# the bucking mini, my new horse



## Specialk (Mar 22, 2016)

I acquired a new horse this fall. She was sold to me having been used in dressage and cde. I was anticipating a fairly well trained driving horse. Well what I wanted and what I got were two very different things. The first time I tried to ground drive her down the road she walked about 100 feet and started snorting and bucking like a bronc. She broke a rein and I ended up walking her back to the house and then lounging her. During which she reared and bucked. Since then I have found out she has the following skills: rears, kicks, bucks, snorts, runs down my dogs, has a very hard mouth, grabs the bit and completely ignores me, knows nothing about the word whoa. She does stand pretty well to have her feet trimmed, lounges well except the attitude, and has a beautiful trot.

The lady who sold her to me was brokering the deal for the owner. She claims they never witnessed this type of behavior from the mare. After getting past my disappointment, I've decided to keep her and work with her. I feel like she is a victim of bad training and her attitude is from being pushed too far too fast for sake of showing. She turns 4 this spring.

I have broke mustangs so a bucking mini is not very impressive to me. I am deploying Clinton Anderson techniques and starting from ground zero. I will try to keep you all updated.

Change one- giving her free access to hay in a slow feeder has been a game changer for her. I think she was hungry all the time trying to keep her in show condition. She was attacking my other horses and guarding food. She is sooo much calmer.

Change two- Bitless. I bought a weaved Bitless nosepiece on etsy. She is a different horse without a bit and actually responses.


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## jeanniecogan (Mar 22, 2016)

she is certainly beautiful. good idea to start at square one, best of luck


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## Ryan Johnson (Mar 22, 2016)

She is a beautiful girl and sounds like you will have her under control in no time






Keep us posted on your progress with her


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## Marsha Cassada (Mar 22, 2016)

Very pretty girl. Sounds like you have a plan. I will be following your progress.


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## Jill (Mar 23, 2016)

Beautiful mare! Congratulations and enjoy her! ❤


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## Strangeaddiction (Mar 23, 2016)

Very pretty girl! Some are ready to be shown and driven at that age some are not, she seems like she is not. My guy is 3 and his attitude overall about life and everything has changed for the better since I've started driving him. He used to never let anyone catch him (except me) and now he comes running to the gate, he was pretty dully and now hes full of life, he absolutely loves being driven!

It sounds like you have the right plan, starting from ground 0. If I get any horse that young I do that anyways just to make sure there are no holes in their training and to see where they are mentally. I bet she'll turn out to be a great driving horse!


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## Specialk (Mar 23, 2016)

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. She is a bit of a challenge. She can be walking calm as can be and then pitch a fit. But her cute little face is hard to resist.


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## lucky seven (Mar 23, 2016)

She is adorable, enjoy her and let us know how she progresses.


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## paintponylvr (Mar 24, 2016)

OK, I'll bite - what color is she???

She is certainly a pretty mover and appears to be nicely put together.

Starting at ground zero is always a good thing. You'll soon know if she'll work for you as a driving horse - wether on not you will need to spend extra time working with her to get her to a safe driving point or whether you will need to find her a "new" job.

I, too, am looking forward to following your journey.


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## Specialk (Mar 25, 2016)

When she sheds out she is a gray dapple with white socks


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## Jill (Mar 25, 2016)

I bet she's smokey silver black (?). I've got one of that color and he's thrown double dilute babies. Carries both silver and cream dilute. Those together make the mane and tail a little darker than a straight silver black would have.

I love her color and markings!


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## Cayuse (Mar 25, 2016)

If you find her missing, she's in my barn 

She is lovely!


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## Specialk (Mar 25, 2016)

I agree with you she looks more like a smokey silver black than a dapple. The previous owner said you can see dapple spots on her after she sheds. We will see. So far I see no spots.


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## Specialk (Mar 25, 2016)

So I love paints and bought a paint yearling colt today, he arrives tomorrow. He is also registered from good bloodlines. I have to decide either geld him right away or do I bred her. What would the outcome be of breeding her to the paint? He is supposed to have a great personality. His personality and her good looks.


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## Marsha Cassada (Jun 21, 2016)

Specialk said:


> Thanks everyone for the encouragement. She is a bit of a challenge. She can be walking calm as can be and then pitch a fit. But her cute little face is hard to resist.


how is she doing?


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## Specialk (Jun 24, 2016)

Really good, thanks for asking. I started her all over like an unbroke horse. Haven't even driven her once. I'm a big fan of Clinton Anderson. Working on fundamentals. She has calmed down so much. She flexes and touches her side with only one finger on the lead rope. She backs four ways, wiggling the rope, finger pressure on the lead, marching towards her, and wiggling my training stick. She puts get nose to the ground with just poll pressure, which is huge because she was very head shy. She turns on the hindquarters and forequarter by wiggleing my finger. She lounges, changes direction on her hindquarters and circle drives. Need to find someway to video tape her.

