TWH question

[Palogal]

At what age do you start teaching TWH's to set up? At what age are they mature enough ride? I've only dealt with adult TWH's in training, not babies so I don't know the rate they mature at verses a stock breed.

[gaited07]

You can start them around 2 or 2 1/2. Again, it depends on the horse conformation and maturity.

[Palogal]

When can they start learning to park?

[elevenelevenxo]

I'm pretty sure parking out is a natural thing...you just have to work with them to get them to do it on cue. :)

[Palogal]

I know, I was wondering when to teach them the cue. It's hard on the back I hear.

[gaited07]

Parking is not a natural thing. It can taught at 4 months and up.
Don't over "stretch" them.

[gaited07]

This is a good example.


http://www.breedersguide.com/images/TellingSecrets.jpg

[elevenelevenxo]

I disagree. I had a TWH mare who did it randomly and she was never worked with on training to park.

[TheBadLands]

The show horses start learning, like gaited said, at around 4 mos. It's like teaching a QH to square up for shows and hunters to square and "stretch" (Arabs, too)..

I have seen walkers park themselves. But I've also seen Dena park at random, and she's not peeing. So who knows.

[TheBadLands]

I disagree. I had a TWH mare who did it randomly and she was never worked with on training to park.

Not being mean, just asking...did you raise her? You don't look very old. And it's really hard to say, if you didn't foal and raise her, if someone didn't teach her just for fun. It only takes a few times to teach them.

[Palogal]

This is a good example.


http://www.breedersguide.com/images/TellingSecrets.jpg

oh, okay, so the little ones can park just not as deeply yet. That makes sense. It also means that the moron around here that raises walkers and parks them really deep as foals is an idiot...but I already knew that anyway. ;)

I don't think the filly in question has any formal training so this helps me figure out where to start on the parking thing.
Ty gaited!

[gaited07]

Your welcome Palogal;)

JFYI I would not over park/stretch no matter what age. A lot of people over park them and they just look like an over stretched out goose LOL and yes, it does put undue strains on their back.

[Palogal]

The last one I worked with was short, so I taught him to park just because his owner thought it was neat but never used it. The one before that was about 16.2 so the park was wonderful to use for mounting.

[elevenelevenxo]

Not being mean, just asking...did you raise her? You don't look very old. And it's really hard to say, if you didn't foal and raise her, if someone didn't teach her just for fun. It only takes a few times to teach them.

The people who owned her before me did and I know they did not teach it to her.

[Palogal]

Some horses just do it, most do not. It's a natural behavior for some just more popular in the gaited world.

[TheBadLands]

The people who owned her before me did and I know they did not teach it to her.

See, I've always really wondered. I see ALL breeds "park". Figured it was stretching. Alot of the weanlings seem to do it a lot. And older horses. With their confo (TWHs) I'd think they would naturally stance like that. But some say no, some say yes. I guess it depends on the horse.

It's kind of like seeing dressage bred horses piaffe passage in pasture. Or reiners slide stopping, and some even spinning (youtube it, it's pretty cute to see a yearlings spinning in the pasture)... it can be bred into them I would imagine.

[WashingtonBay]

I've actually wondered many times about the propensity for some breeds to park out and how much of it is trained versus some kind of breed instinct, not unlike gaiting itself.

It's not just gaited horses who park out for show, after all, some of the other fancy non-gaited show breeds like Morgans and Hackneys do it too... and it's Hackneys I wonder about because my pony 'parked', and there's little evidence she was ever trained to do anything at all before we got her, let alone taught to do ~that~. She would do it whenever you jiggled her lead line, but she'd also do it whenever she was a little nervous in hand. If she stopped, she'd park out and keep stretching lower and lower if you let her.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5484&stc=1&d=1255973699

In trying to figure her out, I remain unconvinced in my mind about whether she was taught this or was doing it on her own. There are so many questions about her, and whether she was really roughly handled or just naturally jittery. What was her early training and experience before she showed up at auction? Who knows. When she was unsure of herself, she offered the park. It was a 'safe place' for her, something she was never punished for that would get us off her case, she thought.

