Kelso is finally finishing
maturing, at age 7. (grew 3" in 2009 -- just under 16.0hh as
of 12/1/09)
He is now balanced, and
isn't likely to get any taller.
He was narrow chested and
narrow barrelled until spring 09; as of fall, he has broadened and
matured significantly.
He has no known health
problems or injuries at any time in his life.
His legs and hooves are in
excellent shape.
He is at a very nice weight,
and continues to build muscle tone on 24/7 turnout. He is now an
easy keeper.
We had to have his baby
teeth surgically removed, and significant dental work to resolve a
resulting overbite; otherwise, his mouth is healthy and he has taken to
bridling with ease.
Ground
Manners:
B
Leads easily, seldom rushes.
Occasionally balks.
Stands, relaxed, when asked.
Seldom jigs or rushes.
Easy to manage for his
normal routine. Often handled at feeding time by very green volunteers
without difficulty.
When something is
significantly changed (ie something scary just outside the barn gate),
he can be flighty and argumentative.
Ties in most situations, can
get gittery but usually respectful of the lead / halter. Inconsistent
about tieing, sometimes will yank.
Basic
Riding Skills:
B
Kelso now has a good basic
foundation, and is ready for a good working career.
He has a nice
foundation started for english arena or show riding.
He has made excellent
progress since fall 09 on balance,
and rating his gaits. His confidence has made HUGE strides forward.
He does not bolt and he
steers easily, fluidly.
Kelso still can get nervous,
and needs a confident rider who is going to provide him security.
He is learning to leg yield
and learning lateral work under saddle. When asked to give, he becomes
far more focused and supple.
He has an excellent work
ethic -- he can be restless and fussy until he begins working, then he
is normally VERY focused and capable.
Unaware of him ever having
ridden outside an arena prior to March 2010. In March, he did a 2 hour
ride at the state park with Tessa and did surprisingly well.
As of February 2010, he has
cantered several times under saddle. He is a little heavy on his
forehand, but otherwise has good balance, always selects the proper
lead, and carries his rider well. He isn't rushing or hurrying, but
rather settled and easily managed at the canter.
He is rapidly out growing
his separation anxieties when his friends come or leave the barn while
he is working. In Feb 2010 he rode wonderfully, alone in the barn, with
one other horse (his favorite pasturemate, Pepper) being led into and
out of the barn repeatedly.
He has also ridden with one
other horse several times, different horses. He handled it well, and is
no longer trying to hurry to follow close behind or to pass another
horse. He is mannerly and doesn't pin his ears or otherwise bother his
riding partners.
Ideal
Career
Kelso has taken
nicely to the dressage/hunter under saddle work we're doing, and
seems to particularly enjoy movements that make him think (such as
lateral work), both riding and while ground driving/long lining.
Also, based upon his
mother's natural talent for dressage, we consider this a very likely
option for Kelso, as well as jumping, hunter under saddle and similar
English work. His bloodlines are often sought after for jumpers.
Stall
Manners
B+
Stalls easily, remains
relaxed so long as he is not alone in the barn for long periods of time.
Waits to be led out when the
door is opened.
Plays with his feed tub and
often tosses food around while eating.
Trailering
Skills:
A-
Loads with little effort.
Has trailered several times, remains calm,
patient.
Unloads well, mildly anxious for the wall to
move to
let him off the trailer.
Companionship
/ Pasture Manners
A
Excellent with all types of
other horses.
Not aggressive, not picked
on either. Playful, especially with younger horses.
NO studdish behaviors
whatsoever.
Patient, easy with new
horses. Accepts newcomers into his 'group' and helps them acclimate
into the herd.
Comes when called, easy to
catch, excellent manners at the gate at feeding times.
Managability
for Routine and Medical Care
B
Farrier: B. Lifts well,
doesn't pull back, sometimes leans.
Shots: A. No fuss! Stands
relaxed for vaccinations.
Dental: A. Easily sedated,
remains calm even through extensive procedure (pulled baby teeth).
Worming: A. No fuss, doesn't
pull away, doesn't spit it out or drop or wipe it on handlers.
Grooming: B. Good for
brushing and hoof cleaning, but gets mildly impatient. Doesn't
obviously enjoy grooming like some horses.
Ears -- A+, no
reaction to any handling (never tried to clip)
Clipping -- NA,
unaware he has ever been exposed.
Bathing -- NA,
we've not tried.
Tying: D-. Like
many show horses, Kelso had not previously been taught to tie. He
has learned basics during his time here but does still fuss and dance
at times, and occasionally will sit back hard against the tie, even
snapping a halter.
Adoption
Fees
ADOPTED! GONE HOME! 4/2010
Please visit our adoption qna page for
details on how our contract works, adoption application, and an
explanation of when and how we transfer ownership.
History
See below for detailed history and progress notes
during his time at CWER, as well as Kelso's pedigree.
6-yo Kelso fall 09 (left)
and his beautiful
mother, Factor (right); 1 of 2 youtube videos above -- links to both
are in the report card area.
Overview: Kelso is a tall, leggy, handsome young athletic
prospect. Unfortunately, he was
not maturing mentally or physically rapidly, and was not proving to
be the desired show horse for his young owner. Having watched Factor's
progress
here at CWER, they chose to donate him rather than try to sell him and
risk his future going badly. Having had some time to let the herd help
him mature, Kelso is now
poised for a great career in dressage, jumping, hunter under saddle or
similar
pursuits.
