I could hear the absurdity of that statement even as I was saying it, and the raised eyebrow from The Boy was a subtle "if it sounds crazy to them, and it sounds crazy to you, maybe just maybe it is... crazy."
But bless him, instead he feigns interest and at every text or buzz on my phone he politely asked "have you heard anything back yet?"
Frankly, I'm a tad impressed things have worked as quickly as they have. In fact, I might have preferred a slightly slower response rate from everyone so I could eat up some of this wait time for the next 30 days...
But, instead we've gotten the green light to keep pursuing this guy.
There is still a big question mark - which is what explains his use (or lack thereof) of his hind end over jumps. I will confess I didn't notice it the first four hundred times I watched his videos - but when you look for it, you can tell that he really doesn't flex his hind end nearly as much as his front end over the fences. We took spinal xrays, (because they are so easy to get) in order to rule out things like kissing spine or fused vertebrae.. but there are plenty of other things that could cause it - Some alarming, and some not at all.
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| blurry brad |
It's possible he's just green and his hind end isn't very strong, or perhaps its sore from his first few weeks working over fences... It's possible he's not impressed by the height and doesn't have to pick up his hind legs. It's also possible something hurts or will hurt and it's easier to just leave them hanging out behind.
Anyone else notice this? or have any experience with a horse that did or does this? I don't think he looks sore or stiff behind on the flat.. but I'm sure it's more subtle there...
I will say, that having a few questions to explore makes me grateful for the extra time before we go, so we can explore, ask questions, get more videos or even vet work (if necessary) before we arrive.
In the mean time.... MORE BRADS.
I just re-watched the video again, and now that you mention it, he isn't using his hind end nearly as much as his front end. I'm sure it's nothing serious; like you said, he's probably sore from his first few weeks over fences or his hind end isn't very strong, but I would try to get to the bottom of it just so you know for sure what's going on...if for no other reason then you don't want rails! I don't think you should remove him from the running, but with your experience with Kissing Spine, I'm sure you'd prefer not to deal with that.
ReplyDeleteKeeping my fingers crossed for you and Brad :)
Kissing spine is ruled out (yay!) but there are lots of other options (boo). But we shall see! I love my pretty horses, but SOUND is a huge priority....
DeleteI saw it but really didn't want to burst your bubble. I don't want to be negative, especially if it is nothing. I think it is likely to be less of an issue if you are doing hunters. I would ask, if it were me, if he had been jumped in draw reins and how much had he gone in them in general.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind if he doesn't have the snappiest hind end in the world... but if there's a stiffness that discourages him from using it... I mind that :)
Deletehm you're right - i would never have noticed without someone pointing it out. hopefully it's just a strength / green bean baby thing! good luck regardless :)
ReplyDeleteI think I was so distracted by that front end that I didn't notice the hind. :) Fingers crossed for you!
ReplyDeleteKeeping everything crossed for this Brad and any others that might be in the menu!
ReplyDeleteWhat I noticed in the video on the first watching was the rider getting tossed on every landing. I was wondering if she was just a bad rider or what was going on. Re-watching it now, I wonder if it's the stiff hind end landing stiffly causing her to get bumped. He's super cute though, so I hope it works out.
ReplyDeletehe's not a bad rider, but I think that he is getting jumped out of the tack. A few of the nicer hunters I've ridden with really round jumps like this make it hard to not look like a sack of potatoes... that said, I do think he's kicking his back up a little extra to pull his hind end over... more video is hopefully on the way...
DeleteI noticed the rider hitting the saddle every time... Just at the moment when that hind end should be snapping up. It's a chicken and egg thing but my money is on the rider causing the issue by thumping into the saddle every time at the wrong moment. The rider's all kinds of wrong on landing as well. I'd watch him free jump and see what that hind end does then.
DeleteALL THE BRADS.
ReplyDeleteps send me the latest.
I'd want to see more video, and hear more about the training/conditioning regimen and what they've done about it.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently in the process of watching a horse in my life maybe not make it as an over-fences horse because of this hind-end issue, but it's not one of my horses so I don't want to discuss it in depth here--you can add me on FB (I'm friends with SB) or email me (jess dot clawson at gmail) and I can tell you more.
I didn't notice....I was just drooling. Hope everything continues to go well!
ReplyDeleteOh I second the free jumping!
ReplyDeleteAnd I too wonder if it's just bc of all the factors. But he is still soooo beautiful :)
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ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to tell over that height..... He's really just loping over them. I also think a free jumping video could help. However, at his age, he may just not have learned how to use his hind end yet. Some of them have to jump bigger to really figure it out.Wacking the back rail of a bigger oxer a few times can make them wake up a bit. My gelding's jumping style has improved drastically since he was imported. He's always been super scopey, but his technique is 100 x better. We did a lot of gymnastics and flatwork to strengthen his hind end.
ReplyDeleteI did see it the first time, but didnt want to be the only negative Nancy....that being said, I still SWOON over him
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't swing his hind end through as well as you would expect at the trot or canter either. Flashy front end but either no muscle (but he looks to have some) over the back end, or something just doesn't work. I'd keep looking, at 4 unless he is incredibly under developed, or he shows amazing back end action free jumping, he should not be moving his hind end like that.
ReplyDelete