A new horse

[ThreeBoysChicks]

You have gotten some great advice already. Having rescued horses before, here is some good advice that I have found helpful.

1. Weight - He does look a little thin. Don't try to fatten him up all at once. Your vet will give you a good indication of what he should be eatting per day. As long as he gains steady, he is good. Too much food too fast could cause founder.
2. Patience - If this horse has been malnourished or perhaps mistreated, give him time. He needs to learn to trust you and you need to learn to trust him.
3. Consistency - Have a schedule and stick to it. If a behavior is out of bounds today than it must always be out of bounds. Don't let him do something today and then not tomorrow.
4. Treats - I only treat in their stall. Then they don't expect it all the time and get pushy.

I adopted a Spotted Draft and Percheron back before Christmas, both starvation cases. They both are looking great now. It has taken this long for them to not eat everything as soon as it is put in front of them. Just in the last few weeks they have come to understand a good scrath and now come to the fence for us an visitors to pet them and scratch them.

Most importantly, enjoy him!! And don't be afraid to ask for help. Maybe their is a trainer near you that will offer advice.

 

[Souperchicken]

I don't know is age, but I also thought he might be a little smaller.
The grass does look over grazed, but really it is due to us being at over 7,000 ft elevation. Spring hasn't sprung yet and grass is just starting to come in...We can't plant veggies until after the first week of June due to frost.

 

[annanicole18]

At least his feet aren't too terrible. There have definately been worse off. Best money you can spend is on getting a vet out there to check him out to give you an age estimate, check his teeth, and do an overall body check for things that a vet may see or feel that you may miss. Congrats on your new boy hope he turns out to appreciate a loving home and gives your children lots of nice trail rides.

 

[Souperchicken]

Thank you!
I did noticed his front right hoof is longer than the others. You can kind of see in one of the pictures that his foot hits the ground at a different angle. Is this something that will fix itself when he gets a trim?

 

[bantamamba]

A couple good trims and his feet should all be nice and even.

However, can you possibly get us any up-close pics of that hoof (safely, of course)? It's angles are pretty odd, but from this distance to me it looks like it is just overgrown and suffering from a bit of poor care.

I say he looks like a quarter horse. You can call him chestnut or sorrel, two names for one colour. He'll be cute all shed out and with some groceries. Keep us updated on what the vet says...they should be able to give you a pretty good estimate on his age by looking at his teeth.

 

[starryhen]

Hi ... The first thing I would do is get an equine vet to look at this horse. They would tell you the age and if the hoof or other things are going to be a problem. If it is a good vet they will advise you further. Another thing I would advise is to find someone close to you who knows horses. Be careful as everyone knows a lot about some things about horses and then will have big gaps. A rescue operation is a good place to go for free advice. If you go to their adoption fairs you can learn a lot. I am a breeder and a trainer. The one thing I say about treats is ... never give them for nothing. It is fine to give treats (carefully to a new horse) for something they do for you - even allowing you to put on their halter or cleaning their feet. Prudent offer of treats while insisting on mannerly behavior can make training really, really easy. Clicker Training for Your Horse is a very good book for training. Good luck. This is very exciting.

 

[Souperchicken]

I zoomed in on this one, this is the best one I have of his feet.

 

[starryhen]

Hi ... I keep going back and reading the advice by threeboyschicks who has rescued horses. Very good. What a great site.

 

[bantamamba]

I'm no hoof expert, but it just appears overgrown to me. I thought it had a more severe dip. It'll be interesting to hear what the vet and farrier have to say.

And in regards to getting help from horse people...this can be helpful, but be careful...out there be wives' tales!

And sometimes...just sometimes, "horse people" can be loco. At least they are in this area lol. Always consult with a vet you trust if you are unsure, and of course doing loads of your own research is vital. Which you already are, so no worries there. Preaching to the choir here.

 

[suzettex5]

Quote:
Just found this thread! What an adventure you have in store! I love when good horses find good people.

His front hooves are definately long, a good farrier will be able to take care of that pretty quickly (quickly may mean a few months, depending on the horses behavior and how often the farrier comes) The back ones look fairly long too, but I'm sure they will get attention too.

I wish you and your new horse the best of luck, and many, many years of companionship and fun!