May trade for a new horse thoughts please?

[arabianequine]

http://spokane.craigslist.org/grd/1986475786.html

Here is another one...it is free too.

 

[WIChookchick]

Don't pay attention to the sob story the seller is telling you. Hubby is hurt, truck is broken.. must sell because (insert reason here)...
Look at the horse, look at how the horse reacts to things that may scare it, how it interacts with other horses, the rider or person on the ground...
How it does with being asked the gaits, will it go out alone, around machinery, on the road...
health, teeth, vet records, feet/hooves those are as important as training.

I found a horse that we were eventually given for free, after a 3 month trial period. He was starved for 8 yrs off and on. But had incredible training as a youngster, and then shown 4H and
showmanship, the horse was 17/18 yrs old. Very underweight, and needed time to gain weight. he has mild arthritis, one back leg is 2 inches shorter than the other, his front hooves were dinner plates...
And he is a bit of a hard keeper. He is a doll to ride, quiet gentle and loving!! He belongs to my client, and I would put ANYONE ON his back...
BUT he requires blanketing, special feed, supplements, frequent farrier work, more hay than normal.. but worth it..

A free horse IS NOT FREE!! You will spend money to fix something, or maintain something like weight, teeth, medical issue, soundness...

Just keep that in mind.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Not everyone is out to dump a bad horse.

Three years ago, I lost my job and having trouble finding a new one. Being a single woman with a few months savings, I made a decision to find a home for my two horses rather then care for them barely.

What was most important to me was finding a great home to an experienced horse person and to keep the girls together.

I had a gal that fit the bill BUT she only wanted Dixie the been there done that horse and not green Kitty. I told her I was going to make her an offer she couldn't refuse and she didn't.

I sold her both horses and all their tack, blankets, hay, grain, EVERYTHING for $500.00 with the promise she would keep the girls together and if she could not keep both, I would want Kitty back.

I had purchased Kitty for $3500.00 - Dixie for $2500.00 - crates saddle $1000.00, cardura saddle $400.00, several blankets/coolers, various bits, halters, ride n ties, etc.

She got a heck of a deal but I got piece of mind that my girls went to a great home.

I almost got Kitty back when the gal was going to move back to San Diego and thought she could only take/board one of them but plans changed. I was heart broken I wasn't going to get my first girl back. But things may change.

You have to have faith and trust and a vet check.

Good luck to you OP. How fun and exciting. I look forward to hearing about your new horse.

 

[denim deb]

I got my first horse when the owner died. The family didn't want her, just wanted to find a good home for her. And, while she was 20 yo at the time, she had no health problems. I had her for 2+ years, then lost her to colic.

 

[arabianequine]

I am excited and scared for tomorrow. I do know that a free horse is not free. I do put a lot of money in to my animals I have went without food so they could eat. I have no tack saddle bridle. I have 2 cows I want to trade....and the lady with the appy mare and the black gelding is wanting to do that for one of the horses because they have such good training. This lady says she has some tack.

The free gelding that is 18....I was just told he has not been ridden in two years but the owner said she would get on him no problem.....I probably won't.....The owner said that there was three horses at this place and she wanted the baby and they talked into taking both of them. This new owner has not ridden him since she got him she says.

Going there first and then to the appy and black gelding....something else about the black gelding kinda scares me is his size being so big and tall. I have not been on a horse for 25 years. Yikes! I will let them ride at both place first for sure and then decide if I want to. I will try and get pictures and video.

Oh yeah and these horse are 2-3 hours from me and in the middle of nowhere.....so if I think I want one I will then decide to see if I can get my trainer to go with me and a vet check and what that would cost etc.....will be using a lot of gas for sure. I will have a vet check done and I will do what he says needs to be done if I get that horse like floating the teeth etc.

@ WIChookchick the owner of the appy mare and the black gelding are not being offered to me for money. Our deal is that we are trading two low line cows that are a year old for one of her " well trained horse". I was just saying why she said she was willing to sell any to begin with she wants to sell nine or whatever to get out of the hole they are in because of those things that happened as soon as they are out of the hole she said shes upping their price again back to the $2500. The owner will use the cows for beef for her family she said.

Oh I am sorry you guys.....that would be hard to have to deal with denim deb and do sweet cheeks. I hope you guys got new horses now.



