's test done? I found the AQHA does hair analysis, but is there anywhere in Canada that will do it with just the hair? If I have to do bloodwork too I will, but man, I have been sinking so much into vet bills lately, it would be nice to just pull a few hairs and send them off! 

I'm in New Brunswick btw! And Magnus is gorgeous!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Acadianartist said:


> Stumbled onto this while researching PSSM. I have been struggling to figure out what is going on with my horse Rusty for some time, and now think I might have stumbled onto something so thanks for sharing! Rusty also really struggles to canter. After looking at the few videos I have of him cantering, and comparing to PSSM horses cantering, it seems he is a strong candidate.
> 
> Can you tell me where you got your horse's test done? I found the AQHA does hair analysis, but is there anywhere in Canada that will do it with just the hair? If I have to do bloodwork too I will, but man, I have been sinking so much into vet bills lately, it would be nice to just pull a few hairs and send them off!
> 
> I'm in New Brunswick btw! And Magnus is gorgeous!


I used Animal Genetics: Animal Genetics | Genetic Testing Services

They have really clear, simple instructions for sending the hair sample. It took about two weeks for the sample to arrive, which generated a paypal request, so payment was easy and safe. You can pay by credit card but I felt much better not sending my information in the mail. The actual testing results were sent via email and available by logging in through their website. The longest part of the process was the mail, testing results were up within a day of making the payment. I was not able to find anywhere in Canada to get the testing done.

I hope you are able to find some answers with Rusty's testing and I'm glad our experience may have helped in some way!

PS I have fond memories of New Brunswick, my mom grew up there and we used to fly back and forth when we were kids to visit family. I haven't been in many years now but my mom still visits every year (except 2020 of course). Unlike me, she hates the mountains of Alberta and misses the ocean most of all.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Officially we are colder than the North Pole, at least that's what an article claimed that husband read to me last night. Tomorrow morning it is forecasted to be -41 C. The warmest part of today was about -28 C, which was also right around the time that husband's horse colicked.

We have a big picture window in our living room and while having lunch, husband's horse parks himself right in the middle of the window. He pawed at the deck and then at the ground. I noticed twice he kicked at his belly and the pawing was really unusual. It was aggressive, not the same kind of pawing a horse would do looking for food. His tail was switching and then he nipped at his belly a couple times. He dropped and rolled right in front of our deck. We watch these horses all day, we know where they like to rolll and where they like to sleep. This is not one of those places. Husband ran out to get a halter to start walking Tiberius. He also called our neighbour who came over within ten minutes with a shot of banamine ready.

The three of us took turns walking him while we waited for the banamine to kick in. When it did, the difference was remarkable. When T was stopped for his shot he was kicking at his belly and trying to lay down. 20 minutes later he was no longer kicking, his eyes were bright and he was relaxed. So thankful for our awesome neighbour. T has been under a careful eye for the rest of the day in his own private pen. 

I was bored the other day and came up with a list of things I didn't know or think of until I had a curly haired horse of my own. The most interesting albeit annoying feature is that burrs, seeds, hay particles, all get stuck in his very tight curls. Brushing is futile, the best way to get him clean in the winter is to use a leaf blower. 

On the flip side, earlier this winter I was scraping ice off the backs of the horses, most of the ice required muscle and a good brush to get it off. Then I got to Magnus and I could brush it off with my hand. It did not stick the same way to his curly coat.

I have not fact checked this one, but my husband claims in his research that curly coated horses have more insulation then straight coated horses.

When I thought of a curly horse in the past, I did not realize how small and tight the curls could get especially in and around the ears. His eyelashes also look like they have had an eyelash curler taken to them. In the summer most of his curls shed out, but his coat is more coarse and has a "wave" to it. Hard to explain, but quite different from a straight haired coat.

So a bit of a ramble but what else is there to do when you might as well be living in the North Pole? 

Obligatory picture of the handsome man in his winter coat:


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Brought a new horse home a few days ago, 14 year old TWH mare. Big stout build, have not seen one with the width of chest that she has in quite some time. She has old bloodlines and only registered with the Canadian Walking Horse Registry. Another walking horse trainer had her for 30 days and sent me her videos to see if I would be interested in purchasing her for our pack string. This mare has been owned by the same family for most of her life, but it doesn't sound like they ever rode her. She had a couple stints at different trainers over the years but not much else. 

When she came here I put her in a pen by herself for a few days. Husband noticed that she would squeal when any of her future pasture mates came in her general direction to investigate the newcomer. I am familiar with her dam line and those mares can be quite dominant. After witnessing her rather large bubble myself, I thought she might be like the other mares from her dam, squealy, kicky and mean in the pasture.

Once both of us were satisfied that Moon is approachable and easy to catch, she was released into the herd. She immediately went for a huge run in the pasture, kicking and bucking and just really enjoying herself. This got the herd to join into her antics. It became evident very quickly that my assumption was wrong. Moon is completely submissive to everyone of the herd members. She will not engage and runs away if they so much as look in her direction. It's been a few days now and she will not come up and eat with them so I make sure to scatter a few piles away from the group for her. 

Another thing that she does that I have come across before is that she will not look directly at me when I walk up to her. In fact she dramatically turns her head to the left or the right, she won't engage with me or look at me. Having noticed this, I decided not to touch her without her permission. Instead I hold my hand out for her to sniff it. Only when she has sniffed my hand, which forces her to look in my general direction, do I stroke her neck or face. Even this I think is too much right now. I think I should back off after she sniffs my hand. Even when I stroke her neck, she turns away from me. 

I know this horse has been loved by her family, but I have the gut feeling she has been ridden and used like a robot. She is very submissive and compliant but not engaged. Can't wait to see her blossom as she realizes that we like to listen to our horses here!

With warm weather around the corner, I am itching to get out and spend time with Magnus. We are heading to an arena on Sunday but I think I will take two of my projects instead. One is sold and heading to BC in the spring and I think the other one will be Moon. Also taking his PSSM into consideration, I don't want to put a hard day on him without any sort of schedule or work up to it.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I am interested to hear more about Moon, my TWH mare (Tillie) was very much like that when I purchased her. She was a great riding horse but never sought out people and was actually a little flighty if you moved too fast. Although I like a respectful horse I do not want a fearful horse. I know nothing of her past although I know the older couple I purchased her from bought her at a sale barn and planned to flip her. They held onto her for a few years and did nothing with her. Her papers were never transferred out of the first owners name and she was 14 when I purchased her. She was definitely bred in the past and has huge scars under her mane where it looks like a stud tore a large part of her muscle out. She will never be a lap horse but she does come up for treats now and does not flinch when you reach to scratch her neck. Good Luck with moon. I really enjoy your posts!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

carshon said:


> I am interested to hear more about Moon, my TWH mare (Tillie) was very much like that when I purchased her. She was a great riding horse but never sought out people and was actually a little flighty if you moved too fast. Although I like a respectful horse I do not want a fearful horse. I know nothing of her past although I know the older couple I purchased her from bought her at a sale barn and planned to flip her. They held onto her for a few years and did nothing with her. Her papers were never transferred out of the first owners name and she was 14 when I purchased her. She was definitely bred in the past and has huge scars under her mane where it looks like a stud tore a large part of her muscle out. She will never be a lap horse but she does come up for treats now and does not flinch when you reach to scratch her neck. Good Luck with moon. I really enjoy your posts!


Sounds like Tillie has learned to come around a little bit to you. That's too bad she was hurt by the stud. Walkers and perhaps even gaited horses in general seem to be very sensitive. It doesn't take much for them to be offended.

I think Moon has been here two weeks now. She is still very shy, it doesn't take much to push her away. She's starting to sort of eat with the other horses and they aren't mean by any stretch of the imagination. It's a pretty relaxed group, but a swish of the tail is enough to send Moon to the other end of the pen. She is very impatient when tied and maybe even slightly herd bound. We took her out with Magnus yesterday for her first real trail ride. As far as I know she has only ever been ridden in an arena. Prior to this, husband rode her in the pasture and she was one of the horses we took to an arena last Sunday. Moon steps out really nice, she's no slug that's for sure. 

She wasn't spooky and seemed to have gotten used to our dogs zipping around pretty quick. Her first ride in the pasture she did some pretty quick turns to see the silver bullets flying up behind her. We rode for just over two hours and by the time we were on the home stretch, husband had his hands full. It looked like a classic case of destination addiction. When given a loose rein she took him right to the home gate, where all her new buddies were hanging out. Magnus was being a doll as usual so I took him into the barn and watched the show in the pasture.

I was really impressed to see that Moon trots, paces and canters. I don't like a horse too pacey or too trotty, and we canter all of our horses. Despite the high energy I think Husband was having a blast. Anytime she took him home, that's where he'd put her to work. Loose rein heading away from home. I'd say it was a solid half hour of work in the pasture before they came to a rest in the center without her trying to take him home. That's where Husband got off and walked her home. Once he tied her up in the barn though, she started pawing, even though Magnus was right beside her. We have a patience pole and it is a very safe, effective place to tie horses like her so that's where she went. We had a couple client horses dropped off and we had to do assessments on them so it was a great time for her to hang out and see there is no rush to come home.

Moon will face up now when either of us approach her for catching or petting. She doesn't seem to display that looking away behaviour. I've thought about it a lot and since she was with the same family for so long, maybe she was just saying "hey, I don't know you". Either way, I'm happy to see her being more comfortable with us. There is still some residual anxiety, maybe she doesn't fully understand her job yet, but she is super willing and eager to please. When on the trail she is constantly on the look out, head up swinging left, right, ears pricked. We like our horses to keep their minds on task and not off La-La Land so husband was constantly checking her head to bring her back to him. She also cannot stand still under saddle. She can hold it for about 30 seconds and then it becomes a big show of side passing, backing up, pawing, swinging the hips around. She's a big girl so I can see how she has intimidated her owners in the past. She doesn't do anything nasty, but like I said, she puts on a BIG show. For an inexperienced rider like her owners were, that would be a lot of horse to handle.

Pictures are of Moon on the patience pole a week ago, husband's first ride on her in the round pen, and of course, Magnus.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

She is quite lovely! I love a horse with a blaze. And of course Magnus is his usual handsome self!


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## twhvlr (Jul 5, 2017)

I’ve owned gaited horses for years. TWH in the past, currently 2 RMH and 2 young TWH. Maybe it’s my bloodlines but none of my horses have ever ”enjoyed” standing still under saddle. They do stand beside a mounting block until I tell them they can move but they would be happier moving out as soon as my butt hits the saddle! We work on not dancing at stops _every_ spring. Based on past experience, I suspect that we will still be working on it when they retire. Seems to be their personality.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

twhvlr said:


> I’ve owned gaited horses for years. TWH in the past, currently 2 RMH and 2 young TWH. Maybe it’s my bloodlines but none of my horses have ever ”enjoyed” standing still under saddle. They do stand beside a mounting block until I tell them they can move but they would be happier moving out as soon as my butt hits the saddle! We work on not dancing at stops _every_ spring. Based on past experience, I suspect that we will still be working on it when they retire. Seems to be their personality.


For sure, I would agree bloodlines can play a big factor in what type of walker you have! Certain lines seem to carry personality traits pretty consistently. How do you find the RMH compared to the TWH?

I've had clients ask me if it is a breed trait that all TWH paw while standing tied as well. LOL. Some do seem to be very busy minded. Magnus is much more chill, he is quite happy to stand while Moon is doing her big dance. Of course he is a MFT and I've heard they are more easy going then a TWH. I've had four MFT now and they all had funny personality quirks except for one. That mare was the closest to a unicorn I have ever seen. Magnus and the other two mares all have a personality that is mellow and easy going once you prove you can take care of them. Once you've gotten over that hurdle, all three will go to the ends of the earth for their person. I still keep in touch with the owners of those mares.


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## twhvlr (Jul 5, 2017)

“How do you find the RMH compared to the TWH?”
I have had about 20 TWH’s and 3 RMH’s so not a big comparison. 
TWH would be my preference of the 2. They are like puppy dogs. Friendly, in your face horses. They are very curious and I have to warn people to watch out for their hats etc. Once someone drove his truck out into the pasture, windows down, and left the truck for a few minutes. Came back to several things taken out and on the ground! Mischievous? They are very willing and have been very easy to train. Rarely do more than a rare crow hop which really disappointed my boys when they were younger! Some can be lazy on the way from the property but turn them towards home for a Cadillac ride.

my RMH mares are not friendly in the same way. Not sure how to describe it. Standoffish friendly. I have said they have a more “feral” attitude. Probably a better description would be what my friend calls “vigilant”. This could actually be a good quality at times but not so great sometimes when riding. I have to say though, when they “spook” they seem to plant their feet. If really concerned, they start backing up instead of spinning and running. They rarely (water is in there) are in the barn. They prefer out under a tree. No matter what the weather. My hubby says, “Why did I bother making that nice shelter?” They know when any other animal is in the area.

They are both just as nicely gaited. Some more pacey than others, some more of a rack than a walk. I would say the RMH are a bit more short strided but that may just be mine. All have been easy to train. My preference seems to be a rack.
I’ll probably think of some other things as soon as I post this but it’s all I can think of for now.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I finally took Magnus to the local arena. Because of covid, our groups have been split into one on ones. I actually enjoy working with my students one on one better, but it makes for a very long day. This arena is an old hockey rink converted into a riding arena. There is a pigeon box on one end. They get in from the outside, but the box actually protrudes into the arena. The heater and the door is also at the same end as the pigeon box. When you ride beneath it you can hear the pigeons cooing, fluttering their wings or scratching with their feet.

Magnus is not easily spooked, but he was on alert from the moment he was haltered at 7am on a Sunday morning. He didn't want to go in the trailer, and then at the arena he was snorting and eyes bulging. Husband's horse was as cool as can be so he was a good buddy for Magnus. We had some time before our sessions started so I did some ground work before getting on. He sure had some fire under his hooves when we went by the pigeon box, heater and door. There are also old bleachers running down the outside of the arena walls. The first time he saw a person walking higher then that person should have been, was certainly a cause for alarm.

Since we were there from the early morning till 5pm, I pretty much decided just to ignore his antics. I figured at some point, Magnus would figure out there is nothing to be afraid of, and that it wasn't worth the energy. Once I started working with my students and their horses, I totally forgot about Magnus's worries, and he did too.

When he's not in shape, his gait tends to slide from trot to (I'll call it a saddle gait because it's not a fox trot, it's very lateral and smooth) his saddle gait. In the morning he was very trotty, but halfway through my first session we were talking about posting. I tried to demo on Magnus, and of course he would not trot. He just got smoother and smoother the more I asked. Of course I wasn't mad, I was laughing because of course the one time I wanted him to trot, he just gaited harder. I was very pleased that he was holding his gait so well without any help from me. 

By the end of the day he didn't have any thoughts about pigeons, doors or heaters. He was totally relaxed. When it came to loading into the trailer, he self loaded for me. Got my boy back!

There is a tentative schedule out for competitive trail rides this year and a two day poker rally on Mother's Day weekend. With covid numbers going down around here, I am feeling very hopeful about attending this events this year. 

Couple pictures of the horses, first two is Boss having fun. The third picture is a family portrait, from the left, Tiberius, Magnus, Snipper, Ranger, Sawyer and Della. Ranger is our resident problem child, a Colorado Ranger horse who had a bad start as a baby. We've had her almost a year now. She's spent a lot of it just growing up and being a horse. Snipper belongs to our long time boarder. Sawyer is a 3 year old bay roan TWH gelding, I've had him since he was a yearling. He is going to be lightly started this spring. Della of course, you have all met before. There's always one derp in the picture, and that's her.

The last picture is of Della and Sawyer. They are one year apart but tied to the hip.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I took Magnus back to the arena this past Sunday and had a blast with him. He was much more comfortable in the arena and wasn't bothered by the heater or the pigeons. 

I'm still working on my lay down command with him, and while playing with it I used it to teach him to put all four feet on the pedestal. I don't know what it's actually called in competition, but I've taken to calling it a pedestal. It's basically a box that husband built for my obstacle course.

