My 3 clones! :p

[tab_xo]

I was always so picky when it came to choosing my animals..

My horses had to be geldings, black, and 17hh!

Now they are all in work and can be ridden, they are starting to look alike hahaha

They are all different breeds, and look very different, but to non horsey people i guess they all look similar! haha

At a dressage show, everyone thought Klaatu and Kyros were brothers..

Klaatu is a clydesdale cross..
Kyros is a warmblood hahaha
and Kitai is a thoroughbred-

Kitai hasn't been ridden for a year, this was his first ride! So he lacks the muscle and tone like the other 2 boys have!


See if you can tell which is which:













and they love jumping!



I am very lucky! Most people would love to just have one big black beauty, and i have three hahaha <3

 

[RavensGryf]

Beautiful! All three. I think Klaatu looks a bit different since he is a Clydesdale cross and has the heavier build and face. I think he's the middle one in the pics of the heads, and the very last pic. Am I right?? the other two I have no idea LOL

 

[thekarens]

I'm a non horsey person, but I think all three are GORGEOUS!

 

[tab_xo]

Hahaha! Correct Julie Klaatu has the widest face out of them all.. Length they are the same, but Klaatu needs a wider halter and bridle because he has such a chunky head! Klaatu is the only one with white, so he is the easiest!

He is only 3 years old (He will grow until he is about 6) and his legs are already the same width as Kyros!

Kitai is a very fine build compared to the other 2!


This is Kitai (left) and Kyros (right) at the farriers.. You can see how much more solid Kyros is!




The fun thing to do is put complete hoods on them, and then no one can tell which is which hahaha

 

[RavensGryf]

I'm a non horsey person, but I think all three are GORGEOUS!

I'm a non-horsey person too I just remember some things from when I used to "study" about horses as a young child haha. When I got a bit older, my parents conveniently steered me away from horses and into dogs lol. Then got myself into birds as an adult.

 

[tab_xo]

Hahahaha I wanted my first pony when i was 4 years old, and my dad just said:

" You will grow out of it "


15 years later and i still didn't grow out of the horsey stage haha

 

[RavensGryf]

If you have the land and can accommodate, that's a different story!

 

[Allee]

I always love seeing your trio of black beauties! You are a lucky, lucky girl and smart enough to achieve any and all of your dreams. I'm kind of on the fence for being a horsey or non horsey person. I've been around horses for most of my life and learned to ride, but not well. We had a quarter horse and a thoroughbred for a few years. We had a great place for them, but after rescuing them, we determined we didn't have the skill or experience we needed to train them, so after we got them to a much healthier state and financed several vacation cruises for their farrier, we found homes for them with real horse people. We had fun and learned a lot, but not enough, and we just didn't have that magic way with them that some people have. Very nice test you devised there and you are so right, your horses look surprisingly similar in their photos. I understand wanting all your horses to be black beauties, but may I ask why 17hh?

 

[tab_xo]

Hehe thank you Allee!

Ohhhh really?! Was the thoroughbred an ex race horse?

I think it is certain horses that bring out the true horsey person in you.. You need to have the right one for your confidence..

Like you wouldn't get a beginner and off the track thoroughbred, because they are challenging and can knock your confidence easily!


I absolutely adored my mini, and then my welsh pony... I then got 2 arabs, and i loved them, but i didn't click with them to absolutely adore and have a connection with and want to compete and such!

So i kinda stopped riding between 12-16, because the arabs were too small!

and then when i was 17 i got Klaatu!

I then fell in love with Klaatu, and then i got Kitai and i was just completely obsessed with them both.. and then Kyros topped it off and i have never loved horses more!

Thoroughbreds, are, i don't know how to say it, but they are very different horses... Kyros and Klaatu are both VERY similar...

But Kitai is a completely different horse.. I need to use completely different training methods... and if you even give him a little smack, or kick with your legs.. You are back to square one.. He will pour his whole heart out to you, but you have to do so much to earn it..

Out of all 3, Kitai has the sweetest nature, and he would do anything for me, but he is the most challenging, because of how easily you can break his trust!


Kitai had alot of hoof issues, and was on the edge of being put down... It was either- This needs to work in 6 weeks or he will be put down..

But he is such a little fighter and he pulled through.. SO!

