Getting Started

I want to own and learn on my own horse, but am I right for a horse?

Meggan Walsh — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:35:41 GMT

Hi everyone :)

I'm very new to the whole idea as owning a horse and i would appreciate some insight outside of my 'bubble' and those who currently own horses themselves. A little background about me and my current interest, when I was little ( around 5) I was around horses before marital problems with the parents acted up, I've always loved them, and feared their power if not respected and I'm in a point in my life where i want to get out of the house, off the computer and out to explore. I recently took a road trip down the california coast and saw so many horses along the way, and it rekindled my dream of having a horse and it inspired me to get out there and take on horseback riding as my much needed outdoor activity. But now here is where I need the most advice: i'm a working girl and i live in Nevada ( Henderson to be exact) and I only get two days off as the average working person has, and unfortunatly I have to bid each year for my hours, so it will end up being sparatic but consistent for that year. I've researched as much as I am able at the current time and I have found I could afford it, I plan on adopting horses from rescue agencies instead of purchasing, its cheaper and I preffer giving those who need good loving homes a chance over bought ones from already good homes, I've researched stables and boarding in my area and have found reasonable prices with lots of goodies included. All that is left is to figure out health expenses, feed expenses, tack and supplies, and if I am even right to own a horse. here are my questions :)

1. I only get two days off a week, if full boarded and let out, should I have the right to own a horse if i only get to ride him twice a week at the least? three times if I get my husband in on it :) I want to be fair to this animal and not be the " just board it up and leave it" sort of person.

2. what type of horse would be beneficial to the prior question? ( 1 ) age to me doesn;t matter, but i'm a green and I need an already good solidly trained horse for me to learn with.

3. how much money should I stock up before actively purchasing a horse since I'm very new at it and don't have the basic supplies yet?

4. despite my husband and mother in law saying it would be better to ride someone elses horse on a trail istead of owning, is the feeling of true desire to own one despite the work enough to really go after my dream?

5. what is the rough estimate monthly for horse maintenance?

6. we plan on having a child in the future: ladies and fathers, can you cope with motherhood/fatherhood and have a horse in your life? I want to raise my child around horses and get outside so not to be the couch potato generation addition, can i have some advice to help me with this? your thoughts, stories and opinions would be great!

7. anything else vital and important to know? please enlighten me I very much want to be well informed :)

As mentioned, my husband feels I should just rent a horse for trail rides, but for me thats not all its about, I want a horse to enjoy, get to know and take care of while having a special bond between the two of us. No matter what I want my own and desire so much to try having that special addition to my life. I know that renting horses for trail rides are more reasonable on the pocket, but it isn;t the same as what I want, I can;t deeply bond with someone elses animal, but at the same time i don;t want to burden the animal if I'm not suited for this lifestyle and thats why I'm coming to you experts for your advice :)

thanks so much!

Meg

Completely new to horses - Hi from Latvia!

AnnaCrew — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:51:52 GMT

Hello to you all here!

I'm not only newcomer here, but also absolute beginner in the horse world. I never ever had dreamed to become a horse owner, but now (6 days already! ) I have 16 years young boy to keep my head spinning around.

I'm 46 years old journalist from Latvia, complete city girl who moved to country 5 years ago. I have husband peter, 3 German Shepherd dogs, one St. Bernard and 6 cats. We are living in nice old farm on some land, pastures, our own forest, two ponds and some outbildings, so here is enough space and food for all of us. Last Tuesday we suddenly, out of the blue added a horse to our pack, and I'm starting my big battle to get myself into this world.

And yes, please be patient with my English as it is not my native language.

The horse belonged to our neighbours - very nice old couple, who can not care about horse anymore and they wanted to sell him to slaughtery. Knowing how much our neighbour loves his horse, my husband, who has some horse experience from his childhood at grandparents farm, offered his help. It was husbands birthday, so happy neighbours just made a present... So now we have a horse.

Peter is happy, and I'm actually too, but I'm very very worried about the whole thing. The horse sweet, but very fat, spoiled rotten, very bored (he had not have anything to do for at least past 6 months) and he is very big. Horse is purebreed LS gelding, at least 17.2 (had not had measured him properly yet) and needs a looooooot of work to get back in shape. He is not a riding horse, just worked with cart, and husband says that he will be able to try him ride maybe in autumn (if that).