After he puts his front feet on the box, I used the same cue as lay down to get all four feet on the box while on the ground. When I tap his belly, he knows that means to bring his back feet underneath him. It worked really well and once I was in the saddle, he hopped right on with all four feet. I got husband to take a picture for me, and the whole time Magnus's mouth was gaping even though my reins were completely loose. I had him in a simple snaffle but I think he has a very small mouth, a big tongue, and a sensitive mouth. When the snaffle joint presses on his tongue, he gets very upset. I think he anticipates this and that's why he gapes his mouth even when I'm not using my rein.

So I switched him to a myler snaffle, I think it is a 04 mouth piece. After he got used to the bit, he seemed to be more receptive and willing when I picked up a rein. He still gapes when I ask him to back, even though I use my seat and legs with very little rein pressure. He had his teeth done last March.

I have ordered a bomber bit and a myler combo bit to try out. If they don't work on Magnus, I have a few others that I think could benefit from them. Anyways, a girl can never have too many bits! 

I've read that a symptom of horses with PSSM can be resistance to contact. But the thing with that is, there are so many symptoms of PSSM, how can you tell which is behavioural, training, conformation or a symptom?


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

We love the Mylers- I had a combination but but sold it to a friend whose mare is very sensitive. It has a slight gag action and her mare responds really well to this bit because the poll engages before the bit does. My family mostly rides in Mylers - our horses seem to really like them and I like the variety of mouth pieces


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

carshon said:


> We love the Mylers- I had a combination but but sold it to a friend whose mare is very sensitive. It has a slight gag action and her mare responds really well to this bit because the poll engages before the bit does. My family mostly rides in Mylers - our horses seem to really like them and I like the variety of mouth pieces


I've used my myler combo bit now on two horses, both in varying stages of their training. I was really impressed with it! It's the three ring combo bit. The videos I watched said it does not have leverage, but my husband thinks it must have some degree of leverage. Either way both horses really worked well with the way the nosepiece and chin strap engage before the bit, just like you explained above.

I bought a Bomber D-ring with tongue relief also (definitely blew the bit budget this year already). I've been using this one on Magnus and it is incredible. It's very similar to the myler I have been using but somehow it seems like I can really pick up individual body parts with this bit. Magnus is very soft and he does not throw his head or get behind the bit. When asked to back he still opens his mouth a lot, but hopefully with time this will diminish. 

I've got my pack horse and second riding horse home now. I started him as a four year old stud for his owner to get him certified for the Heritage Association. The owner gelded him about a year ago now and offered him to me when she decided to sell him. He has a great mind and a nice easy gait. Well I decided it was time to play around with ponying Jack from Magnus. I put a muzzle on Jack. He is pretty mild mannered and doesn't act like a stud most of the time. 

Long story short, Magnus was terrified of Jack. We could go short distances until his nerves would get the best of him and Magnus would start prancing. At one point Jack tried to bite Magnus and then my curly boy threw it into reverse. Of course I was holding Jack's lead rope so he followed us. It was such a gong show, but hey, this is why we practice at home. 

Once we realized what was really bugging Magnus, I tried ponying with another horse, Moon. She ponies really well and is very soft. Magnus had no qualms about her trailing along with us. We have a few months to work out the bugs yet. Worst case scenario we switch horses when it comes to packing. Husband's gelding is much more experienced with ponying and is not afraid to sort out the packhorse if they get too big for their britches. 

My mare Bloom is due May 7. Today was the first change in her bag, everything feels so real now! Her belly even looks like it has dropped.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Today we hauled Magnus and Tiberius to our favourite local trail system. I was really excited for our first off-property ride that wasn't in an arena this year. This trail system has lots of places to stretch out into a gallop or a good run walk. Some of the trails were closed due to beaver damage. All of the trails are marked, named and mapped along the way. Anyways so we headed out and got the boys warmed up. We had to take a trail called Round Up from the parking lot to Central Alley Way. There are quite a few trails that shoot off from Central, so we cruised down that for a bit. We crossed a few narrow spots where water damage was eating away at the trail. We came to a beaver run that was cutting right across central from one body of water to another. Part of it was much narrower so husband and I got off. He jumped across and Tiberius popped over without any hesitation. I followed suite and Magnus followed me across just as easily. We got back on and galloped along the trail.

It came time to get off of Central and onto Wapiti, which we were hoping would take us to the park boundary trail called Blackfoot. This shares a fence line with a provincial park and sometimes if we're lucky, we get to see buffalo or elk on the other side. Our horses were stretched out and working good. Tiberius gets bumpy going downhill but Magnus really stretches out and gets swingy and smooth. Tiberius will move into a big rack while Magnus lopes along beside him. We jumped a log, galloped, gaited through mud. Magnus is so powerful it feels like we just float over whatever the obstacles are.

And then we came to a bridge that wasn't bridging very well anymore. Beavers had dammed up the waterway and flooded the trail. Only the bridge was above water. Both of us approached and got onto the bridge. The water was clear and we could see the hardpacked trail was only a few inches below the water. Both horses thought that stepping off the bridge into the water was a BAD idea. After ten minutes of trying to coax each of them to step off into water that to them could have been a hundred feet deep, Husband got off his horse and JUMPED into the water. He was soaked above his boots, but he convinced his horse that it was safe to get in! Husband mounted up in the water and of course Magnus felt pretty good about stepping off the bridge now too. 

Husband's wet boots and socks were so worth it. The horses had a lot of pent up energy after the bridge so we let them stretch their legs for a few kilometers. We came to a big junction of trails. One had a rope going across with a closed sign hanging on it. Another had a teepee of branches placed purposely in front of it with an orange ribbon tied to it. The other trail was open and inviting. We decided to take Running Dog, the trail with the teepee blocking the entrance. What's the worse that could happen anyways, we'd just turn around if it was impassable.

It wasn't long before we came up on another trail ruined by beavers going across from one slough to another. Husband got off and went up to inspect. He grabbed a long stick and stuck it into the water. We both started laughing because most of the stick went into the water. While Husband was walking back to where I sat on Magnus holding his horse, I noticed what looked like a game trail going off to the side. I pointed it out and Husband checked it out on foot. Good to go! We led the horses through the little side trail. There was one spot where we had to step over where the beaver had cut through below, but it was very narrow compared to the mess at the trail. 

This place used to be where we would take greenies to get some trail mileage, but today it seemed like the park has levelled up a bit! Many of the obstacles had been stopping other riders, we could tell by the hoofprints and lack of use of the trails as we kept on going. Running Dog Trail took us to Blackfoot/Boundary Trail and we did this part at an easy flat walk. Magnus was getting really hot with his curly coat, he has a lot of shedding to do still. He was sucking air pretty good after burning the carbon on Running Dog. We followed Blackfoot to the second leg of Round Up (and we didn't see any elk or buffalo). 

This section of Round Up is a fun little jaunt where we stretched the boys out again for some more cardio. Magnus had caught his second wind and was raring to go. At one point there was a fallen log across the trail and we both had the notion to jump it. Husband decided this time we would do it in tandem, and we did! Both horses loped side by side and took the log in a neat little jump. This section of Round Up takes us back to Central, which we crossed to get back on the first leg of Round Up which takes us back to the parking lot.

Husband broke off a branch and started pestering me and Magnus. We were back at a flat walk to cool the boys out and he was getting bored. He'd tease Magnus by his ears, or he'd poke me, then he started pestering Magnus's tail. I swear I am not making this up, as I warned Husband to leave us alone, Magnus turned around and went back the way we came. I kept telling Husband after that my horse literally decided not to ride with him anymore. 

I tracked our ride, we did 20.8 km and our average speed was 7.51 kph. Our moving time was 2 hours 46 minutes, total time with stops was 3 hours ten minutes. 

Oh and Boss is now a gelding! He is NOT happy about that. He's been a bit sulky since yesterday's operation.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

The dates have been set for our two week pack trip, last week of July and first week of August. As always, our pack horses are first timers. Husband put the boxes on his mare and she handled them fine, even the crupper and double cinches. Over the years we have a seen a variety of responses to pack boxes. One horse even tried to attack the box while it was on her. 

Our method itself has gotten better too. We don't strap them on and let the horses buck themselves out. Instead it's broken down step by step, into as small of pieces as possible. Husband has started using bungee cords for the first few times with empty boxes, it's safe and quick to secure for both us and the horse. 

I've decided to try using Magnus as my packhorse instead of Jack. Jack is further along with his leg aids and neck reining which will make my job easier. Magnus still gets frustrated with what he considers mixed signals while ponying another horse, and on top of that he is always worried about Jack. I'm still concerned that Jack might get overly aggressive at first, but he is very easy to reprimand and keep in line. Once it's done, it will be done. I like that about him.

I strapped the pack saddle onto Magnus the other day and there was some tail swishing over the tight cinches, but they do have to be tighter then you'd normally tighten your saddle. They also need to be further back then you'd think as well. Once he got moving though he let out his air and started to feel better. He remembered the crupper from his mountain trip last summer. Over all it was very uneventful start to our packhorses, which is perfect.

I'm taking Jack to the same trail system I took Magnus to last week. I feel pretty comfortable on him already, but I think after this it will be even better. We will have to navigate some serious obstacles together. 

Moon and Boss are with our keeper herd now, but Moon has decided that Boss is her baby. We'll have to see how this goes, because she is not letting Boss integrate with the herd. He is pretty chill about everything but I'm feeling a little overprotective of him. She will let me approach Boss, but she does pin her ears at me. If the other horses show interest she goes full protective mare on them. Still she has no follow through, if the others keep coming she herds Boss away.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Last week we hauled out twice to our local trail system, and neither time did I get to ride Jack! Husband's horse had a bad cinch burn from our first trip there, so he was out of the running. Husband was going to take Moon, but she had a bit of meltdown while we were shuffling pastures. Since there is no need to push her or risk anyone getting hurt, I offered Jack to him instead. His daughter came with us and she rode one of our horses that is sold but hanging out till June. This mare ended up getting a bad cinch burn as well (same line as husbands horse and they both have big rolling shoulder movement). When we decided to haul out again on a particularly nice day later in the week, Pearl was out this time so I offered Jack to husband's daughter. He is so safe, so smooth and really a blast to ride. Husband tried out a shoulder relief cinch and it really seemed to do the trip! Roughly the same mileage and same speed with zero rubs. Maybe Pearl needs one of these too. 

Magnus went out on all three trips. Our competitive trail club has started a mileage tracking program to keep everyone riding and keeping in the swing of things while the season is up in the air so I signed myself and Magnus up.

What really prompted me to post today is my mare Bloom. She was preg-checked twice last year and both times she was in foal. 340 days is this Friday and she is not comparable in looks and in her bag to when she was pregnant two years ago. I am taking three mares for cycle checks next week and am thinking of having Bloom checked again if nothing has happened.

These pictures are from today. I didn't take any pictures of her bag, there's nothing to write home about there. I thought it had changed, but now I wonder if it was wishful thinking. What do you guys think? Pregnant or no?






































This is what she looked like two years ago, five days before she gave birth (337 days when Della was born):










I think the comparison just might answer my question...😭😢


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I hope she is pregnant as she is gorgeous. Horses are crazy things - some get huge - others not so much!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

carshon said:


> I hope she is pregnant as she is gorgeous. Horses are crazy things - some get huge - others not so much!


I hope so too! I have her booked with my vet for next Thursday. Fingers crossed...


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

She's a nice, big, deep bodied mare. Kind of reminds me of Boo. Boo didn't really look pregnant until it was almost time to foal. Crossing my fingers she's still in foal. She doesn't look pregnant, but as much room as she looks like she has in there, she could be and the foal just not getting in awkward positions. I see she was to be checked today, what does the vet say?


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> She's a nice, big, deep bodied mare. Kind of reminds me of Boo. Boo didn't really look pregnant until it was almost time to foal. Crossing my fingers she's still in foal. She doesn't look pregnant, but as much room as she looks like she has in there, she could be and the foal just not getting in awkward positions. I see she was to be checked today, what does the vet say?


First, thank you for your opinion. I have read your own threads about pregnant mares and value your experienced eye.

She will be checked May 13th, next Thursday. I don't have high hopes, she was turned out with the herd yesterday and appeared to be in a very extreme heat. She's usually not so blatant about it but she had all the geldings and even some of the mares in a tizzy. I've been pretty bummed out the last few days about it honestly.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Just a quick update: Bloom is not pregnant, vet confirmed yesterday. Bloom is heading back to the breeding shed in a couple weeks. 

Magnus now looks like Hannibal Lecter. He has been wearing his green guard muzzle and is a good sport about it. I put it on in the morning after his breakfast. I'm working outside all day and am able to keep an eye on him. It comes off during evening chores. He's usually waiting with his head over the fence for one of us to take it off. No rubs or issues so far. His health seems better than ever, he is happy, building muscle and just being a horse.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Magnus has adjusted to wearing his green guard muzzle better then expected. It was easy to fit and he hasn't had any rubs on his muzzle. I did have the strap down his forehead too tight which caused the band behind his ears to be pulled forward. Once I found the muzzle in the pen of another horse who is here for training. I'm sure Magnus had him pull it off for him! Another time I found it in the horse shelter. Since adjusting that center strap though he hasn't left it behind anywhere. Usually in the morning I have to trek pretty far to find him since the grass is growing and the horses aren't coming in for hay. At night he shows up during chores and puts his head over the fence for me to take it off. 

Our last big ride together was just over 26 kilometers in 3.5 hours. We did less galloping and more of a steady run walk as much as possible. Some of the trails that were passable are getting worse due to beavers and rain. I've been mapping them out so we can plan our routes better for maximum mileage. The last time I took Magnus there, we crossed a beaver trench that we had gone through just a couple days before on Moon and Jack. Magnus made his way through first with confidence and sure feet. I was giggling because husband's horse was splashing mud on me and I thought it was payback for our last trip through this obstacle where I was the one splashing him. Husband wasn't laughing though, he was jumping off his horse because Tiberius sunk where only moments before Magnus had walked through. Maybe Magnus stepped over the actual trench and Tiberius went right in. Some of these trenches are four or five feet deep and the water is murky at best. Tiberius just laid down and waited for husband to get him sorted out, he's such a good boy. Tiberius was fine but covered in grey mud, just like his rider. We laughed and carried on our ride, passing a group of very well dressed, very clean English riders and their horses out enjoying the trails. I'm sure we looked pretty wild, covered in mud and sweat. 

I've started to ride Moon since Magnus is very willing to pony her and I think they will be a good team for me. Moon has become a very nice horse to be around and to ride. She has a lot of buttons and will say yes when even our experienced horses will object. Her stride is short and quick and she doesn't canter very well yet. She has a small window where she is smooth and I'm hoping to capitalize on that as her fitness increases. We joke that she is a level 10 clinger though. She falls hard and fast for her pasture mates and any change like that can hard on her. Despite that she doesn't run either of us home anymore, but she will get squirrely the odd time if she thinks she's being left behind for whatever reason.

We hauled out to the trails two days ago and I rode Moon and husband rode his singlefooter. This day just felt like we didn't get anywhere fast, and was a big reason why I started marking the unpassable obstacles on a map. These obstacles are the very deep beaver trenches. It's just not worth losing a horse in them. Some of these we have crossed many times, but with the recent heavy rain fall and continued beaver activity, they have become dramatically worse. On top of that, husband's horse is just not as fit as Moon and the horse his daughter rode. Our distance went from 26 km on our last ride to 13 km this ride. One of the main trail arteries was badly damaged since our last crossing and we had to get off to navigate a couple trenches. Husband is so dedicated he slipped into one of them and had to ride home with one leg wet right up to his back pocket. This was a great moment because Moon went first, bless her she is so willing but she jumped and basically belly flopped onto the edge. It wasn't very agile or nimble. Next went his daughter's horse and she navigated it on her own and did it in a very class way, although this is the horse he had in hand when he slipped into the water. Husband's little singlefooter leapt over it from a stand still! He tucked all four legs in like a gazelle and popped over the three foot trench. I was so impressed, LOL. I told husband he should have ridden that, for sure!!

