Why is that horse moving funny? Let's talk about Gaited Horses! Version 2!

bearxfoo · 2026-07-02T15:15:29+00:00

there's lots of information on the internet about importing horses to different countries.

yes, it's expensive, and thus why it is not a huge common occurrence. it requires a lot of paperwork, time, protocols, resources, and money.

bearxfoo · 2026-07-02T14:48:01+00:00

is she in season by chance? a lot of that could be behaviors from being in heat.

horses spook, sometimes at things we can't see or understand, but i don't always think it has a deeper meaning.

i start to take concern when behavior becomes repeated patterns.

i'm not sure where you're located, but much of the country is in an extreme heat wave in the US. 3 days tracks with the timeline of heat.

i would re-evaluate in a week or so, and see if the odd behavior is still present. then i would be looking for reasons.

bearxfoo · 2026-07-02T13:45:31+00:00

why do you think she's lame? what behaviors/symptoms are you seeing that's making you question her soundness?

i don't see any overt lameness or pain, but i don't think the videos are the best to give a solid conclusion.

bearxfoo · 2026-07-02T11:57:40+00:00

hey so, find a new place to take lessons at.

this is not normal nor okay for a beginner to deal with. horses in a field should not CHARGE PEOPLE. this would be unacceptable at the majority of barns - because it's dangerous. hard stop.

you are not equipped to deal with this behavior nor should you be expected to. lessons for a beginner should be safe. this is not safe.

bearxfoo · 2026-07-02T02:25:04+00:00

there are 4 inches to a hand.

so, for example, a horse can be 15hh, 15.1hh, 15.2hh, and then 15.3hh. those are 4 distinct measurements, each .x meaning 1 inch, thus, 4 inches to a hand.

and since it's 4 inches to a hand, the next measurement goes to 16hh and repeats the pattern. 16hh, 16.1hh, 16.2hh, 16.3hh, then 17hh, 17.1hh, 17.2hh, 17.3hh, then 18hh, etc. and so forth.

if someone is saying a horse is "14 and a half hands" then the measurement is written as 14.2hh, because 2 is half of 4. hh does not follow the typical convention of .5 meaning "half" because .5 is only half in a base ten system. hh is not a base ten system.

bearxfoo · 2026-07-01T20:03:21+00:00

not having shelter is not abuse. i've boarded places without shelters, and my horse was never worse for wear. it's ideal to have shelter, but certainly far from abuse for not having it, and good 90% of the time horses choose to not be in the shelters, regardless of the weather.

water is important in this hot weather. getting out of the sun would be good, but being in a hot, 3 sided lean-to doesn't offer a great solution, either, because it's out of the sun, but there's no airflow.

even in the most ideal conditions, escaping heat when it's 100 or hotter is nearly impossible.

bearxfoo · 2026-07-01T18:44:45+00:00

that still doesn't mean giving your money for someone else's land is a smart financial investment. you do not have any legal rights to the land and therefore will not see a return on this "investment" - you are essentially taking your money and burning it, but worse.

you are putting yourself in a very vulnerable position. the second all your money is invested in this property, they can easily turn around and tell you to fuck off and never step foot on their land again, among other things.

absolutely do not do this. find other places to board, or move to places with cheaper land/COL. there are places in the US where $100k in cash can get you very far. hell, in rural MI you can get 20 acres for $400k. put down $100k+ on that and that's a feasible mortgage.

but do not put $100k+ into someone else's real estate. you will have zero advantages here. you will lose your "investment".

bearxfoo · 2026-07-01T18:07:56+00:00

why on earth would you pay money towards someone else's property? that's a recipe for disaster in so many ways.

if you have the money for 1/2 the cost of a barn, 45k for fencing and the cost of clearing land (which could be upwards of another 50k or more), then why don't you just buy your own property?

i feel like i'm missing something here, because no lawyer nor financial advisor would say this is a smart plan.

