Horses are way more work than parrots

[ShreddedOakAviary]

Molcan2... since you live in Florida Clydesdales are easier to find and inexpensive there. Shires are tough to find and because of that they tend to be overly costly. If you just want a big feathered draft go with a clydesdale. Clyde foals average around $500 shire foals average around $3000 (now clyde foals can be as high as $2500 and shire foals can be has high as $6000. It's availability in most cases. Florida being the home of Bush Gardens has an abundance of quality clyde foals.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

Riding at a canter on a shire literally feels like flying... reminds me of a helicopter because I can hear the thundering of his feet on the ground, but I can't feel anything but a slight gentle rock forward and than back. The wind in my face is the only indication I have that we are moving so fast and she on an open track he runs all the local cattle horses into the ground. I love to race him on long distance... he can go all day. Doesn't even break a sweat, while the light horses put out. Obviously the light horses always take off faster, but they can't keep the pace. I always wonder what it's like to be on a light horse and hear Atlas' thundering stride catching up and closing in

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

Of course in any endurance thing against local horses mine usually all win. Everyone out here only rides in nice weather. I make sure all our horses are kept in shape and worked at least 3 days a week. I have people that borrow our horses so I don't have to do all that riding... (whew that would be a full time job...lol)

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

This is my husband and his horse Cisco (our needy bubble boy horse). My husband does periodically ride in his pj's... only on Cisco, seems to be his riding uniform...lol Conformationally Cisco is ferrible, but he is a joy to live with (his constant colic episodes and sunburn and allergies aside). My vet says eveyrone has their "problem child" and that Cisco is ours. He got colic again 4 days ago. So, he isn't a Shire or Friesian, but he is my husbands buddy.... so I have many years of stress, long nites, and vet bills ahead of me.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

My husband and my son driving Atlas.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

Forgive tge run down house in the background (there are a lot of empty old run down houses in our little "village".

 

[luvmytooo]

The Shires sound like a dream to ride
Wish I got the chance back when...
Cisco is adorable , lol. I miss my buddy girl , I can fully relate to that friendship
I enjoy your pictures , please post more when you can.
It's good to hear from you again as well

 

[RescueMe]

My friends just sold a pair of Shires that were an absolute dream. Night and day personality wise but sweet and silly. They own many friesians, and train two beautiful gypsy stallions. All I can say is that it is too much hair care for me!

 

[Blue]

Aww cute new baby!! To bad he'll grow up to be a shire I'm a Belgian girl... my grandpa had them while I was growing up and my dad got our first one when I was 12. I have a 26 yr old Arab/quarter cross mare, a 16 yr old appy gelding and a team of haflingers 6yr old gelding and his 3 yr old daughter. I miss them, they are still in NY on my parent's farm with the other 15 horses

 

[MeganMango]