Thank you to everyone for your advice and luck!

 

[denim deb]

Yes, I was able to get a new horse. She was not what I was looking for. I was looking for another chestnut Arabian mare, about 5-10 years old, and broke to ride. Instead, I ended up w/a rescued, unhandled, gray 5 yo Arabian mare. She didn't even lead properly, and was still very skinny after being at a rescue for 2 months. I've done all the training on her myself. I can't even begin to tell you the satisfaction I get from riding her. And, I wouldn't trade her for anything!

 

[michickenwrangler]

~*Sweet Cheeks*~ :

Not everyone is out to dump a bad horse.

Same here. I was laid off from my job and we culd only afford one horse. The horse I ended up giving away was a 10 yr old 14 hh Arabian mare with a competition record. She had been shown to First Level dressage and 100 miles of competitive trail--barefoot and hundreds more trail miles in conditioning. However, her small size deterred most potential buyers who all insisted that they needed a 15 hh horse for their 13 yr old daughter.

My horse was gentle enough that my then 4 yr old daughter could ride her and a friend's 11 yr old daughter had shown and competed on her in her first competitive trail rides. I advertised her as a do-it-all youth horse but was repeatedly told she was TOO SMALL for it. Through the horse grapevine, someone had found out about her. They were looking for a small horse for their petite, skinny 12 yr old homeschooled daughter. They didn't have a lot of money but the daughter was taking lessons from the 4-H leader in exchange for hay from this family. They came down and tried her out, rode her out on the trails. The men in the family loved how cute and pretty my little mare was and they took her. Last I heard, they were still very happy with her.

She did have heaves, but it was fairly easily managed. She had done 50 miles of competitive trail with it as well as numerous horse shows. She was a little scrapper.​

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
OK, that is a SIGNIFICANT red flag to me, because it indicates that either the owner of the horse does not know what they are talking about (and so, what ELSE do they not know about?) or they are trying to sell you a bit of a bridge.

Horses do not get hollows on either side of their withers, and actively-deficient long muscles of the back, just from not being worked for a while, not even for a coupla years, nor just from being underfed (except in starvation cases, which this one ain't). What DOES cause that the horse has never been worked correctly in its whole life, and/or the horse is sore/lame.

In my experience, even if the cause is relatively benign, it takes a really good EXPERIENCED rider/trainer (and a lot of time) to correct that type muscling. It is NOT something that's a "getting back into riding" project; and it very definitely DOES affect the horse's ability to behave properly under saddle and carry weight comfortably. Not to mention being real hard to find a properly-fitting saddle, especially if one wants to ride western. (No, you can't just stack pads under the saddle til it clears the withers).

One poster said something about the appy mares legs.....what does do other people think about her legs by the looks of them in the pic.

THey are lightly built and the fetlocks in particular look a bit rounded and worn, not to the point where I'd say not to look at the horse but to the point where you would want a very experienced person or a vet to look at them for you to see if there is anything more obvious wrong. Also horses with that conformation are IME more apt than some others to have feet/heel problems, again arguing for at least SOME sort of soundness exam by someone who knows what they're doing.

(e.t.a. -- I do not know why people are concerned about the chestnut's length of back, other than having read certain books that *say* you should. I have worked with, and around, an awful lot of horses over the years, and seen pretty close to no correlation between length of back and weight-carrying ability/soundness. I don't see anything about the chestnut that'd make me not want to at least take a look at him, he seems a reasonable prospect physically (and WAY easier to fit a saddle to than ALL of the preceding horses, appy included)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[()relics]

Quote:
Big Hats No Cattle....No Experience expect shelving books...Want some real fun, get one of those types on Your Yard to look at one of your horses...Hand them the saddle and headstall and tell them to have at it and try not to be killed in the process...A good Laugh is wayyyy better than the Money. JMO... I agree with Pand C...what can it hurt to look at the horse??

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I have to agree with pat, the chesnut doesn't seem like a bad prospect. Something about his back end in the picture does strike me a little funny, but I think it's because his tail ties in a little bit high (Which wouldn't affect him as a good riding horse at all!), or the way he's standing in the picture is just strange. He would definitely be worth a look at though. Sometimes pictures are the WORST way to tell a horse's confirmation!