Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse 13
S. W. Beech Advises On Readying Show Colts
BY S. W. BEECH( Lewisburg, Tenn. Route 5) PART 2 Preparing Colts For Shows After the show ' colt is selected, I put a blanket on it several weeks belore tlie start of the show season. From then on the show colts are brushed much like our show horses. During hot weather, the mare and colt are kept in the stall during daytime but are turned out for exercise during the night.
Weaning of the colts usually is delayed until after the show season has ended— and the colts are around five or six months old. Usually it is best to put tw ' o colts into a stall together and leave them penned up for a few days. They should be kept w ' ell fed. After a few ' days together, they are turned out into the pasture, and are placed in the stall only at night.
Il is best to keep the mares up in stalls for a day or two after their colts are taken away from them. It is very important to worm the colts at the time the weaning starts. Also, it is best to keep the mares up in stalls for a day or two after their colts are taken away from them. It is best whenever possible to keep the weanling colts and the dams in separate barns.
The dams and colts seem to forget each other much more quickly if they are thus separated by distance. They will not fret as much if they are unable to hear each other. If the mare show an excessive amount of milk when weaning starts, they should be milked until they are safe to turn out in the pasture. At that time they are turned out with other mares and they have forgotten their colts. Veterinary Service Important Of course there are times during these periods when veterinary service is required. We ate fortunate in Tennessee to have some of the finest veterinary Doctors in the profession and they are within a few ' miles of our place. It has been a great help to me to have a veterinarian regularly. They can usually tell promptly when a mare is in foal. This is especially helpful as I try to keep in a separate pasture the mares that will be bred shortly and it is possible to send home mares that are already in foal.
As for general care of the Tennessee Walking Horse colts— my colts are broken to halter and treated much alike regardless of whether they are to be shown as weanlings or not. Age is a major factor in the showing of weanling colts— and in determining when the animal will be a show colt.
A halter-broken colt is the best managed and easiest colt to handle. So all of my colts are broken to halter— and to be led by halter— in their infancy. This is most easily accomplished when every effort is made to gentle the colt.
Very often we will W ' alk up to a broodmare in the pasture, take her halter in hand and lead her around without a lead rein. Broodmares that are handled often in a gentle u ' ay can be easily managed even at foaling time. It takes practically no time for a foal to become accustomed to having a person around, if the person is gentle and makes no effort to frighten the young animal. Frequently a young colt will run alongside its mother up to a fence and greet a passerby, or cross the paddock to meet a person.
The new-born Tennessee Walking colt is usually a beautiful creature. Il takes but a few days for their legs to get stronger and for their bodies to fill out. They come into this world with a smart-headed appearance, with keen ears. They are like their brothers and sisters with short backs, sturdy legs and good strong muscles. These colts of the breed have in-born abilities, and they can execute all three of the gaits that have made the Tennessee Walking Horse so widely knowm as the world’ s greatest pleasure horse for riding.
Day-Old Colls Perform Show Gaits
1 have often seen day-old colts performing the show gaits with much perfection while playing around the paddock alongside their mothers. We have found it best to let the mares and colts run out in a well-fenced paddock with lots of good grass. They stay out whenever the weather permits. Biggest factors in the life of a glowing colt are fresh air and plenty of exercise. Breeders have found that good feed, good care, and lots of good ground to cover, all help the colt to loosen up his muscles, and to retain the long stride for which the Tennessee Walking Horse is famous.
Halter-breaking of our colts begins when they are about six to eight weeks of age. It is best to have at least one person with you when this is done.
Make every effort not to scare the colt in anyway.
First fasten the halter securely but be careful not to have it too tight. Hold the leadline some distance away from the colt’ s head and the colt will not be aware of your presence. The colt will start off quietly to follow its mother as she is led off to the front at a very slow pace.
Follow this procedure for a few days until the colt becomes used to the leadline and begins to respond to your movements. Colts usually learn very quickly this way and before too long they set themselves into a good flatfoot walk. The colt is led thus only a few minutes each day, and slowly at first. This is especially true with the colts we plan to show, because the colts should be well set in a flatfoot walk before starting with their running walk.
For the average young colt some 30 to 40 minutes a day is sufficient to work with them. A colt is like a show horse. It is best not to let them tire or“ go sour” on the job. It is best never to snatch or jerk the colt. During his training he needs to be taught in a quiet and gentle manner. When handled this way, colts have better manners, and they are easier to handle as they grow older and their training becomes more extensive. Colls are much like children. No two are alike, but all of them respond to kind treatment. Tired colts become illnatured very quickly. This situation at an early age can affect them in their training tinder saddle and also in later years.
In Leading Be Gentle But Firm
In leading a colt it is well to be both gentle and firm. A tired colt will begin to paw at the person leading, rear up and sometimes even bite a person. Such bad traits are easily taught— more easily than can be realized by a person who does not handle them often. Their early training is like that of a small child— long remembered. A colt that is constantly jerked about and yelled at will soon learn to fight back. It is far easier for a colt never to be taught these most undesirable traits, then to try to break one from them once they have been learned.
Lead the colt slowly and let it get settled into a flatfoot walk. Keep the mother in front of the colt as long
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