Something I haven't shared on here is that in February I lost my mother very suddenly and unexpectedly. We were very close and the whole thing was very traumatic. I only bring this up now because the birth of Bloom's foal this year was due two days before Mother's Day. After losing my mom, I had pinned a lot of hope and happiness on the birth of this little foal on a day I knew was going to be very hard. As you all know, Bloom must have slipped her pregnancy sometime after I had her preg checked last summer and before she went lame (she's good now) in January or February.

I found a Paso Fino mare and foal for sale that I thought needed my help and we picked them up on Mother's Day. The foal was only 7 days old when the ad was posted. Usually husband is the voice of reason here but he supported me every step of the way. After we picked them up, it became clear that the ad was a very glossed over version of the truth. The mare is untouchable and if you try, she is very quick and accurate with her feet. The seller was scared of her, despite saying she had sat on her, long lined her, trimmed her, etc. The foal had a nylon halter on that was already digging into his little face. I couldn't leave him behind even though I am still wondering if I made the right choice bringing them home. We definitely don't need more work, much less a dangerous mare. At the same time, I can't help but think maybe the little guy will have a chance now. Once we can wean him, he will go out with our youngsters who are very friendly and love people. Husband and I were able to get the halter off of the foal but not the mare yet. It was probably not the the best experience for the little guy and husband had to fend off the mare who was trying to bite and kick at me while I held her baby. Luckily I was able to grab the halter right as I lost my hold on the colt. He sucked back and the halter popped right off. Phew!

All three of my broodmares have been covered and will be preg-checked in June. If all goes according to plan, we will get two mules and a TWH foal. Fingers crossed!!


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Wow! What a lot of adventures! I am so sorry that you lost your mom. I hope the Paso mare and foal work out for you. Do you plan to try to gentle the Paso mare? Or just the foal? I love Pasos! I am really looking forward to reading more of your adventures. @gottatrot is working on gentling an unhandled Arab pony and writing about it in her journal. You could share ideas.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I'm so sorry to hear about your mom's passing. I wish you peace. Hopefully the mare will settle down with some time and you can bring the foal up your way, so he has a good start in life and can go on to do good things and have a happy, productive life. It's the best thing for them, I'm sure they're grateful even if the mare is being a bit of a witchy poo.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Thank you @Dreamcatcher Arabians 



knightrider said:


> Wow! What a lot of adventures! I am so sorry that you lost your mom. I hope the Paso mare and foal work out for you. Do you plan to try to gentle the Paso mare? Or just the foal? I love Pasos! I am really looking forward to reading more of your adventures. @gottatrot is working on gentling an unhandled Arab pony and writing about it in her journal. You could share ideas.


I will have to catch up on her journal, I'd love to see how she is going about it! Both of us want to try to gentle the mare. She is beautiful and only five years old. This is my first real experience with the breed. Any tips for working with them?

Today was a not-so-good day for Magnus. I brought him in for supplement, PEMF treatment and some arena work. As soon as I chucked the saddle onto his back he went round. I thought, oh boy, not going to be a good day. I took my time cinching him but even then he was swishing his tail and bending around to look at me. This is behaviour I haven't seen in a long time and usually when it does pop up, it isn't pretty. I think this is his PSSM flaring up. I took him out into the arena with my long line and asked him to step out at a walk. He humped up and wouldn't move forward. I didn't get mad (but I felt sad for him), since this is not who he normally is. I kept asking for forward movement, even if I only got a step or two then I would release pressure. He was not having a tying up episode as far as how I understand them, his muscles were lose and jiggly. But something about the front and back cinch when he isn't feeling good really triggers him. Even asking him to disengage his hind or moving the shoulders caused a lot of tail swishing. None of these behaviours are present without the saddle.

Eventually one step at a time, he was able to loosen up and move freely forward, even though there were a few western moments. In my experience most gaited horses suck at bucking, and he is no exception, his back feet never really left the ground. 

Thinking about our routine and the grazing muzzle, I haven't been super consistent with his exercise routine. I've taken for granted how healthy he has been, and ignored signs on our last ride (he gave me a few half hearted crow hops at the very beginning and then was his old self again) that he maybe wasn't feeling so hot. I've also only been leaving the muzzle on for six to eight hours a day, sometimes less. From some quick reading I did, most suggestions were 10 to 12 hours. So I'll start from there, ease him into a daily exercise regime and increase time with the muzzle.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Most Pasos tend to give up easily (not all--my Isabeau was very stubborn) so if you keep at it, they give in. When I adopted a rescue Paso from Horse Protection Association of Florida, the trainer said, "You know why so many Pasos are abused?" I said, "No, why?" She said, "Because you can. They just take it and take it and keep on trying, unlike Arabs and Thoroughbreds who get mad and get even." I have found that to be true for most Pasos, but not all.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

knightrider said:


> Most Pasos tend to give up easily (not all--my Isabeau was very stubborn) so if you keep at it, they give in. When I adopted a rescue Paso from Horse Protection Association of Florida, the trainer said, "You know why so many Pasos are abused?" I said, "No, why?" She said, "Because you can. They just take it and take it and keep on trying, unlike Arabs and Thoroughbreds who get mad and get even." I have found that to be true for most Pasos, but not all.


I loved reading Isabeau's journal, what a horse! Thank you for the advice, it gives me hope that this mare will give us a try when the time comes.

Magnus has been on a much more strict regime with his grazing muzzle and exercise. He wears it from 9pm to 8 am, grazes for two hours, then comes in for supplement and exercise. Muzzle goes on for the afternoon and comes off at 6pm. We have our first competition together at the beginning of July so its even more motivation to keep his going with his fitness. Husband, his daughter and I took our competition mounts out for a big ride two days ago and I was really impressed with Magnus' increase in fitness. Daughter rode Moon and they seemed to really enjoy each other. She was even able to get Moon into a gallop, although Moon can pace as fast as Magnus lopes! She still has her squirrely moments but nothing this girl can't handle, and these moments really don't amount to much. That's how she's gotten out of things in the past but it just doesn't work here.

His attitude has seen improvement with the stricter routine. At this point it could just be an attitude thing, training or his PSSM. They all have the same symptoms it seems so I'm just trying to manage it all. I've compared to dealing with him like dealing with a five year old horse rather then a 10 year old horse and it still feels that way sometimes. That said, I just love him so much. When he is cooking on the trail, he doesn't spook or take a single misstep. He floats across the ground and navigates any obstacle. He makes me feel like he actually likes me, unlike my mare Bloom. I know she would be quite happy to leave me behind for bear bait! LOL. It's okay, I've accepted that about her. She makes nice babies and trusts us so much with them, I'm very thankful for that part of her.

Magnus should have his shoes on either today or tomorrow and then our team will start racking up miles on the gravel roads. It's not near as much fun as hauling to the trails but it is convenient when we don't have time to haul out. All the cows are in the pastures for summer grazing and while we could still make our winter loop, there are a lot more gates to open and once again it comes down to miles now. It is much easier to hit a good run walk or rack on the roads and make up some good time.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Magnus and I successfully completed our first 25 mile CTR together. It was a great ride in a part of the province I don't get to go very often. The club, members, vets were all fantastic. After years of showing, I just feel like we fit in much better with this crowd. Everyone likes to ride fast and far, get dirty and dusty, then sit around a campfire and tell stories with a beer or whiskey. 

Magnus and I took first in our division (yay!) but there were less riders then usual due to the heat and location. Had it been a bigger ride, I don't think we would have placed as well. Magnus pulsed in at 11, respiration 5, when we vetted in Friday night. At our first P and R stop Saturday morning, he pulsed in at 16 and respiration at 17. The pulser told me he was panting. I'd never heard of a horse panting, I'd always thought he was a heavy breather though. I took my card over to the vet and shared the information with him. He checked pulse and respiration again, confirmed the same numbers and continued to check his hydration, capillary refill, gut sounds and quality of movement. Everything else was great except for the panting which had yet to subside (we get ten minutes from when we arrive to the time the pulsers come around). The vet cleared Magnus for the second loop which was half the distance of our first loop.

We decided to take it slow for the final two hours and took a break at the 2 mile marker. We literally walked the whole last loop and arrived at our optimal time despite the slow pace. He pulsed down to 15 and respiration to 12, but those numbers are still really high. We scored really well everywhere else.

I don't think our speed during the first loop was the issue, I used equilab to track and our average was below 5.5mph and we were always riding near the other riders in our division. Like I said too, he's always been a heavy breather. I just never realized he was panting nor did I realize that he has a very hard time bringing his respiration down. Tiberius and Moon pulsed down consistently better then Magnus.

I was chatting with the organizer of the ride and she shared some stories of horses she knew over the years who were "panters" like Magnus. She said that it wasn't such a penalty in endurance riding as it was in CTR, and some of those horses did better with medicine but those drugs aren't legal in CTR. She gave me some tips like taking his bit out, sponging off his neck, belly and between his back legs. 

I did some googling on the drive home and am looking at a supplement that Herbs for Horses sells. It's called Breathe and has really good reviews. I don't think any of the ingredients would be an issue with a random drug test, but then again, I'm not 100% sure. I came across another site about one nostril breathing. It seems like it would be too good to be true but I thought what have I got to lose? A lot of the information seemed more relevant to Magnus then COPD or RAO. 

I tried one session on him today. He was either trying to get my hand off his nose or he was putting his head down and releasing like crazy with big yawns and his tongue sticking out. 

On another note, Moon and her young jockey got first in their division! Moon is a machine who loves distance riding. Seriously I have never seen a horse as happy as she looks when she is trucking down the trail. Gone are her neurotic behaviours and weird little quirks. She isn't spooky and she's happy to lead, being ridden by a junior rider! I'm so proud of them.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Congratulations on your successful CTR's!! Very exciting!! Your pictures are super. I am eager to read about the gray Paso Fino mare and the colt. How are they coming along?


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

knightrider said:


> Congratulations on your successful CTR's!! Very exciting!! Your pictures are super. I am eager to read about the gray Paso Fino mare and the colt. How are they coming along?


Thank you!

They are just hanging out for now. Husband has been feeding Havana hay by hand from over the fence before throwing the rest over for her. Sometimes I can touch her nose lightly without her flinging her head away when using food as a bribe. I've been calling the colt Cabana. One day he was sleeping with his head under the fence, exactly where I was able to walk up quietly. He was so fast asleep that I was able to start scratching him between the ears and down his face. I swear he was enjoying it! He stretched out and took a deep breath. I was so excited though that when I saw husband I yelled out "I'm petting him! I'm petting him!" Of course this woke him up and he scurried off pretty quick.

On September 1st he will be four months old and we will wean him from his mother. Our corrals are set up so that it should be pretty easy to just close a gate between them without much fuss (that's the plan anyways). Then I will put Bloom in with Cabana for a few days, where they will also share a fence line with the big herd. 

From there it should be pretty easy to back the trailer up to Havana's corral and herd her in. I'll drive her down to the round pen, back up to it and unload her there to start her training. So until then there probably won't be much to update about them. Havana keeps her distance from any of us when we are in her pen which takes Cabana away. I don't want to chase her and instill that reaction in him anymore then it already is.

It has been a challenge to keep weight on Havana, her topline is completely gone but she has a big pot belly. I mixed dewormer in some grain for her since there's no way to give it to her orally. That seemed to help some but her hips still stick out more then I like. She eats hay and grass all day long and is supplemented with a mare and foal mix. I'll have to get some updated pictures of her but I do have a couple of her colt.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Just finished a 12 day pack trip into the backcountry with three humans and seven horses. On the first day we took Mountain Trail to a trapper's cabin. We rode for about 4.5 hours at a good run walk to get there. It was a good camp for people, lots of room for our tents and shelter for our equipment, but the grazing was terrible. It was boggy and a few horses fell down with their hobbles on. The horses were tied up for the night and we moved out early in the morning. It was a big push to our next camp at Blue Grouse. Its always a gamble if the camp you are headed for is full or not, but luckily most people tend to stay closer to the staging area. We had pushed past the busy camps on the first day and when we rolled into Blue Grouse it was empty. The horses got the next day off to graze to their hearts content. 

After our rest day it was time for our first day ride. This ended up being a long day, 7 hours in the saddle. We covered about 35km but a lot of the terrain made it hard to kick up into high gear. We played tourist and visited Brewster's Wall, with the most gorgeous lake sitting below it. Then the three of us cruised down Glacier Pass as far as we dared, making it to the Jasper border before taking a break and turning back to camp.

The guys wanted to make it to Azure Lake the next day, but we ended up going down Hard Scrabble trail instead. It was so scenic and turned out to be a great ride. We were going to pack out the next day and head up the Jack Knife Pass but one of my husband's horse seemed to have a sore shoulder. The group made the decision to do another day ride and give Tiberius a day off in camp. The three of us went up Blue Grouse Pass the next day. It was a steep climb to get up to what you would imagine Heaven to look like. Flowers of all colours, blankets of green rolling down mountainsides surrounding you, rock, trees, it's so hard to describe. Heaven pretty soon descends into Hell though, as the trail winds through thick pine trees. The trail is so narrow that it tears at your toes, saddle bags, scabbards, face, legs...yeah that was soon cancelled due to lack of interest. 

The pull up Jack Knife Pass is steep and switchbacks. We stopped at the base and triple checked our knots before going up, with the narrow trail it's hard to find a place to do any retying. The ride up went as well as it could, our packs stayed in place and the horses were tough as nails. We took lots of breaks, finding as even ground as we could to stop and blow the horses.

Once at the top of the pass it was an easy ride to our next camp at Snow Creek. Along the way I spotted a grizzly walking on a mountainside above the tree line. His legs looked like they were four feet long! He took off running as soon as he heard our bells. Husband figures we were about a mile away from him.

We did another day ride after that through Rocky Pass and to Eric Lake. Rocky Pass was one of the coolest places we rode through. The boulders were as big as houses. This was another big day, about six hours in the saddle with a steep drop off the Snow Creek trail, which turns into a big pull back to the top to get to camp. 

The next day was another easy day. The three of us cruised around visiting one of the Snow Creek Cabin and checking out the turn we had to take the next day with the pack horses. Our next camp took us back into what our friend called a "high traffic area" so we all showered that day too. He has a nifty shower bag that the guys hung up behind a tarp. 

Our next camp was back at Eagle's Nest, which is only a couple hours from the staging area. We did another day ride after that which turned into a 7 hour day. We though it should have only been a five hour ride but after we got back, husband got looking at the map and saw he miss counted the kilometers. We did about 48 kilometers that day. It was so fun though and our horses were in great shape. The way back was on Indian trail which is pretty easy to crank up into a fast gait. 

It's crazy how fast twelve days goes by. We got one more day ride in from our trailers before heading home. Magnus was amazing, he was one of our pack horses and I alternated riding him and Moon. Some days they had to work a few in a row because of the packing, but otherwise the workload was shared as much as possible. Hanging out around camp, most people can't believe the miles we cover, but then they don't understand how fast the gaited horses can move and how easy it is on us!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)




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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Just gorgeous!!!!! Who would think of a gaited horse as a pack horse!


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

That was great - thanks for sharing. Good bunch of horses!

p.s. love the matching breast collar and bridle.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I just got back from a CTR in central Alberta with the family and a friend of ours. The weather was great, about 20C during our ride. The camping facilities were pricey but well worth it. Our horses had nice pens, water was right beside us and we had a firepit between our two trailers. I was not able to take Magnus this time unfortunately, he has completely chewed up his back ankles with his hooves. Apparently this is called "interference". Husband changed his angles just ever so much on his back feet (and pulled the shoes) to see if that would give him enough clearance to stop the clipping. I am not able to ride with any kind of hoof boot or ankle boot in a competitive trail event. A few days after his new trim, I hopped on and husband filmed us from behind and it did look like his hooves were clearing his ankles. Prior to the trim, when he came in from pasture it looked like he was opening the scabs up over and over. After the trim, they didn't have that look, so I'm hopeful this quick and easy solution will work in the long run.

