Omg omg so excited!

[NovelNerd]

I know I posted about her before but made friends with someone that owns Nevada's half brother. We chat on and off pretty often and she intends to go to the world Clyde show with Nevada's brother in 2018 and wants me to go with her and bring Nevada to show. I just about died earlier as I'm just an old barrel racer and know nothing about formal showing like this, but I was over the moon. It's the biggest show for clydes in the U.S. And will have tons of the top breeders from all over. I don't know even if we work our butts off if we have s chance to place since st her age she would do halter and while lovely she has some conformation flaws. I'm so excited though and told her that if she is serious I'm more than willing to get my butt in gear and train. Can you imagine? My girl at such a big show, to even go would be amazing seeing all those beautiful clydesdales.

[cloud_weaver]

Sweets that's awesome!!!  Keep us posted!

Can I see pictures of Nevada? Haven't seen her since she was tiny.

[melodys_angel]

That's quite the opportunity! 

Sounds scary but fun

[mlp4me]

That's awesome!!

[Tak]

Omg I'm excited, too! That sounds awesome!

[SnorkMaiden]

That's really exciting. I hope you'll do well in the show. And I'd also like to see some new pics of her if you've got any to hand. Clydesdales are such beautiful horses.

[Tulips]

What exciting news, good luck to you both! I love Clydesdales, I've never seen one in the flesh but they look so handsome and powerful in photographs. 

[Skeen]

Yes, MOAR PICTURES.    That's so exciting! 

[NovelNerd]

Thanks all of you

My friend sent me the class list last night so I'm bookmarking stuff and videos to watch or precious competitions to see what is doable for us. My friend plans to have Nevada's brother lightly under saddle and do some of the walk trot ect work. I think by that time Nevada will still be very green broke as Clydes and large drafts don't fully mature till around six, so I'm not sure we will be ready for anything riding related. I bet we can do halter though and they have a fun costume contest so unicorn time!

I'll just have to look and see and determine how much Nevada progresses. We are going to start our round pen work during Christmas (most people I know don't ride and work a lot during this time of year but clydes prefer the cold so it's really better for her just not me). I'm debating making a little blog just because I like to motivate myself through keeping a lot of progress.

I've actually posted several new pictures of her on the pet link in my sig. the newer will be on bottom and of course I always have tons of pics on my Facebook.

[Mainsail]

That sounds amazing!! I bet it's a fun show, too! Good luck to you guys!

[Stormness_1]

Your girl is gorgeous! I love thicker horses, so clydie crosses are on my faves lists as well, as are all draft breeds, and OTT standie rescues.. That clydie show sounds like so much fun, inside and outside of the ring! I know at the shows I've done, costumed can be done in halter or under saddle, or even leadline, so there's lots of options for everyone - it's the most fun class in all, so make sure to get in on that action if you go! Lead classes can be serious fun too at the right show. We usually go out there and have fun, regardless of what anyone says! I used to do led classes with my MIL's mini stallion, but he was attacked by feral dogs a few years back and is a little less than entire now unfortunately, but he's a favourite at kids parties, and visits the patients at the hospital sometimes, too!

My advice would be to work on her muscle, especially her topline if do decide to take her along, but it'll help her as well when you do decide she's ready for her first ride. Lots of lunge work, maybe throw some trot poles and small jumps in to make her focus on the work, and change it up a bit. They bore so easily when they're young, and it can really start the bad habits if they get sick of doing the same thing and act out. Don't push her too much though, she's just a baby physically and mentally, but if she's eating it up - let her have a bit more. I've had a couple of ponies I started working with young just to set groundwork and handling, but they loved it so much I had saddles on them within weeks and then just turned them out for a few years after being pretty much broken in - just re-aquainted them with the gear pretty quickly and got on them weeks later after coming back in. You just never know how they're going to take to it!

If it were me I'd have her mouthed, even if by that point you haven't got around to actually saddling her yet - there's nothing worse on their first show day to have them completely freak out - I like to have a bridle or bitted halter in the float just in case you need it on the day for a little extra control - she already looks like a strong girl, and those hooves! But if you don't plan on mouthing at all, that's fine too. Everyone rides/trains differently, I ride my 'old faithful' everyday horse around the place in halters or neck ropes most of the time!

At any rate, you have lots of time to decide what you want from her, but it sounds like you're on track to me, videos are a great way to see how other people do things. Learn what you can, but remember that you don't have to agree with everything you see, some training methods may not be for you, or they may not fit with Nevada. Everyone and every horse is different, there's no real 'right' way. My stepdad did things the 'old' way his whole life. I took the ways he did certain things, and the way the horses reacted, looked at some other methods, and came up with my own approach, which I adapt depending on how the horse responds to it. He often had 'bad horses', but I think they just didn't fit with his breaking style. There's a reason my childhood ponies were all alphas - Our home paddock where the riding horses were kept was a war zone much of the time!

If any of that sounded preachy, I apologize, I'm passionate about horses, and I'm preggers so with all the hormones and baby brain things haven't exactly been coming out right of late (I've deleted so many posts that ended up sounding a bit aggressive) so feel free to tell me to get right out of your thread, haha. I hope to see lots of pics of Nevada working out once you get your round yard sorted, because the best thing about free-lunging is that it's a great op to take pics and videos!

[NovelNerd]

Oh no Stormy don't feel bad at all! I get it, lol growing up on the farm my dad bred paints and when I was old enough I was in charge of  my them before he sold them. Most he sold by the time I had them old enough to work in the round pen and we were working with the saddle. The few I did ride myself first went interesting.  It's just been a while since I've trained one so I'm rusty. My friend has recommended a few professionals that do riding clydes to speak with and I thought I might check out Parelli's stuff since he always has positive reactions mostly.

The biggest things I've done with her are fear things, like tarps and fun noodles and puddles and other scary things like bags that "might eat her". I've been desensitizing her with those.  My farrier is actually supposed to come by and help me when I get started with the round pen since I'm so rusty and could use any help possible. It's been so long! And drafts are so different!

From what I can gather she can do about twenty minute sessions not everyday since drafts grow so slowly and differently too much strain would be terrible. I do plan to have her working under saddle in the round pen and have her do her thirty days of riding (someone else will do it first not me as I'm just too old and fat to do that part anymore), but I don't think she will be saddle ready for the actual show. Maybe 2018! I'm not going to push her too hard.

A big concern I do have is I believe shoes go on them before they show and to my knowledge scotch bottoms are traditional. However, I would only put shoes on her if around the show area there is gravel ect I need to worry about; otherwise she is going barefoot and especially no scotch bottoms. I'll have to ask my friend how badly that will hurt. Nevada has a slight clubbed foot(one of her confirmation issues), and I refuse to place anything on her like that just for show that might damage her tender hoof. Her farrier is great about coming by weekly to check as to be honest she might end up with a shoes early if he or the vet feels it's necessary to help that hoof.

I'm soooo super picky when it comes to my horse. I'm one of those paranoid perfectionist horse mommas. lol, right now ground obstacles would be hard as she is still getting her legs. She is super clumsy but I know she will grow out of it and hopefully ground work will help. I'm having. To hunt down more panels as a draft round pen has to be a bit larger.

Post Merge: December 15, 2016, 04:57:55 PM

I just saw from the class list they do barrel racing and pole bending! Nevada is way young but future goals. That's something I do know,minus being majorly rusty