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I thought I would share what all is happening with Frodo’s progess and post the notes the trainer sends to me. I’m going to go back to the begining so you all can share in the progress 😀
When I contacted this trainer, I was super nervous of what she would think of Frodo. She’s also a Certified Welsh Judge, so if she didn’t take him, it would be like a judge saying your stallion isn’t good enough. It’s super hard to find Welsh trainers who will take stallions as they will only take one or two stallions, but will take as many mares and geldings as they can handle. Anyway here was her response…
Hello Andrea:
Hello and thank you for contacting me. I have been handling stallions for a very long time, and it all boils down to training and getting him to concentrate on what he is doing instead of on other ponies. This just takes a lot of work, and he is young. I am not into abusing them for dropping, it just doesn’t work. Of course right now it is spring time and all of their hormones are up at this time of year. I noticed you have him in with other horses. How does he treat them? Your stallion is a very cute little guy. By the photos he looks pretty nice. I would have to see him ‘in person’ though to give you a better evaluation of him.
Please don’t take these next questions the wrong way, but they will help me to understand some of your needs too. As you have not told me what you are using him for; why do you need a stallion? Do you have a breeding program for him? Have you bred him yet? What are your future goals for him?
I would like to know his registered name and at least his sire and dam if you don’t mind. Also where do you live as I would prefer to come out to look at him in person before I agree to take him (if you are not too far away!) You see my 80-yr old (non-horse-person) Dad has to care for him in the mornings (and some weekends), and I would work him and clean his corral in the afternoons. My Dad is not too keen on taking in stallions. But since you say he is not mean or rank, I will agree to look at him.
I would have to put him in a 12′ x 48′ corral with a shelter and under trees. I charge $XXX per month which includes cleaning, alfalfa hay and/or bermuda grass hay, and a lunch. His lunch could be your choice of our own bran and A&M mix, or something else you wish him to have. I would work him 4-6x per week, depending on him. (Normally I charge $XXX per month for mares & geldings, but since stallions have different needs and challenges, I charge more for them.)
The first month would be a trial evaluation month, then I would let you know more about his progress and if I still wanted to keep him to continue his training (and if my Dad feels comfortable with him). We could discuss show fees later once I have evaluated him.
Again, thank you for contacting me, and I really would like to know who he is, and if you are a member of any Welsh clubs. Have I met you before?
Sent her more pictures. She wanted to see him better.
Andrea:
I saw the photos and vids, gosh there sure are a lot of them – that gave me a real good idea, thanks. Yes, he needs to work off of his hind more, and the neck thing is common in Welsh stallions. They can get heavy necks, and appear heavy fronted. So what I do in that case is when he is working to have a sweat wrap on his neck to help shrink it down while working him. Once he is working under saddle then that will come down and his rear will build up, and all will balance.
It seems that you have him pretty well voice trained already, he stops real nice when you say whoa!
~Jane
Victory! She’ll take him!
Andrea:
Yes, I will take him, Dad said he will feed and water him as long as I do everything else, so that will work out just fine! I cannot tell you exactly how he will do at the shows in halter until I have worked with him for a bit. In performance, of course that is up to him. And judging is alway a subjective question as each and every judge has their own preferences in type and conformation (and the eyes should Not be a factor). Frodo is correct and has lots of Welsh type so that is good.
Frodo does need work, conditioning, and training and that will do an awful lot of good to improve his appearance and chances in the ring. I would have liked to see your Frodo trot out a bit better, as movement is a factor in the stallion class. In the videos you showed, he didn’t seem to be really trying to move out and it looked that he was just being lazy. Work and conditioning will even improve that and then I think he may have a good chance of doing well in halter.
Just to let you know that I would not be able to show him in Santa Barbara in July as I will be learner judging that show, so he cannot show there. The only other Welsh shows in California this year are in September in Stockton, and the Nationals down here in November. He should be ready to compete at those shows for sure if you would like to do that. I can also find a couple of local open show(s) around here just to take him into an open halter class and practice and to see how he reacts in a normal show situation.
Now we will have to find a ride down here for him. I know that Karen is going up to Oregon and back next month sometime, so maybe she could take him when she returns, and then I can pick him up from her place. I will talk to her about that when I go to the Paso show with her tomorrow night. Otherwise we can ask other members or I can go on the discussions boards and put out feelers. Just let me know what you would like to do.
~Jane
One more for today. Bobby the transporter wanted to keep him! 😆
Yes, Bobby really liked Frodo, he told me too that he wanted to take him home! LOL. Those Welsh ponies really make an impression on horse people that meet them for the first time. Bobby asked me why he came all the way down here he thought I would use him for breeding. When I told him he was here for training in Western pleasure and shows, he was really surprised!I see Frodo’s tooth bumps now, they didn’t show up very much in the photos, but in person they are very prominent. You had mentioned that no one else saw them, that surprises me. It will take some time, but don’t worry, they will go away.
He was so well behaved, you should be proud of him! I think he will do just fine. He only hollered a couple times, then he went to eating his hay and seemed quite happy with his new house and new friends around him. They all nickered to him to say hello. After that, no more noises, Frodo was quiet and happy. We’ll see how he does tomorrow.