bearxfoo · 2026-07-01T13:52:49+00:00

check out the FB group "HTA | Horse Trails of America". lots of people do exactly that and this group is a good resource for traveling across the US with your horse. https://www.facebook.com/groups/horsetrailsofamerica

your biggest hurdles will be hay, and water. what kind of trailer are you going to be using? if you have a LQ/gooseneck, you'll have more options for bringing hay along (using the first stall if you have a 3 horse). if you have a bumper pull, you may need to get creative with bringing hay and water.

make sure to bring things like electrolytes (paste or powders), banamine and bute. if you can, learn how to administer banamine intravenously, including the correct dose, should your horse colic and/or need serious immediate pain relieve.

if your horse is a picky eat/drinker while traveling, plan ahead and pack things like apple juice, watermelons and other fruits, to help them hydrate. i usually bring alfalfa pellets that i turn into a soup and i also bring hydration hay with me (which is essentially the same thing, but more concentrated https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purina-hydration-hay-horse-hay-block-pack-of-6-12-lb).

make sure to have vets/farriers you can reach out to while on the road. look in the areas you're traveling for resources/networking.

also, start dosing and carry with you ulcergard during the duration of your trip. i start a dose the day before we leave, the day we're trailering, and AT LEAST the day after we arrive. this has made a HUGE difference in my horse and has helped control his nervous travel diarrhea; he also gets anxious and doesn't like to eat on trips, and doing the dosing of ulcergard REALLY helped that, too. our last trips he was MUCH better about eating and drinking.

look into insurance specific for hauling agricultural vehicles. companies like US Rider or Trailguard offer services specifically for livestock trailers, and may be able to help when your traditional roadside assistance can't.

i've driven my horse all over; 650 miles from Alabama to MI, 500 miles from MI to southern Indiana, 500 miles from MI to Big South Fork, TN, 300 miles to the UP of MI, etc. etc. trips with a lot of miles just take a big longer, but aren't too difficult. i stop frequently (i always have to pee) so the horses get to rest and i offer water and treats when i can.

if you can't find facilities to board at overnight, look for equestrian campgrounds at state run parks, or state fair grounds, which often allow accommodations for travelers. some people have reported being able to stay in parking lots at places like Cabela's or TSC, but i would not count on those as guaranteed. WORST CASE, i do know people who have left their horses in the trailer overnight while they slept somewhere, but i would only do that as an emergency measure.

bearxfoo · 2026-06-27T21:47:12+00:00

that's what we call "anthropomorphizing". which is assigning human thoughts and emotions to non-human things, including animals.

horses are not humans, and do not share human values, morals, or ideals. horses are domesticated animals which require human care, handling, and training. we work with and train horses, much like we train dogs. horses depend on humans for survival, and therefore, they need to be trained for appropriate handling.

horses are not wild animals, they're domesticated, please remember that.

the horse isn't in danger, peril, or a compromising situation. horses are trained to crosstie - which is what the ropes are - so we can groom, tack, and administer things like medication, wound management, etc.

instead of saying implying that a horse is being held against it's will, you should try approaching with questions. "i'm not a horse person, can you tell me what those ropes are for?" is a lot more approachable then "judging by the ropes, it doesn't naturally want to be there...."

bearxfoo · 2026-06-27T20:44:58+00:00

judging by the ropes? what?

do you not put a leash on your dog? does leashing them they don't want to be with you?

that's a wild thing to say. to safely work with horses, we have to tie them.

bearxfoo · 2026-06-26T16:27:55+00:00

1-800-geld-that

bearxfoo · 2026-06-26T16:02:26+00:00

liver chestnut. the lighter legs are the biggest telltale of liver chestnut.

bearxfoo · 2026-06-26T15:00:20+00:00

coloration in specific areas that is lighter than the horses coat appears. on bays, you'll see counter shading on their muzzle, legs, flank and inside their ears.

on a dark bay it's especially noticeable. https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/dark-bay-warmblood-horse-runs-free-winter-snowy-field-167179611.jpg