There is one more CTR this year in September and we are playing around with maybe going. It is a long drive for us, about seven hours one way, but we will get to ride through a provincial park that normally does not allow horseback riding. I guess we'll see, as the client horses come back September 1st and holidays are officially over.

Back to our ride, I stole one of husband's mountain horses, Destiny, and rode her. She gave me a great ride and she has a great little gait to her. I'm pretty sure we would have placed top three, except right after our second vet check she started stumbling and trotting as we were cruising down a dirt road. One of these stumbles she did not recover from. I just remember watching her head go lower and lower, thinking she has to be kissing the road at this point, come on Destiny pick yourself up. She didn't though, her front legs crumpled and she went skidding down on her side. I was able to sort of tuck and roll so most of my leg cleared her before she could lay down completely on it. I still had one rein in my hand and we both popped back up. I walked her a little bit and she seemed fine so I got back on and we finished our ride. Closer inspection back at camp revealed she did have some road burn on one elbow, one knee and above her eye. Good bye precious points! We ended up in fourth place, which is still pretty good!

We all competed in novice, but after missing a really well marked turn (the horses were cruising and we were chatting away, completely forgot why any of us were there in the first place) and adding four miles to our ride, all of us thought we needed to make up time. Well the two mile marker came up really fast and I couldn't believe our ride was almost over! I was chatting with a couple ladies who have been competing for a long time at the 2 mile mark and they said we should go intermediate if we liked the speed, since that's basically what we rode at the whole time. That was kind of cool, since we really didn't know when we would be ready to try intermediate or if we would like it. I love that we kind of fell into the pace with our friend and that everyone enjoyed it. This was our third race as novice and maybe, just maybe, we will try intermediate next year (or September? who knows).

Husband's daughter was with us and she rode a little sabino rocky cross gelding of mine. It was his first event and everyone just thought he was the cutest thing. 

I did get a couple pictures from this weekend:


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I love your updates. The view is gorgeous and all of your horses, I am so envious!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

carshon said:


> I love your updates. The view is gorgeous and all of your horses, I am so envious!


Thank you 💗💗


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Husband and I just got back from a five day trip to Kananaskis country where we met up with our friend from our pack trip and his wife. It was the first time for all of us there and we really enjoyed it. Talk about a nice equestrian setup! Our horses got to stay in a covered barn with roomy tie stalls. There was fencing around the barn that I thought was really handy incase a horse pulled an escape move, but later I realized it also served to keep the wildies from getting at our horses as well. There is a beautiful meadow behind the barn where we were told the wildies like to come and graze. On our last morning there, husband walked down to feed the horses and was lucky enough to see them first hand.

Magnus is getting some much deserved time off, I've been concentrating more on a few arena rides a week working on gait, neck reining and moving off the leg. I want to be able to pony off of him next year. Anyways, so Magnus stayed home for this trip and I took a buckskin single footing gelding and husband took one of our up and comers, a beautiful buckskin tobiano walker. His horse Tiberius came up a little lame on our last competitive trail ride so he is also on some time off.

Our first day was pretty relaxed, just a four ride that was about 20 kilometers. We rode to an equestrian campground tucked in beside Mt. Romulus. It seemed strange that people would pack in so close to such a nice campground, and it was only part of a 38 km loop which is a great day ride in my opinion. Anyways, it was so nice! There were multiple sites, tent poles, fire wood, a sea-can full of cubes (there is absolutely no grazing to speak of back there, plus tons of park rules and permits required). I guess I'm comparing the sites to the ones in the Willmore which are like stepping back in time. If there is a picnic table in the back county, it was made by someone stuck at camp! These sites by Mt. Romulus had beautiful, new picnic tables. We didn't see any wildlife except for giant stud piles and lots of hikers and pedal bikers.

On the second day, we had picked out a loop that was only about 24 kilometers. What we didn't know was how much up and down we would be doing. Where husband and I live, our biggest hill is a ditch. Our horses get good cardio workouts, but they barely know what a hill is. Freddie and Stormie had their worlds rocked that day, but man were they ever troopers. No quit, tons of stamina and heart. The best part of the ride was climbing up to Powderface Ridge, and holy was I ever glad we went up that way. I'd hate to come back down on all that shale and loose rocks if we'd taken the loop the other way. It was super steep on the way up and the rocks were just awful. I'd been told I could see the Calgary Tower from up there but no luck. From Powderface Ridge we were to continue along to a T junction and then hang a left down the mountain to catch our next trail, Ford Creek Trail. Well, my lovely companions cannot read maps without their glasses, and they led us to the right instead. As we were going down, I saw a marker in a tree that said Powderface Creek. I called out to husband who was closest to me and told him so. He said he was aware. Okay then.

Long story short we added half a kilometer going down an awful rocky road, to turn around and go back up another 500 meters to the junction. At this point our friend said that he could make out "Powderface" and assumed that was good enough. LOL. It was good fun.

So we finally make it to what we think is the next trail head. There is no markings, and our location on the map is covered by a window where the map designers decided to put a blown up look at the main campground trails. No good. As far as our GPS was concerned, there are zero trails in this area. As a group we decide to keep pushing, but all of us were well aware that our geldings were running out of steam. Finally we came up on a sign that confirmed we were on Ford Creek Trail. Now we were committed, with only 6 km's to camp.

This was the trail that just kept on giving. Up and up we climbed, down we went. Then up and up we went again, then down a little bit, then up and up and up again. I was sure missing Magnus at that point, but Freddie never gave up on me. This was his first big trip and I'm sure he thought life was over as he knew it.

We were really close to camp when the geldings heard a horse whinny from the barn. Their heads perked right up and they called back. Husband and I almost fell off laughing at their expressions. Those were the two happiest geldings I have seen in a long time. Suddenly their feet weren't so heavy and their steps grew lighter. All in all, 24 km's took us six hours, which is a long time! With so much climbing we stop and blow the horses constantly, one more thing eating up the hours.

The next day was another easy day all along the flats across the Big Elbow river. It was very scenic and there were lots of great places to kick up into a fast gait. Again no wildlife, but lots of hikers and pedal bikers.

I want to go back next fall, it was really quiet this time of year, and bring our high milers. There are a couple good loops that would be fun to crack Magnus and Tiberius open on!

I also wanted to update on a few of our sales horses. Moon has found her new home, as has Mercury, the single footing gelding that husband's daughter rode at the last competitive trail ride. I was able to get Destiny gait certified with the International Heritage Walking Horse Association and cut a deal with her breeder. Destiny will be going back where she came from to make the next generation of Heritage horses, and in return I will be getting an awesome mare that I put time on this spring (who has also been exposed to a very nice stud).

Jedi (formerly known as Cabana), the little paso fino colt was weaned after we returned from the Willmore. He still doesn't really like us, but he will stand still and let me halter him, pick up his feet, and is learning to lead. His dam was extremely dangerous, even after weaning and having some time to settle down. She tried to double barrel husband one day when he was working with her. He was lucky and the kick that was aimed at his head, hit his chest instead as he jumped back. His shirt was torn off and she cut his skin. Luckily no bones were broken.

We had to make a decision to move her on. She was way out of my league and I can't have my partner in danger either. We have so many of our own horses that need us, and with our client horses back, it just seemed like maybe her future wasn't here with us. I know this may be a controversial decision, but we decided to humanely euthanize her. It was a very hard decision and I spoke to several of my peers bouncing ideas around. I knew I would not put her into the slaughter pipeline. My dad's friend was willing to take her as a companion for his retired penning horse, but he is an older guy and what if he got too close to her and she hurt him? I couldn't live with that. She was so unpredictable, she could be nice one second, and then spin and try to take your head off in the next. Step too close to her, and she would let fly with those back feet.

I really struggled with what to say on here about Havana, I know some people were eager to hear about her progress and this is not the update they would be looking forward too. Ultimately I was not willing to pass her on to someone else, and bear the burden if that person got hurt because of her. I was not willing to send her to auction to go for meat. I hope everyone reading this will understand our decision. It was not made lightly.

Anyways, if you're still with me, here are some pictures.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

I love your updates and I think you made the responsible decision. Beautiful pictures!


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

The sky in some of those pictures does not even look real! What a great ride. I truly enjoyed your description. And I agree about that mare. I wish more owners were that responsible and did not just dump the horse trying to recoup some of what they paid for it.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Thank you @knightrider and @carshon 💗


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

This past weekend the three of us met up with some friends at a two day poker rally in the Badlands of Alberta. This is one of our favourite rides because it is just over an hour from home. It's really a hidden gem, most people think of Drumheller and area when you mention the Badlands, which is probably more then double the drive time for us. It's kind of desert like, there's cactus and dust and sand, but the best part is the hoodoos and the different colours of dirt and formations from erosion. 

There are always a lot of gaited horses at this ride, and our friends were no exception. They brought their Paso Fino's and our other friend came with her walker. I took Magnus and I'm so glad I did. This is our last event for the year, and it was really neat to end with Magnus. I was really able to compare how he was during our first event this spring to the last this fall. He was much more relaxed and his gait was way more consistent and smooth. Honestly I was just so thrilled with him. 

He draws a lot of attention and lots of time I am asked if he is part Friesian. Most people recognize the curly right away, but then I have to explain he is a gold papered MFT, he's DNA tested and everything. I've been using Breathe by Herbs for Horses for his breathing and am still blown away by how much it helps him. Before he used to make a lot of noise when he got breathing really heavy after cantering or going uphill. Since being on this supplement he doesn't do that anymore and the panting has gone away. The supplement is good for COPD (which I know very little about) but it also is supposed to be good for horses with asthma or allergies. Whatever it is, even husband has noticed a difference and he doesn't buy into things like supplement very easily.

So we had a fabulous weekend, the only hitch was our friends walker started showing signs of colic about an hour into our ride on Sunday. Husband ended up giving her his horse, Storm (the tobiano buckskin he took to the mountains a few weeks ago) and he led her horse. Me and her boogied back to her trailer so she could go pick up her horse at the trailhead. I ponied Storm back off of Magnus, which was a huge deal! He was so confident and wasn't phased at all, very different from when we had tried this spring. So our friend took her horse back to camp to walk her and take care of her, we decided to see if we could finish the ride. We knew we had to get ahead of the riders who were bringing up the rear and pulling ribbons. Luckily we crossed paths with one of the organizers who knows us and she called ahead to the ribbon pullers. Normally they wouldn't do something like this, all riders are supposed to be on the trail by a certain time so the organizers can close gates, pull ribbons and clear the trail. But since they knew us, knew how we ride, and that we were helping one of our friends, she pulled some strings for us. 

The group had pulled off and sat in some shade drinking some adult beverages when we found them. We thanked them and took off so they didn't have to be held up any longer. So glad this worked out, otherwise we would have missed the prettiest part of the ride. Our friends had never been there before so it was fun to experience the hoodoos with them.

By the time we got back to the trailers, it was happy news there too. Our friends horse had pooped, drank a ton of water and started eating. While we were all sad she had to miss most of the ride, everyone agreed she had done the right thing for her horse. I hope we all meet up again next year so our friend can get the full experience. It was a lot of fun riding with the Paso Fino's, I was so impressed by the way they moved out with our walkers and fox trotter. Can't wait for our little Jedi to grow up!


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

absolutely gorgeous!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I wanted to post a quick update on Jedi, my little paso fino colt formerly known as Cabana. I don't know if I mentioned the concerns we had regarding his front feet, which was what really pushed us to wean him at three months from his mother. His toes were curling up like a pony who hasn't seen a farrier in years. His heels were collapsed and he was walking on his coronet band. If I've mentioned all of this, please forgive me. My husband did some essential farrier work twice after weaning and before we turned him out with the big herd and left him alone.

This pasture he is in has an automatic waterer, but to get to it Jedi has to walk around the barn and this seemed to be way out of his comfort zone. I started hanging a bucket of water in the corner he was comfortable in, just to make sure he was able to access water at all times. It took a few weeks before I seen him drinking out of the waterer with his best buddy Sparrow, a five year old TWH mare of mine. I was so happy, it felt like a real milestone for the little guy. Nothing has come easy to him his whole life it seems.

So our big herd has access to a large pasture and around 5pm when we are finishing up work, they tend to congregate around the gate that allows access to the arena and waterer. This was our first attempt at catching him since releasing Jedi into the big wide world. He was due for the second half of his wormer so I grabbed his halter and husband and I approached him while he was in a corner of the arena. He didn't want to be caught, but he also refused to run us over, so he just stuck his head in the corner and let husband wrap is arms around his chest and barrel while I slipped the halter on. No sooner was that done that the wormer was in his mouth and the halter was off. We walked away and let him be.

Then two days ago, husband decided he wanted to have a look at Jedi's toes and heels. It was in the morning so the herd was in the arena eating out of their mangers. Husband shut the gate and I grabbed the halter. We approached him the same way, one on each side. Jedi did his usual nervous dance of ducking left and right, then giving up. Husband put him in the hug and I put the halter on. He calmed right down and had a lick and a chew. I put a little tension on the lead rope and clucked while husband put a little pressure behind Jedi by raising an arm and walking forward. Then just like that, he led like a gentleman to the barn doors. Husband quickly attended to Jedi's front feet, and I dare say he was better behaved then some of our older, wiser equines. After his trim I led him all the way out of the arena and out through the gate to his pasture. I took the halter off and Jedi stayed beside me. I rubbed his face where the halter had been and up behind his ears. He started pressing into my scratches! At this point I made myself walk away before Jedi decided to leave. When he did, he walked calmly away towards the herd, which were a long way off in the other corner.

Jedi has always been flinchy with his head, he's never let me rub his forehead without flinging himself around frantically. But not this day, I was able to pet him, hug him, rub him without any flinching. I even took some selfies, and he was curious about my phone. Honestly, I was on the verge of tears the whole time, I was so proud of him. It's been such a roller coaster with him and his dam, then with his feet.

I honestly believe it has been the workings of our herd that finally got us to this point. They are all super calm and level 10 clingers. When they see us, they fight for attention. When they come in for breakfast and supper, they don't flinch when we throw hay, or mow the weeds next to the mangers. Jedi has been a quick study of how they operate and has put it into practice. 

Magnus has been chilling in the pasture and coming in for some easy arena work. I was really curious to see how his gait would be after our two day poker rally a few weeks ago. On the second day near the end, he was getting trotty and I think honestly his gait muscles were sore. I was curious if we would pick up on the trotty end of the spectrum since that's where we left off, or back at the smooth fox trot. He went right into his easy gait, so I'm super thrilled with how far that has come this year. It feels like he really "knows" what I want and he likes to do it over the trot. I've also started doing some of the more refined work that he hates, like side passing to open a gate. He just gets really cranky still when I start micro-managing him, which I feel like I have no choice at this point until he starts to anticipate what I want when we approach a gate. 

A lot of my obstacles are in disrepair and with the cost of lumber being what it was this past summer, they have stayed that way, except my pedestal has been refurbished with old pallet wood so I have started playing with that again. Magnus used to be able to get all four feet up but that was a year ago. I'm still trying to convince him this fall that yes, all four feet will fit.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Magnus is so beautiful! Congratulations on all your progress with Jedi.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Happy post! I love your journal and the pics.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Not much has been going on around the ranch these days. We managed to haul out a few more times to Blackfoot with some friends, the fall weather has truly been amazing. I didn't take Magnus either time, instead I took Baby Duck, a five year old fox trotter mare and Sparrow, a five year old TWH mare. Both are horses that I had previously sold and had a chance to buy back. Sparrow was offered back to me because her other person had a change in her life that was pretty traumatic. I happily took Sparrow back to add her to my broodmare band. Baby Duck has always had a very....interesting.... personality, her person put a year into her but it just wasn't working out. 

