will roaming dogs attack a horse the way they might a goat?

[picklespickles]

this one is old, twenty eight with arthritis. lol.

she is being put out to retire. so i am hoping we will be at the same speed, lazy.

i am an okay rider, but not anything speical. it has been years.

don't know its history. haven't even seen it til next week. just sort of one of those happenstance type things. regardless of whether i say yes, or not, i will enjoy the drive to the other town and just playing pretend that i have a horse.

if i cna't handle it, will definitely give it back.

i am good at dominating (in the postive sense) new animals. don't know if that will translate to this one, or not.

if you see a picture in the news of a horse riding a person, you will know that i was too big for my britches.

 

[lizardz]

If you're thinking of electric fencing, you might look into the electric tape rather than the wire. I had a friend whose horse went through the wire and was torn up pretty badly. I use the tape which is about 2" wide - better visiability and less damage if a horse goes through it.
We don't have problems with stray dogs chasing our horses because my mustang gelding goes after any stray dogs that venture onto our property. Leaves our dogs alone, except the one that he likes to play tag with - you'll see the dog racing down the pasture with the horse on his tail, then here they come in the other direction, dog after horse. They used to do this for a couple hours, stopping to get a drink from the stream together, then at it again. Both are getting older, so they don't play so much anymore. I miss that sight.

 

[picklespickles]

so tape is more visible. cool.

 

[bantymum]

Ok, now this is getting scary!!!!
Im sorry Im sounding negative, but I dont want to see someone else go through what I did.
If SHE has athritis, she will suffer in winter, you will need a money jar kept full!!! Bute costs alot but it helps with the pain.
Now if you are like me and most other pet owners you dont want to watch your pet "horse" suffer and will do anything to make it better. This costs!!!
Now you may be getting a broken down racehorse like I did. If she has a rug, tell him to give it to you too!!! The rug will cost more than her!!!
Anyhow, I dont want to spoil your fun, I know how excited I was when I bought my first horse at 30!!
Again, I would strongly recommend that you take a horsey person with you to look at her.
Perhaps you could also have a look online at horses for sale in your area so you can compare the mare to what other stock is around.
Anyhow, im here if you need advice on thoroughbred maintenance!!!!!good luck with your mission.
Hugs

 

[picklespickles]

i know that she takes join supplements.

i am very serious that i will take the lady up on her offer of coming and getting her if it doens' work out.i am not too prideful for that.

believe me, i have looked online and in person at many horses for quite a while. even a blind horse that cna't be ridden was eight hundred bucks.

the rug is a VERY good tip. thanks!

i have no idea why you would think someone who allows her 150 pound goats to sit in lawn furniture wants them to be comfortable.

honestly, if she were a younger horse with many needs i would have probably said no. but she is tweny eight, so i figure that she will probably live another two years. put that way, she will get a good home, i will get some practice, and then i can make a fully informed decsion the next time around.

i really appreciate you not wanting me to make the same mistakes you did and get wronged. thanks.

remember, i haven't even seen her yet. i will go next week. i haven't even said an official yes yet. though you must be able to see the twinkle in my eye through the computer.

 

[picklespickles]

ps

i know our dollars are different........but what did it cost you to keep yours about per year.

here, i keep getting estimates from very low (zero, people who just let them range and give nothing supplemental but water) to ten thousand (people's whose barn is nicer than my house.)

the figures that seemed more reasonable to me were in the 1500 to 5000 range. now, five thousand i couldn't afford. the other, i could and will. i have a neighbor across the way and was wondering if we could split a farrier bill.

i would like to put aside the first years expenses, approximately, in savings, so taht i won't freak out terribly. if that's possible, then taht is a safety net both financially and emotionally.

 

[lizardz]

I'm probably on the low side, price wise, because my horses are on pasture 24/7, and I do minimal riding, so they don't get a lot of supplemental feeding and I don't put shoes them. My hay costs are pretty minimal - I buy a grass/alfalfa mix and spend about $600/yr. for 4 horses. We have 40 acres, so I don't pay boarding fees. My horses are not kept in stalls, they have run-in sheds (not that they usse them much), so I don't buy straw/shavings for bedding. Regarding the farrier, you could probably arrange to have your horse's feet done at the same time as your neighbor's, but they don't usually give a discount on the price (at least, not here). I pay $40/horse for a trim, which I have done about every other month. At this point in time, I don't feed any kind of supplements (other than probiotics to my older horse) to my animals. In addition to feed costs, you need to figure in vaccinations, wormer, fly spray, salt blocks, etc. I have one horse who is 22, and he costs me the most. I feed him more and he gets a senior feed, plus probiotics. He also needs his teeth floated (filed) each year. I would estimate that, for him, I spend approximately $1300/yr. I hope this helps some. Good luck with your decision.

