[ashlee_drummer]

Hello i got given a 13 y/o SB who was an ex trotter who won $25000 or free lease and he was a bit naughty when i got him he was really head shy and bucked alot but then i gained up confidence to be strong with him and all i did was growel him and he knew he was doing somthing wrong he just stoped and just stod there then i told him to walk then trot then i asked him to canter but he only paced so i desided to take him to pony club so they could help me get him out of it.... they got him jumping and then he would canter after the jump when he canterd we praised him up heaps then he got the idear that he was alloud to canter and he really enjoys cantering i have had him for about 2 yrs now and he is jumping 75cm easily and walking trotting cantering and galloping and the best part is that i have tought him to listen to my voice commands and now he dose everything i ask him to i am really happy i got him and now he is doing shows and all his and my first show was a pre royal and we got 18 ribbonds we gots lots of 1sts and 2nds and a few 3rds and then our 2nd show was just a fun day kinda thing we got 11 ribbonbs and yet again placed in everything we went into even novelties.....he really enjoys novelties like walk trot and lead , bendin ,can race, sack race , barrel race etc he likes the ready set got bit Lol they judge sayes ready and he stands there then they say set and he starts getting a bit joggey then they say go and he is straight into a gallop its really funny .... And the funniest thins is my friends have retired ex race horses who are like 10 and there TB'S and we go into the pines and we race and drummer beats them buy a few metres its so funny they all say he is the next winner for the melb cup... he is really good thow and he is slow for beginners and perfecrt for me and he just loves shows i really love S/B's and i recomend them to ANY 1 who will love and care for them Thanks so much every 1 (xxoo) love ash

[Asfaloth]

Great to hear another good story ablout stb's!
Baby is doing great and she is loving to gallop across the fields now.
Last night I moved her to a new farm that is no board just buy my own feed and look after another horse. She took it really wel and made friends with the other horse right away. Can't wait to start exploring the trails.

[AnnaBelle02]

Man this post is still going strong! I'm so glad to hear everyone is enjoying the breed.

I volunteer for the Ontario Standardbred Adpotion Society and we had a venue recently at a fair in the Ottawa Valley (the program is more "popular" or well known down in Southern Ontario) so this was an opportunity to highlight the breed and make the program known to my part of the province - it was great to get to talk to lots of people about the breed and hopefully it will have given the program some exposure here. I wish everyone could just spend a few minutes with a STB and realize how wonderful they are!

[Asfaloth]

Took a ahort trail ride tonight with the dogs along and baby is doing so well. I can't believe how well she handled the change in location. I havekept her feeding schedual the same to help her adjust but she sure seems to be happy at the new farm.

[AnnaBelle02]

Great News Asfaloth - Does your mare gait by any chance?
Mine does - although I had no idea until I went riding with some TWH people. I knew she paced but all the other wierd things I have felt her do over the years are apparently natural gaits (ie. fox trot, flat walk, running walk) I just had no idea that thats what she was actually doing. The TWH riders and breeders that I was with told me that STB's had a lot of influence on the TWH breed and alot of their action and gaits came from the STB. I was also informed that if a STB will pace they will do other gaits as well (such as the fox trot).

[doulai]

I have a standardbred off the track, he is also gentle and easy to work, nice manners, like humans and curious.
Mine is not a conformation model as you can see. My teacher came today and she teach me to lunge in with a surcingle and long reins: so good! He is easy to lunge and I will continue is training more seriously now as i gain confidence. We was a pacer, but since i have it he never do the pace. He can trot very slowly and faster, have a nice slow canter.

I wonder how to know if your horse can do the "FOXTROT"?? or any other stange gait??

[AnnaBelle02]

Nice boy doulai! Where did you get him? Was it through an adoption society?

Working with a surcingle and lunging will help him gain the balance he needs for riding. Don't be surpised if he paces when you get on. Often a pacer will work fine in the trot from the ground but once you are on their back their balance is different and they will pace. They don't often pace in the field on their own, the mostly will trot.
The pace is actually a very comfortable gait - if you keep it nice and slow - and once you are used to it. But don't worry you will be able to get him trotting when you are on his back if you aren't comfortable with the pace. And no matter if they are a trotter or pacer they have a REALLY nice canter (about 99% of the time - you may get the odd horse that has a rough canter).

If he is foxtrotting it will look almost like he is walking or trotting on the front end and kind of cantering on the hind end. They kind of shuffel their hind feet in under themselves. If you are on their back when they are doing this its REALLY smooth - you aren't really moving in the saddle at all. And its generally a slower gait - not as fast as a canter, more a trotting or brisk walking speed.

Keep up the good work and keep us informed on how your training is going. And feel free to ask any questions if you need help!

Where abouts in Quebec are you from? I live near Ottawa Ontario.

[doulai]

He come from an auction in Québec. He was trained till 2 year, and retired, too slow i guess!
Now 5 years, he is already saddle broken (by another person) and i rode him but i redo is ground training because he do not have a good headset, do not have a good balance and often try to place is tongue over the bit. He trot easily when i ask but he is bouncy (it may be me too, i'm still learning, but bouncier than other horses i trot with) , hope it's not due to is conformation... but when really slow i can sit in the saddle and it's very confortable.
I never see im pace. A friend of me tell me that pacing is very unconfortable because you move from side to side...imagine that like you say, you have to keep it slow! My donkey do the pace when he walk!!

I'm 1 minute walk from the ontario border, near Lancaster, Alexandria...

[Asfaloth]

Baby only trots but I have seen her pace on the longe line a few times so I am hoping someday to be able to get her to foxtrot.



My last STB Whiskey did pace and he always did it under saddle. I don't think I ever saw him do it when he was running loose. Pacing can be uncomfortable at first until you get used to the new motion but it is not so bad. Most standardbreds trots are big and bouncy due to the long suspension. If you slow them down it is a bit easier to sit. Especially once you teach them to collect and drive from the hind end. OTT STB and really any untrained horse tends to pull themselves along with the front end rather then push with the rear which makes them unbalanced and uncomfortable. I have been doing a lot of stops and backing up with Baby and she is slowly beginning to use her but more. Whiskey also did the foxtrot which I love. You really need to be able to collect the horse to get it. You get him to drive from the hind end really reaching up under himself while his front end is elevated and light, feels like you are siting on a \ with the head to the left and but to the right. I would sort of sit deep on my seat bones but push my legs slightly forward and urge him forward with my seat while holding him back with my hands. Sort of feels like you are holding his front end up and encouraging his back end to try passing his front end up. Hard to explain but the ride was so nice and showy too. Whiskey would tuck his nose and flag his tail and halfpass down the street at a foxtrot.

Doulai, if your horse is just learning to be ridden don't be surprised if he stops and refuses to move, that is a common standardbred way of saying I'm really worried and confused. I usually find that backing up a step or tow will unlock this response and get them to step forward again. Both of my STB's did this quite a lot at first. Also they tend to lean harder on the bit when you pull back to stop them. Try using only one rein and swing their hip around or try using a mechanical hackamore instead sinc it has a totally diferent feel from a bit. I have used the hackamore with very good sucess on both horses.

[kaths]

i had standardbred and he was the best jumping horse i have had