In general, our new pet needs just nice light job to fulfill his retirement days. And a lot of work to get him back in shape. He has some bad habits, but in general he is very friendly horse who likes human contact and other farm animals as a company.

I'm here to learn just everything from the step one and I do hope that it will be possible. It is not so easy to start with hirst horse at 46, indeed. I'm so frightened of him, I hav no knowledge, experience and feeling... But I'm determint to learn.

This is our boy last summer when he was still in quite good shape

and here he was last Tuesday on his first walk with us

Hope, you will be patient with me and my silly questions!

I need advice on what to do with my mare

Heather — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:02:25 GMT

Ok guys so I bought this mare the 2nd of Augest and she was great, really green but great. I started school about 3 weeks after I got her and I brought her down to school with me for my riding class. Well she was fine for about a month and then started acting up. She wouldn't move off my leg, and would just start kicking out and backing up. My instructor advised me to bring her home and get her checked for an ovarian cyst or some type of hormonal issue, which I did and nothing is wrong with her there. But the vet did find a "sore" spot on her left side but he couldnt find any signs of injury. He told me to give her 2 weeks off and see what happens so I did and she still doesn't like being touched there, but from her body language I find it being more of a spot that she just doesn't like being touched instead of being sore there. I'm not quite sure what to do with her. I want to be able to sell her but I absolutely will not with the way she is being. I'm going to be working on her showmanship and halter and hopefully get back on her and start working her under saddle again. Does anyone have any advice, options, or ideas of why she may be acting this way. Oh by the way she is a 4 coming 5 yo registered breeding stock paint. Broke out as a 3yo, mostly ridden in an arena and a little on the trails. Thanks so much!

New Horses

lboberrender — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:06:10 GMT

I bought Wyoming August 1st (8y/o paint gelding) and this past weekend added 2 new horses. Thanks to 'FloridaHorseman' I used his advice about introductions and I think we did pretty good. Wyoming accepted the 10 y/o mare right away however he and the new 9 y/o gelding did a little flexing of muscles and some superficial bits and I believe the new gelding has turned out to be the 'head of the heard'. However, I have a few questions and I am hoping as before to reap some more knowledge.

1. The mare is in foal due February, she is thin and her vaccination history fuzzy. Should I vaccinate her as if she was never vaccinated? And is there any particular vaccines I should be aware of since she is in foal?

2. The 2 new horses are both thin (you can easily feel/see their ribs) I started them on the 10%-6% Purina that Wyoming is on along with horseshoers secret hoof supplement. They have pasture to graze and I have been giving some hay as well. They seem to be tolerating this diet but I want to be sure I am on the right track.

Linda

Mistreated and unhandled throughbred

Dreamer17 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:57:35 GMT

I just got her about a week ago. the previous owners said they could only touch he nose and mouth area but could never get a halter on her. They had her since foal and there was a halter on her at one time. They also she had broke it and they drugged her to put on another and that one also broke. I can get close to her and touch her head, ears, neck,back and brush her some now. I have held the halter on her nose for short periods of time while she is eatting.She is very nervous and jumpy at sudden movements and some sounds. although that is slowly going away too. She has some scars on her flanks and behind her ears. She is 6 now and I think I'm am doing great with her so far. But I would appreciate any other advice on calming her and getting her used to the halter and lead. If I had not taken her she was to be distroyed at the end of Sept. I couln't let that happen..

Getting back into the swing of things.

tawebb036 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:50:33 GMT

Hello everyone. We used to have horses when I was a kid and now after probably about 15 years later I have finally been able to get back into it due to a rescue. My question is this. Smokey is a very sweet 10 year old stud who will be getting gelded here in a few weeks. When I go out to the pasture he will come straight to me, let me pet him, brush him down etc. The problem I am having is whenever he sees his bridle he won't let me near him till I throw it out of his pen. I have been able to get it on him before and each time I did put it on I made sure it was very pleasant for him so I am very confused. So if anyone has any tips on how to make brideling him easier the help would be much apreciated. I have even tried when I have been feeding him because his attention is focused elsewhere and I have never had any problems doing this when I was younger either that I just went ahead and did it without even thinking.