Husband put a ride on Baby Duck after she came home, she reared once and kicked out at me and my horse once, but after being reprimanded for her behaviour on both occasions, she decided we were worthy of her. I have ridden her many times since without incident. It always blows me away the different behaviour a horse will show to different people. Granted I never seen how the other person handled her, but it wasn't exactly difficult to work with this mare. Either way, I'm glad she's home and she's going to stay. Our friend has a gaited jack and I think she would make a great cross with the jack. She has a natural fox trot and while she's not overly tall, she has a strong build and good conformation. She's very pretty and champagne in colour.

Right now I think I have about 20 horses that I own. Those horses include our broodmares, youngsters, personal saddle horses and those that are in training to be sold. One of those is a four year old 13ish hand paso fino mare that I bought from my friend in the spring. She has been quite the challenge but has made both of us better horse listeners. She rocked my confidence pretty hard in the spring, after having put a few weeks on her and she was going really good, I got on her in the round pen and she went bronc. Okay, so not really bronc, but a huge temper tantrum! I have it on video and really its quite funny. Her back feet never left the ground and her front end was like a toddler stamping their feet on the floor. I remember when her front end was going up and down and I was on her back, I was more worried about being hit in the head with her head then anything else.

I stayed on and finished on a good note, but after that I have really doubted myself with her. I obviously missed or ignored all the signs leading up to the explosion that she was not all right. After that, she also became hard to catch. This was during the summer when we were off to competitions and the mountains, so I just completely backed off of her and only caught her to give her goodies. 

By September she was easy to catch again, in your pocket, met me at the gate, etc. I started saddling her again, this time listening to every little twitch of hers. I spent a few weeks just saddling until she quit humping up, jumping at the slap of leather, etc. Then I started doing obstacles with her all tacked up. Then I started sitting on her. Then husband led me around on her. But the whole time I was so anxious, so stressed that I knew I wasn't doing her any favours. Husband got on her and rode in the pasture no problem. I got on in the arena, then rode out into the pasture a couple times. He said it was my turn to ride her out next time, but when that time came, my anxiety was so bad I just couldn't do it, so he did. And guess what. She was fantastic. I was so jealous that I didn't have the guts to do it myself. 

I'm not sure its even what she did that bothers me, but the fact that I wasn't able to read her properly (or ignored all the signs she was giving me). So maybe its more that I don't trust myself. I have no problem riding client horses with way less time on them, and I don't know them half as well as I know her. Honestly I love everything about her, she's not spooky, she corto's and largo's everywhere, she's the perfect size, cute as a button. So I'm hoping that over the winter, Priority and I will be zipping through the trails together. 

Otherwise all the horses are doing great. Jedi is in the big pasture with the herd and has adopted both Sparrow and Baby Duck as his surrogate moms. I bought a blue roan quarter horse filly at an auction and so she has joined their little family (after two weeks of quarantine). It's really quite cute, both blondies always have a baby attached to them and most visitors assume they are their babies. 

Magnus is doing very well, I have ridden him around home a few times and I am always so impressed with how far he has come over the course of this year. His health seems to be very good and I am so thankful for that. 

The first picture is Priority and I riding in the arena after doing a tour in the pasture. It was a great ride too. What's wrong with me? lol.









This is Boss, he is getting so big! He's taller then the two-year-olds.









Magnus and I haven't figured out yet how to translate the cue on the ground to the cue on his back to get all four feet on.









This is Freda, she is a really special mare with really cool bloodlines. She was confirmed in foal to the gaited jack this July. Fingers crossed!









It's kind of hard to see but he had the coolest frost in his mane and tail this morning. Such a sweetheart, he always makes me feel good.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Husband's daughter and I went on a trail ride at the end of November. She was having a bad day at school and asked if she could come home early. HD doesn't ask for much, ever, so he drove to town and brought her home. It was a beautiful afternoon but Husband was busy changing the brakes on our truck. HD looked like she needed some horse therapy so we saddled up and headed out just the two of us. There's just a couple of inches of snow on the ground, it was great footing and not hard work for our horses. HD said Magnus looks like he as a beer belly. I prefer to call it his Dad Bod. 

It was a really relaxing ride, the horses were chill and we just plodded along following the fence lines and checking if any hunters had left gates open. We have permission to ride on the neighbouring cattle pastures that surround our own land and often the hunters leave the gates open in the winter. This makes it easy cruising for us, but there really wasn't that many truck tracks in the fields compared to last year and most of the gates were closed.

I have a theory about this, all the snowbirds have left for the States. This time last year they were stuck up here with nothing to do but hunt and trap, when they are usually in Arizona roping or playing golf.

My male weimaraner did manage to find a very fresh spinal column belonging to a deer. He dragged it almost all the way home before another scent forced him to drop his find so he could go explore. 

We were almost back home and HD was practicing doing the last gate off of her mare's back when I noticed a pick up truck driving down the lease road in our horse pasture. It looked like the usual white ford that belongs to the guy who checks the wells, but unlike the regular guy, this truck kept driving past the well, off the lease road and into our pasture. He drove to the adjacent fence line and followed it a ways until he was forced to turn his truck in our direction. This whole time I was watching him from Magnus's back and calling Husband. This field is wide open, there's no bushes or anything for deer or moose to hide in, but the pasture adjacent to it does and that's where he had driven to, with his window open the whole time no less.

Only when he was forced to turn our direction because of the fence line did he stop, and then make a straight line back to the well head. HD and I started to ride down towards him, since Husband hadn't picked up his phone. While we were making our way there, I saw him get out of his truck and make a big show about going into the shack, then walking around to the ladder that leads up to a big white tank, which he opened and stuck his head into. 

All of this struck me as kind of odd, usually the guys stay in the shack checking all the instruments, or check the gauges on the side of the tank. I've never seen one stick his head into a tank. I also thought his coveralls were really bright blue (like new blue). 

When HD and I came up next to him, he made a big show of being friendly and chatty. I am not a confrontational person, and to be honest after he did his show around the well, it had eased my fears that he wasn't a hunter after all. There are no hunting/no trespassing signs posted at the gates to the lease road and around our property.

Once Husband heard the story, he said there was no way that was the operator, he is convinced it was a guy hunting. He is ex-military and he said he seen this type of thing before in the field. Part of him thought the guy was really creative, but the protective side of him was really really mad at the audacity of this guy. He was potentially scoping out prey in our horse pastures under false pretenses. Husband thinks he must do this sort of thing all the time. To top it off, we know the regular operator, and this was not him. 

Anyways he has not been back since and hunting season is thankfully over.

The three of us have been out a few times since then and some of the pictures below are from that, and a couple from our ride in November. Most of November I stayed in the yard getting our new horses going under saddle. There are seven going right now. One is Jack, he was injured in the spring but is now healed and back to work. There are two Paso Finos, one is Priority who I mentioned in the post above, and the other is Rafael. He is seven and previously started but he has some serious anxiety about being ridden. He is super sweet and very gentle and in the last month he has made a ton of progress. Rafael is 16 hands tall, I didn't know Paso's could get so big! The other four are walkers from a really nice breeding program. All of them are easy going with that born broke mentality. They are really not complicated, happy horses with zero baggage.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Your pictures are gorgeous (as always) And you are right - sometimes they just need horse therapy!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

carshon said:


> Your pictures are gorgeous (as always) And you are right - sometimes they just need horse therapy!


Thank you! 😊


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Just thought I'd pop in and give a quick update. It's been so cold here for the past month that all I've been doing is chores and making sure nothing freezes. There was one day in mid December where it warmed up to around -7 C so husband and I saddled up our geldings and went for an awesome ride. We had so much fun that I didn't bother to take any pictures, just enjoyed the ride. Otherwise the temperature has been around -25 C pretty consistently, sometimes almost to -40 C. We are getting a much needed break this week with temps around zero, I'm pretty excited for that. Today husband and I went out and took all the blankets off and he started catching up on some of the farrier work. 

I did bring Magnus into the barn one day to braid his mane, it was getting matted underneath the high neck of his blanket. Jedi came in and tried to share Magnus' bucket with him. Magnus wasn't interested in the crumbs until Jedi stuck his nose in there. I gave Jedi his own pan to reward his curiosity and bravery coming into the barn on his own accord. He's so sweet and loves getting his ears scratched. I love this little guy so much!! I don't know if I've mentioned Jedi's little friend, a weanling QH filly (second picture below), her name is Tiger Lilly. I bought her at an auction in the fall. She's super sweet but very shy. Husband has been hand feeding her before chores and she is starting to get more bold and investigate us on her own terms.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

It's plus 6C outside and everything is melting, I'm loving it! It's sure been challenging weather wise the past month; from -30C to above zero and rain it's like we just can't catch a break. Looks like this week will be pretty nice and I plan on making the most of it. 

I took Magnus on a ride a few days after my last post. He really feels 'broke' now when I get on him. He starts out chill and ends chill. Never speeds up when we are heading back home. I'm so grateful for every ride I get with him. 

Boss is growing like a weed. He will be two this spring and he's taller then some of my three year olds. 

Husband and I bought an eight horse trailer just a few days ago. We've been thinking of getting a bigger trailer for awhile now. Our friend that we travel into the mountains with has always said we are running a big risk when we go in without any spare horses. And the problem wasn't lack of horses, it was lack of room in the horse trailer. Now I have the bigger trailer but it doesn't have a living quarters in it like our four horse trailer. Husband is pretty handy and built the LQ in our smaller trailer and figures he's ready to sacrifice two stalls in the new trailer and build another custom LQ. I'm kind of sad we don't get to spend another summer in the LQ he just finished, but it's hard to justify keeping both trailers, especially when selling one would finance the build in the bigger trailer.

It's been really fun thinking of all the new things we get to try by bringing more horses. Our trip last year was definitely one of THE BEST we have ever completed and it feels right to kind of up the ante a bit with 2022's pack trip. I've never led more then one pack horse before, now there's more to care for, more to train, more hobbles, etc. So far the plan is to take three pack horses and lead one in empty. Our string is going to be Tiberius (husband's main ride) leading a paso fino gelding called Rafael, and not sure yet who is going to be his third, but that one will be a pack horse. I'm going to ride Magnus, pack Baby Duck (MFT), and have Priority (paso fino) follow her empty.

I asked our friend how to train horses to follow each other. He said the biggest thing was to make sure you put them in the same order they are in the herd, otherwise you will have a mess with one trying to pass the other. Priority is really passive so I'm fairly certain she will be happy in the back. Baby Duck is pretty assertive, so I'm going to have to make some practice runs and make sure Magnus can lead her and keep her in her place. Otherwise husband's horse Tiberius will have to lead her. Tiberius doesn't put up with pack horse shenanigans. Rafael is a big gentleman so there's a lot of confidence there that Magnus would be able to lead him and Priority no problem. 

I don't think we will lead them by tying to the tail, our friend told us how to tie to the pack saddle without pulling the rigging sideways and using some binder twine, something that will break if there is a yard sale or whatever.

I rode Priority three times last week in the round pen and again today. I'm getting more confident in working with her and how she moves. I'm really lucky to have my husband on the ground making sure I'm stepping up for Priority's sake. I truly have been the problem, not her. I had a lot of fun today riding her gait, she is very smooth and fancy. Her front end is snappy and sends snow flying left and right, hitting my boots or the fence. 


































Sparrow, Tiger Lily and Jedi:









Magnus and Boss. Magnus is just a smidge under 16 hands.









Rafael:









Priority:


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Just got back from a lovely ride on my boy Magnus. Where else to go then to his journal to brag about him? Lol. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing the plot by riding and selling horses for a living. It's hard work riding green horses, riding other people's horses, and then talking to people about horses that are for sale. My husband had a riding accident a few days ago that resulted in a couple broken ribs. It's really had me wondering if I was on the right path; after all he wouldn't be getting on half these horses if it wasn't for me. Dealing with people who want to purchase is very taxing as well. I feel like I have to almost talk them out of the horse in order to find out if they are actually able to deal with a horse when it's not perfect. People coming out and tire kicking, trying to get free evaluations on their problem horse (that they don't want to pay for training for). 

Thank goodness for days like today on a good horse like Magnus! Husband's daughter rode with me and it was such a relaxing ride. It wasn't windy (so rare it seems around here!), the sun was shining and the dogs were running with us. A coyote hassled us for awhile, trailing in the back and singing in her awful yelling tones. Sometimes I think they sound beautiful or haunting, but the barks this one was making made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The horses didn't care though and the dogs quickly ignored her and trekked ahead of us. Most of the snow has melted except for the big drifts caught in between trees and bushes. 

Magnus just takes care of me, which is something I so appreciate after dealing with so many green horses lately. At one point, husband's daughter's mare spooked when one of the dogs popped up on the other side of a little hill. One second her red mare was in front of us, the next she was ten feet to the left of us. Magnus didn't even blink an eye. He just kept on trucking. I love that about him. I felt like I could really let my guard down and relax, which I think is something I also need to do with some of the horses I've been riding, so that I can get back to really enjoying all of them. 

At the end of the day, I do what I do because I love horses and it allows me to take care of my forever horses. I have really good clients who bring really good horses. The one who hurt my husband, well we knew he was a problem horse. In hindsight, both of us are glad it happened now, because this horse was slated to be part of our pack string. At the end of the day, he is not the kind of horse we want to take on our coveted two week holiday. Key word, holiday. We don't want any yard sales or our food going over a cliff when we are days away from the trucks.

I'm so, so thankful for Magnus and his continued good health. Now for pictures! Some of these pictures are a few weeks old. 

Jedi of course! Cute as a button.



















Boss is almost two years old and I sticked him at 15hh. He's taller then some of my 3-year-olds.






















































These four are all 'kids', 3 & 4-year-olds.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Recently I had two young QH geldings in for a very light start, mostly ground work and sacking out. I thought it would be a great idea for Magnus and I to pony each of the geldings out one at a time. Husband was out due to his injury, but his daughter tagged along with me. We took each gelding out on a 30 minute loop through brush and pasture. 

Magnus is very sensitive to the bridle, he doesn't like to be hassled a lot and he gets frustrated when he can't figure out the answer. I knew this would be a challenge going into it, but we have to get over this hump. I told him he was NOT going to be a packhorse this summer, although I'm pretty sure he would rather just follow then have to lead two horses. 

When we first left the barn, he was very concerned about the little gelding following so closely and tried to get out of the youngster's way. Since I was holding onto the gelding's lead rope, Magnus was not able to get away. I spoke to him, sent him mental pictures of what we were doing and looked forward to the next pasture, hoping we would end up going in a straight line with the little gelding plugging along beside us. My steering at this point is minimal because Magnus has been learning to neck rein. The little gelding trotted ahead of us, so I corrected him and sent him back by my knee. Then he dragged behind, so I dallied up the lead rope and asked Magnus to lean into it a little bit. The gelding picked up the pace almost immediately and settled by my knee. I had to correct him a few more times but in general the little guy figured out pretty quickly where I wanted him. He seemed to enjoy the ride and wasn't phased by the dogs, bushes or horse and rider behind us. 

I was also impressed with Magnus, he didn't have a hissy fit even though I had to talk to him more with my reins then I usually would. When we got back to the barn, I tied him up while Husband's daughter switched horses and I switched geldings.

Now this second gelding, I thought he would be easier then the first, but boy was I wrong. This little one is very soft on the lead rope so I assumed I wouldn't have as much trouble leading him or teaching him where I wanted him to be. WRONG. He also did not enjoy the trail ride with his busy little brain and would bite Magnus on the bum, the tail, his side. He would drag behind and I'd have to dally up and push Magnus forward to get the little guy to give to the lead rope and keep up.