He has gotten the all clear to be ridden again... I rode him for the first time on saturday, and he was great... He did a few little rears.. But other than that he was perfect..


Problem is, with Kitai, because he has had absolutely noooo training since racing, he doesn't like contact...

So if you even touched his mouth with the reins, he went vertical...

So on sunday, i was getting him to walk around holding his head nicely (Like he is in the picture) and he would do a lap, and then rear.. and then take some more steps.. and then rear..


Now of course i can't do anything, because it only makes it worse.. So i pushed through it... I was so upset, but i knew it was his second ride in a whole year.. So he is just VERY confused!!!


Walk, trot, canter he was fine.. But if you touched his mouth, up he would go again...

I wasn't expecting him to be walking around with his head nicely carried down, but i just wanted him to realise what contact was? But he just wouldn't stand for it!
and this is what he did Rearing doesn't scare me.. It is so much easier to handle than bucking haha



Today, i went and saddled him up... Gave him full rein, and let him walk, trot, canter..

Ok, Kitai.. You have done it your way... Lets just take a few steps MY way...

and he did...


It has taken me 2 rides ( 2 rides too many) but i have completely figured him out..


Kitai is the- You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours... You won't MAKE me do anything, you need to earn it



This afternoon, i would let him do one lap with no contact, and then we would do one lap WITH contact.. Then as soon as he did one, i would let him go..

We did that.. Then we changed it to two laps of contact...

We then started trotting.. One lap his way.. One lap my way!




We rode for 40 minutes.. and not ONE rear!!!! I was absolutely beaming


2 days ago i couldn't even get him to walk a lap with contact without rearing, and today we were walking and trotting laps without a single issue!!!


I feel upset at myself that it took me 2 rides to figure him out, but i am so happy that i have managed to train him and understand HIS way of thinking compared to the other 2 boys!!




Sorry for that long post.. I was just so excited how amazing he was this afternoon!




Oh, and you asked WHY 17hh? hahaha


I am 6 foot, so where my feet are, is basically perfect for them... See how on each of them in the first 3 pictures.. My foot is basically inline just before their belly ends?


This makes it perfect for me to give leg aids... My feet aren't dangling below their belly, and it isn't up high... Its perfectly in line... Perfect height for me


It really annoys me seeing tiny people riding big horses.. Like Kyros's old owner-
Her feet were so high up, she couldn't give him a single leg aid.. Which is why it took me so long to teach him what legs were!!!

 

[tab_xo]

Could have explained that all a little better

But this is Kitai when i first got him- He holds his head up high..
But the bottom is him now, how he needs to learn how to hold it

After today, he was holding it like the bottom all by himself! He wanted to walk like that!

Kyros and Klaatu both have a 'self carriage' so they hold their heads like that all by themselves... Kitai now has to learn how to do it.. and he is, he is actually learning very quickly.. Considering he is already walking and trotting like that

Cantering will be difficult though haha
He was never even taught how to canter properly

 

[TessieB]

Great job! It's fun to figure out how the mind of a particular horse works.

 

[JerseyWendy]

LOVE the photos, and yes, I can tell them apart (unless they are all wearing their full hoodies).

I am SO happy you are finally able to ride Kitai again. Gosh, what you've been through with him. If it wasn't for your TLC and total dedication, I firmly believe Kitai would be no more. Now let there be no more injuries, and no more mishaps.

I bet Craig is thrilled at how Kitai has come around - he's done a wonderful job on his feet!

How is Kyros injury healing??

And what about Klaatu? No more hopping out of the paddocks? :54:

You WILL work your magic with Kitai, you are have.

 

[Anansi]

I so love the passion in your "voice" when you post about your horses. You obviously love them a great deal! And the way you adapted your training method to fit Kitai was brilliant! Most impressive, Tab!

Before coming to this forum, I knew next to nothing about horses. But now, between you, Trish, Wendy and Sophia, I've learned so much in a relatively short span of time! (Still a neophyte, mind you. But isn't that the nature of knowledge? The more you learn, the more you realize how little you truly know?)

BUT... have mercy on us who don't have that innate horse's eye! (And no, Julie, you don't count as one of us the way you picked out Klaatu so easily! Non-horsey person? HA!) For me to learn to tell them apart, I need a pic of the three of them, side by side, in clear, full body shots. Because I haven't developed the eye... yet... to pick them out of a grouped pic. (Demanding, aren't I? Lol!)