Tomorrow I will take him out and take him around for a walk, and then to the X-ties for grooming and will lunge him and just get him used to the place and the new schedule. In a day or two I will start putting his bridle and a surcingle on and go from there.
I will keep you up to date on his progress.
Neat idea! I can’t wait to hear how he does.
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http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htmYay, Frodo! Nice that you were able to find such a willing and helpful trainer. Here’s to future success!
tdm
When you see her reference the tooth bumps, it was the infection he got when his baby teeth (caps) didn’t fall out and his big boy teeth got impacted causing the nasal bone to have lumps. Can’t really see with all his white.
And when she talks about his “dropping”, it’s because it was the main reason I wanted to send him to a professional. We can’t show him well until he gets over his “enthusiasm” 😆
Alright. Getting to work:
Hello, I lunged Frodo today, he did fine. Yes he screams at our other horses and I got after him for that. He only dropped once just as I was taking him home after we were all done. He knew I would get after him for screaming because he ‘shaped up’ real quick when I corrected him! It is good that we have NO cycling mares here, so he should hopefully give it up after a while.
I braided up his tail, he has so little hair on it that it needs to grow out. I put a sweatwrap on his throatlatch when lunging as he is real thick there and I have to get it sweated down. When lunging, he doesn’t like to canter, especially on his right lead, but he trots real nice! He shows potential to be a good driving pony, so if that interests you, I could do that with him too sooner or later. By the time we were done, it was already 95 degrees out here and we were both Hot!
He was really pretty good for his first day, first time tied up in my cross ties, and lunging. I am real pleased with him. He is a little fellow, but he has good bone in his legs. I am a small person so I can ride him, but I am going to have to use a 13″ youth western pony saddle on him as my regular one may not fit him!
Tell me something, have you ever noticed if any boarders at your stable ever take their mare to him to tease, maybe when you are not there? I have seen this happen at many boarding stables before.
Another good day!
Welsh ponies used to be marked down for excessive white and blue eyes. The old time Welsh breeders like my trainer and especially her mother would never think of breeding a pony like Frodo as his white characteristics would *hopefully* be carried on.Well Frodo was a perfect gentleman today!! He didn’t holler when he passed the other horses, I just had to jiggle the lead rope as we went by, and he was fine. No dropping today either. He lunged great, he trotted fast and slow on voice commands, he cantered nicely although he was cross leading behind, but he’ll figure that out after a few more times. He now walks on the lunge too. I am big on voice training and he has already figured out what I want, he is very smart. I put a surcingle on him today and he didn’t even flinch, and could have cared less when lunging, no puffing up, and no bucking or kicking at it, nothing. Have you ever had one on him before, or a saddle on him? He acted as if he had. Have you ever had a bit on him, if so, what type of bit? It is nice for me to know before hand. I will put a bridle with snaffle bit on him tomorrow, and next time after that the western saddle. One thing at a time and as he accepts that I go on.
If he keeps going like he is, I should be long-lining him in no time and riding him soon too. I too prefer to keep them only trotting on the lunge when they will be strictly halter and driving ponies. But since he is going to be ridden too he needs to learn to canter/lope. But *only* on voice command “canter” (“lope” sounds too much like “ho” or “whoa” that I use “canter” only). That is how I keep my combo riding/driving ponies from breaking when driving, they have a separate command for the canter and later they canter/lope Only when ridden or saddled. When in harness they only trot, and it doesn’t take them too long to differentiate. But I get them going well in one area first before I go to the next.
I could also ride Frodo hunt seat later as the hunt saddle may fit him (and me) better. I just hope it won’t need a crupper to keep it on (from sliding forward too much). He could have better withers as his withers are not the best to hold a saddle on.
My Arab gelding has a new buddy now, your Frodo! I took the Arab out to the turn-out area that he has been in for years every day happily, and today all he did was holler and holler to go back home to his new buddy!! Even though there is 12′ between them, they are now best buddies.
Mom wanted to see him better today so I took Frodo to the front door of the house (as Mom doesn’t get out of the house much anymore), so Frodo sees her come out of the door and he practically climbed the steps to say Hi to her and let her pet his face and he licked her too! He was so sweet, just a good boy. Mom is no fan of blue eyes and white faces, but she though he was a very nice pony nonetheless. Especially since he greeted her so nicely!!
Yes in order to get an LOM he has to go in a lot of divisions. That way he gets more points faster. Also at the Gold rated shows, they get triple points. Most of the shows now have double back-to-back shows so a pony could get double sets of points at one weekend (4-5 days) show. At these shows, they also can get 4 sets of points in halter. So those points can rack up quickly at shows like that, just so long as they perform well and get good placings!
Anyway, gotta go for now.
Jane
And one more for now:
Just a note to let you know that I am gone this weekend learner judging at a USEF Welsh show in Maryland. I will be back Monday afternoon.
I worked Frodo today with a saddle, a bridle, and I jumped onto his back from both sides several times, and except for grabbing the lead line in his mouth he really didn’t care at all!! So he will be progressing very fast. I should be bitting him up in side reins and then long-lining him after I get back and should be riding him by the end of the month!
He is cantering pretty well by now too, he still doesn’t like his right lead but does it occasionally, he’s already getting better though. He got a bath today too, it was so hot, he deserved a cool off after working. Anyway, will talk more next week.
~Jane
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