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

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Another great newsletter that has an attachment that includes care of the neglected horse.

Newsletter: http://www.thehorse.com/enews/01142010.html

Brochure: http://www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org/resources/rehab_brochure.pdf

 

[twentynine]

Hey Guys

The advice concerning the halter is just the type of stuff I was looking here for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rope halter?

Didn't much care for it, but it was what I could get, lickedy slip. I have absolutely no tack! My idea was to wait and see how things worked out, not run and buy just to have it here. Couple 3-4-500 for a saddle, + blankets, + bit + this + that + whatnot. First priority is/was to get the horse in shape, stem to stern. In short order I will have spent much more on tack than I spent on getting the horse.

All farm equipment has been removed from the enclosure, right now he has a water trough, grass and dirt. Everything has been removed from his stall, water trough, feed bin and hay wagon, no nail snags, no loose boards.

Farrier?

Maybe out west you guys dion't have this problem, but here, it seems to be something of a problem. Two farriers, both reccommended by my friend that owns horses. Evidently in SE La. farriers do not grow on trees, thinking about loading him up and bringing him down to the Viet Nail Shop. Hooowee! Can you imagine the look on their faces?

One--- called him three times, set an apt, then he tells me he does it part time, currently he has a broken arm, so his assistant will be doing the job. Got the feeling that he was going to send a kid out here, unsupervised.

Second one----- Was described as being a "trick. American Indian women that could take on and whup us all". My wife just got off the phone with her, least ways she thinks it was a her. Scheduled an apt for 1300 tomorrow.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Do you have any certified barefoot trimmers in your area? I used a gal that only did barefoot horses full-time. A little pricier - $50.00 vs $20.00-30.00 but well worth it.

You can spend big $$$ on all kinds of horse gear for your horse and yourself. Craigslist and EBay is good for some stuff. Others you will want to make sure you get the proper fit like bits and saddles.

Do you have a tack store that sells used items? Not everything has to be brand new.

It'll be a while before you ride the guy, so ground manners are good to work on. You can set out some cones or boards or something for him to move around. Work with him moving away from touch or pressure, not invading your space or walking in front of you. He should walk beside you with YOU leading him on loose lead - stopping when you stop - backing up when you walk toward him, etc etc.

 

[verthandi]

I have had horses for the past 50 years and that fact alone scares me that I am still doing this. Buckling any type of halter, especially nylon can be an accident waiting to happen to even the best trained horse. I lost a 15 year old mustang in a nylon halter. The halter caught on the tip end of the stall door latch, the horse reared up and broke his neck. The halter and the door were still holding him upright when I found him. Leather may break, nylon probably won't unless it is very thread bare, rope halters probably won't break either. The cable tie has worked well here, or no halters at all most of the time. They do make halters with leather break away crowns, I can honestly say I have one but have never used it. I hate it when people post horror stories to prove a point, but I don't know how else to make the problem any clearer.

I do use halters that are buckled normally if my horses are tied to the trailer or I have stopped for a break on trail rides, but I am also right there with them. They are tied with a quick release knot...but even that can fail if the horse pulls hard enough. Hence there is always a jack-knife in my pocket too...call me paranoid, but if it can happen, I have probably seen it.

 

[twentynine]

Certified barefoot trimmers? We don't even have a farrier of any kind listed in the yellow pages!

After speaking to farrier #2, I feel better, while sounding a bit rough, she gave the idea that she was both compitant and capable.

Tack?

Correct, I am not ready for a saddle. Mostly, because I do not or can not judge what is "a properly fitting saddle". So far I have people that say the saddle needs to fit the rider, not the horse. That really don't seem right to me, and definitely not the idea I get from you guys. So rather than go out and get a saddle for the sake of getting a saddle, I think I better do some research. Problem is you look long enough you can find so many varied opinions, that it clouds the water.

Ground Manners?

Didn't know that's what it was called. Cody follows like a puppy dog called to heel. He will follow on a slack rope with his head tucked, slightly to the rear of my right shoulder. He will stop with out bumping me, he will turn as I turn. As long as I hold the rope, if I drop the rope to the ground, he stops. I can lay the rope slack over my shoulder he will walk along behind me. The backing up thing. Haven't tried him in reverse yet. Thanks for telling me how that is suppose to work.

Should he walk beside me? Say like his shoulder even with my shoulder?

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
Okay, this post scares the h*** out of me.

There ya go, less than ten words.

