# Please Critiqe (video)



## vikki92 (Dec 18, 2010)

This is Me & my 2yr old, draftcross (Gabreilla) This is only my 4th time riding her, so please excuse my riding, i havnt got the feel of her yet. but i would love some comments on her movemovet and overall confo. and on me also. im up for any advice/comments! im all ears, or in this case eyes lol



 
THANK YOU!! 
Ps. she is in trianing.


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## IndiesaurusRex (Feb 23, 2011)

Not to sound bitchy, but if it was me I wouldn't be riding her yet. Maybe putting tack on and just starting her, but if you get up and on them to early, you can open them up to a whole world of joint/skeletal problems.
I didn't want to sound like I'm judging you or anything - at the end of the day it's your horse and your choice


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

It's my personal opinion that you shouldn't be riding a 2 yr old either, and I don't think I'd be too keen to have spurs on her either. 

However if you do chose to keep working her, she looks like a sweet girl and you look tense.


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## gbhollywoodgrip (Jun 2, 2010)

I broke my QH gelding at 2yo and he is fine. I dont ride him very hard but he is in work and will start his show season in a few months. I have no problem breaking in a horse at a young age if they look like your horse.

Regarding your riding, your horse is very sweet and is listening to you. I would just give her more rein. It looks like you hold on to her mouth for balance, maybe put a monkey strap if that helps.
I would also do a lot of suppling excercice, really bend her neck until she gives at the halt, then walk, then jog and later on a the lope. make sure to reward every little effort by throwing her the reins.

Keep up the good work, she is a sweet mare and you'll have fun with her.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Wow, I see things quite differently than Hollywood.
I see a very young horse that is going along pretty nicely but I would not say that you have a strong connection yet. She is kind of moving with you but also choosing her own way to go. And you, good rider that you are, are going with her nicely. I appreciate that you do go with her. Like when she started a canter. It looked like it started as a spook and you just wentwith her, she kind of fell into the circle and you didn't try to modify that. This is normal for a very young horse ( I , Too, do not believe in riding horses that young). She doesn't have the balance under rider to canter you yet. 

the thing that worries methe tiniest bit is that since you really don't have a solid connection with her, she could "leave" you at any minute. For this reason, I would wear a helmet while riding such a green horse, AND ditch the spurs. 

She looks like she will be a really nice riding partner and you have fundamentally very good riding skills.


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## thealabamaredhead (Aug 16, 2010)

I agree she is kinda young. also, spurs are like a shortcut, the horses should learn to move off slight ques not pain. beautiful horse though.


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## gbhollywoodgrip (Jun 2, 2010)

The following link is a 2 yo QH (turning 3yo in august 2011) five weeks under saddle. Look how soft he is in the mouth.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Hollywood, that's some good training on that horse! He looks better than most 10yo WP horses I see!

OP, you have a nice horse, and it's your personal opinion on when to start him, but I personally don't think he should be ridden at a canter yet. Just very short walking trotting, very short sessons, then reward him and put him away.


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## xXEventerXx (Nov 27, 2010)

I have my 3 year old paint and i sat on her a few times but we did nothing crazy. Im not sending her away for training until she is 4. horses are still growing and i wouldnt want to affect anything and make her lame !


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## vikki92 (Dec 18, 2010)

I was thought & brought up, when they turn 2yrs, you can start riding him/her. i do agree not to start cantering her. i am gonna just do the basics get her use to everything! I wanna when she gets older teach her to jump! my dad & the rest of my family want to teach her roping! ( I personaly dont want her to) i used the spurs becasue she woundt go at all when i got on her lol! so my father (who is a westren rider told me to put them on) but im gonna ditch them now! 
@hollywood, yes i agree, one of my bad habits is putting my weight in the rains, one of the things im working on 
thanks for all the great advice. do yall know anyways i can get her moving with out spurs or a crop? @tinyliny thankyou!  and on the helmet topic, im a daredevil, but i do ware one when i jump! (on my other horse)

@hollywood again. you have a great lookin horse!


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## BeauReba (Jul 2, 2008)

IMO 2 years is young. Larger horses (warmbloods and drafts especially) require a longer time to mature. Why would you bother risking longterm injuries? I'm sure there are many other things (showmanship, ground manners, loading, patience, etc.) you can teach her in the meantime.


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## vikki92 (Dec 18, 2010)

BeauReba said:


> IMO 2 years is young. Larger horses (warmbloods and drafts especially) require a longer time to mature. Why would you bother risking longterm injuries? I'm sure there are many other things (showmanship, ground manners, loading, patience, etc.) you can teach her in the meantime.


my qh/belguim, i started riding when he was 2yrs & hes almost 6 yrs now & he is just fine (healthy, fat & sassy) 

I really dont plan on showing her. i just plan on jumpin for fun @ home & trial riding. and probably most likly drive cattle. and right now all i really do with her is ride for about 30mins ever other day. just around the field. not like i drive her super hard till shes about to die! when i ride she dont even break a sweat (mostly)


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## Yoshi (Feb 6, 2011)

She looks very sweet, but please please consider giving her another year to grow up in her head and mature physically. You don't want to blow her brains!!