Halfway through the second loop, Magnus was starting to get spicy. I was constantly having to hold him back and steer with one hand. This was really frustrating for him and obviously the signals weren't very clear. Now although I've ponied packhorses every summer, I am by no means an expert and it isn't as easy as it looks, unless you have an experienced pony horse that knows its place and plods along. At one point Magnus had a full on temper tantrum. He wanted to get away from the gelding NOW. In hindsight I should have put a grazing muzzle on the gelding, but I really didn't think about it. Magnus was totally DONE with that little squirt biting him. I was able to hold onto the lead rope and stop Magnus from side passing away, but he was throwing his head and stomping his feet. If I let the pressure off the reins, he would take off again. HD asked if she could take the gelding and give us a break. She was riding a client horse that had never ponied before, but has a really good mind and lots of time on her back. I was relieved honestly, and we switched around. 

Her mare, being young and full of herself, became pretty sick of the gelding within five minutes and put her back feet to him. HD held on to both the lead rope (while the gelding was sucking back to get away from the mare's heels) and kept her mare from shooting forward. She was so thrilled with herself for not losing either horse. LOL. I told her next time, let go of the pony horse. He isn't going to go anywhere but the pasture! Still, I think she cowgirled up pretty good. 

Even though his break was only five minutes, I had been able to give him his head and Magnus settled right back into being his relaxed self. I told him we are almost home, now we are going to finish on a good note and we are going to pony the gelding home. This is the only way we get better! That's exactly what we did, even if there were a few sideways steps at first and maybe some head tossing, but we were able to finish the last little stretch on a somewhat loose rein with the gelding trailing for the first time without being a little twerp. Seems like the mare knocked him down a peg or two.

My husband says a good lead horse will put the pony horse back in their place, and both of his best horses will do that. When his gelding Tiberius puts a horse in their place, he rewards him. I've tried doing that with Magnus, but in all honestly he really doesn't try. We tease him because when he is across the fence with a new horse, he acts very tough and like the stud he was for most of his life, but once the fence is gone, Magnus doesn't really have a backbone. 

I haven't ponied him since then, but a young TWH mare is here for the month and I was going to pony her out yesterday but the weather has been kind of crappy this past week. I ended up doing some ground work with her in the arena and decided I would do the same with Magnus. I started just sending him left and right and then asking him onto the pedestal. After working with the green filly, I really had a huge appreciation for how light he was on the lead rope. In fact it really appeared to just be an umbilical cord between us, it just sort of hung there. I started jogging beside him like we do for vet checks at CTR, and then I started running over the jump and he took it with me, right beside me. I thought, hey that was kind of cool. So instead of keeping him right beside me, I let the lead line go long and I would run and he would chase me. I would stop and take off the other direction, and he would chase me again without taking any direction from the lead rope. I would walk him up to the pedestal and he would climb on, all four feet, without direction. Sometimes he would fall off if he didn't get the angle just right, but who cares about that! I really felt connected with him. I asked him to side pass, and just putting my hands in position, one up by his neck and one by the girth, he started crossing over. The left side was tougher, he had a hard time unsticking his front feet from the ground at first. 

I haven't played with a horse like that in a LONG time. When I was as kid and boarded my Arabian gelding, I used to play "tag" with him in the big indoor arena. I was always "it" and I never won, but he somehow knew when we were done. He would blow and snort, tail in the air, and then come into my space and I would put the rope around his neck. It was very cool to feel that again. 

This is Jake, my little Arabian that I had for many years before getting into walkers. What I wouldn't give to get this horse back and retire him in my pasture!!


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

So interesting! I am so glad you are keeping a journal!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

This post is totally going to be all about Yuma! She is the first of three expected foals this spring. I woke up at 1:50 am last night to check on her dam, Bloom. I could see from my window that Bloom was laying down and she kept looking back at her hind end. Then I saw a shadow that looked like a tiny horse. At this point Bloom was at 349 days and I wasn't sure if I was imagining what I was seeing after so many nights on foal watch. But then I saw that tiny horse shadow lunge upwards, just like a foal trying to get up for the first time. I lost my cool at that point and ran to get my husband, shook him awake trying not to screech "the foal is here, Bloom had her baby!". 

We hustled outside and started talking to Bloom right away so we didn't spook her. Husband said "I see two sets of eyes!" Sure enough, there was a little red filly standing beside her mom. Bloom is very relaxed with me around her babies so I went in and said hi to Bloom, then helped her dry her newborn filly off. The baby had a very strong suckling instinct, but it took her a long time to latch on. She would suckle anything and everything but could not quite reach the teats. We were nearing the two hour mark and I was trying my best not to freak out. Finally husband, who is so much cooler in these situations then me, was able to hold the foal so she could get down low enough to the teat and get a good drink. After that husband told me to leave them alone. Sure enough, after that Yuma had the hang of it. I guess I am a bit of a helicopter mom.

Our friend who is also a vet came over this afternoon to check her out. I told him how the placenta had already been expelled when we found the pair, and that when the baby stood up, she was actually dragging the placenta around by the umbilical cord before it broke. He thought that was a really quick expulsion of the placenta and that maybe there had been some premature separation that caused some oxygen deprivation (which maybe caused her to have such a hard time latching on). This is all speculation of course, but she does seem more wobbly and slower to hit milestones then Bloom's last foal. Our friend's wife though told me not to compare children like that, they are all different. Whether any of this is the case or not, our little filly appears to be in very good health. She even tried out her legs in a little zoomie session later on. She is alert and all of her systems seem to be functioning as they should.

Husband and I played around with a few names before settling on Yuma. Husband's daughter didn't get the reference so she is watching 3:10 To Yuma as I type this.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

A few weeks ago I was able to practice leading two horses off of Magnus. It was a trial run without any pack boxes. Maze (formerly known as Baby Duck) was led from Magnus with Buddy tied by twine to her. Maze can be quite dominant and most horses scurry from her mare glare, but she was in a good mood that day. She followed Magnus very well and didn't try to kill the horse behind her.

Magnus has been "manning" up lately, as my husband puts it. Our little Paso Fino mare decided she was not going to be caught. Instead of getting mad or trying to round her up on foot (in a very large pasture), we saddled up Tiberius and Magnus. Our friend was there to help on her gelding. We were able to push the herd into the arena and then slowly cut and push members out through the back gate. One person was always guarding the gate on their horse. The herd did escape once, but that was more for fun than anything else.

Magnus was very willing to chase the herd or to cut members out, although he did ask me if I was sure he should be pushing the boss mare around...lol. The thing with him though is that he isn't very fast. He doesn't turn fast, he doesn't canter fast, but he looks really good doing it with his thick, long black mane flying around. Anyways, lots of fun was had and at the end the little Paso Fino stood still for me to halter her and put her in time out, after all her friends were pushed into the big pasture and she was left behind in the arena.

Yuma continues to do very well, she is very lively and spunky. Boss is huge, he is over 15 hands for sure. He is still a sweetheart. Jedi is doing great as a gelding too!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I really wanted to document this for anyone else who might own a PSSM horse who stumbles across this thread. I have been so lucky that Magnus is generally a very healthy horse with PSSM 1. A few days ago he had what I would call a PSSM attack.

I have not been regulating his intake of fresh spring grass this spring like I was this time last year. I was cocky and thought he was doing fine. Wrong. Way wrong. This time last spring he was wearing his grazing muzzle on a scheduled rotation. He was also getting PEMF treatments and I was not feeding him any kind of manufactured supplement or grain other then alfalfa cubes and camelina oil. This spring I have been sprinkling his Breathe supplement with Trimax by Purina and he has been on pasture 24/7. The past couple weeks we have had some good rain and warm days so the sugary spring grass is really growing.

Looking back on our last three rides I can see the build up to the big attack. It started with reluctance to move forward into a faster gait like a rack or a canter. The next ride it escalated into fits or temper tantrums, flat out refusal to move forward. Also an increase in head shaking and tail swishing during tacking up. The day of the big attack we hauled out to a friends place to ride. Right away as soon as I got on he hunched up, swished his tail constantly, he was so tight through his body and tight with his gait, his forward movement almost zero, and sensitivity to the bit and contact was through the roof. He was not able to "work through it" or relax and "come down". Husband and I ended up switching and that was when I got to see what I was riding. He was clearly in pain and upset, his gait was stilted and his whole body was tight. High head, baring his teeth, wringing his tail. He struggled going up hill. It was like his back end was incapable of engaging and pushing him up which made him even more frustrated. I think he would have reared a few times if he was able too, but he just didn't have the power or ability to do so. It was one thing to ride it, but seeing it really made me realize that he wasn't being naughty, he was in pain. I walked him back to the trailer.

As husband and I went over what happened and compared my management this spring to last spring, his conclusion was that by the time I had stopped using the grazing muzzle last year, that the grass had matured enough that he wasn't getting as much sugar as he is this year. Our horses also have access to twice the amount of pasture as last spring. Last year was also a very dry year, I wonder if that has an impact on how much sugar was in the grass. 

As soon as we got home, we got a corral set up for him. He is now turned out during the day with his grazing muzzle after his breakfast of alfalfa cubes, and then at night he comes in for his supper cubes. I am putting his Breathe supplement on the cubes instead of using Trimax. I have ridden him since then and he is back to being quiet and happy. During our first ride after the routine change, I really realized how sluggish he had been during our rides prior to the BIG ATTACK. Now he is willing to move through all his gaits including canter which are fluid, smooth and relaxed He was even side passing to open and close gates without being cranky. 

During all of my research of PSSM, I found it almost frustrating to learn about how wide ranging the symptoms were or can be. Two years into this journey with Magnus has taught me so much. You really need to know your horse and watch for the subtle signs that they will give to tell you they are not alright. If you don't listen, they end up yelling at you, like Magnus did. (It's funny reading this part back to myself because we tell our clients the same thing in regards to listening to your horse for training or riding purposes). The signs were there, I just didn't want to see them. 

And what would a post be without some pictures! That's always my favourite part of reading everyone else's journals.

Bruce (I used to call him Ash, but his registered name is Bruce) the bay is a 3 year old TWH and Sawyer the roan is a 4 year old TWH.









Yuma's first selfie!


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Thank you for sharing that. I am learning as you write. Thank you for making your journal.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Magnus has been getting better and better since pulling him off grass. I've ridden him out alone twice and he is calm and steady, happy to move into his faster gaits. Our first CTR is June 18th, I'm really looking forward to it. I hope he does better with his "panting" this time. It's going to be a girls weekend, my husband is staying home on foal watch as I have a mare due that weekend and bless him, he offered to stay behind so I could go with my friend. 

Our second foal was born yesterday at 8am. At 7:30 I peeked out my window at her and saw Ranger with her head down in her feed trough munching away. Half an hour later we were heading out to do chores and I stood at the window again brushing my teeth. I saw Ranger laying down and my brain went all blue screen of horror trying to figure out why there was a tiny horse lurching around behind her. I hadn't expected her to give birth, she was 333 days and had shown no real signs that she was going to go. BUT she was maiden...

Sedona is our first mule and my husband in totally smitten with him! He looks like a moose to me, all long legs, big ears and long face.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Oh goodness, could this baby be any cuter?? The ears are amazing, but the whisker/mustache game is over the top! 

I don't think I've commented on your journal before, but I have read it all as I have a Morgan mare diagnosed with PSSM1 this spring. We're also dabbling in doing shorter CTRs/endurance rides. As far as I know, she's always been asymptomatic (definitely no tie-ups, though some questionable symptoms sometimes attributed to PSSM, like being difficult to trailer/stall). It's helpful to read how you've managed Magnus and I love reading about the rest of your herd.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

egrogan said:


> Oh goodness, could this baby be any cuter?? The ears are amazing, but the whisker/mustache game is over the top!
> 
> I don't think I've commented on your journal before, but I have read it all as I have a Morgan mare diagnosed with PSSM1 this spring. We're also dabbling in doing shorter CTRs/endurance rides. As far as I know, she's always been asymptomatic (definitely no tie-ups, though some questionable symptoms sometimes attributed to PSSM, like being difficult to trailer/stall). It's helpful to read how you've managed Magnus and I love reading about the rest of your herd.


Thank you! I hope your mare remains fairly easy to manage. I find the worst thing about PSSM is the wide range of symptoms, like you said, questionable ones at that. It can be hard to decipher between behaviour and symptoms.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Okay, a lot to update on!

This past weekend husband stayed home on foal watch so I could get away with some girlfriends and ride at the first CTR of the year. It was west of Cochrane, so we weren't exactly climbing mountains but we were surrounded by them. I took Magnus of course and he is the BEST HORSE EVER, in my humble opinion. LOL. 

We got to cross a long, one way wooden bridge which was so fun. There were a few ridges that would have had me creeped out a few years ago but this time I was feeling really confident with Magnus and his footing so I just enjoyed the view. We had 5.5 hours to do 23 miles. Us three girls thought that we had all the time in the world. The ride was split into two loops with our P&R stops at the same place at the end of each loop. Our first loop was 16 miles and we went way too slow. I realized we had 1.5 hours plus our 15 minutes grace to get in without losing points after our first P&R. The last loop was 7 miles and four of those miles were alongside a road with very nice grassy ditches. The three of us on our three black horses did a lot of cantering which made the road riding way more exhilarating. Magnus led the group through the trails on this last loop and we got to cross a lot of water. He never hesitated or spooked once. Super sure footed and a gentleman for the vet. 

BUT. I think this will be his last CTR. Unfortunately he just does not pulse down very quickly at all despite all the management. I have accepted the fact that this is just the way he is and it doesn't take away from him at all. After the cantering on our last loop, I was one beat away from a ten minute hold, and if he didn't pulse down in time, a DQ. I'm not sure if this is a symptom of his PSSM or not. I once again received comments from endurance riders that he was in excellent physical condition and that if I were competing in endurance we would not be dinged like we are in CTR. So that was nice to hear. I follow a group on youtube who have been putting out PSSM vlogs and I have learned so much from them, and one of those ladies has a horse whose breathing has also been affected by his PSSM. The way she described it sounded similar to Magnus. I don't feel that he is struggling, if he was the vets would have held him or expressed concern. After an hour for our final vet check, his respiration was back down from a 17 to a 12. So he is still my main ride, but I will be using a different horse for CTR from now on.

So, good thing husband was home on foal watch because our last foal of the season was born at 6:30am on Sunday! A black colt by the same stallion as my red filly. He had a weak start but has been improving everyday. At one point husband thought he was losing him, but our friend who is a retired vet told him to give the colt a syringe of water and corn syrup, 50/50. Husband did that, and also milked the mare and fed the foal with the syringe. This seemed to be the jolt he needed. Husband still helped the foal to nurse but by the time I got home, the little guy was able to do it himself. Our vet friend thought it was very interesting and abnormal that both TWH mares that gave birth this spring both passed the placenta almost immediately after the foal was born. 

And that brings me to today. Husband decided he wanted to try for the first time, to tie up all four packhorses up behind his riding horse. My job is going to be the outrider. Well it didn't start off that great when the fourth packhorse refused to be caught in her giant field. Luckily the horses are used to coming into the arena for water, so after husband was not able to catch the mare on foot, I went out with Magnus and basically herded the group in along the fence line and shut the arena gate behind them. We decided to introduce her to hobbles in the arena while we worked with the others. Don't speak at the peak, my husband says. Lol.

Good thing we only went with three anyways, because that was a yard sale. We only put the pack saddles on the three horses so we would have something to tie to and no boxes to worry about. Neither of us has ever tied horses together on a pack string before, but we have seen our friend do it with his two packhorses. Not the same. Seeing is not the same as doing. 

In the arena, at first, it seemed okay. There were a few hiccups like when I went to tie the second horse to the first horse. There is twine to tie to, but I had way too much lead rope and I wasn't sure how close to tie the two together. So I rigged up a way of tying that seemed to work for the short term. Then I tied the third horse to the second horse and husband got the string going. Looked okay, except the horse we thought would go well in the back, was passing the second horse to be behind the first horse. Husband stopped the train and I switched the horses around and he walked off again. This time it seemed to work. Open the gate he says! He wants to go in the yard where the footing is better (we've had a lot of rain and the arena is very greasy). I don't even have time to shut the gate behind him when he loses the last horse. Wizard gets spooked and takes off, snaps his twine and gallops across the yard trying to get back to his pasture.

