Horse Talk

[BridebelieverDD]

[/QUOTE]What do you know about Beau's owner, and do you have any experience caring for a geriatric horse? I see 2 possibilities with him. One, is that he is being neglected, in which case dosing him with wormer, getting his teeth floated, and giving him reasonable amounts of good food might get him looking decent in 6 months or so (though he'd still have that sway back). The second scenario is that he is getting adequate care, he's just had a lifetime of hard use and it's catching up with him. Frequently, older horses don't absorb nutrients very well, even if they don't have tooth issues making eating a trial. If you just want a pasture pet, he'll probably make a sweet one, though he may also prove an expensive one. If you are serious about getting a horse for you to ride, well, that's not the one you want.[/QUOTE]

We know a little about Beau's owner and no, I have not had experience with caring for a geriatric horse although I do have a neighbor who is going to be helping me get started with everything and continue to help me with ongoing stuff. The previous owner didn't know very much about horses and he has not had the proper care. I've been told though, by two people that he is an easy keeper though. (It was my neighbor that got me in contact with this person and horse. So she is helping me with a lot of it.)

 

[BridebelieverDD]

You can only try. Nice to know that you ARE going to try. Best of luck with him! Miracles do happen.

I think that's the most positive post so far . I appreciate it .

 

[BridebelieverDD]

Bridebelieverdd I don't know what you're looking for, but I do know what it's like to get hooked on a horse. Even if he doesn't work out, you might be able to get him in decent enough shape...maybe....to sell him. Or, he could be a companion horse for another one. I admire your compassion for trying to take decent care of him. Best of luck to you.

thanks!

 

[Bunnylady]

I've been told though, by two people that he is an easy keeper

Is an easy keeper or was an easy keeper? There are metabolic disorders that "easy keepers" are prone to that can turn them into anything but easy to keep. It takes a lot of underfeeding to make an "easy keeper" look like that; they nearly stay fat on air.

I'm not just trying to discourage you, just make sure you are being cautious and aware of what you may be getting into. I have been amazed by how much horse feed is in the warehouse of a local hardware store; with the rapidly growing human population, there doesn't seem like there's room left for agriculture around here anymore. When I remarked on it to a friend who works there, she said, "oh, yes. You might not think so, but there are hundreds of horses in this county. I'd estimate that 70% of them are pasture pets; a lot of their owners don't ride, don't know how to ride; really don't know much about horses at all." She went on to say that a lot of these animals got handed on to a relative or friend when the owner couldn't care for them any more, moved, or just lost interest. She also works with a rescue, so she sees what happens when someone doesn't have someone to hand off to, too. She has even seen some horses that have been "rescued" 3 or 4 times in a row, as each would-be "rescuer" found out they had gotten a lot more (or less) than they bargained for.

Best advice I can give you is, get a vet to check the horse out before you take it. A vet won't get carried away by sentiment; they will give you an honest assessment of what that animal's potential is. It's good that you have a more knowledgeable friend to lean on, but they could let wishful thinking or sentiment sway their judgement, too.

 

[BridebelieverDD]

Is an easy keeper or was an easy keeper? There are metabolic disorders that "easy keepers" are prone to that can turn them into anything but easy to keep. It takes a lot of underfeeding to make an "easy keeper" look like that; they nearly stay fat on air.

I'm not just trying to discourage you, just make sure you are being cautious and aware of what you may be getting into. I have been amazed by how much horse feed is in the warehouse of a local hardware store; with the rapidly growing human population, there doesn't seem like there's room left for agriculture around here anymore. When I remarked on it to a friend who works there, she said, "oh, yes. You might not think so, but there are hundreds of horses in this county. I'd estimate that 70% of them are pasture pets; a lot of their owners don't ride, don't know how to ride; really don't know much about horses at all." She went on to say that a lot of these animals got handed on to a relative or friend when the owner couldn't care for them any more, moved, or just lost interest. She also works with a rescue, so she sees what happens when someone doesn't have someone to hand off to, too. She has even seen some horses that have been "rescued" 3 or 4 times in a row, as each would-be "rescuer" found out they had gotten a lot more (or less) than they bargained for.

