# Horse people, I need your help!



## Jane Day (Nov 15, 2012)

I see soundness is probably not an issue, but having been around horses far longer than dogs, I would want her vetted. For example, a friend who took over a free lease on a very nice warmblood mare, knowing she had an old fetlock bone chip, now has to return her to the breeder because the old injury was actually more serious than had been previously diagnosed. Think major surgery which may or may not be successful. Thankfully the mare can live out her life at the breeder's farm.

Anyway, think about having her flexed and possibly xrayed for any possible hidden issues such as navicular syndrome. Do they have her papers? HyPP is a genetic issue for horses with Impressive bloodlines. Basically you want a baseline health assessment and know if there are issues you can live with (some arthritis) vs. those you can't. 

Other than that, good luck and enjoy the journey!


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## stealthq (Aug 4, 2011)

2nd the getting her vetted - x-rays, the whole deal.

Don't take anyone's word on her temperament. I'm assuming you are going to ride her tomorrow. Get there early so you can watch them groom and tack her up. The groom's attitude around her may tell you a lot. Even better if you can convince them to let you groom and/or tack her up yourself.


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## HerdingStdPoodle (Oct 17, 2012)

*Hi Michelle*

Hi Michelle;

Thank you for your post! You've got a good list going. 

I'm sure that you are a lot younger than I am...but when I buy a horse, I like to watch the owner groom, pick up their feet, tack up, and RIDE for me, before I get into the saddle. If they don't want to get on the horse, then I'm a little leery. At times, I've hired a trainer to go with me to ride and assess the horse.

I'm with stealthq---arrive early! I've even gone a few hours early, and want to take a halter out to the pasture or stall, myself, and see if I can catch the horse. A vet check, even with friends, is essential. It protects you both and your friendship. Does this horse have any papers? Does the owner own the horse free and clear? Bill of sale? Has this horse had shoes before? Can you pick up all four feet easily? How about bridling? Good with ears? How about the worming program? Can you talk to the barrel racing trainer and get a recommendation? 

Just a few ideas. Best to you, Michelle!
HerdingStdPoodle


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## poo lover (Nov 7, 2012)

Get her vetted feet feet


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

And I thought buying a poodle was hard!


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## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

Michelle said:


> ...
> She is a little weary of going to far from the barn and other horses...but that isn't a huge problem for me.
> ...


I would test this out carefully before I made a decision ... it may be more of a problem than you think ...

Best wishes, I hope it works out for you. ... I miss my old horse very much !


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## Jane Day (Nov 15, 2012)

nu2poodles said:


> I would test this out carefully before I made a decision ... it may be more of a problem than you think ...
> 
> Best wishes, I hope it works out for you. ... I miss my old horse very much !


I had the same reservation. A barn sour horse is like having a miserable kid in the backseat of an un-airconditioned car whinging, "are we there yet? Are we there yet?"


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## stealthq (Aug 4, 2011)

LEUllman said:


> And I thought buying a poodle was hard!


You have no idea. 

I've run into the most crooked, deceitful people in the horse business. You would not believe some of the straight-up, bald-faced lies you get told with a smile that says that butter would not melt in the seller's (or their agent's) mouth. It's sometimes even worse if you act through agents because not infrequently they are working for their own benefit and care nothing for you. Then you have to watch for the agents making a deal under the table that cheats both buyer AND seller _in addition_ to the usual crap that the buyers try to pull.

ETA: The ridiculous thing is that agents/trainers would sell so many more horses if they were honest and had a reputation for honesty. People would _want_ to buy from them, and would be happy with their purchase because the horse would be as represented.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

nu2poodles said:


> I would test this out carefully before I made a decision ... it may be more of a problem than you think ...
> 
> Best wishes, I hope it works out for you. ... I miss my old horse very much !


I will definitely see how bad she is about it. I'm assuming its just because she hasn't been riden for a while, and doesn't really have the confidence she use to when she was being riden and worked with daily...I guess I'll find out! I'll be leaving here in about 2 hours to go meet her. I'm SO excited! If everything goes well, I will arrange another day to go out and have a vet check her out for me.

Wish me luck!


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## poo lover (Nov 7, 2012)

be careful with a barn sour horse and ex barrel horses bought one without x-raying feet and was sorry she had been nerved and had coffin bone remodeling and they said she was a little herd bound but you could not even get to arena without problems and I found barrel people and the trainers one of the worse sorry to sound to sor but have run into even more bad people looking for a new horse for my daughter so be careful and good luck


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

I went to visit and to sum it up, not what I hoped for. 