The two mares are fine, so I take them and husband goes off to round up the loose horse. When he gets back we try again in the same order and this time I see another problem. Wizard, the gelding in the back, has never been ponied and he is sitting back on his halter being dragged until the twine snaps again. This time he doesn't run off and I grab his rope. I suggested that husband pony Wizard around on his own before trying again. Husband does this and there is some improvement but it's clear this is a hole in our training program. So next he tells me to tie Maze who was the lead horse, behind Wizard. That way he can control Wizard. Seems like a good idea. No. Not a good idea. Maze realized twine has no hold on her, snaps it and goes galloping off with Shortcake tied behind her. Shortcake's twine snaps, but she keeps running with Maze because that's where she wants to be. 

I looked at husband, he looked at me, and we agreed it was time to go back to the drawing board. Our trip is four weeks away. HA. 

This is just some of our younger horses, in order from the left: Red, Maze, Bruce, Kip, Freda.









Boss and Sawyer









Sedona and Yuma 









Magnus of course!









POV from his back right before we rode a very steep, very fun ridge. 









Rain and her colt Mesa


















Our pack string in the making. Maze followed by Shortcake and Wizard's head is just popping into frame. Husband is on his trusty gelding Tiberius.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Last weekend I broke my word and took Magnus to another CTR. This one was a two day ride in southern AB. We had a great time, but we came in last on every ride. Still, we got to finish and didn't get DQ'd or held up to pulse down. This particular vet is one who is heavily involved with CTR and ERA in Alberta so I was able to pick his brain a little outside of my ride time. He didn't believe that Magnus's high P&R had anything to do with his PSSM. In fact, he was convinced it was because of his curly coat. I think he may be onto something as my husband's research into curly coats seemed to suggest that in the winter they have a higher insulation value than a flat coat. Anyways, this vet said Magnus is a big, heavily built horse (I would never consider him "heavily" built but I suppose compared to an Arabian or whatever he might be, it's all perspective), with a curly coat, he has to breathe the way he does to cool down. Every check he confirmed Magnus was fit to continue despite his high pulse and respiration (still below a hold level, but not low enough to be competitive).

I also wanted to update on his management
for anyone else who might be reading this specifically for the PSSM portion. One thing I have learned is that management is very fluid. After I came home from the last CTR, I left Magnus out to graze 24/7. After talking with my husband who has been reading about grass and sugar levels, he was confident that the grass has matured past the sugary phase and more into the high in protein phase. This would line up with how I managed Magnus last year at this time, he was allowed to graze at his leisure. 

He had a few days off and then we started training for our pack trip. We are doing an 8 mile loop everyday, and leading pack horses to boot. I have ridden him twice now on the loop, today we ponied two horses the whole time, and he was just a gem. Even starting to neck rein. No exercise intolerance at all, and his gentle self. The dragon did not rear his head once. 

I've been watching videos on youtube by a group called PSSM Awareness and it has been really enlightening. I no longer feel alone when dealing with the variety of symptoms or the fluidity in management. Sometimes I feel like I'm making things up as I go, and after watching these vlogs I have seen that others deal with the symptoms the same way. Knowing your horse and reacting to the symptoms as they present, and how quickly they can subside when proper management is found.

In closing this post, I won't say I will never take Magnus to another CTR again, but I will have my mountain mares in shape for the next one so I might take one of those! Either way, I am beyond thrilled with Magnus. He is perfect for me.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I just got back from our annual two week pack trip. This year husband and I took six horses and our two friends brought five. It's the most we've ever taken in and what a learning experience that was. I'll start at the beginning.

Our plan was to pack in to a camp called 51 or 52, (two camps side by side) as we made our way towards a place called Big Graves. However we met an outfitter at the staging area the night before who was heading the same direction as us. He was also heading to 51, and he had 16 horses of his own. He was more then willing to share the camp space with us, but outfitters generally let their horses loose all night whereas we high line ours. The possibility of horse drama or loose horses wondering into our camp on day one wasn't very enticing. Our group made a corporate decision to land at Eagle, it would be a shorter, easier day then heading to 52 (there was another camp just past 52 but the outfitter had another group there). Our horses were pretty heavy heading in and my husband's team ran into some issues so it ended up being a blessing. His second pack horse balked at the first water crossing, the Wild Hay River, and broke her safety strings. She continued to break the strings whenever she decided she didn't want to go. Husband and I ended up stopping and switching the second pack horse to lead pack horse so he could handle her better. After that the trail to Point Camp in Eagle's Nest went a bit smoother. I was glad for my husband that it was a short day because he was very tired after dealing with Shortcake all day.

The next day we packed up and rode five hours down Eagle's Nest Pass, past Summit Cabin and camped at the base of Jack Knife Pass. A lot of these camps have bush toilets, sometimes these things have actual toilet seats, sometimes they are built out of wood, or in some camps the Rocky Mountain Wilderness Association has dropped in these giant green toilets. This camp, although it looked well used in hunting season, had nothing of the sorts so we really roughed it that night. Lol. 

On day three we had to pack up again, but this time we were going to land at Big Graves, our destination for the majority of our trip. Our group headed down Mountain trail and it was smooth moving at first. At one point we passed a place that smelled like sewer. I was wondering to myself why it would smell like that in the middle of nowhere. Husband said it was the smell of death, and it was pretty fresh. Our friend A agreed. None of us ever saw what it was. Our other friend R, who has been doing this for over 30 years, said that's what bears smell like. Whatever it was, we never saw the culprit and just like that, the smell was gone and the air was fresh again. Pretty spooky though!

This was a long day because we wasted an hour trying to find the trail by a camp called Monahan Camp. Once we were back on it, it appeared to be smooth sailing until the trail started to climb up into the forest again. I called this part the Forest of Death. Widow makers everywhere. Trees downed across the trail. It became so hairy that the guys unpacked the chainsaw to get us through it. There was one really big tree across the trail that the horses couldn't go over and it was too big for the little chainsaw R had brought. We bushwhacked around it, but husband found a hole that he dropped a ten foot pole down, and it completely disappeared. This really freaked the guys out, what they heck were we even walking on, and what if someone fell in a hole that was 20 feet deep? They really didn't want to come back this way after that. 

Mind you as we continued down this trail weaving around downed trees, with widow makers hanging above our heads, three of us are leading a string of two pack horses. What good animals they were! At one point a tree literally fell on the rope between my two pack horses, narrowly missing my head and my riding horse. They all kept their cool as I jumped off and unclipped my two pack horses so the log could hit the ground. Literally the Forest of Death.

By the time we landed in the valley of Big Graves, everyone was thirsty, out of water, tired, hungry and a tad grumpy. Our spirits were soon lifted though, as we came up on a camp with a cabin (built in 1930, restored in 2020). There was grass everywhere, lots of places to tie, a flat place for our tents and a stream nearby. The cabin was in good shape and we were able to store our pack boxes in there. In the morning we would do our coffee and breakfast, and in the evening we would sit in side and play crib. 

Our group spent four days there I think. It was a truly beautiful, wild place and we didn't see a single soul. Husband, R and A tried fishing but had no luck. We rode up to a mountain lake where we could see the giant fish swimming around. A grizzly bear was also fishing there so we didn't stick around too long (he did run away as soon as he seen us though).

Big Graves is called that because there is a grave there for a man who was like 6 feet 8 inches tall, who fell off his horse and hit his head. 

This place was a bit frustrating for us because we like to do big loops at a good clip, a 30km day is a good day for us, sometimes we can push it to 40 km if the traveling is good. However at Big Graves because we didn't really know the area, we would get on trails that sort of just fizzled away to nothing, so we just couldn't get the mileage in that we liked.

The day before we left, R wanted to scope out Rocky Pass as our exit instead of going back down Mountain Trail through the Forest of Death. This trail skunked us again. For an hour or so it looked really clear and like we could get through, until we came to a ravine with five feet of snow overtop of a running creek and downed trees on top of that. There were cliffs on both sides so we couldn't go up or down to get around. There was no way to get our riding horses across, much less six pack horses. Defeated once again, we turned around and headed back to camp. We had no choice now but to take Mountain Trail back.

This time the chainsaw and axe stayed out of the boxes and the guys cleared trail as we rode. When it came to the big tree with the holes under the ground, the guys cut a big groove in the tree so the horses could get over top. 

We made good time and took a gamble to ride to Summit Cabin. Our gamble did not pay off, there was a group there already. There was another camp just behind the cabin so we cruised over to that in the pouring rain. The camp was okay and there appeared to be a lot of grazing below it. I noticed there were what looked like fence posts going through the willows that bordered the grazing. I checked them out to see if they were marking water or holes, but I didn't see anything in particular. I would know what these were for the next morning.

In the morning we turned three of our horses out to graze, and then switched them out an hour or so later for the other three. One of those three was Magnus. I went down to check on them half an hour or so later and I couldn't see Magnus. I walked out to where the other two were, and I spotted Magnus laying down in a clearing. I walked over to make sure he was okay, and the closer I got, the more I realized he wasn't laying down. He was in the muskeg, and it was up to his wither. Just his head, neck and a bit of his back was visible. 

I immediately called for help while I unwrapped his lead rope from his neck to hold his head up. Soon everyone was there. No one had ever seen a horse so deep in the muskeg before. A said we needed to turn him around so he was headed to dry ground instead of deeper into the bog. Four of us hauled on the lead rope and somehow managed to get him pointed the right way. At this point he was vibrating from the cold and strain. I had to hold his head up while he was resting. Husband was up to his shoulders in the muskeg as he dug down trying to reach the hobbles so he could cut them off. 

Meanwhile R saddled up his QH mare and dallied up. Once husband managed to cut the hobbles (thankfully they were nylon twine and not chain), R and his horse dug in and pulled. They got Magnus up at least four or five feet before the mare lost her own footing as the ground gave way and she went down. R was okay, just some rope burn on one hand. The mare was okay too, but we didn't dare ask them to do that again. 

The good news was after the pull with the mare, he was almost out. R brought over more rope and told husband to wrap a loop around Magnus's back foot so he would have something to push against. We barely had time to help pull when Magnus pushed against that rope and popped himself out all the way.

He was shivering, covered head to toe in Muskeg, but other than that, totally fine. He didn't even lose a shoe! 

During this whole ordeal, I was terrified we wouldn't be able to get him out. I can't even express my gratitude to my friends for working together to get my horse out. Husband was soaked, R had rope burn and A had a wet boot, but no one stopped or gave up. 

We still had to pack up camp and move to Eagle, we were hoping to get Point Camp again so we could day ride the next day. Everyone took their time so Magnus could rest in the sunshine. He boogied that day like a horse who was very happy to be alive.

We did day ride the next day, but man did it rain. We were drenched, and still managed to clock in 32 km. The next day we packed back to our trailers as we had a campsite reserved to do a couple day rides.

Thankfully the weather cooperated for our last day ride, which was probably the best ride of the whole trip. Every year I try to get the same picture at Willow Creek Cabin. After we rode to the cabin and back to the main trail, we decided to hit Jackson Creek Trail, which would drop us at the first equestrian campsite (we were at the second equestrian campsite which was much better to stage from when heading in and has larger corrals). This was another 32km day and we were able to stay in a decent run walk most of the time. 

So all in all, a successful trip. I have never had to pack so much, packing up everyday is a lot of work. On top of that, husband and I had to pack four horses. I loved it, I always wanted to see Big Graves, but next year I hope for more riding and less packing. Lol.

This is the lake with the big fish and the grizzly. I'm riding one of my pack horses, Pearl.









This is the forestry cabin at Big Graves.









Any fans of Alone? Jim Baird and his brother won season three. Jim and his wife Tori stayed at the cabin in 2017 when hiking through to Grande Cache.









Magnus and I.









This is heading up to Rocky Pass where we got skunked at a ravine. Snow, trees and a creek between us and our trail.




































Lunch break at the start of the Pope Thoreau trail.









Heading home from Point Camp to the staging area. Magnus leading packhorses Pearl and Wizard (both TWH)


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

I loved reading about your trip. I don't think I would have enjoyed it the way you did. Too many heart-stopping difficulties. I'm glad you got home safe with all the horses. The pictures are amazing and beautiful.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Wow, so glad for a happy ending for Magnus! How truly terrifying. Beautiful riding though! 

I am dreaming of snow today as I sit sweltering in heat and humidity- only 2 or 3 more months until it's here. We're not at high enough elevation to have it stick around through summer even up on the ski trails around here.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

MajorSealstheDeal said:


> Just thought I'd pop in and give a quick update. It's been so cold here for the past month that all I've been doing is chores and making sure nothing freezes. There was one day in mid December *where it warmed up to around -7 C ....*


Brrrrrrrr! 🥶 The coldest it ever got at our place was -8 deg C...in a decade of living here...and you _warmed up_ to -7 deg C... 

Hiya from Australia. I forget how cold it gets in other places, though I did grow up in snow as a kid. I suppose you can eat lots of maple syrup to help you warm up again? 

Lovely photos and stories on your journal. I like the look of Magnus. I've never seen a curly-coated horse IRL. Glorious mane and tail! And that mule foal...


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

SueC said:


> Brrrrrrrr! 🥶 The coldest it ever got at our place was -8 deg C...in a decade of living here...and you _warmed up_ to -7 deg C...
> 
> Hiya from Australia. I forget how cold it gets in other places, though I did grow up in snow as a kid. I suppose you can eat lots of maple syrup to help you warm up again?
> 
> Lovely photos and stories on your journal. I like the look of Magnus. I've never seen a curly-coated horse IRL. Glorious mane and tail! And that mule foal...


It's all about perspective right? 😆 I know going from fall to winter, -7 C is cold, but by January/February thats a nice day! Lol. I've always loved movies and TV shows from Australia. Actually my favourite podcast is Mysterious Universe, they are from your neck of the woods.

Thank you!! 😊 Sedona started a bit of halter training today. Officially the start of my journey training a mule I guess.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

OMG, those ears!  Don't mind me, we have five donkeys here and their ears do things to us that make us go all gooey...

I must check out that podcast, we love podcasts, living isolated and all. With that title it sounds right down our street. I mean, we listen to _The Infinite Monkey Cage_ and things like that (Brian Cox is such a dear, not to mention ageing tremendously well). So thanks for the tip. 

Looks like you're going to have fun with Sedona. Are you keeping this one or selling?









Hello from Benjamin - he has the longest ears on our place...


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Here is the video of our trip. Fair warning, it's just over an hour long.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

SueC said:


> OMG, those ears!  Don't mind me, we have five donkeys here and their ears do things to us that make us go all gooey...
> 
> I must check out that podcast, we love podcasts, living isolated and all. With that title it sounds right down our street. I mean, we listen to _The Infinite Monkey Cage_ and things like that (Brian Cox is such a dear, not to mention ageing tremendously well). So thanks for the tip.
> 
> ...


Ahhh Benjamin is adorable! You're so right, there is something about the ears. 

The plan is to keep him. I can't wait to see what he's like out in the mountains and maybe even competitive trail. That's a long ways away, but I'm excited for his future with us.

I hope you like the podcast. The name Brian Cox rings a bell. I will have to go look him up.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Magnus has been chilling in the pasture pretty much since our return from the Willmore. He somehow managed to injure himself twice during that time, both times on the same leg in the gaskin. He's fine, nothing a tetanus shot and some antibiotics couldn't fix. The first injury was some kind of puncture, on what I have no idea. His pasture is a big grassy field with very little for bush. But as all horse people know, they will find that one thing, and he did. The second injury looked like he had kicked through some barbwire. Our fencing is being replaced by barbless wire, but there are still some sections with regular old barb wire. I'm very thankful he didn't get wrapped up in it, however he managed it and the wounds were only superficial. Still, he managed to survive muskeg only to suffer more injuries in his home pasture. Go figure.

