Horses!

[littledog]

k, random question, and NO I don't plan on breeding my mare. How old is too old to breed? 15? 18? I recently stumbled across a 19 yr old pregnant mare, is that safe?

It depends on if she's had foals before, and how often. If I had a 19 year old mare who had never had a foal before, I would not consider it safe to breed her. But a 10 or 12 year old mare who never had a foal, and I was considering breeding her, I'd get the vet to check if breeding was a good idea and follow her advice. If a 19 year old had a foal every year since she was 4, I wouldn't consider it safe. But if the 19 year old started breeding at 5-6 and had like 4-6 foals in her lifetime who were all born healthy, got plenty of colostrum from her, nursed, she took good care of them, and maintained her weight and good health, I would think her health and her foal's would be fine.

 

[MyParadiseFalls]

Dakota did amazing!! Only had problems with one foot but got over it quickly and then stood quietly for him to finish the job

 

[Peaches Lee]

Sheesh, I wish these nice horses were for sale here in western Washington State. Any horse that's sound, healthy and trained enough to be ridden no matter how old, can't be bought for less than $5000 here. Not sure why - the horse market's insane - hay prices have doubled, and so have property prices, so you would think people would be selling horses. Maybe owning horses is only for the most wealthy here now?! But if that's the case, I would think people who need to sell their horses due to inflation would be selling them at reasonable prices.

It's probably just an East Coast vs West Coast thing. I always seem to find good deals on the opposite side of the country! Near me however, forget about it!

 

[ButtonHoarder]

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Person: Oh you have a grey?

Me: Ya.

Don’t worry I fixed it

 

[Painted Calls]

View attachment 3477449View attachment 3477450

It's spring!

 

[MyParadiseFalls]

Person: Oh you have a grey?

Me: Ya.
View attachment 3477457
View attachment 3477459View attachment 3477451
View attachment 3477460

Don’t worry I fixed it
View attachment 3477461

Meanwhile my mare kept her coat clean for a full week!

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Meanwhile my mare kept her coat clean for a full week!View attachment 3477778

A rare phenomenon.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

And now you will discover the difficulties of keeping a white tail white.

If non horsey people ask you what color she is, it’s best to tell them she’s white with a golden tail . They won’t know any different.

 

[sammi_lynn12]

Interesting.. so how and where would you suggest buying a sound horse and what would be a reasonable price in today's economy?
I agree, these are not great horses for sale, and for more than I would be willing to pay - but the horse economy in my area is so crazy, it makes these seem like good deals.
Do private breeders sell their colts and fillies for reasonable prices, for certain training?

In todays market, I would say about $5,000 is the average price mark for a decent horse. We just bought our 4 year cow bred mare for $4,000. She is registered and has worked the feed lots in Oklahoma. She is originally from Texas. As a 4 year old she is pretty laid back and has been exposed to quite a bit in her life already. She isn't afraid of much of anything.

You can find grade horses for $2500-$3500 but you are taking a gamble on the age. The market is just crazy right now. I would say if you don't have at least $5,000 in your pocket, you are going to have to settle for something that needs a little more work, is grade, and may have a few quirks. Which is fine, I just recently bought a grade mare for cheap and she is actually pretty cool! Horses are always a gamble.