Moving on to side passing and obstacles. Then I will start ground driving.


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## dalvers63 (Jun 24, 2016)

That's great how well she is responding. I'd love to see video of her. I'm sure all the work you've put in on the ground is going to make a huge difference when she is hooked up!

Do you have any pictures of her now that she's shed?


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## Specialk (Jun 24, 2016)

I will get some pics this weekend. I clipped her a few weeks ago and she is actually a dapple. There are white spots under that coat.


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## Specialk (Jun 24, 2016)

I do have a pic of Paxton after his haircut. I did decide to geld him. He is such a cutie. And as you can see by the pic, a big helper.


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## Specialk (Jun 25, 2016)

Here's Willow after being clipped a few weeks ago. I can't believe she had spots under there. So what color is she?


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## Cayuse (Jun 26, 2016)

She's pretty! I love dapples of any color. I think she would be a called a "silver dapple" but I am not a color expert, not even close.


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## dalvers63 (Jun 27, 2016)

Thank you for the pictures! They are both looking great. I love how Paxton has black down his back. He's a striking boy!

What a difference with Willow. I never would have guessed she was a dapple. I agree that she looks like a silver dapple though I am also not up on horse colors.


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## paintponylvr (Jun 30, 2016)

Have to admit, none of our silvers are that dark on their winter hair! But I've seen pics of some that are almost that dark (look black) when shed/clipped for the show ring, so guess that would be possible

Our 2 homozygous silver mares are also both heterozygous black - and look golden when they are shed out after they fade in the sun and with their winter hair. They have both been mistaken for palomino, LOL.

January 2012 - Bell & Bit. Bit is closest to us in this pic (drives on the off or right side). They are 20 & 21 yrs old in this pic







May 20th, 2012 - Bell is 20 yrs old.






Koalah is our darkest mare - and has produced both our darkest foal and our lightest foal. Possible that the lightest is homozygous silver - haven't had her checked yet. Koalah is homozygous black, no agouti (bay gene), single silver, no sabino or frame, single tobiano.











Koalah & Ranger - 4 May 2010. Ranger is heterozygous for cream, silver & black. Only foal out of Koalah to not be a pinto, however at least 2 stallions she was bred to were homozygous for tobiano...






A pasture full of "faded" silvers - several are homozygous black, some are heterozygous black. 5 are only 1 silver gene - 3 not tested yet. Of the 3 not tested yet, 2 of those are homozygous black. Flower is a silver bay 1/2 shetland - tallest pinto near the back of the silver fillies. The lightest filly, Bunny, in the "middle" - is homozygous black - foal coat turned white not long after birth and stayed that way until she shed out her yearling year. She looks like a light silver right now with gold highlights.


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## paintponylvr (Jun 30, 2016)

I guess I fibbed! I always forget Koalah's daughter's dark coloring when she was kept in the barn for conditioning and training for show.

Here she is before going to trainers - Feb 2012






body clipped, staying in the barn 24/7 except for her yearling work outs. 10 april 2012






Not sure when she was last body clipped. August 2012 - didn't go to Congress and I took this pic at the trainers in TX.






October 2012 - again not sure when last body clipped.






2013 - July - American Shetland Pony Congress. Pro pic






and my pic -


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## paintponylvr (Jun 30, 2016)

and on the 29th of July - back at our home in the pasture. She didn't seem to remember that she could stand under the trees or maybe she liked hanging out in the direct sunlight all the time... Flashi is homozygous for black, no agouti, single silver, single tobiano, no sabino.
















This is "Bunny" - Flashi's full sister. She has not been tested for silver, tobiano - but would be no agouti and homozygous black.


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## Carly Rae (Jul 1, 2016)

Aw! They are beautiful!

I too have a mini called Willow, she is also a silver





My colt is also a silver as far as I know.


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## Carly Rae (Jul 1, 2016)

This is Willow. 2013 photo in winter. She showed more dapples in winter than in summer.






Summer photo






And this is Kevin, I have been told that he is most likely Silver black pinto. I wasn't expecting the dapples after his clipping either!

Before






After






And this was him last summer.


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## Squeaks (Jul 11, 2016)

What a pretty girl! Seems like the mares (at least ours) has more sass than they really need  Sierra and Misty will give a little more attitude than Coal or Remi when being asked to do something. Generally they get over it *chuckle*

Can't wait to see your progress with this pretty girl!


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