Horses!!!!!!!!

[flockofbantams]

Do t get me wrong I'd deffently take her too and fatten her up a little. And I think it's time for that little to retire from being a brood mare.
A nice retirement home with a sweet little filly named Xenia to keep her young at heart sound great for her!!!!

 

[SternRose]

Do t get me wrong I'd deffently take her too and fatten her up a little. And I think it's time for that little to retire from being a brood mare.
A nice retirement home with a sweet little filly named Xenia to keep her young at heart sound great for her!!!!

Lol. By time I get her she should be fatter. Her colt can't nurse her now.

 

[Sueg4332]

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Lol. By time I get her she should be fatter. Her colt can't nurse her now.

Sorry have to add. that old mare is chewing funny. she either needs teeth done or is missing teeth. Remember older horses (ponies) have special needs sometimes very expensive. and if she was to pass away that is a added expense also..
We dont want Dad to get upset about horses. LOL
she may have to go on senior horse food to gain weight.

 

[res]

Sorry have to add. that old mare is chewing funny. she either needs teeth done or is missing teeth. Remember older horses (ponies) have special needs sometimes very expensive. and if she was to pass away that is a added expense also..
We dont want Dad to get upset about horses. LOL
she may have to go on senior horse food to gain weight.

I agree completely.

The condition she is currently in leads me to believe she will not be an "easy keeper". Old horses teeth pass a certain point where they no longer can eat or process hay/grass for nutrition. They HAVE to be supplemented with senior feeds, and often with chopped forage or soaked cubes in order to get "long stem roughage" to keep their gut working right. She is a mini, so the amounts she will need to eat will be much less than a full size horse, but she WILL NOT fit into the feed budgets we have talked about in other threads. You will also be looking at a lot more time invested in separating her during feeding so that Xenia doesn't eat her food. And also soaking the food takes time, especially cubes!

If her foal is a yearling, there is NO REASON for her to be thin like this. A yearling foal should be eating plenty on his own, and not draining his Momma. Also, the fact that she hasn't shed out slick by this time of year is a good indication of poor health or the beginning of metabolic issues.

I think she would be a fantastic companion for Xenia, and a good older experienced horse is invaluable for showing a green owner "the ropes" in a calm and patient manner. You just *REALLY* need to think about how she will impact the budget presented to your parents.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I agree completely.

The condition she is currently in leads me to believe she will not be an "easy keeper". Old horses teeth pass a certain point where they no longer can eat or process hay/grass for nutrition. They HAVE to be supplemented with senior feeds, and often with chopped forage or soaked cubes in order to get "long stem roughage" to keep their gut working right. She is a mini, so the amounts she will need to eat will be much less than a full size horse, but she WILL NOT fit into the feed budgets we have talked about in other threads. You will also be looking at a lot more time invested in separating her during feeding so that Xenia doesn't eat her food. And also soaking the food takes time, especially cubes!

If her foal is a yearling, there is NO REASON for her to be thin like this. A yearling foal should be eating plenty on his own, and not draining his Momma. Also, the fact that she hasn't shed out slick by this time of year is a good indication of poor health or the beginning of metabolic issues.

I think she would be a fantastic companion for Xenia, and a good older experienced horse is invaluable for showing a green owner "the ropes" in a calm and patient manner. You just *REALLY* need to think about how she will impact the budget presented to your parents.

Absolutely agreed on all points - I am sorry, Sternrose, but this horse is not in the condition she is in due to her foal. There is a reason the breeder is so willing to just give you this mare, and it is not just out of the goodness of her heart, regardless of how many times or ways she says it is.

 

[SternRose]

She's an easy keeper. She's one of the lead mares. She's had her health check up a few months ago when she was still skinny and she passed.

 

[Bunnylady]

Ok plans have changed I'd not only be getting xenia for $300 but also a 20year old brood mare for free.

Is this typical of the breeder's prices? $300 is dirt cheap, even for a mini. I know breeders that wouldn't go that low, even on what they consider a "pet quality" animal. It's nice to hear that the breeder has decided to retire this ol' gal, but I can't help but wonder - if the mare stays with her, will she be retired there, or will she be bred again?

 

[res]

She's an easy keeper. She's one of the lead mares. She's had her health check up a few months ago when she was still skinny and she passed.

But what exactly did that "health check up" include? Bloodwork? Fecal egg count? Dental exam and work? Or just a visual "yup, this one is okay" after the vet *hopefully* at least listened to heart and lungs?

Lead mare + easy keeper DOES NOT result in a horse in this condition. Lead mares generally push others away from the food and snarf up more than their share. You can never, ever, ever call a skinny horse an "easy keeper" either. That is a term applied to horses who stay fit (or sometimes FAT) with nothing other than pasture and grass (sometimes limited pasture/grass).

If the breeder is telling you the mare is an "easy keeper" than I would be afraid that she is preying on your lack of knowledge. I can tell you that your parents WILL NOT be happy if you bring this mare home after saying that feeding her will be as cheap as feeding Xenia, because it will not.

I would also question the quality of a breeder that keeps a yearling, possibly even a long yearling, nursing on it's Momma enough to blame the mare's poor condition on the foal. Like I said before, a yearling that hasn't been weaned properly might grab a snack or two of Momma, but should never be draining her condition like this. They should have been separated a LONG LONG time ago.

 

[SternRose]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

$

Is this typical of the breeder's prices? $300 is dirt cheap, even for a mini. I know breeders that wouldn't go that low, even on what they consider a "pet quality" animal. It's nice to hear that the breeder has decided to retire this ol' gal, but I can't help but wonder - if the mare stays with her, will she be retired there, or will she be bred again?

It's only $300 cuz I trained her. And free cuz she nows I can't afford the other filly she wants me to take.

 

[SternRose]

Is this typical of the breeder's prices? $300 is dirt cheap, even for a mini. I know breeders that wouldn't go that low, even on what they consider a "pet quality" animal. It's nice to hear that the breeder has decided to retire this ol' gal, but I can't help but wonder - if the mare stays with her, will she be retired there, or will she be bred again?

She's retired for good. This lady's extremely nice. she loves her "baby's"