horse owners?

[Laurasea]

She wants a farm horse to move stuff, ride some, and a SHF horse, to use. Doesn't have to be a prize. Just a sturdy all around horse, to add to her donkey and other critters.

 

[riddick07]

Also, maybe try Facebook. There are always specific type groups. I found this one jut with a quick search.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/421680331299317/

 

[Laurasea]

Also, maybe try Facebook. There are always specific type groups. I found this one jut with a quick search.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/421680331299317/

I like these Fjords, much better body type!!!

 

[SailBoat]

I have watched the Video several times and see what you are commenting about.

Anyone else find it really odd that they never allow a swing by the camera? Everything is at a distance and a very specific distance. Prior to reading your comments that raised a weary eye.

FYI: Appaloosas are great horses... But, you really need to ride them regularly and if you plan to trail ride them, it is even more mandatory. They 'can' spook easily and that can turn into a nightmare if you're not intone with the horse's ability to slow rapidly, turn quickly and run the other way like crazy fast.

Talk to the Larger Animal Vet in your area and get some insight as to who you should be working with, plus you can build a relationship with someone you will be seeing fairly often.

Also, we only stalled a horse at night.

 

[Laurasea]

FYI: Appaloosas are great horses... But, you really need to ride them regularly and if you plan to trail ride them, it is even more mandatory. They 'can' spook easily and that can turn into a nightmare if you're not intone with the horse's ability to slow rapidly, turn quickly and run the other way like crazy fast

Appaloosas aren't known for spooking. Pretty solid breed.

But any horse can, I laughed because you forgot to mention this sideways jump of ten feet.

 

[bug_n_flock]

Yeah, we are going to pass on that pony I think. Looked up reviews of their farm on the better business beuro(I can't spell that lol) and there are some significant customer complaints, all responded to by the farm owner in a semi antagonistic-"blame the customer" kind of way. No thanks!




For non racing horses their prices are way high for this area too. Figured with what all they were claiming he knew he might be a good choice. Oh well. Another thing we see a lot of for sale around here are weanlings. What are the pros and cons of starting with a young horse and training them myself? I don't claim to be a pro at training equines, but I've worked with Butters some, getting him used to carrying a pack and going across water or over cracks and crevices in paths.


Here is a link to an add for weanlings. There wasn't too much locally on hoobly unfortunately.



https://lexington.craigslist.org/grd/d/owingsville-kentucky-mountain-weanlings/7075708835.html


The above farm is out by where we buy hay.

 

[Laurasea]

Pros , like you said you can train them how you want. Price is usually a good deal. They do t have hidden health issues.

Cons, you can't work them very hard, or use much weight till they are two year old, or you will cause shin splints, and leg issues. It's hard to tell how they will turn out. But you do know they are sound , so you just have to keep them that way!

I hav no experience with this breed. But all but the second , look good. I thnk I like second to the last the best. But you would choose on how they seem to you

 

[riddick07]

Parents that are well put together & make sense as a pairing will usually produce the same in their foals. Obviously it’s more complicated than that but definitely look at the parents & their line to see what you are getting into. Training them for basic stuff isn’t all that difficult & there are plenty of resources online to reference. A young horse can definitely be a crazy ride & experience though lol

Bone development takes many years. My horses knees didn’t close up until he was in the 4-5 range, which is quite late, so we didn’t do any hard work like constant jumping until then. I actually bought my guy as supposedly full grown in height because he was old enough but he surprised me with a whole other hand after he was home lol. 2 year old isn’t old enough for hard work yet. It’s why xrays tend to show chipping & other damage in ex race horses because they tend to be too young for the impact they go through. While you can work them at that young age it should be light with no major repetitive impact to the growing legs.

 

[bug_n_flock]

This one is nearly a year already, could start on ground work right away. Different breed tho. And a colt. If the choice is male or female with Butters being an intact male, would a filly be the wiser choice? Or should I go with a colt with the aim to have him gelded in the future?


https://lexington.craigslist.org/grd/d/lancaster-palomino-colt/7075563864.html

 

[Laurasea]

This is not a healthy horse! Too thin, probably full if worms, body not put together very well. Noooo

 

[bug_n_flock]

And that is why I ask! Thank you. Alright, I'll keep looking a bit, but I think we will contact the farm with the weanling Kentucky Mountains and set up a time to go look at them.

