4 mos old filly..how hard could it be?

[PortageGirl]

Then listen to your common sense. *nod nod* You know that's what you'd tell a friend who asked you this same question. Listen to the voice on that shoulder, not the other one.

 

[BeckyLa]

Think you should go see her. I also think you should do it at a time when you can take your Vet with you to check her over. I think you should handle her, lead her around, pick up her hooves, anything you can think of to see just what her temperament is. Ask if they will give you some kind of health guarantee so that you can return her for a full refund if a health problem showed up within a specific period of time, ask your vet what is reasonable. I'd call around to other vets, horse owners/dealers, etc, to find out if other people have had experiences with the person selling this horse, do they have a bad/good reputation? All this kind of stuff. Just DO NOT allow her to muzzle you (that warm ever so soft muzzle) and DO NOT look into her eyes! I promise you will bring her home regardless of any problems.

been there done that...... more times than I care to mention.....

 

[jvls1942]

delete

 

[RockyToggRanch]

If I walked this horse on our trails daily, with my dogs, and whatever roosters wanted to follow..she should be spook "less" at the age of sadle training..Right?

Oh no ...that was the other voice again.

 

[BeardedChick]

spook "less" at the age of sadle training

That was the dizzy blonde voice.

This is what I recommend for a spookless horse:

(kidding only kidding!)​

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I know.. that was spose to be funny. sorry. My geldings were horrors when they arrived. Spooked at everything. They were supposedly kids horses. I realize there is no such thing as a bomb proof horse. They will spook. But the good ones should "spook less" in my opinion. no?

 

[BeckyLa]

Probably not until she is well experienced. It will take her a while to realize that when a bird flies out of the bush next to her that it's not a snake jumping to bite her. Most horses put a lot a trail miles in before they begin to calm down. And if you trail ride your big boys, it wouldn't hurt to put her on a lead and take her with you, if the big boy won't kick and you're not going through a brushy foresty area where she could get tangled in stuff.

 

[Cara]

Quote:
Horses don't think like us; something you encounter when leading them can often turn into something completely different when they have a rider on their back. You're never going to desensitize them to everything they could possibly see in their lifetime, and it's better to teach them to relax on cue and trust you to get them out of the situation safely. Some horses just won't, but that's another story.

 

[BeardedChick]

Quote:
It was funny, I was just joking back.

Depends on what the horse is for. If you are looking for an athletic horse, some of the spooky buggers are extreme athletes (that would be my endurance mare).

And some of the top show horses are spooky as all get out because it looks charasmatic in the show ring and that gets rewarded - and then bred into the general horse populace.

So I guess what I'm saying is even well bred, expensively bred horses can be spooky buggers and there isn't necessarily a way to prevent it. With a 4 month old, you can't know if she will be spooky or not after she's grown. Yes, you should do all the desensitization work you can, but it's still not a guarantee.

Does that make sense, sorta?

 

[PortageGirl]

I'm curious, (and maybe I need to read it all over again) but why aren't you riding the 12 year old? That's not old... it's not young, but certainly ridable under most circumstances. Certainly good for basic trail riding if nothing too challenging is asked of him. Definately good for taking lessons and learning on anyway. 20 is awfull old for riding, I sure wouldn't advise much for such an oldster.