HISTORY:
Upon Arrival, Sept 08:
Kelso is very long legged and lean. Although he is 5, he is not
yet done growing, mentally or physically. He is already several inches
taller
than Factor, and appears poised to grow at least another inch or two in
height,
then to broaden in the chest and barrel. He still has baby teeth in his
mouth. Mentally, he also still needs to
mature. Most of the herd do not see him as a gelding yet -- including
the
aggressive gelding Sherlock -- but rather as a baby, and Kelso has no
interest
in any mare in heat.
We asked Kelso to do a brief workout in late September,
just to get a feel for his education and challenges. He was nervous and
tense the entire time, seeming lost and confused, even a bit afraid
that he couldn't give us what we wanted. He clearly has some saddle
time but seems very unsure of what he is supposed to do.
Kelso passed his vet
check with flying colors. He had dental work done and a full
chiropractic exam and workup. His legs appear to be in excellent shape.
Dr King recommends giving him the winter off, letting him continue in
the pasture and playing with the others, and see how much he matures
before spring. We've often seen horses that simply didn't mature yet at
the anticipated age, who work out to be fantastic at a job once they
are ready. We look forward to that with Kelso as well.
February 2009: Kelso has grown a full inch, bringing his withers
nearly in line with his rump; his neck and haunches have both muscled
significantly and he is at an ideal weight; we've had the last of his
baby teeth pulled for him so he is now eating better. He plays with the
herd and has begun to notice when a mare comes into heat. All in all,
he appears to be maturing at long last, into a horse! So, we decided to
see how he would do in the roundpen with light work. He free lunged
fine -- as he always has -- then continued to free lunge well with a
saddle instead of being nervous and panicky. After a few minutes he was
reasonably relaxed, so we tried him under saddle. While he wasn't
perfectly settled, he has been ridden only once in at least a year, and
he settled in well and rode nicely. His trot was still a bit choppy and
he worked to find his balance, but was calm and reasonable and listened
to the requests of his rider like, well, like an average 6 year old
horse with limited riding experience and over a year off -- which is
light years of progress for our young man!!! (See video clip, upper
right, or click
here to view on youtube).
August 2009 update:
Kelso has made nice progress this summer. He is at an ideal weight,
appears to be done growing, and is laying top line muscle very nicely.
He is far more athletic than he was even 2 months ago. As time allows,
we have done free lunging and side reins work in the round pen as
foundation to help him build top line muscle and learn to use his hind
end underneath him as a power plant and driving force, rather than
dragging himself on his forehand. We will allow Kelso to get slightly
overweight this fall to help him maintain
body weight throughout the
winter, and anticipate him growing a better coat and losing less weight
this winter than he did in 08/09. As time and
energy allows, Kelso is doing light riding work, but the focus is
primarily ground work as he continues to fill in and add topline. Now,
many of his movements are reminicient of his incredibly athletic
mother, instead of a rare glimpse. (images below are both on 8/23/09.)
October
2009: kelso is making AMAZING progress right
now! We are working in the indoor roundpen on driving lines, and it all
seems to click for him! He is easily coming round and into frame -- in
other words, hei s tucking his hind end under him -- as shown in the
photo just above left -- but he is also bringing his head down
and forward so that his face is vertical and he is using all of his top
line muscles from his ears to his tail to carry himself properly! Enjoy
a short,
low quality (sorry) youtube video to give you an idea of how he is
moving now!
February
2010: Kelso has come so far in the past year! He now enjoys
riding,
working happily at the walk and trot, doing simple lateral work like
leg yields and spiral in and turns on the forehand. He enjoys the
challenge of such requests and handles them well. He is now rarely
nervous nor rushed when he is riding. He clearly understands what we
are asking and is eager to please. One of our skilled volunteers,
Becky, has begun riding him and he has blossomed under her skills.
Enjoy the short
video of his first canters under saddle.
March
2010: Kelso got to meet his future mom. Kelso is riding fabulously, and
did a terrific trail ride with his new mom at the state park.
Kelso has
learned good balance under saddle, no longer rushes, and has confidence
he'd not shown previously.
April
2010: update from Canada:
Kelso
went on his first Canadian trail ride today and he did very well.
He
loaded well in the trailer and handled being tied to the trailer prior
to being
tacked up (I tied him to a baler twine just to be safe). He was a
little
nervous on the ride at first with a high head and brisk pace but
settled down
in about 15 minutes. He went through water and mud without
too much
problem - was a little hesitant at first and then gained confidence as
the ride
progressed. We did 1 1/2 hours at the walk. He was pretty
sweaty
when we finished but he appeared to be enjoying the outing.
We
loaded him into the trailer at the roadside and there was some traffic
which
didn't phase him a bit. This makes me think he will be fine
on the
road also but in a couple of weeks I will take him on a
little
walk down our quiet dirt road first to test him out in traffic. He
is continuing to settle in and eats well - now likes his
concentrate and knows the feeding routine.He's
a good Illinois boy!
Sponsorship: Kelso now needs a feed sponsor (thank you
Cheryl for helping him when you could). The feed sponsor donates to
cover the cost of Kelso's feed monthly -- $50 per month at this time.
He also needs a medical sponsor. So far his initial
intake veterinary care cost $275, his 2nd chiro/visit $95 and his
significant dental work was another $175. Kelso had a chiro "tune
up" in November 2009, which was again $95. His spring shots were $35 in
2009 and his coggins was also $35.
Kelso's Sire's bloodlines are strong, going
back to the famous sires Three Bars (thoroughbred) and Leo! His dam's
bloodlines are exceptional, with FIVE doses of Nearco(!) -- extensive
commentary regarding her bloodlines are listed
on her page.
