Horse club

[OneTwoMany]

@TropicalBabies
When purchasing a horse from anyone who you dont know well, the best advice is a thorough PrePurchase Exam (PPE). If the horse performs as desired in the trial (remember rule #1, unless you are a trainer, buy a horse you can ride today), schedule a vet for flexion tests and a physical, xrays if anything suspicious shows up. Remember, a PPE is not a lameness exam, find a problem and opt out. **
If the horse passes the vet test, always draw blood and keep it. That way, if the horse dramatically changes in the first week, you can drug test for common drugs used to change behavior or mask lameness.
Private sellers, as opposed to dealers or auctions, are generally the more honest way to go. Auctions will not allow time to vet or drug test a horse.

Remember, the cheapest part of owning a horse is the purchase price. It costs the same to care, feed and shoe a horse that is trained and capable of its expected job as a cheap horse with an underlying issues that make him incapable of the job.

If you really need to "rescue" a horse, there are some really nice horses for sale that could use an upgrade without the immediate purchase pressure of auctions or dealers. Horses with issues, especially hidden ones, can be money pits and ruin someones enjoyment of horse ownership.

**Not all issues are deal breakers. A horse must be serviceably sound for the job expected of them. A trail horse can have more issues than an endurance horse or show horse.

 

[CJLR]

I NEVER go to kill pens or sale barns unless I hear through the grapevine (you know how horse people talk) about a very nice horse that is being auctioned due to stablemans lien. There is absolutely no guarentee of soundness/function/health/age and all kinds of icky diseases run rampant. I would never recommend any student of mine purchase from the kill pen. Like I said, I purchase horses I dont adopt them. Good training is value added to any horse and this lets me sell safe dressage horses to students or students of other trainers. As a trainer i can better find a perfect match for my students from other private sellers. It is hard enough to learn dressage, so buying a project horse should be saved until the rider is quite proficient at fixing issues.

I try not to be a sucker and buy too many hard luck stories (like Ruth), but I have the knowledge and room to rehab or retire one or two worst case scenarios. Fortunately, I love ruth even if shes not a dressage horse and she is more of a pet than anything and welcome to live out her life here.

On the other front, I run a Dressage training barn in south east Texas. I'm currently hiding from the heat on my day off.

Other than the ponies, I have 4 hens and 2 roos (a valentines day gift for my SO), which is why i joined this community instead of the horse boards i used to frequent.
View attachment 1853079

And finally our Mini Highland Cow, Rhona. Hopefully she'll have her first calf in 2020.View attachment 1853081

awe she is adorable I love highland cattle

 

[TropicalBabies]

@TropicalBabies
When purchasing a horse from anyone who you dont know well, the best advice is a thorough PrePurchase Exam (PPE). If the horse performs as desired in the trial (remember rule #1, unless you are a trainer, buy a horse you can ride today), schedule a vet for flexion tests and a physical, xrays if anything suspicious shows up. Remember, a PPE is not a lameness exam, find a problem and opt out. **
If the horse passes the vet test, always draw blood and keep it. That way, if the horse dramatically changes in the first week, you can drug test for common drugs used to change behavior or mask lameness.
Private sellers, as opposed to dealers or auctions, are generally the more honest way to go. Auctions will not allow time to vet or drug test a horse.

Remember, the cheapest part of owning a horse is the purchase price. It costs the same to care, feed and shoe a horse that is trained and capable of its expected job as a cheap horse with an underlying issues that make him incapable of the job.

If you really need to "rescue" a horse, there are some really nice horses for sale that could use an upgrade without the immediate purchase pressure of auctions or dealers. Horses with issues, especially hidden ones, can be money pits and ruin someones enjoyment of horse ownership.

**Not all issues are deal breakers. A horse must be serviceably sound for the job expected of them. A trail horse can have more issues than an endurance horse or show horse.

Thanks, We have our two but I think you are sharing useful info. I do have a wandering eye for sure. Hard to get my DH on board (he's the one with the common sense) if he was easier we would have 4 by now. I'm pretty sure I need a back up and a pack horse. I have first dibs on the colt from these two We are days away from it and I wait with baited breath. These are two of 5 that we were able to "rescue" from the "butcher". I'm pretty proud of it. They all but one now have found homes.

 

[OneTwoMany]

Thanks, We have our two but I think you are sharing useful info.

Thank you. Buying appropriate horses is one of my soapbox issues. I see so many young riders or reriders who buy an inappropriate horse and it kills the passion. It breaks my little horse loving heart.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Thank you. Buying appropriate horses is one of my soapbox issues. I see so many young riders or reriders who buy an inappropriate horse and it kills the passion. It breaks my little horse loving heart.

I think that is awesome and well said. I'm one of those re riders... but I worked with a good trainer. I almost lost my mojo a few times with my handful of a horse and a sick DH who went down for months- a few times. I did not always have the time to ride and there were many moments I did not enjoy or felt over my head with Hombre's bad behavior. Our trusted farrier, who had done a corrective trimming- then re sectioning on one of our old Arabian's, pointed me in Hombre's direction. No regrets, just work.

 

[CJLR]

What does everyone else do with their horses when they are not riding them

 

[OneTwoMany]

What does everyone else do with their horses when they are not riding them

Clean up after them.

 

[TropicalBabies]

What does everyone else do with their horses when they are not riding them

Clean up after them.

 

[CJLR]

Clean up after them.

lol

 

[TropicalBabies]

Finally!!!!! Last night @10:30. It's a boy!!! Waaaay later than we thought. Mama had a hard time being pregnant but birth went well. I am going to go see this afternoon/eve and will get more photos.