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Topic: About the Trakehner (Read 5451 times)
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Eileen
ata
Old Hand
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Posts: 523
I LOVE Trakehners!
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My kids are also changing minds in my trainer's barn. Phalanx turned 4 last year and is very tall and leggy and slow maturing so we just started him under saddle late winter/early spring last year. Although he is an attractive, soundly built horse, he is not "WOW" when you see him in his stall, plus he is graying in a funny way.
At my trainer's barn all the other riders and people who came to her clinics know that I breed Tks. They tolerate my talking about them, but very few have ever come over even to see the new babies. Then when Phalanx was over there for training they still only saw him in the paddock or stall. No one ever said much, maybe pretty boy or something. Phalanx is pretty quiet and laid back most of the time, so his behavior was never really commented on either.
Then the last clinic, I rode him. I was just coming back from a severe injury a couple of years ago and was quite insecure about riding a green horse much less in a clinic and a horse that I had only ridden three times.
Phalanx was the hit of the clinic. When my ride was over, everyone swarmed us before I even got dismounted. We were still in the arena. We were bombarded with comments, questions, etc. -- told what a gorgeous mover he is, how old was he? Is he for sale? etc.
Later someone commented on my ride and I had said that I had trouble with my position -- for whatever it was. Her comment was "Oh, no one noticed what you were doing. Frankly, everyone was watching him. He is such a gorgeous mover. Nobody cared about you." I just had to laugh.
We are having another clinic this coming weekend, weather permitting. I am anxious to see how he does and hear the comments this time. I won't be able to ride him this time but either my trainer or my husband will ride and the clinician will ride one time just to try him as she puts it. This time I will be sitting with everyone and get to hear the comments on the ride as it happens.
Another story ---I have a weanling who absolutely adores being brushed. I always say if he starts to leave and you want him to stay, just start brushing him. It stops him dead in his tracks. Every night at feeding time, I brush him while he is eating his grain and then come back and kind of "tie" him to clean his feet. I had not been out to do this for several weeks due to an injury. My husband said Paddy was looking for me. So I had just started back to the routine a couple night prior. Paddy was loving his grooming like usual. After I get done brushing one side, I always say, "ok, now turn around." I was not aware I was saying that, but then I either turned him around or I went around him (he is not tied, wearing a halter or anything). So this time when I said "Turn around", he just carefully lifted his head over mine and then turned around oh so carefully and positioned himself just so. His entire body was within arm's reach. I just stood there stunned for a minute and then cracked up. He turned his head and looked at me. The look on his face was priceless. I couldn't decide if he wondered what I was laughing about or if he was wondering what was taking me so long to get started brushing. Then I evidently didn't get the hind leg well enough because he moved forward just a little so I could reach it better. I couldn't stop laughing.
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Deb
FEI
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Posts: 208
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Love the stories! When I got my first Anglo-Trak mare, I had been riding an OTTB. Whenever we rode past him, they both pinned their ears and gave each other dirty looks. I'm kind of wondering if that's the problem I'm having now. My OTTB was my alpha mare but she had to be put down in Sept and there has been no clear alpha mare. Things were ok up until recently and then my two chestnut Anglo-Trak mares started getting into it (the bay is definitely low on the totem pole). I've kind of been wondering if it's because I've been working with one and not the other. The older mare doesn't really care if she has a job or not but I'm wondering if she's not a little jealous the attention being paid to the younger one!?
http://web.centre.edu/dajones/equine.htm Unfortunately, the youngster got in the way of their disagreement and has a scraped up nose. 
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Beckie
ata
Gold Medallist
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Posts: 271
I LOVE Trakehners!
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My older mare Javeline (Twinky) definitely had a jealous streak. I noticed it whenever I entered the pasture. She would cozy up to me for a pet and if another horse came up while she was the center of attention, she would turn her "Poldergeist face" to the other horse. Ears flattened, teeth bared, wrinkled nose snarl as if to say in that other world voice "MY HUMAN!!!" and then within 1/2 turn of her head back to you, it was kind gentle eyes, sweet ears cocked to you and a relaxed loose face. It became quite a joke around people who witnessed it.
