riding the rescue paso

[Cam]

Ok..I've had this boy for a couple of months now. He is the sweetest little guy to be around and handle, but riding is another story. I'd so like to find out what his background is. (I've emailed PFHA twice trying to determine if he is Crooked Creek Bo Jangles but no response)
He tends to be evasive for mounting, but with a little work I can get him to stand. He is fine if I just lie over his back, but once I get seated, he tends to explode into action. If I mount up next to the barn his tactic is to try to scrape me off against the side of the barn. I now mount down away from the building. His other trick is to slam his head down to try to rip the reins out of my hands. The vet doesn't think he has any major back pain issues. He does have white spots where a saddle would go so may have a history of saddle sores. I wonder if he's a little arthritic in the rear. He seems stiff to me, but maybe its just that he's got a tighter gait than what I'm used to. I just don't know what I should do with him. I am using a jaquima and just riding bareback for now..and just for a few minutes at a time. I did talk to an equine massage therapist who is supposed to be coming by to assess him. Trying to give him the benefit of doubt..physical vs attitude. I guess time will tell.

[CarolU]

The massage therapist or a chiropractor is probably the best place to start, take care of any pain that may be an issue. His rear could well be his gait. My shorter strided horses "walk funny" according to non-Paso people who watch them. One suggested I call the vet. LOL

If he has saddle sores, he may also have a history of the person using the saddle to pull him/herself up onto the horse. I've seen this with other horses who don't stand for mounting. That hurts their withers. You can teach him to stand next to a mounting block and use it so to eliminate that pain issue. When you finally do use a saddle make sure you get up without pulling yourself up by your arms.

As for trying to jerk the reins away, just set your hands and let him jerk against them. He'll figure out he's doing it to himself and stop. If you are riding on a casual rein, he may actually be asking for contact. I've found this with horses that are used to contact, pulling towards the bit or headstall to find the contact. Try it both ways and see what works. It's hard to break them of contact, but can be done.

Good luck. Got any current pictures??

[motorgypsy]

Agree with Carol on this.

I'm surprised PFHA didn't give you the former owner.

You might try running your finger, fingernail side down, using the back of your hand, down each side of his spine. The ones with a "cold back" will twitch all up and down when you do this. Put fairly firm pressure as you run the finger from the withers to the butt. If he does twitch, start massaging ing the back on both sides before you get on and keep massaging until he no longer twitches when you run the finger. If there is no twitching at all, try it a few more times, then try some fairly deep massing of all the main muscles using a bread dough type massage. Again, if there is pain the horse will respond. If there isn't - it will just stand there.

One thing about riding bareback is that you have already eliminated one possible pain source. But remember that bareback puts more pressure on a smaller area so it is NOT intrinsically more comfortable for the horse than we properly fitted and shaped saddle. And western saddles cover more surface area than English so exert less pressure IF well fitted. The short barrel saddle are the most likely to fit our guys.

The easiest way to tell if the stride is from training is to watch the horse run around in a pasture or paddock. The naturally short strided will fino and take short steps at liberty also even though many can extend if asked. If this horse doesn't "walk funny" and take short strides at liberty, the stride is from training. Non paso fino people call the gait "walking funny" but the walk should be normal at liberty. He's probably doing a collected walk which looks kind of fancy and needs to learn a flat walk.

13 2 with huge stride

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v99/motorgypsy/IMG_1429a.jpg

14 3 naturally very short stride and no largo

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v99/motorgypsy/beegee1.jpg

14 hand medium long stride but will collect up when asked to

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v99/motorgypsy/IM000135.jpg

14 hands with HUGE stride

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v99/motorgypsy/IMG_0370a.jpg

13 2 naturally short stride and will fino at liberty but has a nice largo and can extend when asked

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v99/motorgypsy/CRW_7649.jpg

So I hope this helps with the gait thing and is he a natural fino or just trained to jazz it up and collect when ridden. All of these guys flat walk normally with the exception of the first mare. She is hyperflexy and naturally high strung and her walk is always "prissy" and fancy.

[Red Ryder]

There is no horse registered with PFHA named Crooked Creek Bo Jangles.

There is however a "10314 Crooked Creek's Bo Jangle" foaled 05-28-1986 registered to Aurliee Crimmins that is no longer a member and belonged to the Northeast Region. PFHA might give you her last known phone number. She only has 1 horse registered to her [???]

By giving PFHA only the guestimated name of a horse there's no way they can tell you if that is the right horse without you spending some big bucks on DNA. And even then your horse and his parents may have never had DNA so the PFHA's hands are tied. I'm sure you understand if PFHA spent the research hours on all requests simular to yours they would have to hire extra staff and charge gizillion $$$$
for the research. And still you might not be able to determine what you are looking for.

