Kitai's progress! Horsey stuff ;)

[tab_xo]

I had to share this with the forum, i am so proud of my little man.. or should i say big man at 17.1hh.. hahahaha

I bought Kitai on the 11th of April, he had an injury to his back leg, it didnt hurt him, but it still didnt look nice.. I rode him three times, then just let him heal...

On the 25th of May we started riding again, just very lightly to see how he went.. On the 27th we jumped for the first time!

I still didn't want him in full workout, because of his leg, so for the next 2 weeks, i rode him every 2nd or 3rd day..

The past week he has been ridden every day, whether it be in the arena just flatwork, jumping, bareback, or out in the open paddock!
And he is a super star!!!

He was a racehorse, hadnt had any training before coming to me, and he has already learnt in less than 20 training afternoons in the arena how to bend around my leg, so i dont have to use my reins anymore!
and to slowly canter in a big motion, instead of the gangly canter/gallop that he used to do!

He has the easiest canter and trot to ride bareback too! We cantered bareback up a huge hill the other day, was amazing!

His worst habit is holding his head up HIGH and out, like a racehorse, so i am training him to bring it in and bow his head to form muscles, his bum has gotten really curvey and round as it was boney when i got him, but his neck is still skinny!

But after one training session he was already learning to hold his head down!!

He learns INCREDIBLY quickly!

And now that you have read that huge novel ^ time for some pics!

First jump on the 27th of May- roughly 30cm


A week later- roughly 70cm


And then the 17th of June- ONE METER!!!!


For a horse who has NEVER jumped before in his life, in 3 weeks, with only 8 jumping lessons, he is amazing!!! I cant believe it!

Learning to bow his head in one lesson


Just him with his pretty bridle and eventing saddle


Bareback in the arena



Aslong as you dont mind the site of gross stuff... This is Kitais injury in its stages..
It came to us with a big dint in it... he healed over too much, and then it formed proud flesh, even though the cream we used isnt meant to do that.. the vet said we had to put this powder on it to take it off.. we did that.. it then exploded out, made it ALOT worse...
That was all within a week or 2...
We then tried this special cream that everyone swore by, which Kitai had a reaction too and made it all bubbly and weird..

For the past 2 months i have been re-wrapping his leg every day, applying honey too it, and it has FINALLY healed, although not completely!

The wound itself is only about 1-2cm big now, but it has the white ring, which is the skin and hair forming over it, which will slowly close in over the wound part!
I am still surprised he never acted sore with it!
The last stage was about 5 days ago, and its even smaller now!



But lets end on a pretty picture..
His show rug with his name- Kitai Prime Nova

 

[Mayden]

Oh Tab I'm so jealous of you. Look at that beautiful boy, it must be so magnificent to ride him - and what a smarty pants too!

You really are meant to work with animals Tab, teaching Fargo all you have and reteaching Katai how to behave and then jumping, etc too. Wow. Just wow.

Love the pictures and his wound is healing REALLY well! Looked a right mess at first but now it's just a scratch

 

[jacksmom]

Tab, you are simply the very best kind of person with animals IMO! I also take amazing joy with watching "the transformation", whether it be health, behavior, or both! Some people see what the animal is NOW, but we know that is not the important part, don't we?

Congrats on your new champ, he sure is a beauty!!!

 

[tab_xo]

Thank you both so much! It means alot to me..

My animals are my whole life, i dont have much to do with people, but i love every minute i spend with all my animals!
I always had a connection with them!

All my friends ask me how i can just stay at home every day and not go out with friends, but i am so happy just being with my animals... I might be the crazy old animal lady when im older :09:

I cant tell you how many times i have cried over that injury

Jacksmom that is exactly right!! I LOVE seeing how they change, thats why i take so many pictures and videos, i just love comparing them, even if they are just a few weeks apart

Will be hitting the big cross country course next month, shall be awesome!

 

[jacksmom]

You are very welcome, Tab, you have really motivated me to take more pics of Paris, she was quite the frump when she came here and is now the belle of the ball.

I understand about the tears...and in a weird way I think it is also an outpouring of good intentions and love that helps to heal these wounds that western medicine has failed us on...honey, indeed...sure, new bandages by the score, but love and care, compassion...you healed him this way also. He is probably taking to training so fast because no one person has ever shown him the attention and devotion you have.

Not a thing wrong with that horse, huh? . Nothing you can't fix, anyway, and that is the same thing!

 

[forbey]

Lots of improvement on the injury and the training. It takes a lot of trust in the trainer for a horse to improve that much and that quickly. Keep up the good work. Now all you have to do is teach Fargo to ride and Kitai to let him and you'll be ready for the movies!

Forbey

 

[jacksmom]

Oooo ya, you gotta train Fargo to ride on his butt! That would be so awesome!!!

 

[forbey]

Oooo ya, you gotta train Fargo to ride on his butt! That would be so awesome!!!

