Has the horse EVER offered to kick, bite, rear ,buck? Has the horse EVER had any kind of illness? Has the horse EVER been lame? even a little bit? Be very wary of a "no" answer! Trick is to get the seller talking. Get them telling "stories", you will learn alot. Ask how many rides? How long were the rides? Any trail rides? What type of terrain? does anything spook the horse? How does the horse load? clip? Tie? Vaccination schedule? De-worming? Farrier care? Hope your friend has fun horse shopping

I would send the letter and get in contact with the vet. So long as you don't get your hopes up what can it hurt? I once heard from someone who ened up with a horse I had sold a few years before. He had gone from Southern Ca to Indiana ans was being used as a pony horse. I was happy to hear he was ok.

I flood the water tank to be sure there is mud for them to walk in. I also have seen REALLY good hooves in my herd after adding a 12:12 mineral block.

I have had fakers before. But felt REAL bad when one of them wasnt really faking. I would have vat check it out, for peice of mind, if nothing else.

The only time my saddle bags come off my saddle is when I am riding a colt. Then hubby will be with and has the necessities. I keep... rubber hoses Knife and one on me! Screwdriver for those nasty chicago screws cutting pliers Extra leather strip and zip ties TP water granola bar, the chewy kind so it doesnt crumble too bad , they usually get flat. chocolate is too messy flask of..... no-battery flashlight ziplock bag of furazone soaked 4x4s, 1 maxi pad and 1 roll vet wrap all in a bigger ziplock

Glad you put in that last disclaimer! I was all in a huff LOL My hubbys MFT is a great working cow horse. I have used her many a time to pull a colt thru a creek. She also can RUN real good and is fun to chase cans with. It aldepends on the the individual horse but I wouldn't expect to be winning at the high levels - Like someone said, they're not bred for it. Just like you wouldn't expect a WP bred Qh to win at barrels.

To fix the "out" part you have to work on your hips. Take your feet out of the stirrups, concentrate on twisting your leg from the hip and watch your feet. Hmmmmmm. You need to be able to get your hips in the right position while riding - lots of practice and 2-point helps alot.

I totaly agree w/FHM. That saddle just doesn't fit. Using a breast collar will only force the saddle to ride in the worst spot in his back and make it hurt. Search high and low to find a better one and find someone who can REALLY help you fit a saddle. One saddle I had fit many, mnay horses cost me about $150. Yes, it wouldn't last forever but at least it didn't hurt the horse while I looked for a better one. If I were you and I HAD to use that saddle I would find a GREAT pad, maybe a buildup?

When you clip the white on the legs be sure to bland really good. As far as the non-white legs go, I put the clipper blades perpendicular to the coronet band and be sure to keep it even al the way around; again be sure it looks smooth and blended. Clip the long hairs around the muzzle , clip under the jaw too. Cluip the long hairs arouund the eyes. Have someone help you by holding the eyelashes under their fingers. Chopped eyelashes look horrible! Be careful with the ears, they are easly to mees

Hey Manna Lee! I already told you some of my "to dos" but will post here anyway Legs wraps, damp shavings, flymasks. Do NOT leave they big side windows open for the horses to get "air"! (not that I need to mention that to you) Offer water at all stops, not too much feed. Be sure you have good tools INCLUDING DUCK TAPE!!! I fixed a valve cover gasket with the aid of duck tape. The ramp for the trailer is great but you can make one with 2x6s also. My oldest changed a trailer tire all by himself after