I did take him out to Blackfoot with husband and his gelding T about a week ago. He was spicy! A friend was riding with us and at one point Magnus was throwing a fit because I wouldn't let him ride up T's butt, he was jumping sideways going up a small hill. She said "I'm sure glad its you on him and not me!" LOL. I'm not super brave, but at this point I've logged so many miles on him that his little fits really don't phase me. That was nothing compared to the PSSM episode we had in the spring. 

On August 19th, our little family met some friends for another CTR. I rode my little champagne fox trotter mare. It was a great time, but she didn't score any better then Magnus. Her p&r were a little lower then his, but not by as much as I thought it would be. She also kept offering the vet her feet when she was trying to feel for swelling, windpuffs, etc. This was marked as bad behaviour so we lost a lot of points there. She was a fantastic ride though and was game the whole way through. I guess the only thing was we had a very young group of horses and even the older ones weren't that experienced so sometimes no one wanted to lead. I really missed Magnus a few times because he never says no to leading and he is a gentleman at vet checks. 

Otherwise I've been putting time on our young ones. I have four 3-year-olds that we split between the three of us and put a couple weeks on them. They are back out being babies now, until winter. Then we will pasture ride them and haul to an arena. I have two four-year-old's as well that I've been gait training and trail riding. So Magnus is getting a well deserved rest.

Maze and I at the last CTR.










This is a gorgeous Andalusian mare that I put two weeks on in August for a friend. She's super broke, just needed a refresher after having two years off. I had to ride in the Spanish saddle for the sales video. 









The babies are doing great! Sedona the mule is my favourite, I can't help it. Mules are such neat creatures!









This is husband on our homegrown filly Della, followed by Jedi and another 3-year-old, Bruce.









This is husband and his favourite baby, Yuma. She really is special.









I just liked this pic husband snapped of me and a young stallion whose here for gait work and heritage certification.









A friend hauled out with her mare and the three of us went for a ride this afternoon. I rode Jack. He was sold in the spring but he didn't get along with the mare he lived with, so the owner swapped him out for a different horse of ours. I was pretty happy to have Jack back. I feel very bonded to him, and I _think_ he feels the same way.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Lovely photos. 💫💫💫

No idea why anyone would mark a horse down for offering you its feet when the lower legs are handled. It's just a misunderstanding, and shows how ready she is to have her hooves picked up! People. You don't sit at home palpating her legs. By the way, if it happens again, if you pick up the opposite foot to the one the vet wants to palpate, she'll leave it on the ground, unless she is a magic circus horse!


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

SueC said:


> Lovely photos. 💫💫💫
> 
> No idea why anyone would mark a horse down for offering you its feet when the lower legs are handled. It's just a misunderstanding, and shows how ready she is to have her hooves picked up! People. You don't sit at home palpating her legs. By the way, if it happens again, if you pick up the opposite foot to the one the vet wants to palpate, she'll leave it on the ground, unless she is a magic circus horse!


I know and I do agree with you, however a lot of marks in CTR are based on behaviour and even if she isn't actually threatening to kick (just offering her foot), they can mark that as misbehaviour to further distinguish the placings. The horse that won our division, during her vet check, she stood stock still, lead rope on the ground. We are not allowed to really help the horse either, so I wouldn't be allowed to pick up one foot so the vet could palpate the other. I actually went on the opposite side of Maze to keep her from walking away from the vet's stethoscope, so Maze stopped and moved toward the vet, which caused the vet to snap at me saying "get on the same side as me PLEASE!" LOL. It was the end of a very long, hot day for the vet, she's usually not so snappy. Maze didn't help out either with her wiggling.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

I met up with some friends at a CTR in southern Alberta over the weekend, last one of the year. We got to ride in Writing On Stone Provincial Park. It was amazing. The scenery, riding through hoodoos, was insane. But I'm getting ahead of myself!

This turned out to be a very technical trail, mostly on the first loop. I'll admit that during the ride meeting when the difficulty of the trail was brought up, I kind of shrugged it off. I've done a few miles, I've seen a few things, I didn't really think this would be really that difficult. 

WELL. I am very lucky to be able to sort through my herd to find a horse suitable for CTR. Magnus, always my first choice, as anyone who has read this knows, he pulses very high. I tried Maze at the last ride and while she pulsed in a bit better then Magnus, her personality isn't exactly conducive to scoring points. So I have this other mare, her name is Freda. She is four years old and she is my pride and joy. I purchased her last spring with some of the money my mom left me when she passed away. I paid a lot of for her, but she is the only one of her bloodline in Canada (at least I'm pretty sure she is). Freda has always been very easy to train and work with. I've really taken my time to develop her, although after our mountain trip I really buckled down to get her flat walking and run walking. She is bred for next year, so I thought it would be fun to end her year with a bang at the last CTR. 

I've taken Freda out once before, a week prior to the event and rode 21 miles in 4.5 hours. She did phenomenal, it gave me a lot of confidence that she would be a good partner for the upcoming ride. 

Her personality is really nice for vet checks because she doesn't move, doesn't flinch, doesn't pick up her feet when she isn't being asked. Her P&R's are very low and she pulses down quickly. Okay, now for the ride!

We had to do a river crossing at the very beginning of the ride. The water became very deep, Freda is almost 16 hands and I was getting water in my boots and up my legs. I could feel her starting to push off the bottom of the river bank. Then the exit was very steep and muddy. It took a lot of convincing, even the more experienced horses didn't want to climb up. I was the first one to get a horse up the bank over the edge onto the trail, the others followed suit immediately after. Freda led for a bit, she was spookier then usual and eventually balked at some big boulders so my friend and her good mare went ahead to give Freda a break. Then we had to climb up above the coulee and squeeze between some hoodoos. And I mean squeeze! Freda didn't think she could fit. She started to pop up in frustration. I was worried about her lunging through and catching my feet between the rocks. I managed to stay calm and slowly we squeezed through. She was really getting fried after that though. She's not one to chase after other horses, but I think she was in survival mode at that point. I was struggling to keep her on trail, she would try to cut across where she had no business being, in order to keep up with the other horses. But all was still good, as the trail opened up to follow the top of a long coulee. We were able to stretch our horses out and take the edge off of them. There were some trails that cut into the sides of the coulee as we were climbing out that were very narrow and crumbly. This was a bit intense on a green horse, I have to admit. She would tend to bend the wrong way, which drove me nuts. Eventually I realized it was because I was bending her that way, and once I corrected myself she straightened out. 

This was probably the most scenic trail I have ever been on, especially when we cut back down into the coulee, which we would ride through all the way back to camp to finish our first loop. This is also where things got super interesting and not in a great way. 

Freda was doing what green horses do, leaping over every creek crossing, and we were continually crossing one creek as we wound our way through the coulee. I tried every trick I knew to keep her from leaping but it wasn't working. As we came up to the dreaded creak again, I could feel her rushing forward and going off trail to pick her own way across, what she perceived as the quickest way to her friends. This was a very grassy, muddy spot with a drop off into the creek. I went to check her with my left rein to pull her back onto trail, and my freaking rein snaps off the bit. I immediately pulled her into a one rein stop with the only rein I had left. All her training and prep went out the window as her brain completely fried at this point. She went into a spin that sent us careening towards the creek. It felt so out of control I thought my best option was to bail. I jumped off and landed on my feet, immediately felt my right knee pop and give out beneath me. I fell down and rolled underneath Freda. I just remember thinking as I got knocked around that I felt a hoof on my face. 

Then just like that she was off of me and I got up, doing a quick body scan as I did. My right leg was vibrating and fizzing, it felt like pop was pumping through my knee. One of my friends is a paramedic and she was right there as I got up and checked my face out to make sure I was okay. One of my other friends had caught Freda on the other side of the creek. 

Everyone kept asking if I was okay while I checked my reins and climbed back on. The snap wasn't broken on my rein, it had just opened up. I have no idea how, I played around with it later and couldn't get it to open up from the inside. Must have just been the perfect angle, the right amount of tension, the perfect storm. 

I was pretty shaky but I had to ride out anyways, there was no other way out of the coulee. Freda was physically fine. I did get off at the next two creek crossings and send her back and forth three times at each. On the third time she would stop in the creek and I would climb back on. After that, no more rushing and no more jumping. 

By the time we reached the end of our first loop and our first vet check during the ride, I was feeling better although my knee had more then doubled in size. After I trotted Freda out for the vet, very painfully, the vet said, "well the rider is lame. Horse is fine though."

We did finish the ride, and Freda scored very well. We were tied for 6th place and the vet broke the tie, bumping us to 7th. Freda lost most her points on alertness, as the ride went on she became visibly tired and wore out, and also her gut sounds. She refused to eat on trail, even when offered a carrot, until the very end at the two mile marker. All the placings were one point apart so it was very competitive. 

I do have a hoof shaped mark on my face, but no real visible bruising. At first I was mad at her, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized what a good horse she is. She truly did not want to hurt me, and it wasn't her fault I ended up underneath her. She tried her best to get off me as quickly as she could. My friend said when she caught Freda, the mare was visibly shaking. Seriously, this is the sweetest mare in the world. She would never hurt a fly. I think she was honestly overwhelmed and when the rein broke, it was just the perfect storm of bad choices. 

I have only bailed twice in my life, and both times sustained injuries. Looking back, I think I should have stayed on and instead of schooling her, maybe I should have just ridden her forward. Who knows, what's done is done.

My knee is still swollen and doesn't bend or take weight very well but it seems to have improved a lot since Saturday. I did have it checked out by the doctor today and there doesn't appear to be anything torn.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Once again, incredible story, incredible adventures, incredible pictures!


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

The pictures are fabulous. I'm so sorry there was a wreck. I admire your grit for riding to the end.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

We met a bunch of friends at the two day Willy Bronze Ride last weekend, kind of sad because it was the last event of the year. It was a lot more relaxed than meeting at CTR's, and I think we missed the distance and the pace that we are used too, but it was still a great ride. There were no wrecks, rodeos or incidents to report. 

I took Magnus and he was a gem, much needed after the excitement of Writing-On-Stone.

The sorrel filly behind Magnus in the picture below is a yearling TWH. She was bred and raised by a good friend and client. She sent her here to be halter broke because she was a little (a lot) wild. I ended up keeping her (like I needed another one). Her name was Ash, but I have decided to call her Angel, something to live up to. Husband thinks of her as an Angel rising from the Ash. She is the same age as Jedi and Tiger Lily, but at least a hand or more taller then them. Actually my John mule Sedona is the same size as Jedi. They love to play with each other.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Just thought I'd do a quick update. It was an amazing October here with lots of riding and horse activities. Snow hit about a week ago and it already feels like too long! Some days have been really cold but it looks like it will warm up starting tomorrow. I put one ride on Magnus in October and we had a great time. It wasn't the warmest of days but we all bundled up and spent a couple hours cruising around the trails in the cattle pastures. Husband's daughter finally convinced her boyfriend to ride with us. He had never been on a gaited horse before. He had no idea what to do when Jack went into gait. I said, just ride it! LOL. No posting necessary. At the start, BF was white knuckling it while he bickered with husband's daughter like an old married couple, but about halfway through he seemed to relax. Jack took good care of him. My fingers were frozen by the time we got back, but I enjoyed getting out on Magnus. All of my other rides were on the youngsters or client horses (or on Jack, I really enjoy him!).

This is Magnus and his BFF Tiberius. They are joined at the hip.









This is Bloom and her filly Yuma, she's six months old already and a real doll! Husband has claimed her for his future riding horse.










This is Mesa, he's almost 5 months old now. He is a real nice colt, except for his personality LOL. His dam is probably the quietest horse on the property, but her first born is wild and flighty. It's hard not to take it personal, especially since his siblings Yuma and Sedona are so friendly!









Sedona, our resident long ear. He is just the coolest thing. He plays with any horse, doesn't matter how old or how big or how small. He is a pest!










This was a few days before the snow hit, the horses were enjoying grazing in the hay field.










This is my husband and our new weimaraner puppy, Recce, meeting Sedona. Recce is short for Reconnaissance, or Recce Platoon, to keep up with our military theme with dog names. Our old Shepard passed away in early October. 









That's pretty much it! Husband and I are hoping to do a little bit of riding next week when the weather warms up, and we have agreed to drag our sorry butts to the nearby arena a couple times a week weather permitting. I am making a career change which involves two months of school starting December 6th. I'm excited, nervous and scared. Excited to be able to enjoy my horses and not having to sell them unless I really want too, excited to only ride for fun, and excited/scared for a new adventure. 

I had to add a picture of Jack, he's such a handsome devil. He's also grandsire to Yuma and Mesa.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)




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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Here is another "vlog" type update. Next week's will have Magnus in it! Last week the weather was amazing and we were riding everyday. Had some good rides on the 'kids' too. Magnus and Jack are my go-to-guys as always. I really am so blessed to have so many nice horses to ride. Husband really motivated me to start sharing these videos. My family on the east coast really enjoy watching them, and I think they will be fun to look back on one day. Husband makes all my thumbnails, he is way more creative and goofy then I am.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Bit of a mule update. A week or so ago Yuma came in with a bad gash on her muzzle, in between her lip and her nostril. Upon further inspection it really looks like a bite and pull. It is superficial but very ugly. I have a strong suspicion it was from Sedona biting and playing. I've seen him grab other horses by the cheek and bite, it's not hard to imagine that's what he did to Yuma. I let it go for awhile but then yesterday husband and I walked out to check on the horses (it is very cold here, dropping to almost -40C at night) we found Tiger, our 1.5 year old QH filly with an injury on her cheek very much like Yuma's, but larger. He must have really grabbed hold of her and pulled. Again very gory but superficial.

Yuma and Tiger are both very sweet, gentle and affectionate fillies, it's very hard to see them hurt. I don't think the herd is teaching Sedona manners at all. I know I've mentioned before that he will play with any horse, regardless of age or size. I see some of the three year olds play with the older geldings, but the weanlings and yearlings kind of tend to stick to horses more their size. 

Husband and I agreed to finally wean Sedona (he is six months old now). It is a very gentle weaning, he is in the gelding pasture which shares a small section of wooden fencing with the big herd. Jack lives in there with two geldings that belong to boarders. Jack runs a tight ship so I'm hopeful that he will teach the little jack @$$ some lessons. I was worried that Jack would be too rough on him, but the big red gelding has actually ADOPTED the little brat. At least this way though, if the injuries continue or not, it will clear our little mule's name, or incriminate him. LOL. 

I have read that john mules can be a lot more of trouble in the pasture, while mollly mules are easier to keep in the herd. I would love to hear anyone's thoughts or experiences about this. I am in uncharted territory at the moment. 

Before the weather turned I managed to get one great ride in on Magnus. He is rocking his winter beer belly with no shame (and hey, he was starved for most of his life so he's earned his dad bod!). I think his mane is getting longer too. I don't really put a lot of work into it, but I have trained it to one side. It used to split down the middle, which was fine, I groomed and braided it like that. But then all the hair down the middle of his mane fell out (this was two summers ago) so he had a bald strip from poll to wither. That's when I decided to train it to one side and avoid bald spots. Now if some of it wants to flip over, I just put small braids in to train it to the majority side. It's a lot less work and seems to be paying off. I love his mane.

This is Tiger Lilly, my yearling QH filly before she was mauled (potentially) by Sedona.









This is Sawyer, he's four years old and just a sweetheart. He's part of our forever herd.









Same day as the picture above, husband is on Della and Sniper is in the orange vest.


















This one doesn't need an introduction. 










This is Della, during my second ride out on her. 









Jack!









This was December 4th I think, very cold day. Sawyer, Magnus and Tiberius.









And if anyone is interested in seeing part of my ride with Magnus, here is the link.


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## MajorSealstheDeal (Jan 4, 2011)

Merry Christmas!!

I finally got around to putting the footage together of two of the CTR's we attended this year. Thanks to my riding buddy A for actually riding with a Go Pro and letting me use the footage. The Writing-On-Stone video is the ride where I ended up underneath Freda, of course none of that is in the video, but if you've read my journal, you'll know the real reason why I was happy to be alive at the end of THAT ride. LOL.


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