 

[picklespickles]

so does thirteen include his feed? oh, wait. you said you had forty acres. so i will spend way more on feed than you. still, that is not so bad considering he is the older one and needs more.

that's good to know that farriers might not give discounts. i live in this area that is no further than going from one town to another and even has the same mailing address as the closet town, but is somehow thought of as "too far" for pizza, yard people, etc. possibly because it's a bad neighborhood and up a hill. so, i was presupposing that a farrier might say, i'm not coming out there unless there are four horses, or something like that.

oh, i just looked at something. the lady i'm getting it from is a vet tech. so that is some validity to back up my feeling that she is pretty for real and up front. she seemed sincere in the i'll take her back part. which is how i would be with, for instance, my dogs, god forbid.

i am fixing to sell my car and get a more reasonably priced one. i am paying off some credit cards and then want to keep some back for this treat for myself. so, hopefully, the first year at least won't be so horrible.

thanks for all your information.

 

[bantymum]

Hi again, i just woke up, it sun morn here but ill try and remeber my costs!
I didnt get a discount with shoeing, we just found farriers are really busy so we all booked in at the same time!
The most costs I had were.
Saddle : leather ~ $250, cheap, but got a newer one later for $800, (wintec synthetic, lightweight all purpose saddle)the best for us!
If you can get the saddle that she already has, if it fits her.
Next question: are you a sm, med, or large person?
Thoroughbreds arent built to carry weight, they have really skinny legs so are built for speed, not comfort!!!the saddle has to fit you and her!
Feed, these guys need lots of hay to keep warm, they are not good doers, dont keep condition well unless you have a good pasture.
my biggest costs were vet bills when she became lame OFTEN. I didnt have anyone near me who was good at diagnosing her ailments.
I even had a vet check her before i purchased her and was told "gentle riding" would be fine, so all was well for 2 years.
If I had my own farm and I was going to buy a horse again, this time I would buy a percheron, very comfy bareback!! or a welsh mountain pony.
Both very nice temperaments and i love bareback riding. I like to be able to just throw a bridle on and jump on without any major planning!!
Anyhow, Please PM me and I can go into much further detail about thoroughbreds!!
They are beautiful, are good lawnmowers but need regular riding to keep safe!!

 

[patandchickens]

The cost of buying a horse is the CHEAPEST part of horse ownership -- a cheap horse costs at least as much, often more, to KEEP than a more expensive one does. So don't get too excited about the 'free' thing here... sometimes free is good but sometimes you'd be a lot better off saving up for something that suits you better.

To estimate what horsekeeping will cost:

Unless you have a LOT of grass, meaning at least several acres of GOOD pasture, the horse's grazing will be mostly recreational and you will need to feed hay year-round. You will need somewhere between 1.5-2.5+% of a TB's weight in hay each day, which for a 1000 horse would be 15-30 lbs per day (includes wasteage). I don't know what hay runs per pound down your neck of the woods right now, I know it's been an expensive year and hard to get decent hay. If you buy hay at, say, $3 for a 50-lb small square bale, you're looking at between $350 - $550 per year in hay alone (depending on horse's hay needs and amount wasted). You can calculate it yourself for different hay prices... your hay may be more expensive.

Find out whether the horse currently gets any grain, pellets, etc and what it costs. This could range from $0 - $200+ per year.

Find out what joint supplements the horse is currently on and what they cost. Most are at least $400/year.

Find out what your neighbor pays the farrier, and find out whether the horse is currently shod (some older TBs need shoes just to keep their feet from getting really sore, even if idle). Multiply the cost of one farrier visit by 8.7 to get the yearly cost.

Vaccinations and routine yearly vet visit will run $100-$300 depending on what you vaccinate for - don't do vaccinations yourself unless you have a LOT of horse experience, and don't skip them (at least do not skip rabies and tetanus).

Older horses often need their teeth floated yearly. A vet who does a crappy job may charge only $80 including barn call; a really good dental specialist may charge $250; most likely you'll be somewhere in between.

Worming: if you buy loss-leader discounted paste wormers from catalogs, figure $30-40/year, no big deal but don't forget to DO it

You'll need a waterproof turnout sheet for cold rainy windy weather (esp. since this is an older TB), a decent one will run you about $100 including shipping.

Also figure in the cost of any facilities improvements you'll need to do, like running electric along your chainlink or fixing up a shed or stall or buying gates or whatever. Even just things like buckets and water tubs can really add up, so make sure to anticipate them.

Unless the horse's saddle is being thrown in free too, which is unlikely, expect a horrific saddle search to find anything that will fit an elderly TB well, and expect to spend at least $500-1000 once you find an appropriate saddle. Remember a badly fit saddle can cause serious pain, behaviour issues and lingering lameness. You can use a cheap secondhand bridle as long as it's in good shape and cheap (properly fitting) bit, so let's say another $50 for the rest of your tack and doodads.

Finally, and this is REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT, set aside at least $500-1000 in a savings account that you WILL NOT TOUCH for any purpose whatsoever except a vet emergency. Even something relatively simple such as a bad cut needing stitches on a Saturday night can get extremely expensive extremely quickly. And it's not fair to keep an animal we can't afford to care for properly when it's sick.

Summary: aside from facilities improvements and emergency fund, you are probably looking at anywhere between $1000 and $3000 per year (largely depends on price of hay, type of farriery needed, and cost of supplements/grain). I pay less (about $450 per horse per year) but my horses live outside 24/7 on enough land to graze for a living much of the year, and are basically healthy and low-maintenance

Good luck,

Pat