"Feet" Help

lboberrender — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:47:30 GMT

Hello again, I am back for more expert advice. :)

I had the farrier come out and boy did he trim a lot (no shoes). Wyoming's feet looked great when he was done. He has me painting his hoofs(cracks) with hoof heal. That's all good .... the problem is Wyoming will let me pick up all four feet fine, but as soon as I pick it up he puts it right back down. If I am fast enough I can knock out the big pieces of mud but even sometimes I don't get anything. He does not try to kick or bite he just doesn't want me cleaning his feet.

Help.

Need help with Training

trink1213 — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:30:53 GMT

Hi all, I have been out of the horse world for 15 years and now I am getting back into it via a horse rescue. I have always been good with horses and nothing spooks me I have always been the leader in my heard! Now there is a horse there that is very fearful and spooks at everything. I have been working with him for a month now and he trusts me fully. I am now trying to train him and we have started ground work. We took a couple of classes together and were doing really well, lunging and everything! Now all of a sudden the past two weeks when I get him in the ring he will only walk behind me (very close too!). Today after a while he finally started walking next to me but that was after an hour of work. There is no way to lunge him since he needs to be as close as possible to me. How do I break this habit? I'm not sure if he is fearful and that is why he wants to be so close or if I'm not being clear in what I am asking of him. I'm sure there is info in this forum that relates, but I haven't found what I am looking for yet, so I am sorry if this is a duplicate. Thank you!

Katrina

Have owned my Gypsy for a whole 6 months

Lizags — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:56:34 GMT

At the age of 4_ I have bought my husband and I have bought our first horse and we are having the time of our lives! I begand taking riding lessons over a year ago only to cure a nagging Achilles tendon issue, but fell in love with horses. I rode in that past as a kid (typically grab a horse in the farm field and ride) and my husband never rode until our honeymoon. Scout is a two year old Gypsy Vanner and although he has his 2 year old moments he is a good boy and a great horse. We hit the trifecta of good luck with Scout. His breeders are salt of the earth people, our Stables, Thornberry Farms is a family owned operation, and our trainer Amber Miller, Love of Horses LLC helps us to train our boy properly. There is still a lot we do not know, but it is going to be a great time learning all about our guy, watching him grow into a dressage horse and enjoying the horse world.

Ground driving

Andrea — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:39:09 GMT

Hello all! I have my 2 year old, and I'm looking forward to starting her in the summer.. Over the the winter I want to get her ground driving. What is a good technique I can use to teach her how to ground drive? Any ideas? Thanks

HELP! RIDING INSTRUCTION

cwgrlkssr — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:24:59 GMT

WHAT IS THE BEST DVD OR BOOK THAT WILL TEACH ME HOW TO RIDE??? I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR RIDING LESSONS AND HAVE HAD SOME HELP FROM FRIENDS BUT I FEEL A LITTLE MORE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION WOULD HELP ME. TAHNKS FOR YOUR HELP!

NEED HELP

lil_rose95 — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 20:39:28 GMT

I have a ten year old brown and white paint; his name is Patches. My friend and I ride everyday. She rides Patches and I ride my horse Speedy. Geenie rides Patches with a bit...he chomps on it all the time and pulls on it...we don't know what to do. We tried usin a hack a more but he WILL NOT stop at all! He loves to run and git up and go...but we kinda just want him to relax...He will not walk at all....he side steps...hops...jumps in the air and whatnot. I don't know what to do...ANY HELP?

Trotting

mglasg01 — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:51:18 GMT

I'm new to riding and have been taking lessons for about 4 months now. The main problem I am having is that trotting scares me. My instructor says he doesn't see any problems with what I am doing but I feel like I could bounce right off the horse's back. I can tell when I focus and breathe it does get better but I can't seem to do more than once around the round pen before I feel the need to stop before I lose control. I was just learning to post when I switched from English to Western about a month ago and since I was still a newby, we just started lessons at the beginning. I haven't asked but I guess there is no posting in Western?