 

[tab_xo]

LOVE the photos, and yes, I can tell them apart (unless they are all wearing their full hoodies).

I am SO happy you are finally able to ride Kitai again. Gosh, what you've been through with him. If it wasn't for your TLC and total dedication, I firmly believe Kitai would be no more. Now let there be no more injuries, and no more mishaps.

I bet Craig is thrilled at how Kitai has come around - he's done a wonderful job on his feet!

How is Kyros injury healing??

And what about Klaatu? No more hopping out of the paddocks?

You WILL work your magic with Kitai, you are have.

Thank you!!! Dad always complained about the money spent on him to get him healthy because he would never be able to be ridden again... But he was wrong!

I will be seeing Craig on friday! So i can tell him and show him pictures.. He is going to be SOO happy!


Kyros, is like wolverine or something, he has amazing healing skills

It was a bit infected, and i have been washing it out, putting disinfectant stuff on it, wrapping it...

and in 2 days, it had completely cleared up, lovely healthy pink skin, the dead skin then opened up to show how big it actually was... I thought it was a straight slice, but it actually was about 1.5 - 2cm thick...

So, clean, bandage.. Next day i took it off to clean, and it had already shrunk and started to close up


I think it will only be a week or 2 with the rate he is healing!!!

and nope! No more jumping out for Klaatu

He is going through a bit of a growth spurt again though, his bum is an inch taller than his wither


I need to figure out a riding schedule for them so they can all be in work whilst i am studying :31:

 

[tab_xo]

I so love the passion in your "voice" when you post about your horses. You obviously love them a great deal! And the way you adapted your training method to fit Kitai was brilliant! Most impressive, Tab!

Before coming to this forum, I knew next to nothing about horses. But now, between you, Trish, Wendy and Sophia, I've learned so much in a relatively short span of time! (Still a neophyte, mind you. But isn't that the nature of knowledge? The more you learn, the more you realize how little you truly know?)

BUT... have mercy on us who don't have that innate horse's eye! (And no, Julie, you don't count as one of us the way you picked out Klaatu so easily! Non-horsey person? HA!) For me to learn to tell them apart, I need a pic of the three of them, side by side, in clear, full body shots. Because I haven't developed the eye... yet... to pick them out of a grouped pic. (Demanding, aren't I? Lol!)

Hahaha i love them too much

I am annoyed that it took me 2 rides to figure out how to train Kitai though :31: But better late than never!

I never get upset/angry with the horses, mum says i am one of the few riders who will never lose her temper with a horse..

It's not their fault, so I just get upset later on after the ride and figure out how to fix it


Oh you have learnt so much already Stephen!!! I am proud of you!!! haha
When you come to Australia, you will be riding one in no time!



Hang on, what about this pic.. This is from a few months ago before Klaatu was in work, so he is in his baby shape haha and Kitai was looking a bit skinny

Sure you can tell which is which now?

 

[RavensGryf]

I knew Klaatu had the pink bucket (even before noticing the white blaze on the face in the next pic. )

I guess Kitai is the middle one, and Kyros is the darkest one.

 

[Anansi]

Well, Klaatu is the one rockin' the pink bucket. (Same fanciful shade of pink, as I recall, that a certain aspiring paramedic has taken for her signature stethoscope!) Yeah, I cheated on that one. Lol! You said he's the only one with white!

So I'm guessing Kitai is in the middle and Kyros is the one with the manly brown feed bucket? (Fingers crossed!)

 

[Anansi]

Hey, I promise Julie's answers weren't up when I wrote mine!!! Lol!

 

[tab_xo]

HAHAHAHA Well done guys!

I might host a tv show 'Guess that horse'


See! They don't look too similar after all!

Klaatu can't have a bucket anymore though, notice in the first picture, he is standing on stuff?

That is all his feed, he tips it everywhere, and then eats it from the ground.. So now he has a big cement feeder which he can't chuck everywhere

 

[Anansi]

HAHAHAHA Well done guys!
See! They don't look too similar after all!

Seriously?!? They're virtually triplets! I nearly burst a blood vessel telling them apart! Haha!