For her, it was a strange behavior we never really knew the answer to. Did someone teach it to her? I don't know.

[gaited07]

All the Saddlebreds and other gaited horses that I've been around did not do it naturally on cue. This is taught to them. Do all horses stretch out like this, yes.

[TheBadLands]

Here's pearl the appendix parking :cool:

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/54/l_1380eb2be1b7400fb5c457e0797f1531.jpg

[WashingtonBay]

See, I've always really wondered. I see ALL breeds "park". Figured it was stretching. Alot of the weanlings seem to do it a lot. And older horses. With their confo (TWHs) I'd think they would naturally stance like that. But some say no, some say yes. I guess it depends on the horse.

It's kind of like seeing dressage bred horses piaffe passage in pasture. Or reiners slide stopping, and some even spinning (youtube it, it's pretty cute to see a yearlings spinning in the pasture)... it can be bred into them I would imagine.

Pony never parked at pasture. It was always a response to a handler. There's a difference between just 'standing camped out', and parking. It's not chance, and it's not just a random attempt to try to figure out where you want them to put their feet, it's a deliberate and predicable setting up. Once in it, they feel as locked as if they were frozen there. It's actually difficult to get them out of it.

[gaited07]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe in the show ring the Hackney pony/horse are also parked out like this in hand, and under saddle and I believe in harness too. But I don't know for sure. Only owned one hackney in my life and never shown him.

[TheBadLands]

Pony never parked at pasture. It was always a response to a handler.

hmmm then would that mean she was taught it at some point?

It's so hard to REALLY say..

[WashingtonBay]

Yes, Gaited, Hackneys park at halt, in hand and under saddle/in harness at show.

hmmm then would that mean she was taught it at some point?

It's so hard to REALLY say..

It's one of her mysteries. It really seemed taught, because she would predictably do it on cue. But why that and virtually nothing else, to arrive at age 3 at a small town auction. She would not even trot in hand, and she did not drive, so it was hard to think she'd ever been shown.

[Palogal]

One of my mares will stretch that way sometimes and I raised her. She was never taught. I was asking because I'm not familiar with the skeletal development of a TWH. I don't want to ask for something that should not be asked for developmentally.

[Palogal]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe in the show ring the Hackney pony/horse are also parked out like this in hand, and under saddle and I believe in harness too. But I don't know for sure. Only owned one hackney in my life and never shown him.


Yes, they do. In hand anyway, I can't testify to driving.

[gaited07]

I pretty much thought so since they are the mini version of the Saddlebreds.

[Palogal]

They are bad-ass little horses too. Wearing one of those suckers out is an all day task.

[natisha]

[QUOTE=WashingtonBay;236940]


It's one of her mysteries. It really seemed taught, because she would predictably do it on cue. But why that and virtually nothing else, QUOTE] Picture taking?

[gabhainn]

It's one of her mysteries. It really seemed taught, because she would predictably do it on cue. .
Maybe cus it was so hard to teach her that they said screw it and moved on? I know a fair few trainers like that..............Kevin

[WashingtonBay]

Well, she was a bad pony after all ;) Honestly though, she tried really hard and was not hard to teach if you didn't muscle her. She just was wound about as tight as you can wind a pony without them snapping ;) And snap, she did!

[offgridgirl]

I always thought this move"park-out" was for halter showing only????!! My girlfriend would use it for showing her QH mare. I know I have a picture somewhere.....hmmmm. I wouldn't ever use it for mounting or dismounting as it does causes stress on the back. Use a mounting block or a leg up for tall horses/small people....;)

[gaited07]

I always thought this move"park-out" was for halter showing only????!! My girlfriend would use it for showing her QH mare. I know I have a picture somewhere.....hmmmm. I wouldn't ever use it for mounting or dismounting as it does causes stress on the back. Use a mounting block or a leg up for tall horses/small people....;)


With our show Saddlebreds and all my gaited horses Parked out for the show ring. Under saddle, in hand, and in harness.
All of them was Saddle seat. Western classes also do it but I didn't venture that direction (only showed a few classes in it.)
I use to have them park out to mount up but not as much nowadays. (now just use the truck bumper, rail or whatever I can LOL)