ShreddedOakAviary,
Ive been working with horses my whole life. I worked for a top thoroughbred racing barn in Ontario Canada, I work with drafts, ponies, hunt horse etc. I use to want to be a vet, and Ive worked with dozens of vets over the years including some of the top horse vets at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph. There is a lot you can do for a bubble boy that your vet wont/cant tell you. I too have a problem child, and after spending thousands of dollars trying to keep weight on her (psycho thoroughbred) and managing constant colic episodes there came a day when she got very seriously ill (more than colic which is serious enough). It started with what looked like a normal colic episode, but within hours she was shooting diarrhea across the barn, was severely dehydrated and started to founder due to rapid depletion of protein. I put ice boots all the way around and literally syringed water to her for 24 hours straight and then her kidneys started to fail. The vet said "put her out of her misery" but this just wasnt an option for me. Eventually I called a friend who retired from her horse veterinary practice but agreed to come help. We got it all sorted out (if anyone wants to know how feel free to contact me, but its long and involved and sort of a miracle that she ever came around) and it turns out she had ulcers that had progressed over the years. The pain and constant colic lead to increased stress and messed with her eating patterns. Th pain killers she was on regularly (bute and banamine) further irritated her gut to the point of giving her colitis. Once we got her sort of under control we managed her very carefully with a very expensive diet I had to have shipped in from the US, and she started gaining weight. We continued to have colic episodes however (and now she cant have the pain killers) until I finally put her on the gastro guard (omeprazole). I absolutely love this stuff! Its expensive, but I am certain it has actually saved me piles of money in food and vet bills along with saving/lengthening my horses life. My mare is actually fat, and has not had a colic episode since she went on the ulcer medication (knock on wood). Additionally, I am feeding her half of what she ate before, and she calmed right down and became workable. I would suggest (I am not a vet) that you try the ulcer medication, and consider looking into dietary alterations. I worked at a feed store for years and have taken university level equine nutrition courses from some of the top professors. I can tell you NO ONE feeds their horse correctly. Most of the time it doesnt make a huge difference, especially with the draftier types, but when it comes to our bubble babies, they dont do well. My advice might seem pricy but I swear to you, it will save you money in vet bills and make for a much happier horse
My advice:
1. Gastro-guard, dont buy the no-name, it is slightly cheaper but DOES NOT work the same. There are research papers to prove this, and your vet will give you the cheaper option. Also, they must be on it for AT LEAST 3 months or the gut wont heal completely and youre wasting you money. I usually suggest 6 months for a horse like Cisco who has had multiple colic episodes and is sensitive.
2. Look into Buckeye horse feeds. All my horses get gro'nwin feed. The bag is expensive but they eat tiny amounts of highly concentrated feed with nothing extra in it, so it is actually cheaper over time. My needy mare gets Safe'n easy because she needs extra calories to keep weight on since she doesnt absorb food properly due to colitis (which is incurable once its happened), but this is rarely necessary for horses that digest food properly.
3. If you cant get Buckeye, be aware of corn! Any bag of horse feed that does not list the ingredients right on the bag is tricking you. They dont have a recipe or ingredients lists because they put into the bag whatever is cheap at the time and add junk and fillers to meet the nutritional data given on the bag. As a result the protein levels will always be the same, but that doesnt mean its digestible or healthy protein, and can mean high starch content. Corn is high in protein but your horse can barely actually digest and use any of it. Extra protein cannot be dealt with and is used as hot energy, bad for ulcers. As a result your horse is over loaded with protein it cant use, and so is actually protein deficient, and has a upset tummy. (Buckeye gro'n win adds the essential amino acids in direct proportion to what your horse needs so there are no extras and your horse is not deficient. This is digestible and wont hurt their gut).
4. Feed fat. I would not suggest this for your heavies unless they work very hard for many hours a day every day. Drafts have different fat needs, but your Cisco would do really well on a fat supplement. I feed ground flax-seed meal to my mare in the summer as it doesnt go rancid easily, and she gets rice bran oil in the winter when its easier to feed. This is not an attempt to increase weight, but is actually good for horses. Horses guts love fat, and horses can handle a high fat diet very well. I know this probably goes against what you have been taught about laminitis, but it is sugar (corn and oats etc) that causes these problems, not fat. Fats coat the gut, they provide long term quiet energy, they can help heal ulcers and keep the stomach acidity low. Humans with ulcers or high acid guts do not deal with fats the same way and should not consume fats. For a year my TB mares diet was 50% fat, now its at 30% and she is doing well. My haflinger (a draft type) gets 10% but he is in intensive dressage training 2 hours a day 6 days a week and so needs the energy. Avoid omega-6 high fat supplements like corn oil, and go for the omega 3 high ones like flax seed oil and rice bran oil. Also be cautious and check the actual fat content of supplements for carbohydrate. Rice bran oil is 99.9% fat, no carb, corn oil has a much higher sugar content. There are fat supplements sold as feed, but they are super over-priced.
5. High alfalfa content. Alfalfa is high calcium and acts similarly to taking a tums. Its high in protein and can make a horse hot, but it doesnt look like thats a problem with Cisco, and my psycho mare is unaffected by this. Horses also need to have CONSTANT access to hay. I always say this to people and they rarely do it. Hay is the cheapest food you can give a horse and its so incredibly good for them. A horses stomach has three parts, and the bottom part should ALWAYS be full, if its not your horse will be in pain. Additionally, the middle part should ALWAYS be mostly full. You should never fill the gut to the top part of the stomach however, as this has a different composition and can not be protected from the stomach acids. This is why feeding large amounts of grain all at once can also cause ulcers, even if its the best feed in the world. Horses do best if they can walk and eat (graze). The motion is good for them and it keeps things moving properly. As a result I usually recommend all day turn out (my horses come in at night but this is not necessary).

This post is getting long, and it is only my suggestion as someone who has been through this again and again. If you have questions or want further advice just let me know. Ive done horse nutrition clinics, Ive done farm calls, and Ive helped a lot of bubble-boys and brought them back to "normal".

 

[tab_xo]

Molcan2... since you live in Florida Clydesdales are easier to find and inexpensive there. Shires are tough to find and because of that they tend to be overly costly. If you just want a big feathered draft go with a clydesdale. Clyde foals average around $500 shire foals average around $3000 (now clyde foals can be as high as $2500 and shire foals can be has high as $6000. It's availability in most cases. Florida being the home of Bush Gardens has an abundance of quality clyde foals.

i wish that was the case in australia
shires are between $10 000 and $20 000
i would of LOVED a shire.. but im not that rich LOL so recently got a black clydesdale cross, even though i think he will be huge when hes fully grown

 

[Abigal7]

Just venting my worry and excitement, the worry is that our pinto Cisco has two strange lumps on his belly (vet coming tomorrow). The excitement is that my mare is due around June 2nd though it appears she is gonna foal a little early (I've started my vigil if sleeping out with her. So in the meantime I am praying for Cisco and hoping it is something treatable

I lived on a farm as a child and we had a couple of horses (geldings). Yes, money wise horses are expensive and are very social animals. I don't think a human can give them the 24 hour company they need. In the long run a Macaw may even be cheaper. While I do not mind riding a horse or grooming them etc. I can live without one. I am not a horse expert so a tame gelding is what is compatable to me. Unless, I marry a guy that wants to live in the country and wants a horse or two to ride I am fine without one in my life.