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

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Sure, that's a perfectly reasonable age for a weanling to be for sale.


Pat

 

[skirbo]

I want to add to my previous post and say that I totally agree you will be in no position to start her under saddle yourself. You will need to be prepared to send her to a good trainer for several months. That is very expensive and you may still end up with a horse who needs a rider with more skill than you'll have.

All of us should remember, no matter how many horses we have or haven't owned/ridden and how much experience we do/don't have, that as great as they are, horses can be incredibly dangerous even as babies. No one wants to see anyone else get hurt.

Sarah

 

[Judymae]

4 months is kinda young. If a weanling is taken off the momma too soon it could stunt them.

I started with a young filly. Not knowing a thing about horses I just went out there and messed around with her every day or so. My hubby works out of town most of the time. He knows alot more than I do. He was thoroughly impressed with how tame the baby was with my handling. I worked with her on leading, hoof care, messing with her ears, touching all over, taking on and off her halter, tying her, you name it I did it. Then when she was 2 I started putting her saddle on. She took a bit almost instantly. By the time she was 3 my hubby decided he would break her....there was no breaking her. She let him climb and and ride her all over. No bucking or kicking. All he had to do was teach her to rein. She even knew what whoa ment since when I led her around I would say "Whoa" when I stopped walking and I would click my tongue when we started walking. So coming from someone with no experience I would say get the filly. If I can do it anyone can do it. If you need help then ask for it. I loved my experience. I wouldn't trade it for the world!!

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I'm really glad to have these opinions shared with me..thank you all. I have time to spend with my horses. My kids are grown, the youngest in college. I do work full time, but the only thing I have other than work is my animals. I'm up early and spending time with them. I rush home from work to spend more time with them. I do the chores and then have nothing other than spending time with them. My DH works swing shifts, so very often I'm here with my 4 legged or feathered friends. It's not the time or space or means to do this that concerns me. It's the unknown...Is it do-able with my setup? Other than training, is there anything else a 4 mos old needs different than my seniors? (and food of course.)

 

[mainchick]

Quote:
Sure, that's a perfectly reasonable age for a weanling to be for sale.


Pat

shows how much I know about horses! you never know what you learn on a chicken forum!!

 

[Judymae]

Just consistant handling. I'm like you. I work with my critters constantly!! A baby will respond instantly to you and show you respect if you give her the proper handling and attention. Just remember everything is new to her. She's probably never been brushed or washed or had her hooves looked at. You know what I mean.

You gonna love her!!! Good luck!!

 

[skirbo]

Okay, she's cute, but am I the only one seeing the thickened left front leg? That looks like a bowed tendon and a swollen fetlock???? If her leg really is swollen there, RUN.

Got any other pics? It's hard to see angles or anything to give you any good opinion about her conformation. What's with the inside of the right hock? Looks like the hair has been scrubbed off or something from the pic. What breed or cross is she supposed to be?

Sarah

 

[Heather08]

SOmetimes winter fuzz can make a leg loook like that, i doubt its bowed already..

You can do it with patients and good mentoring, just remember horses can kill you, a friend recently who has been showing and training for over 20 years world champion horses had a 5 mo old try to jump over her at the door way while cleaning stalls, knocked her out.. just never let your guard down around babies. You have to set boundrys and be firm, never hand feed a foal is a good starter rule!!!!! You are not a treat dispensor and keep foal out of your space, the best way to get a baby back it hand up in her eye space, you dont even have to touch them just "air shove them back" Ive been raising and competing for 25+ years with all sorts of world class trainers. Never let your guard down.

 

[patandchickens]

The funny LF tendon/pastern may just be a ridge of long hair, can't tell from the photo. I am not particularly impressed with the conformation but if you just want a backyard horse to plunk around with it doesn't necessarily matter that much (except insofar as it affects how easy she is to sell later on, if it should become necessary or desirable).

Youngsters need safer fences/sheds/etc because they are more active and find more ways to hurt themselves (and because they have smaller body parts to stick into smaller crevices). What is your fencing like?

Also, because young horses are usually more active and silly, there is a good chance your footing will get ripped up more when it is soft or muddy than you'd expect based on what you see from your more-senior-age horses. This is not a problem necessarily -- I only mention it because you were asking about differences to expect.

The biggest potential difference is that she is a "she" and they are "he"s. Many times, geldings can live peaceably with a mare, but a significant number of other times it'll cause trouble. Either because of her behavior when she's in heat (some mares are extremely witchy, others get downright aggressive in their attempts to get someone to breed them), or because one gelding decides she is His Exclusive Girlfriend and goes after his male competition, or other similar problems. Unfortunately there is no really good way of knowing whether these sorts of things will happen in any particular case. You would want to have a Plan B in mind in case it should turn out that she cannot live with one or both of the geldings for some or all of the time; although it is certainly possible the Plan B would not turn out to be necessary.

BTW, if you do have access to appropriate help when needed and do decide to get a youngster, for heaven's sake make sure it LEADS REAL WELL when you buy it. Otherwise you start out with problems right from time zero and that doesn't lead anywhere good.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[skirbo]

Quote:
I know, but it still doesn't look like that to me, none of the other legs look that way at all. I'd like to see another pic from a different angle and a better stance on the baby.

They can hurt themselves, including bowed tendons, as babies in the pasture. I had a 3 year old arab once that I'd raised from a weanling. He was ready to 'start' and I just begun teaching him to lunge. He slipped one day playing in the pasture and severed the nerve in his scapula. Permanently lame.

Sarah