An underweight horse who was not 15.2 hh, maybe 15hh at most...it was obvious the owners could not afford to feed her. The pictures posted must have been from late summer because she looked more filled out and healthy. I didn't even stay for 20 minutes. I asked my questions, stood in pasture with her for a bit and she had no interest in any human contact...she didn't even acknowledge us when we clucked, kissed and called her, she just stood there nibbling while I petted her. I hope she finds a home soon, she is a very sweet horse but is too small for me to ride even if I did bring her back to my barn and get her to a healthy weight. 

On a happier note, I have found a 10 year old paint gelding that I will be taking a look at on Sunday. If all goes well I will be arranging for my barns vet to go out with me on the next visit to check him over for me.


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## HerdingStdPoodle (Oct 17, 2012)

*Breaks My Heart*

Hi Michelle,

An underweight horse that is depressed and apathetic just breaks my heart. 

Is there any possibility of talking to a reputable horse rescue organization in your area or a vet? They are usually so very helpful in knowing just how to help equine. Sometimes they can provide donated feed or vet care. 

Many people are without jobs and are suffering with drought conditions and the price of hay is extremely high. Lots of people just don't know where to turn because they list their horses for sale (or free) and no one responds.

?? I've seen horses that have not been wormed for a long time and they eat and eat and don't gain weight. 

HerdingStdPoodle


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## Lepski110 (Dec 7, 2012)

Michelle said:


> I went to visit and to sum it up, not what I hoped for.
> 
> An underweight horse who was not 15.2 hh, maybe 15hh at most...it was obvious the owners could not afford to feed her. The pictures posted must have been from late summer because she looked more filled out and healthy. I didn't even stay for 20 minutes. I asked my questions, stood in pasture with her for a bit and she had no interest in any human contact...she didn't even acknowledge us when we clucked, kissed and called her, she just stood there nibbling while I petted her. I hope she finds a home soon, she is a very sweet horse but is too small for me to ride even if I did bring her back to my barn and get her to a healthy weight.
> 
> On a happier note, I have found a 10 year old paint gelding that I will be taking a look at on Sunday. If all goes well I will be arranging for my barns vet to go out with me on the next visit to check him over for me.


I am new to this forum and Poodles, but have owned horses for years. I am curious - did you like the gelding? (Horse talk always gets me excited!)


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

Lepski110 said:


> I am new to this forum and Poodles, but have owned horses for years. I am curious - did you like the gelding? (Horse talk always gets me excited!)


Absolutely in love! He's the sweetest, most willing horse I have ever ridden. He is still green...he has been walked around basically and knows how to stop and back up. He didn't refuse anything I asked of him, and I even got him to trot a nice slow trot a couple times around the arena both directions and he was SO eager to please and was SO happy to be worked. I also did some steering exercises around barrels and he did extremely well with that too. Not once did I see him get annoyed or frustrated, he tried SO hard and had his ears perked forward the entire time...it melted my heart to see how happy he was to be worked with. He is very light on the bit and it takes nearly nothing to steer him, and his trot is a dream...I can't wait to feel his canter. He works very well off of leg pressure and stops on a dime. He is going to make a wonderful horse. I don't ever plan on competing with him if I do get him...but he is going to be a fun project. As I was leaving he leaned his head into me and gave me a horse hug, and stood at the pasture gate watching me as I left. 

There is just something about him...I can't get him off my mind, we just clicked. Im going to take a couple of days to think it over and then I'll arrange for my vet to come out and check him over before I decide to bring him home. 

Also, he is registered and I was shown his papers.


Untitled by adayinmylife9, on Flickr


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

This sounds promising. That's how I chose my first horse, we just clicked. Yeah, he had some health issues, but I learned so very much from him and he was bomb proof and sweet and fun - the best horse I've ever owned. I do hope this works out for you both, sounds like he liked you, too.


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## Lepski110 (Dec 7, 2012)

What a sweet face! Our current horse, a Tbred, was 6 when we got him, and all ribs and untrimmed feet. The only reason we looked twice, was his sweetness - he wanted to cuddle(as best as a horse can). He vetted sound, and after a year of love, good feed and training, he became an awesome little hunter. We retired him just for light pleasure riding a couple of years ago because he has some early signs of navicular, but,as expensive as it is to keep a horse,he has a forever home with us - he is such a love. He also has papers, and after looking up his tattoo, we discovered he was raced for only a year and actually did ok. I suspect an injury led him to where we found him. I shudder to think was his life was like before then, but am trying to make up for it now! Enjoy your beautiful boy!


