C. Taylor Run

Schooling Notes from Kristen Hassen, trainer

May 22, 2010

In the current period of training, Taylor has been taught to walk/trot/canter on a long rein and with contact and has learned to trot over poles and to jump small cross rails. She has
never offered to buck, bolt, or rear, and has never seriously spooked at anything I've presented to her. She has been exposed to nearby traffic (motorcycles, cars, and trucks), to being ridden in close quarters with other under saddle horses, to dogs, cats, being ridden in an indoor arena, and to  various other stimuli. She has been mounted from the ground and from a mounting block.
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I have used anti-grazing reins on her twice in the course  of training in order to prevent her from rooting at the bit (a bad habit left over from her racing days). She responded well to the grazing reins and they can be used in the future if she continues to root/dig at the bit. She has been ridden in a loose-ring and d-ring snaffle, and no other external  devices  martingales, etc) have been used or are deemed necessary.  

 

Future work: Taylor needs to develop a better whoa, which will take time and patience. When she feels threatened, unsafe, or unhappy, or uncertain, Taylor tends to canter/gallop forward. As the trainer, I have not tried to curb this behavior by pulling but have merely tried to show Taylor that it is less work to go around at a slow trot than to gallop around. I just sit and wait for her to decide to slow down. It is important for prospective owner to know that Taylor has never accelerated her pace and that I can effectively slow her down by circling her on a loose rein. However, if an underconfident rider were to panic and begin to pull on the reins and lean forward, I believe that Taylor would increase her pace and this could result in a dangerous situation.
 
It is my opinion that Taylor needs to be ridden by a confident, calm, assertive rider. She would do well with a teenager. Taylor could be competitive in Hunt Seat Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle, and English Pleasure and as she enjoys jumping, could be jumped up to 2'6".
 
Taylor needs to wear protective boots on her legs for all ridden work, as she tends to interfere and her legs are very sensitive to injury and bruising. She also has sensitive skin and should be groomed regularly and carefully by her new owner.
 
Taylor needs to be ridden four to five times per week for 20 minute to ½ hour intervals. 1 hour is TOO LONG of time for this horse to be worked at this time. She is not mentally nor physically in shape just yet to be worked for hour long periods

 
I have not ridden Taylor outside of an arena during this training period, although I  strongly suggest that she is worked under a variety of conditions in different settings.
 
Taylor is toed-in on both front legs, but with careful shoeing and trimming on her front feet, Taylor should stay sound for a long long time.