hmm well - ROAD trip =]

[jlbackcountry]

I have the latest pictures of Razz. He's still skinny and needs to put on weight, but I'm working towards that. His hindquarters and hips are FINALLY filling in. The first ( fuzzy ) picture is of him and his pasture mate. When they first got him - the second one was a while after they had him, not sure how long. The third, fourth, and fifth ones are the ones I took just a couple of days ago. His hooves should be done this weekend ( if my farrier decides not to be an as* ) and his teeth will be done if I don't place* him somewhere.

*I don't know - I'm kind of on the fence about it. I mean, I want another horse - absolutely preferably one 2 - 5 years old now whom I'll be able to do lots of things with, not just showmanship and pleasure and whatnot. Razz is slow and lazy, but I don't know if he's the show type. I took him down to our neighbors a week or so ago to "lunge" him, but when I got there I just let him graze .. really I wanted to see if he'd go down there without a fuss. And guess what? He did OK for his first time being on a highway. Not a major one, but cars drove past him and he didn't mind. He also heard the backhoe scraping against the road ( they're "fixing" the road ) and he looks and goes on about his business. I was quite proud of him, as a matter of fact. I let him eat some of their grass down in their roundpen and I brought him back home. I haven't been doing anything with him - I just let him go hoping that he'd put on a bit more weight if I just left him alone and I haven't felt like doing anything anyway. He sped up a bit and kinda pulled on me, but I kept correcting him. I think that may be the side affect of the grain. It doesn't have much sugar in it, but it still has sugar.

I slapped the saddle up on him the other day and it fits him better, now, so I know he's putting on more weight. LONG road .. I just don't know if he's my 4-H / FFA horse and I want to do a little bit of everything ( Western, English, Contesting ) especially contesting. Barrels and stuff .. he has speed if I ask for it. LOL I don't know that I'm going to be able to find a home for him and if I'm not I'll try him on barrels just to see what he can do. I told Dad I was just going to keep him and use him as my FFA / 4-H horse, but again with the show thing. I'm not sure ... if I could put the time into him and I have awesomely helpful 4-H advisors I think I could get him ready. It's just a matter of OH! WHAT GAIT IS HE GOING TO DO NOW?! I videoed him and my dad ( my dad's a beginner ) and he just happily plodded around for him. Then he took it up a notch. I figured - he's doing the Indian shuffle .. that's not very smooth.

I play back the video and I pause it periodically ( because the video's crappy ) and GUESS WHAT?!! HE PACES! Like a Standardbred - left side, right side - and I wondered why in the heck it was so rough. Then I paused it again and ( this was almost RIGHT after I seen the Pace ) and he had the diagonals matching up. So I dunno what the HECK he does. Have no idea .. if I could still frame it, I'd post it, but I don't think that I can. And YouTube is not my internet's friend. I know he can trot .. it's just a matter of coaxing it out of him and finding a specific cue to get there .. and I need a defined cue for the walk and canter too. Go figure .. Walk, Pace ( or whatever ), CANTER. He canters .... I just can't get over it. I giggle at that because my farrier said I wasn't ever going to get him out of a walk.

Now .. you know better than to tell me that I can't do something when it comes to my horse. I love how he's proved people wrong .. including me. XD

I need opinions, yeah. =D