Best advice I can give you is, get a vet to check the horse out before you take it. A vet won't get carried away by sentiment; they will give you an honest assessment of what that animal's potential is. It's good that you have a more knowledgeable friend to lean on, but they could let wishful thinking or sentiment sway their judgement, too.

Yes I understand all of this and I'm willing to do it. I have someone who knows him but isn't sentimentally attached. We are going to get all the necessary things done before we bring him home. But thanks for all those tips.

 

[arwenreborn]

Hi guys, newbie to the forums here and perusing all the boards. Just thought I'd pop in here and introduce myself seeing as I'm a horse-mad woman with 3 horse-mad daughters!

I've ridden pretty much my whole life, gave up riding competitively to get married and have kids, but the kids have ponies and I'm currently breeding my own forever horse which is super exciting - my Anglo Arab mare is due end of the month or early November, she's in foal to a 16.3hh tobiano WB so it's excitement galore here!

My girls are 3, 5 and 7 (all about to have birthdays though) and they just love riding. It's getting easier as they get older to do more stuff with the horses - hopefully once mine is ready to ride they will be pretty self sufficient with their own ponies/horses.

They have a couple of ponies but they love riding our "super pony" - he's a purebred 14.2hh Arab and the most old-soul horse you'll ever meet.

Hoping to get them out doing endurance riding next year, as it's a really nice family friendly sport over here in Australia. I'm an avid SJ/eventer and it looks like my eldest wants to follow in my footsteps, so we'll probably eventually branch out into Pony Club and events too.

Anyway, I haven't read many of the threads yet but wanted to say hi, might pop some photos up later after I've read through some of the previous posts!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Welcome! That's awesome about your mare, I bet the foal will be gorgeous!

 

[Kusanar]

Is an easy keeper or was an easy keeper? There are metabolic disorders that "easy keepers" are prone to that can turn them into anything but easy to keep. It takes a lot of underfeeding to make an "easy keeper" look like that; they nearly stay fat on air.

I agree, I have 5 easy keepers that haven't even SEEN grain in about 4 years now. 2 of them are good body weights and the other 3 are a little fat but not obese. So, I don't know how you would make an easy keeper look like that horse does... put them in a stall and give them a flake of hay a week?

 

[chicknmania]

I know exactly what you mean! But good luck with her and I hope it turns out for you.

Well, it didn't. When we got there, our trainer asked the owner to put the mare in a snaffle bit. she had the mare in a correction bit. then she asked the owner to ride her or get someone else to. The mare hated the snaffle and kept throwing her head around and stopping, and she was very unbalanced. The owner said she hadn't worked with her much in the ring, and said yeah, she needed ring work. The mare had a cowboy on her back with big spurs and rough hands and that for sure didn't help, but she was very strong at the canter and our trainer felt like she'd be flying out of control around a bigger arena, especially with students on her back . I didn't realize what a correction bit is until I researched it, so I see why our trainer wanted to switch bits. I still want the mare. She looked so sad, for some reason. It made me sad. I came home and cried. There was another horse there that we tried too...he was much better in the ring but not good at all on trails. The trainer likes him, she might buy him for herself. I still think we could work with the mare, but I think if I get her it would be all on me.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Awww sorry it didn't really work out!

And I can understand how you could feel bad for her, I would too, and I get attached to like every animal lol, but I would say to try not to let your emotion cloud your judgement! If she's not the right horse, she's not the right horse. And I'm sure somebody else will buy her. She seems like she will be a lot of work and if she's high strung she might not even work out for your intended purpose. You might find a much better horse that fits better tomorrow but you wouldn't have room cause you bought her. If you really think you can help her you could try but don't get her just cause you feel bad for her, as hard as it is. That would be awesome if your trainer got the other one though!