TRAINING EVALUATION

RIDER UP

18- Shys ( 3-7 )

A skilled showman can make a horse's fear of, say, a mirror on a car, a 1acket hung on a fence, strange voices, work to his advantage in executing a spectacular turn, or a backing movement. Ask to see a fancy manuever performed in different locations, or try it yourself.

It is a rare horse that isn't afraid of something, somewhere. A seller who knows his horse, and who is honest, will warn what to watch for.

19- Stumbles ( 5-10 ) [27,35,36,50,51,55,57,68,78,80]

The opposite of surefootedness. This could be the result of faulty shoeing, but most likely poor conformation, or an unsoundness. Check the cross-reference numbers.

As an ideal, I consider a mountain mustang worthy of his keep if he can travel many miles all day at a walk, trot, or a lope along the narrowest of broken, rough, winding trails, without stumbling more than a couple times.

20- Unstable ride ( 5-10 ) [28,29,30,31,32,33]

This isn't an impossible determination to make. An experienced rider, without looking, can describe a horse's conformation by the seat of his pants. For example, a mount that stands toes pointing in feels top-heavy when made to turn in a circle at a run

This feeling — close your eyes for a second to accent it — definitely is a valid reason not to buy a horse, as the problem is caused by poor conformation, which could result in an unsoundness.

However, there are a few "if's" to consider. It is possible, if you learned to ride on a horse that lugs along in low gear, thumps like he has a flat tire, and steers like a truck — and that is what you are familiar with — then a super smooth, power assisted, delux hydromatic fluid drive ride, might at first seem strange.

21- Stiff Rlde ( 5-10 ) [8,40,41]

Also, it is not fair to call a horse a "rough" rider if the passenger aboard can't sit a trot without being bounced all over the saddle.

And finally, young horses in training will sometimes travel a lope, or a run, with his Leads Disunited. This means that the pattern of how the forefeet are being set down on the ground (either left first, or the opposite for a Right Lead) isn't the same as the hinds. It rides as rough as this last sentence reads.

If a seller keeps bringing up the term Leads, as in Flying Change Of, and you are curious if he knows what he is talking about, ask him to explain what a Disunited Lead is more clearly.

22- Stops on front legs ( 3-7 ) [72,73]

A horse that has learned to stop balancing on his front legs instead of squatting down on the hinds (very obvious if you keep this description in mind and watch for it coming out of a lope), will always be rough to ride, hard to stop, and prone to lameness. Beginners can be trained out of the habit, old-timers can't.