Take onthespots advice, verbatim. Said it in fewer words than I could. I am not trying to be mean. Do right by your horse and follow that advice...though I am sure there is much more advice in this thread that is also worth taking. I have kept horses for almost 20 years now and am here to tell you, this is NOT a hobby. If you want a hobby, get model cars or stamps. This is a lifestyle and the sooner you can process the entirety of what that means, the better for you and your horse. Because unlike poultry, this animal is not only capable of doing himself some very severe damage or death, with and/or without your help, but he is also capable of doing the same to others and property, including you. Get a professional to help you, and don't gauge the quality of that help on how much it costs...bear in mind that in the USA, anybody can be a breeder or trainer. Get reputable help with your horse and bear in mind that you get what you pay for.

Pat Parelli said: "When you are green, you are growing. When you are ripe, you are rotten." We are all green sometime in this lifestyle but how much we grow is the question. You will NEVER stop learning with horses, I don't care if you take lessons till you are 100. There is always something more to learn and a better way to be discovered. Keep working on discovering and you will be on the right path, though it is a continuous one on which you will never "arrive". Any Olympic rider could swear to that, because even the best teachers in this sport also have teachers.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Your guy sounds like such a sweetheart. Yes - he should walk beside you with head at shoulder or so.

Someone must have worked with him for him to be doing that already - walking on loose lead and stopping when you stop. Had someone raised him prior to him ending up with the folks you got him from.

I would be a little worried about the barbed wire and get that changed as soon as you're able. I've heard lots of stories about the damage it can cause. The 4 acres I moved to originally had cows on it with barbed wire surrounding the pasture. I put in premium Horseguard hot wire fencing that I cross fenced so I could let one side rest AND keep my girls away from the barbed wire. That stuff scares me.

 

[duckluck]

Okay, I got over my initial shock from reading the first post and read some of the more recent ones.

As far as farriers go, look up American Farrier's Association on the web, they should be able to direct you. I'm not anywhere close to you nor do I know anyone down that way, so I can't help you there. But they certainly can. Oklahoma Horseshoeing School, Midwest Horseshoeing School and there is also one in Kentucky that might be able to help by referring you to alumni. Online farrier catalogs might also be of help because they might have a list for referrals for your area. Anvil Brand Shoe Company might be a place to start.

 

[duckluck]

I was just reading back on here and noticed those T-posts in those pictures have no caps on them. That is VERY dangerous. I have personally known of two horses who got those rammed up into their body in one way or another...one in the chest, the other in the groin. Your farm store should sell plastic caps for those...you'll definitely want to do that. They have the added benefit of being insulators for an electric wire too, though the safest fence would be wood board or PVC of some sort.

I hope you have luck finding a farrier...his feet have been neglected for quite a while. Don't feel too bad about that crack if you can get it down to being just a few cell layers deep...my first and best show horse had an injury at the coronet band which caused him to have a lifetime crack, though it was super-shallow and no harm after I discovered how best to trim him. I have also noticed that the toed-out conformation, which mine had and yours appears to have by these pictures, seems to predispose them to it because they have the tendency to interfere with their own feet. Hopefully trimming will help with that...it sure shouldn't hurt. But bear in mind it will take almost an entire year for that hoof to grow out from the top on down, so don't look for miracles to happen overnight. Hopefully whoever you find can bring that toe back and relieve it so there is not so much pressure on that crack.

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
Horses catnap constantly and lock their front knees to hold them up...they always rest one or both back legs while doing this. The "stay" mechanism is not the same in the front vs. back legs, and the horse may or may not always rest the same leg, depending on his own comfort owing to development, chiropractic issues, etc. When they go into a deep sleep, they lie down to do it. Most horses will lie down at some point in a 24 hour period to sleep deeply, though they often will not allow you to catch them at it.

Don't expect your horse to look exactly like the black horse in the picture because that black horse appears to be a baroque type, like a Friesian or a Welsh Cob. Yours can gain weight and not have that "warhorse" type of look to him.

The stance of the front legs will have a lot to do with how well a farrier can balance him, not just soundness. Balancing the hoof is a 3D deal and can't be looked at in terms of just front to back or side to side. The whole picture has to be looked at and the hoof should be mapped in terms of where the coffin bone is positioned inside the hoof and the angle of the hoof compared to the pastern. That is a true answer as to how a hoof should be trimmed, and not how an individual's eyeball perceives a hoof. The stance of a horse can be altered in the time it takes to do a trim and how long it takes the tendons to adjust to that trim.