Anybody Have a Horse?
- Thread starter rowdy ridgeback
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LOL. It is hard, and seeing as how it's your first horse you want to do it right.
Most horses I've worked with have all had their quirks though. Riley has horrible feet, Maple was prone to skin fungus', Sonny popped splints like there was no tomorrow, he's cannons were covered in lumps, yet he never went lame.
I find all horses have their quirks, it's which quirks you can live with.
Now, soundness should be non-negotiable. But something like weight or a bad coat is manageable, maybe to you.
Your headed on the right path though
You know to get a vet to check the horse before you buy and that's half the battle.
On the other hand, (of course LOL) At least half of the schoolies I've come into contact with couldn't pass a vet check. Whether it be feet, random lameness or stiff hocks. But they were generally healthy and did the job without being in pain, even though they could never pass a vet check.
Horses are complicated! LOL, As I'm sure you've discovered. Take your time. Speak with both of your instructors to see if they can keep an eye out for you
Most horses I've worked with have all had their quirks though. Riley has horrible feet, Maple was prone to skin fungus', Sonny popped splints like there was no tomorrow, he's cannons were covered in lumps, yet he never went lame.
I find all horses have their quirks, it's which quirks you can live with.
Now, soundness should be non-negotiable. But something like weight or a bad coat is manageable, maybe to you.
Your headed on the right path though
You know to get a vet to check the horse before you buy and that's half the battle. On the other hand, (of course LOL) At least half of the schoolies I've come into contact with couldn't pass a vet check. Whether it be feet, random lameness or stiff hocks. But they were generally healthy and did the job without being in pain, even though they could never pass a vet check.
Horses are complicated! LOL, As I'm sure you've discovered. Take your time. Speak with both of your instructors to see if they can keep an eye out for you
Yeah, LOL, Riley and I are "tight" ROFL.
How Riley and I became a team is a funny, long story so I won't hi-jack your thread. LOL. We can definitely communicate though, I think if you spend enough time with your horse you can too. I've found I communicate with every horse I come into contact with. I always do "itanica" with them... always.
It's a version of the Monty Roberts, "horse whispering". It shows how much of your body language horses "understand" or interperet as "something". Once I tried it with Riley, it's almost if he realized I was trying to understand him, and from that day forward, no word of a lie we were a team. Not, Riley bucking me off at least once every lesson because he was bored of working on his frame at the canter or shortening/lengethening! LOL
How Riley and I became a team is a funny, long story so I won't hi-jack your thread. LOL. We can definitely communicate though, I think if you spend enough time with your horse you can too. I've found I communicate with every horse I come into contact with. I always do "itanica" with them... always.
It's a version of the Monty Roberts, "horse whispering". It shows how much of your body language horses "understand" or interperet as "something". Once I tried it with Riley, it's almost if he realized I was trying to understand him, and from that day forward, no word of a lie we were a team. Not, Riley bucking me off at least once every lesson because he was bored of working on his frame at the canter or shortening/lengethening! LOL
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Well, I would nix the biter, the swollen knee and the arthritis but you can't really tell about the person scared of the horse. My neighbor was given a QH stallion and the people who owned hiim were scared to death of him (he had been the husband's horse, but the husband was killed in a car accident). Sparky turned out to be a sweetheart (and still is, although he's a gelding now since the people didn't give my neighbor his papers - no point in keeping an unpapered stallion).
A retired ranch horse would be a good choice for you. As a cattleman, I know that a horse that has been working with cows is generally sound, and more importantly, is "people" friendly. I've been through literally thousands of horses and rest assured that I (nor my peers) will not tolerate any horse that blows-up and creates a risk for the rider or stock. Before any purchase, have a complete vet check to assure the horse is sound!!! Best of Success with your upcoming Equine Buddy!!!!
Horse rescues are a great way to go, but be careful. A lot of them do not have much training. I bought my current barrel horse for 200 from a rescue, but he was so wild you couldn't even put a halter on him. He had lived in a stall his entire life with no contact. It took me almost a year before i could even think about riding him. It's a great way to go, but only if you intend on doing A LOT of work
Here's my rescued boy when I picked him up:
And now after three years:
Here's my rescued boy when I picked him up:
And now after three years:
So true, they do require a bit more experienced training, re-training, and handling, so much depends on the particular horse. I've encountered many that have been so abused, the effort to rescue them would be far too costly---sad but true. I often sell or donate my retired cattle horses (many were rescued) to both novice and seasoned riders as they're quite sound and docile. I host an annual camp for Down Syndrome kids at my ranch and several of the horses we put them on were rescued and they're as gentle as can be with the children. The smiles from these kids melts my heart each time. We're going to Corpus Christi tommorrow to examine some horses that have been rescued; if we can get in the pasture (we're getting hit with a tropical wave) they'll be coming home with me!!!
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Well I think that I am going to take my lessons and help out at the rescue. Its hard to get time with the horses though when you only get a 1 hour lesson. I learn a lot from watching too. Just wish there was a place where I could just watch and ask questions. I thought the rescue would be good for this.