Wherever Fargo rides he needs to have a padded place to grab on to. The last thing you need is for Fargo to lose his balance and try to grab hold of some horse butt to stabilize himself.

That could make for some scary riding!

 

[jacksmom]

Ah, but think the height Kitai would jump then!

Yeah, ok, thats a good idea. Padding it is, lol...

 

[Betrisher]

Oh tab! I take my hat off to you! Getting an ex-racehorse to go forward and work so kindly over jumps is no easy task and you really seem to have hit the jackpot with this big guy. I can't believe the head carriage! He appears to be really supple and round and willing to accept the bit, even after this short time. Well done!!!

Have you been doing a lot of dressage with him? (I'm sort of assuming so, since his outline is so good in the jumping pics). And lunging - you are a star! (Everyone, lunging is on-the-ground training you do with a horse. When parrots do it, it's different.)

I wonder whether you've spent any time hose-piping the wound? We've had a couple of horses de-glove a hindleg on barbed wire (hateful stuff) and found that once the tissue starts to granulate, it can be helpful to hose the wound for twenty minutes or so each morning with cold water. Also, soaking in a weak salt or condy's crystals solution has been very beneficial. (I'd check, of course, with your vet before you do either, though).

One of our guys, Tristan, recovered completely from his wound but the other, Koda, is still lame periodically after over a year. You've been very lucky in Kitai's healing!

Do you belong to a riding club or just campaign on your own? Do keep us in touch with your progress with Kitai won't you? You're doing a sterling job with him!

 

[JerseyWendy]

You and Kitai make an AWESOME team!!! You are such a gentle rider, and Kitai is such a quick learner.

I have a feeling the 2 of you are going to go quite far.

And I know you can't wait for Klaatu to be older, then you'll have 2 show horses to take on adventures.

His foot looks GREAT now!!! That was such a horrific wound, and with your TLC he's gotten all better!!!

 

[tab_xo]

Sorry guys, have to go to sleep early so i can wake up during the night haha so i miss out on alot of posts!

I would LOVE to take Fargo out riding, i am just not sure how to, maybe he would just sit on my shoulder, when we go outside he doesnt budge from my shoulder, just sits there the whole time!
Kitai sort of likes him, but only for a minute then he gets upset and walks off, but under saddle he is REALLY calm, so he might be ok?



The young girl who got him off the track wanted him for eventing, but then he was way too big for her haha but she obviously thought he had eventing potential

'Kitai' means 'hope' in japanese i believe!

Yes lots of dressage, we do about 30 minutes flatwork, which is bending in figure eights and small circles! At first he wouldnt canter in a circle right, because racehorses only go left apparently? So he would always try and turn off, but now he canters perfectly both ways

For the first 2 weeks i hosed it daily, but then after that i used these purple crystals in water, and syringed it down with pressure, and then used a toothbrush to gently scrub the dead skin off the top, which seems to have worked, slowly but surely hahaha

I am so lucky with injuries to my horses, Klaatu went through 3 fences with 100 meters of barb wire attached to his leg, snapping 5 star pickets, running into a gate, snapping a fruit tree in half... and he came out with a few minor cuts....

What happened to Koda?

I am a member of a pony club, so i can go to their clinics and shows, but i am joining an eventing club, they have a huge cross country and jumping course, and they give lessons, which i will need haha

 

[MarciaLove]

wow nice job with him thats amazing!!!!!!

 

[Zazoothehahns]

Medi-honey and raw honey is great for injuries like that, meat tenderizer mixed with several other ingredients used to work wonders when I was a kid, it allowed a wound like that to heal slow and prevent proud flesh. You're doing a great job!

 

[Betrisher]

I dunno if it helps, but learning to do two-track work (shoulder-in; quarters-in etc) helped a *lot* with our Log Pond (another 17.1hh ex-racehorse). I really do hate flat racing because of the effects it has on horses: it takes ages to get them moving correctly so they're comfortable and safe to ride. Anyway, the other thing we did a lot of was trotting over trot-poles on the ground. You start off in a straight line against the fence and then gradually move them into a curve, then a circle. The idea is that you get the head-carriage set more easily while the horse is concentrating on his foot placement. Whatever - I've seen it work! You might like to have a go?

Wow! What sent Klaatu careering through a fence like that? *What* an awful accident! Our Tristan got crowded in a gateway and tried to escape by ploughing through the fence. Dunno about Koda. My sister found him literally wrapped in barbed wire one morning and it took hours to free him from it. Luckily, he was one of those ones who stood stock-still and breathing hard while the wire cutters were at work. Tristan was sold on to a girl in our Pony Club, but Koda's injury is too on-again-off-again to declare him sound. He lives in the paddock with my sister's competition horse and goes for trail rides and accompanies them to shows.

*I* reckon (and I bet you agree with me) there's nothing better than a great big-bodied thoroughbred for eventing! You can keep your fat-bottomed warmbloods (IMHO) - they have no imagination and no fire. Gimme a thoroughbred every time. Congratulations on the excellent job you're doing with Kitai (perfect name, BTW). Are you competing already (what level?) or working up to it?

