Curly Zeke_Part I

In May 2024 I picked up a well bred 2 year old Sorrel Quarter Horse Gelding. This is his story, so far. At the annual sale, which was a University Horse Program sale, I watched several two year olds being jipped round a round pen while the announcer detailed the colts' lineage and such. After doing a hands on inspection of these 2 year old's after they were brought out of the round pen and tied up for a bit, I decided that I wasn't going to bid on any that I had seen. Nice well bred horses but they were from lineages that cultivated petite heads, small bone structure (even for 2 year olds) and small feet. On my way out, I saw this sorrel gelding in a pen and wondered why I did not see him earlier but realized that I had got to the sale just a bit late so thought he must have been introduced earlier. I asked the attending horse program student what he could tell me about the horse and all he could say was that the horse was a biter. I replied that most colts are mouthy and that didn't concern me. Anyway, I checked the colt out, smallish but big boned and good sized feet, and despite not seeing him move around, when I got home, I made a bid online and won him. Picked him up a few days later and brought him home.

My intention was to do ground work on him and get him gentled to a saddle for a couple short rides, then at three years old put some more understanding on him and at four years old add onto to his work load and riding time. However, that saying "the best laid plans,......." struck again. Last year I noticed that the horse, who I named Curly Zeke for his flowing wild mane and forelock, would often drag a back leg until it was nearly straight then jerk it back up. It looked like what is commonly called 'fixating patella'. I turned him out often so he could move in a bigger area and intended to get images on him to see what was going on.

In January I took him to a Vet, experienced with injuries associated with racehorses and overworked futurity prospects, and Zeke was diagnosed with missing Lateral Patella Ligaments, bi-laterally with inflammation of the patella joint. Those ligament were not blown or torn. He was missing that ligament (on both sides) that was apparently a birth defect. The only good news is that the Vet said that of the patella ligaments, this one was the least consequential for the 'stay' mechanism which allows the horse to lock his legs and sleep standing up. So after injections into the joint, the plan became to put Zeke on weekly Adequan injections, for 7 weeks, to help maintain joint health and build cartilage, and to gradually build him up. However he would never be a horse that could be used on 12 hour gathers riding big circles in a big pasture - the patella joints would just become too fatigued. And after six months, take him back for more imaging. He is, like all my horses, on Platinum Performance CJ supplement.

So Zeke's condition does not make him any else valuable to me. I'm going treat him now as I start him as I would any four year old but with considerations of his hind end which will limit his endurance, and I'll always be looking for signs of discomfort so I can ensure he has as pain free life as I can provide. Starting him as already taught me or re-taught me lessons, and that's the whole point in the horsemanship journey, to never stop learning. Unfortunately, I don't have enough years left to learn to become adequate but I'm still going to try.

What I did with him before sending him around wearing a saddle, and before the first ride, was pretty much standard: I began getting the horse soft in the face and head. Willingly breaking at poll, lowering head, nose vertical to ground, poll on or about in line with the withers. This gets the horse ready for haltering and later bridling, Giving to pressure on the head helping relax the horse, gentles the horse about having ears handled, when you ask the horse to drop his head from your hand pressure on his poll.

Getting a halter on the horse, have the horse get soft and drop his head, use voice commands and pressure on poll to do so.

Broke to Lead; following a soft feel. Becoming increasingly soft and responding to the change in feel of the lead rope (pressure and angle) to move his feet, or to not move his feet. Horse should stand and stay in front of you on a loose lead, until you pickup the lead (pulling the slack out of it) which changes the feel and the horses moves towards you. Being able to back on a wiggle of the lead rope. This understanding also allows you to stop him coming forward. Start him understanding the feel of the lead rope when asking him to step obliquely with a front foot.

Standing near the shoulder or just in back of it, being able to tip his head slightly and ask his hind end to untrack away from you. Before get on him for the first time, I also get him decent as giving me lateral flexion with his head and neck.

Being able to send the horse past you with the lead rope. This should rapidly progress to asking and the horse responding to moving on a loose lead. In the beginning it will likely be necessary to use the poppers of the lead or a flag to get forward movement. I just do so with the least amount of pressure as necessary. This progresses quickly to asking the horse to untrack his hind end away from you, so he ends up facing you. Pretty soon, you ask him to untrack then bring the front over the other way to go the opposite direction.

I'll get the horse ready for a snaffle bit, but putting a thumb or a finger in the corners of his mouth to get him used to opening his mouth. Start with like a half second then build up gradually to keeping your thumb/finger there for maybe 5 seconds. I do the same with the end portion of a lead rope so he can feel something across his tounge.

I'll get the horse sacked out with a flag.

Desensitize the horse's barrel, flank, legs with a rope. I start with the lead rope, then move to a lariat. I make sure he is good at having a rope under his tail which will freak out some horses. I'll work on getting the horse use to the lead rope and later a lariat spinning around him and going up over his head.

I'll get the horse good at sending like I described above then into a trot. Allowing the horse to find the end of the lead rope bumping his nose and he'll learn or find a comfortable spot keeping his head straight or at least not positioned to the outside.

I work at getting the horse comfortable about positioning up to the fence as later I'll mount him from the fence or another platform.

I get a saddle on a horse as soon as possible to get him used to the weight and the sounds associated with the saddle. I begin to saddle with the lead rope in the crook of my arm and as the horse lets me know he's good at that, I'll use a tie ring.

So I do all this before I throw a leg over. I plan on doing a couple more articles and videos on Zeke as he progresses.