 

[bug_n_flock]

Oh, any input on what sex to go with?

 

[riddick07]

I'd probably go with a male so you don't have to deal with a mare in heat throwing her butt around or a possibly excited donkey haha

 

[Laurasea]

I've had stallion, mare and geldings. Gelding are more easy going usually, but I loved my mares. If you get a mare you have the possible to breed her, a donkey and a horse produce a sterile mule. Mules. Can you show a picture if your donkey?!
I think a yearling is your best choice. But you need toook at confirmation websites, s d train up your eye lol
https://g.co/kgs/bgNbzs
There are some YouTube ones you can Google and watch

This one is very good! Read it
https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1400&title=Evaluating Horse Conformation

Yearlings are s little tricky, definitely look at mom and judge her. They tend to have a higher but at this age and that is normal, part of the growth.
https://www.equisearch.com/.amp/art...errer=https://www.google.com&amp_tf=From %1$s

https://eventingconnect.today/2015/08/27/how-to-assess-conformation-at-a-yearling-sale/

This one is good too
https://advancedequine.net/2019/03/17/the-beginners-guide-to-good-conformation/

https://www.sportingpost.co.za/insight/how-to-buy-a-horse-a-checklist-for-prospective-buyers/

 

[bug_n_flock]

Butters is a mini. He is under 36"... I don't remember his exact height. Maybe 32" at the shoulder? He would need a step ladder to get at a 15hh mare LOL


My phone isn't cooperating with uploading an image right now. He is pretty standard for a mini. Slight zebra striping on his legs, but other than that a pretty standard mini. About the size of a very large stocky dog. Like a great dane on steroids who had been hitting the gym and eating a lot LOL

 

[Betrisher]

I'm another used-to-be horse owner. My sister and I were taught dressage from an early age, so we both continued with that into our adulthood. I was a Pony Club instructor for mumbledy-mumble years when my kids were growing up. Sadly, the encroachment of suburbia and rising costs just wore out my horse-owning enthusiasm.

Back in the day, my sister and I had maybe twenty horses and ponies going at any given time. I have to admit to a bit of prejudice against ponies: they are wicked by nature and if they can do you a bad turn, they will (joking, but only a little bit). Not only that, but they're much harder to sit to than a nice, full-bodied horse with a long, swinging gait. I'm with Laurasea: we used to call quarter horses 'fat-bottomed anarchists' and steer well clear of them. That's just a personal preference thing, though.

I don't like the look of the pony in the video. He doesn't move freely, is stiff in his hindlegs (which trail behind him- hocks not properly underneath) and seems to have a bit of a parrot mouth (overbite). The rider and the whopping great saddle are far too big for him, so that could be having an effect on his way of going, but he just doesn't move well. He seems willing enough and if he has a sweet nature, that might make him suitable as a pet or companion animal. I wouldn't want to have to ride him every day, though. I reckon he could be one who turns up lame from time to time (arthritis in hips or stifles?). If you're really serious about buying, make sure to get a thorough vet check in case of hidden problems. If nothing else, you need to see him trotting both toward you and away from you in a straight line: that usually shows up any anomalies and imbalances of movement.

It all comes down to your purpose for the pony. If he's just to be a companion for your donkey, then he'd probably be quite fine and the kind of home you offer is probably the best thing for a pony like that whose value will deteriorate with each rehoming. If you want him for your kids to ride, though, I'd steer well clear and look for something with a bit more promise.

 

[Betrisher]

My horror horse story didn't happen to me, but to my sister, Frances.

She and her friend, Shaun, had taken their dressage horses for a trail ride as a rest from serious work. Dawdling along a bush track, they were surprised when a small car confronted them and the driver gestured impatiently that they should get out of his way. There was nowhere for them to go except to jump a barbed wire fence (which only a maniac would attempt), so while the girls dithered about what to do, the bloke began pounding repeatedly on his horn.

This put the wind up our anglo-arab, Tristan, who promptly reared and dislodged Francie, who phlumped flat on her back on the ground. In his fright, the horse fell! Right on top of my (depressed) sister! In his haste to get up and put distance between himself and the awful noise, he trod upon Francie's face with his off fore-hoof and kicked her in the back of her head with his near hind-hoof (that was the one that did most of the damage). Then he p*ssed off into the sunset while the disgruntled bloke finally got his right-of-way.

