I got a horse, now what? update 1-22-11

[duckluck]

Quote:
Thanks for posting the link--great article. I, for one however will continue to rotate my wormers. Everbody thought Round-Up was always gonna kill weeds, but now it's encountered resistance. My horses only travel about 6 times/year. I don't want to risk parasite overload even if the chance is very small.

When I first got horses, in the mid-80's we didn 't worm for tapeworms, but now we have to. Then again, when I was a kid, we didn't have to innoculate our dogs for Parvo, either. Rather be safe, than sorry.
Now, I know why Ivermectrin wormers have gotten so cheap!!

Well, that and the patent has expired.

Katrinag makes a good point about bits too. Less is more, in bits.

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
That *is* a really cool story!

Someone asked how much for the chopper and someone else asked why people always ask that...if you've ever gotten slammed for an ambulance bill, you know why. $800 to go 12 miles to a people hospital in an simple ambulance begs the question of a chopper, for sure. And this was no simple SAR mission either.

 

[AmCanyonStables]

Quote:
That *is* a really cool story!

Someone asked how much for the chopper and someone else asked why people always ask that...if you've ever gotten slammed for an ambulance bill, you know why. $800 to go 12 miles to a people hospital in an simple ambulance begs the question of a chopper, for sure. And this was no simple SAR mission either.

Yes, I think it is a pretty natural question. People also may be thinking "what would I do if I could not afford it?" Which is just what I was thinking. Honestly, we were loading the gun night before, in case they decided not to come, or the cost was so high we could not do it.
I'm so glad we did not have to do that!
I was pretty sure they would come, my idea was that they do not often get to do something this cool - and I was right - the teams really seemed to enjoy being able to help do something so unusual and great.
Here is the pilot talking to Chloe after the rescue. He came to see her because he never saw her during the lift - since she was right below him, he was directed by the guy in the back.

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[Kelly G]

Quote:
I have to agree to disagree with you on the thrush issue, Kelly G...wet ground does not cause thrush, thrush causes thrush. Wet ground can feed into thrush only if it is already present. I wouldn't advise anyone to go getting excited over thrush and running out and buying gunk for it unless you see evidence that it is happening. I see far more damage and difficulty done by people having their horses' feet too dry than thrush...and the horses that get thrush tend to be "usual suspects" who are prone to it no matter how clean a place you keep.

A good rule of thumb is to flood your trough daily or several times a week depending on how dry your area is so your horse has some mud to add moisture to his feet and keep the rest of his area as natural or as manure-free as possible. Not all of us can have wonderful grass all the time but less manure means less bugs and worms. The natural state of a horse's hoof is to have natural packing in it of soil or other hubris to help cushion and keep steady moisture in the hoof. A dried out, rock-hard hoof/hoof packing is not nearly as effective for this. Neither is daily hoof-picking. Many of us have too dry a facility in a lot of the year so flooding the trough helps with this.

If you find you have a die-hard thrushy horse, I have found that hydrogen peroxide works best for cleaning it out. Thrush Buster is also good but the purple stain is a pain. Custom mixed fo solution from a vet seems to lose efficiency over time though it is not bad to start out with; bleach I personally have not seen results from, nor Coppertox. Have seen some results from iodine. You have to be sure though that the diseased tissue is debrided thoroughly and any crevices exposed to air with a hoof knife because thrush lives in an anaerobic environment. Pouring the junk in or flushing it in with a syringe won't last long if not exposed to air. At one time I had one such horse and nothing anyone could do could get the thrush entirely gone, but it was managed reasonably well with the above techniques and the horse kept pain free. Shape of foot in his case was a big factor too. The other horses kept pastured with him almost never showed anything but a very mild case of thrush, which was easily trimmed out and done away with in one dose of solution.

Perhaps I'm an oldie, but moisture is the breeding ground needed to feed thrush. Like I said in my OP, some horses never develop it, and some seem prone to it. But standing in moisture will certainly create an environment for thrush to thrive. My horses have never had thrush, but many people do battle it down here in Florida- especially if the horses are kept outside in muddy pastures.

