Can anybody tell me what is happening with this horses left lead change? Or is it the cowboy?
Friday, January 2, 2009
Colonel Smoking Gun
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
A Blog designed for discussion of topics related to, but not limited to, Circus, Zoos, Animal Training, and Animal Welfare/Husbandry. Sometimes opening up the dialog is the best starting point of all. And if for nothing else when people who agree and don't agree, get together and start discussing it, it will open up a lot of peoples minds. Debate and discussion even amongst themselves opens a window where there wasn't one before.
The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE"
Relevent Stops On The Information Highway
- Custom Motorcycle Accessories by Ian
- Bob Cline's Sawdust and Spangles
- Buckles Blog
- Christophe Roullin Circus News
- Gary Robinsons Circus Blog
- Jamie Clubbs Blog
- Marco Kristens Circus Williams
- Ryan Easley's ShowMe Elephants
- Showbiz Daves Blog
- The Bartlett Society
- Thomas Bohners Cage Act History
- World of Dancing Horses
Manure Pile/Post Archive
Consultants
Wade G Burck
Adam R Burck
Eric G Burck
Adam R Burck
Eric G Burck
Posts
6 comments:
Mr Burck - this is my first time posting, so please accept my apologies what is the procedure?
I am familar with this horse and the rider is Clint Haverty. The horse is very well known to be deaf and from what I can see his lead changes ar not precise (but close). The best I can say is to ask Mr. Haverty. Tim McQuay who used to own Hollywood Dun It now owns Gunner and he is a million dollar sire now, and I never believed his deafness affected him in any way in the performance ring or in breeding barn. People know him more by "Gunner". Thanks for your time and I hope that answers your questions as I didnt see anybody post answers to your questions. It is great to see this video as I never seen it and as always Gunner is dazzling to watch. I like coming in here because alot of topics here interest me so thanks.
L,
Welcome, we are glad to have you. The only rule is that you sign you name. If you want to have a counterpoint and fear that identity would harm you or your work, you may use anonymous. Be for using anonymous you have to email me at wburck3@aol.com and introduce yourself to me. Once I am comfortable, then you may use anonymous, other wise use your name.
I did not know Gunner was deaf, but that explains it you look at tapes of him, he looks around a lot, and tends to turn and look to the left when he is standing between spins. He has probably become comfortable with a person on his left all his life and is dependent on the left side. Which may explain his problem with the left lead. Every video I looked at of him, he had a problem with the left lead, more of a problem depending on who was showing him. As he is such a fabulous horse in everything else, spin, slide, big/smalls right lead, it struck me as odd that he had a problem with the left. Being deaf and people dependent on the left, he may wait for too much "help/assistance" instead of naturally falling into the left lead, like he does on the right.
I met Clint Haverty briefly in in 1992, when he had Appaloosas, at the Appaloosa Congress in Oklahoma City. Ringling Bros Circus was showing in the main Coliseum at the fair grounds, and the App's were at the other end. Every change I had between shows I watch Clint schooling horses, and was most impressed. He answered a lot of questions for me.
Tim McQuay has owned some great, great horses. Did you ever see Hollywood 86?
And yes, Gunner is one of my favorite reining horses also. Even more respected given his achievements with the hearing disability. With the unusual white on his left hip, his backups and slides have to be very good, as the eye is sure drawn to the leg.
Wade
Mr. Burck - I actually thought he anticipated a little bit, notice the pawing just before the spins. And yes the looking is an issue, as he is anticipating Mr. Haverty to apply the leg/spur to ask him to execute a particular section of the pattern. As a fellow horseman you know that we usually lead and mount on the horse's left side so it is reasonable for him to seek assistance on the left side, another possible thought is that he is weak on the left lead - I have seen many horses to be really good on one lead and weak on the other, and a horse being equally good on both leads happens every now and then. Deafness in horses is a fairly new thing I think, when I had a stallion I had a woman from Australia contact me since she was researching into this (supposedly) because she had a theory that the stallion's grandsire was deaf and passed it on - based all on the color ("splashed white" she said), blue eyes, and "rabbit radar" ears - she saw pictures of my stallion and he didnt show any signs of it but oddly enough he had a baby that had two blue eyes and showed some characterics that she mentioned, I never got to ask the foal owner if that particular foal had a hearing test, but interesting enough one of my really good friends has a daughter of the grandsire and she has proven to be deaf but that didnt stop her from performing and being an accomplished broodmare, complete with the splashed white pattern, rabbit radar ears and blue eyes. She is marked alot like Gunner with the exception of white on her sides going up to her back. I do not hold deafness against any horse especially if they possess the ability like Gunner does - I value that plus a good mind over anything else. I believe Clint still does appaloosas on a smaller scale (or at least his wife does), he has a website www.havertyranch.com - I have had the honor of seeing Mark This Spot in person and he is a nice horse. The Havertys have been really big in NRHA more nowadays. I have never seen Hollywood Jac 86, but have heard about him. I will email you as I am using an initial of my name for a very good reason, so we can have that out of the way even though we have never formally met. Thanks.
L,
Very informative. Having trained a number of Arabians and being aware of some animals having a difficult time with a particular lead, in the case of Arabians often because of a clubby foot was why I was asking about an obviously talented horse, not an Arabian, having a problem with it.
One of the most revered animal colors to man it white. Along with that white gene, which is not a desirable gene in nature, comes a whole bag of undesirable genes, one of which is the "lethal white." White/excessive white along with the blue eye gene will result in varying degrees of hearing problems, including deafness. Domestic cats and the early white tigers with blue eyes have/had hearing problems. In the case of a ridden animal you can compensate by guiding them with your body, legs, or the reins and lead. You have to appreciate how difficult it was in the early days with an animal like a tiger that you could not touch. Add to that the crossed eyes in the early days and you had to be very "in tuned" to them to be successful. The mission of every breeder of animals should be the elimination of anything defective. It takes a lot longer them most have in a life time. Interesting that in addition to the head being dominate to the left you noted the pawing. I too noted that, and couldn't interpret it as impatience in waiting for the next command or nervousness. I have to guess impatience of a great athlete, because he has surly learned that with Clint in the saddle there is nothing to be scared or nervous about.
I don't hold deafness or any like defect against any great animal athlete either. I would hope that by breeding to Gunner, I might stand as good of a good chance of getting that heart in my babies.
I had a white tiger that was totally blind by the time he was 11 due to cataracts, a rare occurance. He learned to depend on me by leaning against me as we walked, with my hand on his right shoulder. I kept him is a smaller cage like a small stall, because if I walked him to a big cage or area, and then left him, he would panic and run head long into the mesh. He was scared of the world unless he could touch me for guidance. As all animals are handled from the left, yes he was left dependent, and looked in that direction for guidance the same as Gunner. I'll bet Clint misses Gunner as much as I miss Kabul.
Wade
Wade, speaking of Kabul, you really have worked with some very special tigers!
Mary Ann
Mary Ann,
Kabul was needy not special. He was a one eyed, castrated, declawed tiger who fell into my care. Karma, was special, given her athletic feats, as well as Illusion who I introduced you to in Lake Geneva, who finally accepted after many hours/months of working together with me that the world was not a bad place. Gunner was a great athlete, who defeated other great athletes on an equal field of standards/competition, who is now siring great athletes. That's special.
The suggestion of missing was in reference to an animal needing us as trainers because of their handicap. That is the only reason an animal really "needs" something like a human, and that need/dependence doesn't come along often and is special when it does.
The human feeling a trainer has for a defendant animal is what is special and missed.
Wade
Post a Comment