Shaun wisely chased after the horse and caught him, bringing him back to my groggy sister so she could mount and ride out of the bush to the main road. In her stupor, Francie rode to the doctor's surgery, hitching Tristan to her (the doctor's) letter-box and weaving her way into the waiting room. By now, she had yellow spinal fluid running out of her ear and down her neck. She vomited unobtrusively into a large potted plant in the corner and then passed quietly out on the waiting room floor. The doctor called for an ambulance, whose arrival spooked the horse again and caused him to decamp forthwith, taking possession of the doctor's letter-box in the process. Thankfully, he bolted back to his stable, where Shaun unsaddled him and put him up for the night. She returned the doctor's letter-box the next day.

I got a phone call at work to say Francie's nose, skull and pinky finger were broken and that she was in Maitland hospital. I fled out of work and leapt into my car, gabbling Hail Marys all the way up the highway until I finally burst into Francie's hospital room. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed with a smoke hanging out of her mouth and bellowing at her poor husband to go and check the horse for cuts and bruises instead of wasting time. She had a headache for a while, her nose lists to the left these days and she can't straighten her pinky finger, but other than that, she's fine!

The interesting twist to this story is that the previous year, Shaun had been schooling Tristan in the long grass behind the stable-yard. Someone had tossed a beer bottle into the paddock and the horse trod on it, shattering it. This caused Tris to stumble and Shaun to fall off. As he regained his balance, Tris had clipped Shaun on the side of her head with his hoof, breaking her skull. Neither incident was the horse's fault in any way, however his nickname became 'Headbreaker' after that.

Tristan was one of the prettiest horses I've ever seen! He was 15.2 hands (bit short, but never mind) and a gorgeous blood-bay. He had the large, romantic-looking head of his thoroughbred father and the lovely dished profile of his arabian Mum. His coat gleamed in strong sunlight and he had a knack of standing in a stately pose wherever he happened to be. He was a real film-star horse!

Years after, Tris got his hoof caught in a loop of barbed wire during the night. By the time we found him, he'd been bleeding for hours and was lying near death with his foot still tightly bound in wire and nearly severed. The vet wanted to put him down, but the old bloke who hot-shod all our horses told us to pack the wound with stockholm tar and bind it tightly, then hose-pipe it (wash it with running water) every morning and evening for half-an-hour a time. We did that and the wound healed in just weeks! Tris would never be sound for competition again, however, so we gave him to a little girl who just wanted to do Pony Club with him. She moved away, so we lost touch with Tris. I hope he had a happy life: he was my favourite of all our horses!

PS. For those who know this story, the unmistakable imprint of a #5 cob horseshoe can be clearly seen on my sister's face to this day. The toe-clip left a scar between her eyebrows and the calkin-holes did the same on either side of her jaw. She was not an attractive-looking young woman during the healing process (black, blue, lumpy and furious) and I have to say her overall demeanour hasn't improved one bit in all these many years. :22_yikes:

 

[Laurasea]

Lo e the story Betrisher.
Mmm... Three people tell horse stories and all three have traumatized brain injury...

 

[bug_n_flock]

I will order a copy of that hoof book. Any other good ones on training or etc? A good reference tome or two? On horses or donkeys. We have been sadly unable to get many good equine books locally. Just what is on offer at Tractor Supply. But ebay is a lovely thing for used books.



My cousin also got injured. A horse reared with her on it, and landed on her. Crushed both legs and she was laid up for the better part of a year recovering. Horses are sure not toys and can hurt people even when not meaning to. Even little Mr. Butts can put on quite a show when he is in the mood to.

 

[bug_n_flock]

OK. The Buckskin weanling is spoken for. The other two colts are the first one and the third on in the add. The black and the amber champagne are fillies. They also have a classic champagne filly with 4 white socks.



I'm leaning towards the first one in the add, what are you guys' thoughts? Colts they are asking 900 for, fillies are 650 for the black, 800 for the champagne amber, 850 for the classic champagne. I think colt is probably the best bet, and we will go see them in person before making a decision.