One of the other horses at the barn where I boarded dealt with the problem extensively. He was purchased out of someone's backyard pasture & puddles, and brought into our barn to re-join the show-horse world. He had thrush in both fronts. We never bothered with the OTC products - we used the formaldehyde mixed with either iodine or betadine as prepared by the vet. Once brought under control, it never occured again.

Moisture = breeding ground for bacteria. Incidentally - this moisture = breeding ground for bacterian is the same reason I have pneumonia right now!

TwentyNine - you're going to find many people with much experience and no two will agree. It's a crazy ride...but it's a lot of fun!

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I went through a couple bits before I discovered the Imus Comfort bit. My trainer LOVED it as well when she worked with Kitty for over a year.

It's from a gaited site but is a bit for all horses gaited or not. My girl would work her tongue over the top of the other bits but didn't on this one and I think it's because it gives room for the tongue and has the moving center brass thing she would mess with.

Link here: http://www.gaitsofgold.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=550&Itemid=19

Edited to add reviews of the Comfort Bit: http://www.e-equestrian.com/archive/index.php/t-1814.html

Another thing I loved as well was the Ride n Tie. I got it in the Beta vs the leather and so happy I did. You can just take a damp cloth and the dirt/dust wipes off. You put the halter portion on and then add the bit holder, snap in place and then when your out riding and want to let your horse graze a little, you unsnap the bit holder, transfer the reins or lead rope to the halter and your set.

Ride n Tie link: http://www.nationalbridle.com/product-p/1-6884.htm

Horse gear can get pricey and I'm a single woman without lots of extra cash. Try checking out EBay for some of the items you deside to get.

 

[twentynine]

AIRBORNE!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW!!!!!!


Update-------

Saddle showed up, not exactly the deal as was described to me, the guy wants $150, saddle, riens, briddle, bit. But the thing is stinking decrepid! Leather cracked and molded, tie downs broken. Girt strap is a nylon cargo strap cut and sewn to the stub end of the leather girt. Cinch looks to me as if it's been drug behind a car. Stitching worn and broken. Briddle and reins are a jumble of mismatched buckles. reins or rein short and broken. Bit is some sort of curb bit with a knuckle/slip joint in the middle. Curb strap rusted, buckles rusted closed. Think I am going to pass on it, if'n it was free, I could use it to train Cody, but at $150 no way and I don't think any of it is fit to be used to ride. Don't want to insult any one but I also do not want to be taken as a fool either.

Good news is--- Cody is now into a bigger pasture, still a little green in it and no mud. Still have the next 1 acre to fence off, but I can slow down a little now. Grass will be greening up in a few weeks.

I hired a young guy to come help me with the fence, he had seen Cody the first day he was here, and he commented that he looked much better.

By the way-------------------

Sweet Cheeks, thanks for the links.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

If'n you want a "cheap" saddle, I'd recommend one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-16-Western-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19b7f1e9e5

Mind you, it won't last forever, but it gets the job done. If you're wanting to use it for awhile, be sure to get a nice pad for your rear. You can feel the bars in it for some time AFTER you dismount. It's lightweight too, less than 20 lbs. so you won't have to lift a huge heavy saddle onto a horse that's not used to a saddle in the first place.

 

[Wynette]

Did I miss pics of your boy?

 

[hollyclyff]

I agree, I wouldn't pay that for a saddle in that kind of condition either. I paid that exact amount for a used saddle, bridle and pad last summer and it just needed cleaning. Otherwise it was in great shape. Shop around, you'll find something better than that - or you could go with a synthetic. My daughter had a Wintec English synthetic saddle and it was quite nice. So easy to clean.

 

[twentynine]

Quote:
Yes! I posted a couple of poor quality cell phone jobs. Haven't had time to upgrade, been working to get him out of the mud.

Here is a repost.