This spring I began teaching intermediate-level lessons to a rider who pilots an enormous dark bay draft horse. When I met this gelding, his rider told me he had a barn-wide reputation for being clumsy. For example, they said, “When you are leading him to the paddock, if he turns his head, his entire body swings and follows.”
Here’s the draft gelding this spring, before his EPM diagnosis. His weight was fine, but to me he just didn’t look right. Photo: Courtesy Brian King/TheHorse.com
Equal parts long, lanky, and imposing, what this gelding seemed to lack in self-awarenessÑI tried to feed him a peppermint from my palm and my entire arm disappeared in his cavernous mouthÑhe made up for in his charming personality and willingness to try
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re: Sometimes You Simply Don’t Know
Yes, and it’s a terrible feeling. My 17 year old miniature gelding has been working in harness for 12 years. He began to drag his toes a little. Vet checks and farriers–all deduced he was just lazy. I even considered some gait
re: Sometimes You Simply Don’t Know
Thank you for this article! I have a sixteen-year old gelding with EPM. He’s currently being treated, and I hope his recovery is as dramatic as this horse’s. One thing I noticed before he began showing signs of improvement is that he seemed
re: Sometimes You Simply Don’t Know
Last year, my 19 yo appaloosa, who seemed strong in the fall, came back in late winter feeling very weak in the back, but otherwise seemed just out of shape (i.e., no pain exhibited in his back). Assuming it was age, I put him on a slow build-up walkin
re: Sometimes You Simply Don’t Know
Being a first time horse owner this has always been my greatest fear. Trying to find the right level of work for my relatively new-under-saddle mare has been something I think a lot about. I find myself second guessing workouts and trail ri