One last mention: it's amazing that he's up to jumping at a decent height already. You know before you start that he's got the speed. I expect to hear Great Things!

 

[MikeyTN]

What a magnificent horse you've got there tab!!!! I've always been in love with horses but I have too many other animals....lol....Plus I need to live on a farm....

 

[tab_xo]

My brother has bees, so he gave me their fresh honey, of course he charged me like 30 dollars a jar hahahaha

Thank you Betrisher !!! Thats awesome, so helpful! Will definitely give that all a go.. His movements were terrible at first, i honestly could not sit to his canter, it was just him trying to gallop, throwing his legs forward, but he soon learnt how to canter slowly in a nice movement which i can now ride, and bareback!


Klaatu just likes to get injured, you know how some horses go their whole lives without anything wrong with them, then others are just cursed and decide to get something wrong with them every week? hahaha
He just got caught in the fence with his foot, then just took off and wouldnt stop! :31:
Of course i was crying and shaking, by the end of it i couldnt breathe! i honestly thought he was going to get a broken bone or really badly ripped open!

Oh wow, thats lucky about Koda, alot of horses would panic and try and get out, instead of standing still!

Do you ride?

Definitely!! At first i thought he was really dopey and slow, because when i rode him the first few times, he just liked standing still, and didnt have energy! But now, as soon as he sees a jump he gets this burst of energy and you can tell he is eager!!

Not competing yet, i was planning on competing soon after i got him, but now i think our first show will be mid july! Just an easy small competition!

He is actually clearing the one meter jump by reaching it at a trot!!! so he hasnt got any speed to it, and he clears it perfectly so when hes cantering to it, who knows how high he will go! haha

Thanks Mikey You can have one of ours!! hehe

 

[Betrisher]

His movements were terrible at first, i honestly could not sit to his canter, it was just him trying to gallop, throwing his legs forward, but he soon learnt how to canter slowly in a nice movement which i can now ride, and bareback!

Yeah, racehorses just seem to do everything on such a large scale, don't they?

Klaatu just likes to get injured, you know how some horses go their whole lives without anything wrong with them, then others are just cursed and decide to get something wrong with them every week?

Tristan was like that. Seemed like every time he turned around, he had a new cut or scrape. In the end, we just kept him in a yard - if he was out in a paddock, he'd find a grass-root and trip over it!

Oh wow, thats lucky about Koda, alot of horses would panic and try and get out, instead of standing still!

It was uncanny! He sweated rivers and had his eyes rolled right back in his head while the men were cutting him out and he shivered for hours afterward too! It was horrible.

Do you ride?

Haven't done in donkey's years. I was an instructor at our Pony Club, though, and chief $#!+ kicker for my sister, who campaigned in dressage and eventing. Then, later, my sister and I followed my nieces around to Pony Club and open eventing competitions for ages. These days, my sister's the only one of us who still rides. You know the old saying: 'those who can do, those who can't teach'. Well, that's me.

Definitely!! At first i thought he was really dopey and slow, because when i rode him the first few times, he just liked standing still, and didnt have energy! But now, as soon as he sees a jump he gets this burst of energy and you can tell he is eager!!

Sounds like you've got a real prospect there. It must be so exciting for you! If Kitai's got the taste for jumping, all you need to do is give him the practice and help him build up his stamina (diet and exercise) - he'll be unstoppable.

Not competing yet, i was planning on competing soon after i got him, but now i think our first show will be mid july! Just an easy small competition!

Wise. If you take him out before he's got it all together, you risk having him frighten himself and, worse, you. It sounds as though you've got a really sensible training regime going with lots of variety. I reckon July's plenty soon enough to start him off slowly.

He is actually clearing the one meter jump by reaching it at a trot!!! so he hasnt got any speed to it, and he clears it perfectly so when hes cantering to it, who knows how high he will go! haha

LOLOLOL! Sky's the limit, eh?

 

[jacksmom]

Oh thank you, Tab, that made my day...NOW you are livin' my dream life, perchin' your parrot on your horse and ride off into the sunset...

I am sure that if you spend enough time with Fargo on your shoulder in front of Kitia, that he will eventually have no problem letting you both ride. He should begin to see the bird as a detachable extension of you, lol! Don't quote me on that, though, and if you end up on the ground with a flapping bird landing on you...I'm sorry. But please video tape it! . Heh, jk...it also may help to have someone pass Fargo to you while you are already on...then Kitia has a chance to back away...

If you can't tell, I am all ABOUT you, Fargo, and Kitia out ridin'!!!

Congrats again, keep us posted!

 

[forbey]

Making Fargo part of your daily routing with Kitai is what it is all about. Oportunities like the one in the photos as well as Fargo on your shoulder, maybe doing flapping exercises near where Kitai is will help get him used to bird-like movements. It's a lot like sacking out a horse. THe more Kitai becomes familiar with him, the better they will be together.