I'll bet that with the work you've already put in, if you were to turn her away for a year, she'd be amazing!


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## vikki92 (Dec 18, 2010)

Yoshi said:


> She looks very sweet, but please please consider giving her another year to grow up in her head and mature physically. You don't want to blow her brains!!
> 
> I'll bet that with the work you've already put in, if you were to turn her away for a year, she'd be amazing!


I will consider waiting! Im also considering to have a vet check, i have to have the vet out anyways in a couple of days for shots in all. so i may ask him to look her over & see what he thinks. 
And i really dont think it will blow her brains just to learn to walk around and get use to havin someone on her. but thats me thinking.


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## gbhollywoodgrip (Jun 2, 2010)

Qh are nearly all broking in as they turn 2 and start competing at 3yo. And keep competing for a very long time. At top level (WEG) most , if not all were broken in as 2yo and seem to be doing fine.

QH mature very quickly. I would prefer buying a horse thats been broken in at 2yo and did some light riding than one thats 5yo and been seating in a paddock because it was immature.

My gelding has been on trail rides a few times, and i ride him for 30min 5 times a week. i plan on keeping him for a long time.


I do agree on not riding a young horse with gaps in his knees tho.

Have fun with your horse, she seem mature enough and certainly big enough. 

ps: the video is not of me, its of a trainer of bred my gelding. The black colt is pleasure bred


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## vikki92 (Dec 18, 2010)

gbhollywoodgrip said:


> Qh are nearly all broking in as they turn 2 and start competing at 3yo. And keep competing for a very long time. At top level (WEG) most , if not all were broken in as 2yo and seem to be doing fine.
> 
> QH mature very quickly. I would prefer buying a horse thats been broken in at 2yo and did some light riding than one thats 5yo and been seating in a paddock because it was immature.
> 
> ...


Thank you! yeah she is a big girl shes about 15 hh. probably weighs a lot too lol, her mother is a haflinger & her father a qh/beaguim.


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## sixlets (May 1, 2009)

She is a bit young to be started already to me, but everyone has their own opinions, but I do worry about the small circles you're doing with her. For smaller circles the horse should have a well developed back, and since she is just starting she doesn't have that yet. She does seem very sane for her age, she seems like such a sweetheart! For you to work on, I would say that at the trot and canter you are a bit behind the verticle, which could be hard on her back posting, and it makes it more work for you. Your hands move it a bit much, quiet hands are probably the most important thing to remember when riding a young horse. I would try to refrain from jerking your hand out and down to bend, just a gentle opening of the rein and show her with your hips where you want her to go. For Gabby, her walk is nice and forward, but at the trot she gets either tentative or too racy, but that should get better as she becomes more comfortable under saddle. Her front legs seem straight, but it's hard to tell without still shots, but her back legs seem a bit cow-hocked, but, again, it's hard to tell without a still shot. All in all, she is a pretty, nicely muscled girl! You too will have a fun time growing, and having fun together


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## vikki92 (Dec 18, 2010)

sixlets said:


> She is a bit young to be started already to me, but everyone has their own opinions, but I do worry about the small circles you're doing with her. For smaller circles the horse should have a well developed back, and since she is just starting she doesn't have that yet. She does seem very sane for her age, she seems like such a sweetheart! For you to work on, I would say that at the trot and canter you are a bit behind the verticle, which could be hard on her back posting, and it makes it more work for you. Your hands move it a bit much, quiet hands are probably the most important thing to remember when riding a young horse. I would try to refrain from jerking your hand out and down to bend, just a gentle opening of the rein and show her with your hips where you want her to go. For Gabby, her walk is nice and forward, but at the trot she gets either tentative or too racy, but that should get better as she becomes more comfortable under saddle. Her front legs seem straight, but it's hard to tell without still shots, but her back legs seem a bit cow-hocked, but, again, it's hard to tell without a still shot. All in all, she is a pretty, nicely muscled girl! You too will have a fun time growing, and having fun together


 Thank you for all the great advice, i know im pretty lazy when it comes to the right movements, i havnt rode proper "English" in awhile, i ride with the saddle, just not "english" im tryin to pick back up all i learned in my 2yrs in jumping lessons, but its hard, when i dont have a trainer to yell at me lol! 
Thank you again, im workin harder on myself then i am her lol!


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

Look at all that space... and all that grass!! can i just trailer the 3000 miles to your place and ride around in all that open air!??? wow. very lucky!


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## vikki92 (Dec 18, 2010)

Oxer said:


> Look at all that space... and all that grass!! can i just trailer the 3000 miles to your place and ride around in all that open air!??? wow. very lucky!


yeah sure come on over! im always open for riding buddies lol! yeah we have about 150 acrs. plus some dirt road & another field across from us, so i alwasy cut threw the woods over the dirt road to the other field lol! 

and Thank you!


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## vikki92 (Dec 18, 2010)

Here are a couple of pictures of her from the other day.


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

wow she's super light. what color is she considered??


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## vikki92 (Dec 18, 2010)

Oxer said:


> wow she's super light. what color is she considered??


I consider her a palomino. ( a light palomino)


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