If your horse is in fact Crooked Creek's Bo Jangle he"s is pure PR and is bay.

Other than give you the pedigree for Crooked Creek's Bo Jangle this is all the help I can give you.

[motorgypsy]

Yup - it's Crooked Creek Bo Jangle, not Bo Jangles so he's 22 years old. Check out his knees. He may be a bit arthritic. Some are, some aren't at that age but it's not uncommon and if so you'll want to get him on some supplements and keep him out all the time so he keeps moving. Depends on how bad arthritis is whether they are ridable. Our 25 year old stumbles because of it so we don't ride her. If he doesn't stumble or limp or have lump knees he may be fine. Does he do OK when you bend his legs up to trim hooves? If he fights that he probably is ouchy. We have to trim our girl's front legs pulled out in front of her to avoid bending those knees.

[Cam]

Thanks for the answers and tips. And Hollis THANK YOU..that's what I was looking for. I emailed the name and the registration number asking who the last registered owner was and requested the town/state of residence. The name helps. The owner of my rescue supposedly has passed away and her daughter surrendered the horse to the rescue where I found him. But I'm thinking someone else..vet, farrier, etc would know something if I could identify the horse and exactly where he came from last.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a163/Camigo/ahorses013.jpg

this is a link to the only pic I have uploaded so far. (dialup) His back legs always kind of stay close together. And yes..he seems to walk funny, but then again he walks around with a TWH who overstrides. They make a cute couple.

[CarolU]

What a pretty boy (or old man?). He looks a lot like Diablo.

Good luck with him. He may indeed have arthritis. Maybe some joint formula in his feed.

Glad you have a new friend.

[Red Ryder]

Cam, could you email me several more pictures?? Standing still, moving etc.

I think from this one picture your horse may have severe problems in his rear end and it's a defensive
thing about not standing for you to mount. I would guess again from the picture that having weight on his back
puts him in severe pain.

I think a total check up by a vet is in order.

[SandyMM]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a163/Camigo/ahorses013.jpg
What I noticed was the 'tucked' butt and the big difference in the movement/reach of the front end vs. the back end... Part could just be angle, but I think a thorough vet check is in order also....

[Linda Y]

I looked up his pedigree on Paso Registry. I knew both his mother and grandmother. Chiquita Colorado was a pretty bay roan, and La Chismosa Z was a tiny strawberry roan. Chizzy (Chismosa) had the most beautiful face and huge eyes. Incredible gait. She was only about 13-13.2. Chiquita was bigger, but very refined and also a nice gait.
This horse looks like his sire's side.
He is doing about the same thing in the rear that my Cita does. She is very sore all the time...I don't know the cause. But look at your horse...see that line on his belly? That is a mark of him hurting.

[motorgypsy]

AWW he's so sweet looking.

The line can also be a heave line from allergies though and some horses who show no pain at all have one. But it is worth getting him checked out. He looks a bit sickle hocked in the rear which, while not something you want in breeding stock, is not uncommon. The "close in the rear" is actually something a major Colombian breeder told me was desirable. Horse close in front and rear can really negotiate tight trails though whether it's desirable or not. Just take it slow and make sure his reactions aren't pain issues. Try a mounting block or be sure someone hold the opposite stirrup. Paso finos can be really stoic and not let you know how much they hurt when they have serious issues.

[Cam]

Well, I tracked down the Crimmin's, the last registered owners of Crooked Creek Bo Jangle. The horse I have is not him. Bo died a few years ago. So...back to square 1.

[motorgypsy]

Have you looked at his teeth to bet a better idea of his age? Did you say where you got him - who had him before you got him. His age will help though. He doesn't look 22 but then many 22 year olds don't so I'm not surprised he isn't BO

Many paso finos are antsy about mounting so it may not be pain - just may never have been taught to stand still. We rode a hundred or more I think when we first paso fino shopped and our first criteria was that they had to stand for mounting. We eliminated about half just for failing to do that. So that tells you how common this problem is in our breed.

[Cam]

Vet says teeth put him @ or around 20. Rescue told me he is 18. I will check back with them to see if they have a record of anybody's name in connection with him. The info they (the husband) gave me was very sketchy. The wife seemed a little more with the program but she wasn't there the next 2 times I went out. Actually, shortly after I adopted the paso, the husband took off for points north and abandoned the wife and farm. Rumor has it the rescue will close when all the current horses have been moved.