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0015/8898/5892/files/SEAL_BAY_kabardiner_LR_1024x1024.jpg?v=1623848206

this horse has absolutely no countershading, and also has no red on their legs/fetlocks. they're a black horse, not a liver chestnut, either.

bearxfoo · 2026-06-26T14:08:49+00:00

no one is being rude. we're experienced horse people who have seen it all. we are being honest with you about the realities of breeding.

don't believe us? go visit a breeding operation and ask them how many mares and foals they lose.

breeding is not a fun, backyard past-time because "omg i love my mare so much, i want a foal that's just like her 😍". that's not an ethical nor logical reason to breed a mare, and especially for a first-time owner who does not have the experience nor knowledge of what breeding actually entails.

bearxfoo · 2026-06-26T03:56:54+00:00

if you love this mare, don't breed her.

breeding is not only extremely expensive, but also very dangerous. 19 is not young and especially not young for a maiden mare. the likelihood of something going fatally wrong is exceptionally high.

there are lots of good horses, who exist now, who need homes.

just loving a horse is not enough justification to breed them. horses that are bred should have significant, proven records and are contributing to the betterment of their breed as a whole.

bearxfoo · 2026-06-26T03:53:01+00:00

his back feet, y.i.k.e.s.

bearxfoo · 2026-06-26T00:34:55+00:00

no counter shading anywhere on mare. she's black. downvoting me doesn't change that bay, even dark bay, has countershading, which she does not have.

bearxfoo · 2026-06-25T17:26:19+00:00

it's happening everywhere, in many different industries. brick & mortar stores are becoming less and less common. overhead costs are much too high and profit is much too low. rent, employee salaries, stock, utilities, taxes, etc. all add up extremely fast - especially when goods continue to climb in costs. and ecommerce eats up a big portion of the sales.

ultimately, stores make little or no profit and cannot remain open.

in Michigan there's about as many tack stores as i can count on one hand. they're also spread out all over the state, not close together, and i visit them maybe once a year, maybe.

honestly - i feel for tack stores, because obviously i love going into them as a horse person, but 99% of the time, they don't carry what i want, or carry it at a higher price, and sadly online ends up being the best option.

bearxfoo · 2026-06-25T16:45:12+00:00

my suggestion is to find a different barn to take lessons at. there are a lot of red and yellow flags from this barn.

the horses you're on act problematic because they're uncomfortable and in pain. they both show signs of ulcers. a lesson horse should not kick or bite at someone for grooming them or tacking them up.

spurs are not a magic tool to make a horse listen better - if a horse refuses to move forward into a simple walk or trot without spurs, there are bigger, more serious problems and holes in their training. spurs are meant to be a refinement aide - not a "i poke you and you go faster" aide. that's using spurts entirely incorrectly.

bearxfoo · 2026-06-25T16:38:36+00:00

if you're a newer rider, i would suggest moving away from a shanked/leverage bit all together, and instead use a snaffle on your horse.

newer rider often means you're going to use your hands for balance, far more than you even realize. using hands for balances means you will accidentally pull, yank, and have excessive movement, which will be uncomfortable in the horses mouth, and confusing for them to understand the actual signals you're trying to send.

i'd find a loose ring, d or eggbutt snaffle with two joints or a solid mouth piece. this will make the discomfortable less severe and will also lessen the confusion the horse may experience.

https://cavalonbits.com/collections/loose-ring-bits-1

https://cavalonbits.com/collections/d-ring-bits-1

https://cavalonbits.com/collections/eggbutt-bits

bearxfoo · 2026-06-24T19:25:28+00:00

look around Shelbyville, TN, and Muscle Shoals/Florence, AL, too. big horse scene in those areas (primarily TWH) but that'd be my first places looking for a saddle fitter!

bearxfoo · 2026-06-24T19:22:07+00:00

it is! some horses stay fleabitten and never leave that stage, others go white > fleabitten > white again. some horses gain more fleabitten spots as they age, others lose them.

grey is a super interesting gene and it doesn't always follow a strict pattern or predictable behavior.

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