Also, when I broke her oldest daughter Joanna, she got irritated when the younger mare was saddled and started with "The Face" and the "my human" behavior," which I told her "no" to and she moved away. However, after I would untacked the younger mare and let her back loose with the other horses, mom would lunge at her with her ears back and tail swishing as if to say....." I told you to leave my human ALONE." Nothing violent, but obviously jealous. After that, I was always careful to give Twinky her full share of attention and riding even if it was just a walk up the road. Often, I would just stand with her while she finished her grain. Any loving would do as long as she got more than the other horses! 
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MISSMADDIE
Novice
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Posts: 10
I love Trakehners!
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So TK's like their attention! lol. All the horses I have seen on here tend to be very beautiful. I love it.
Maddie
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stryder
Novice
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Posts: 13
So much to learn!
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Jealous? Oh, you bet.
My half-Trak/half QH mare usually greets me at the gate or stall door when she hears my voice, then sees me. But if I touch another horse first, she'll get as far away from me as possible, and turn her hindquarters to me. Then she'll turn her head toward me, as if to ask, "oh, you?" and finally turn back around to face me.
I've moved my Lace to boarding school to study with Craig Stevens at the National School of Academic Equitation. Actually, he's working with me, too. Since my fall last fall I lost confidence, which undermined Lace's confidence ... well, we needed an intervention.
Her attention span was like a gnat's. But now she smoothly does shoulder in, half-pass, halt. She's smooth and confident, although a little buggy. She'd spent about a month at a trainer, who Craig is convinced must have beat her.(This is before I'd met and bought her!)
He's been repairing her confidence and good will. And now he describes her as a very sweet horse. He seduced her with an even and light hand, and treats when she didn't whirl and bolt at things that frightened her.
Things are looking up for 2007. I love this horse!
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Joy
ata
Old Hand
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Posts: 1,270
I love Trakehners!
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Re their sensible nature. I have an 8-month old filly who is FINALLY being weaned. This girl has gone over gates to get to Mom so I finally foal proofed a stall and began leaving her in it at night with her dam across the way. The first time I locked her in, she was upset, but very controlled. She whinneyed and neighed, ran around the stall, but didn't do anything stupid. When she realized she was in and couldn't get out, she didn't kick the walls or throw herself against the walls or stall door. In short, she thought about her situation and made the best of it. And this is only a half-Trakehner. Her dam, an ArabX (not TK), is also very sensible, so perhaps she passed it on, but her sire also has that self-preservation characteristic.
You just can't get better than a TK, and a little Arab thrown in sure doesn't hurt at all.
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lynnhunrostraks
Novice
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Posts: 1
I love Trakehners!
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I have bred trakehners for 20 years and wouldn't own anything else. My oldest ridden mare was only ridden by me for 10 years and when my daughter first rode her next to me on while i was on another horse she sulked and nickered at me all the way around totally confused. She has adapted to this now but still is very much more loving with me than any other rider and infact reels back from my daughter if she kisses her or fusses her. I definately would say that she is jealous.
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TwinGates
ata
Old Hand
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Posts: 2,342
Performance Matters!
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It's not just the mares that get jealous. Helmut told me a funny story about Taz that illustrates both their jealous and ability to assess situations.
Taz always expects the be the 1st out of the stalls to work in the morning, period. If Helmut passes him by he lays his ears back to let him know that there'll be a "little something extra" later during their ride.  However, he'll go back to visiting w/his neighbor or eating hay if Helmut pulls out the big Irish stallion. Apparently Taz thinks this guy's nothing special - certainly not important enough to ignore his hay for (sure enough, the big Irish guy putzes around 1.20M classes sometimes getting a ribbon, but really only in training b/c owners have no place to keep a stallion).
If Helmut pulls Conrad (Contuci x HOL) out though, the @!*# hits the fan. (Conrad's Helmut's 7yo stallion who's won every 1.20M class he's entered as a 6yo. Conrad's the same way. If the Irish horse gets pulled out first, HO hum. If it's Taz, Conrad goes nuts. Apparently they're both award of who the other "BMOC" is around the barn.
Sadly Conrad's been off (soundness issues) this season so Taz is always first out of the stall this year. Probably added to why he jumped so well this season - it was all about him! 
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