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.

Saddle , HELP!!!

Dreamer17 — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:21:20 GMT

I have two horses, a T/B mare and a Saddlebred gelding. I need to buy saddles for them( western). I would like to know how to measure them for the right fitting saddles. I want to be careful as they are both rescuses and have had enough hard times thrust on them.My mare is 15,3 hands and the gelding is 16,2. He is stll gaining weight back from being 300lbs under when they found him, but the vet said it is okay to start him slow to rebuild muscle. My mare is just starting training and has only been ridden a few times by me. She was mistreated badly. So I really need help to get the right saddles for them. thanks much for any suggestions.

What's the right size for me?

Biancahope — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 09:03:25 GMT

Hello everyone :D

This plaguing me a bit. I would like to start looking into purchasing a horse. I am looking for a pleasure horse. What size would be right for me?

I am -

Female

14 y/o

167cm

46kg

Im looking for a horse who is

14-15HH

7 y/o

Gelding pref

BUT is this a suitable height for me? Could i ride a 17hh horse? or a 13hh pony?

Anyone have 'guide' to the right size, i know some feel heights don't matter, but i feel that it really does matter, i don't think i could ride a 17hh horse comfortablly or safley, likewise with a 10hh pony :P

New Here and Have a lot of " Horsey" Questions

appyfanatic — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:52:04 GMT

Hey everyone, My name is Samantha I am new to the forums but I am not really new to the horse world, I was raised with horsed until I was 15, but dont know everything I need to know. I can ride and groom them, but thats about the extent of it. I was wondering if there are any really good books that anyone would recommend for basic care for a horse. When my parents had the horses, i only rode them and never "took care" of them. My husband and I have finally got our dream place and I am ready to have horses of my own again, I have really missed riding, and I have a son (just turned 3) that I really want to be around horses. If you guys can help me out I would really love it. A few of my first questions are:

1. What is the recommend acreage for 1 horse?

2. What to feed, should it be grain and hay, hay only, grain only? I think my parents OVER feed our horses.

3.What is the average cost to breed a horse (with no complications) like vet visits.

Thank you so much for whatever you guys and gal can help me with. I am so ready to have horses back in my life.

Buying a horse question

kirlyq82383 — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:05:46 GMT

Hi Everyone,

So I'm going to start looking for a horse! However, I have no idea what I should be looking for. Is there a certain amount I should plan on spending? I was hoping I could find a decent horse under $3000. Does that sound like too little? I know I'm going to have a lot of other costs too...tack, farrier, boarding, food. Do you think you can find a decent horse at a recue? I'd love to do that but I don't know if I would be able to find a "good" horse.

So I'm looking for a good all around horse. I love Western but would like it to be able to do English/jumping as well (in the future). Any breed suggestions? I'm not really interested in showing...but maybe down the road I will...however that not my main reason for getting a horse. I just love riding and really want a good all-around horse.

Any other advice?

Thanks!

Riding Instructors Near Dallas, TX?

Mystyvalley — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:48:36 GMT

Does anyone know of a good riding instructor that is within 30 minutes of Dallas, TX? I am interested in doing western riding.

Extreme newbie here.

raynedove — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:12:37 GMT

Hi
My name is Leanne and I do not own a horse. I am thinking of taking one from a gal I know. She has a horse that needs some TLC. She cant keep it with her other 2 as they pick her to badly. She needs a good home and someone to love her. I love horses and so does my daughter, son and husband. We live on 1 acre. She cannot be ridden for about 6 months to a year as she is weak and needs to gain strength. This gal wants to sell her to me for 50.00. She herself will help me in learning all I need to learn...what to buy, feed, tack, etc. Before I commit to this I just want to know do I know I can afford to do this? My husband and I both work and our kids are 20, 12 and 11. I want to know what to expect financially. We do work full time but dont do much after work or on weekends so spending time with the horse is not an issue. Like I said she cant be ridden for a while. Also, what time of living quarters should I expect to have for this horse? Shelter? Sunshine? Both? None? What?
I am searching the internet to get as much advice as I can get. I have always dreamed of having a horse so I do want to do this but I also want to be realistic at the same time.
Thanks for any advice, help, encouragement, etc y'all are willing to give.

Leanne

Help! i got a mule....

IsntSheLlovely — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:32:56 GMT

Ive had horses all my life but i recently got a miniture mule, a friend gave him to me and i thought i could handle him because lord knows i've had tons of horses

the problem: i cant catch him, ive tried bribing him with food and it dosnt work i have been keeping him in a small round pen and so far the only way to catch him is to have another person help me box him in, but once i catch him hes fine and acts like a little gentleman, and he follows me like a dog but he wont let me within 12in. of his halter.

any suggestions?

treeless saddles...which one

sayyadina — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 05:03:43 GMT

I'm contemplating getting a treeless saddle for Bella. I was wondering if anyone has recommendations on which makers are better.

I haven't heard good things about Ansur or Hilason.

I like the Freeform saddles (classic or liberty)and Barefoot Cheyenne. Torsion also looks interesting, but I haven't heard anything about them.

I want sometime with no tree at all. Fhoenix and Trekker are nice, but I think they have partial trees.

My Top 12 Training Tips

FloridaHorseman — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:40:59 GMT

I was gathering my notes for a horsemanship clinic I'm conducting tomorrow and thought my training tip sheet might find some useful purpose here on the ES forum. ~FH

Florida Horseman’s Top 12 Training Tips

1. No effective control or training can be achieved before gaining respect from the horse.

2. All training is accomplished through the application of pressure, either physical or mental, followed by a release from pressure at the precise moment of correct response.

3. The RELEASE of pressure is critical. It is the point at which learning is achieved. Reward even the smallest attempt at compliance (release of pressure) .

4. Only apply pressure in direct proportion to a horse’s attempt to comply.

5. When you control the horse’s feet (movement) you control the horse.

6. Never yield space to a horse.

7. Never PUNISH a horse. Use quiet, thoughtful and fair REPRIMAND instead.

8. Reserve direct eye contact for reprimands or the application of mental pressure.

9. KEEP YOUR EMOTIONS UNDER CONTROL. The presence of anger, frustration or adrenaline will undo much good work.

10. Always view a horse’s mistakes or reluctance as training opportunities.

11. Study and understand horse psychology. Learn to see things the way a horse does.

12. A horse’s mind is like a lump of sculptor’s clay. It holds the shape of the last hands that touched it.

Questions to ask a potential instructor

Jumpthefence — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:36:56 GMT

We've talked to two local horse riding instructors about lessons for my 9 year old boy, and realized very quickly that we really didn't know the right questions to ask. At this point, he's not shown any interest in compititions or showing, so I think leisure/pleasure riding is more what he's inclined to do. Thanks for your input!

How to budget time when you own a horse and work full-time?

Onyxheart — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:28:13 GMT

So, the lottery isn't working out for me, so I thought I'd ask--how do you fit it all in? Do you ride in the morning before work, or after, or only on the weekends? Do you *always* ride him/her when you see your horse, or just turnout/spend time? How many days a week do you ride, and for how long? I don't have kids, but I do have a husband who needs some time, too ;>

Thanks!

Kristyn

Cantering issues

Valkyrie34 — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:27:30 GMT

I need some advice about cantering issues my new horse and I are having. First let me say that there is nothing physically wrong with the horse. He's 100% sound, young, and healthy. Feet are in good shape, and he has a well fitting saddle. So I've ruled all of that out. At first he was taking forever to pick his canter up, but I have been working on that and its going much better. I'm not letting him rush through the trot to pick up the canter. Once he starts his canter, it almost feels like he is wanting to buck. I don't think he is, but that's what it feels like. His butt end is going up kind of high, he's tense, and he wants to put his head down and lean into the bit. He tries leaning into my hands a lot...to the point where I am having to pick his head up or I'm afraid he'll fall flat on his face. He's stumbling a little, and generally it feels bad. He is picking up the right leads, and he is not counter cantering. But it really feels like riding a brand new green horse...not a well broke 7 year old. I know he's not been ridden much in the past year, so I imagine he's gotten rusty...and lord knows I am really rusty after a 10 year hiatus. So any words of wisdom are much appreciated here.