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

He sounds great, but I learned the hard way not to trust what you have been told. Because of this , I only bought colts and broke them myself. I want adult dogs and baby horses...lol I had a mare that looked just like him when I was 16, my first colt. She was a great horse, hope you have the same luck.


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## Jane Day (Nov 15, 2012)

So happy to hear it was a positive experience! That's the exciting part of looking for a horse, and he sounds absolutely adorable.

Couple of questions, has he just been backed/started? It sounds like he hasn't had much time with a saddle on his back, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Most horses with good stock horse (aka quarter horse) breeding are "bred broke", that is, they're easy to start under saddle and generally remain happy in their jobs. Howevs, some horses (I'm looking at you Debbie, aka mare I used to own), start off easy, then hit their teenaged years, for Deb that was when she was 5. They're like kids smoking behind the gym, skipping class, and TPing yards. With Deb, this last a couple of years until she matured a bit. Oh the stories I could tell...

So, do you have a trainer who likes to work with young horses? Because I truly believe with young horses, you need someone who'll work with you through issues you may not see from the saddle. Again, with Deb I didn't realize how my tension was causing her to feel anxious. So my trainer used to say things like, "Think of how your arms would feel if you just had a margarita." Bam! I relaxed, the mare relaxed, all was well. 

Okay, enough from me. Can't wait to hear how this goes!


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

Jane Day said:


> So happy to hear it was a positive experience! That's the exciting part of looking for a horse, and he sounds absolutely adorable.
> 
> Couple of questions, has he just been backed/started? It sounds like he hasn't had much time with a saddle on his back, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Most horses with good stock horse (aka quarter horse) breeding are "bred broke", that is, they're easy to start under saddle and generally remain happy in their jobs. Howevs, some horses (I'm looking at you Debbie, aka mare I used to own), start off easy, then hit their teenaged years, for Deb that was when she was 5. They're like kids smoking behind the gym, skipping class, and TPing yards. With Deb, this last a couple of years until she matured a bit. Oh the stories I could tell...
> 
> ...


He is 10 years old now, and will be 11 in April and has only been started. The owner said he had the saddle on a couple times and decided to hop on one day and he took to it like nothing (this was a year ago). The fact that he is so calm, eager and willing, I don't think I will have a problem with training, everyone has to start out somewhere right? If I was dealing with a younger horse, or a different breed (TB for example) I would definately seek out training help. This is part of the reason I was looking for a quarter horse or paint, I love their easy going nature and eagerness to please. I've ridden TB's, warmbloods, arabians, appaloosas, QHs, paints ect and mixes of all of these and the ones I have worked best with are the quarter horses and paints. I've been wanting one as my first horse for as long as I can remember.

Once he figures out what you are asking of him he is more than willing to do it. I just need to do my part and make sure I am asking him clearly and correctly. I have _some_ experience with green horses and worked with a 4 year old filly this summer (although no one is on her back yet...we've got a saddle on and lounge perfectly. she has injured herself in pasture and put training on hold). 

Depending on what barn I decide to go to will determine if I will have a trainer to help me if I need. The barn I'm currently at has one, and I don't think the other one does.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

The barn I have been at for 6 years decided they are mad at me for exploring my options as far as boarding goes, so I am not sure I will be staying there when I get my horse. They have been making rude comments about me, and I've heard them talking behind my back, plus they are charging a RIDICULOUS amount for boarding...and there is a barn 5 miles away that is charging $175 less (and includes a lot more with boarding) and my dad has known the owners since high school and my aunt used to board her horse there many, many years ago and it is a wonderful place. I mentioned to my current barn that the other barns in the area were charging $175 less and they said that their price is the average in our area...which its not, AND I have to bring my own grain on top of their ridiculous price. I understand hay is expensive and grain prices will be going up, so boarding everywhere is going to go up...but their price is just not right and I'm not going to let them take advantage of me like that. Plus their horses only go out a couple times a week, and I want mine out daily, sun up to sun down (new barn does this)...its not fair to keep them in a stall that much, I don't want him to develop bad habits.

Part of me does not want to leave because I have been there for so long, everyone there is like my family and I really love them all. I would also be able to ask for help if I encounter any problems during training (the barn owners daughter gave me lessons). Another part of me is saying its time to grow up and start over fresh somewhere else. I know I can do this... 

I just can't make up my mind...and I don't have an extra $175+ laying around. This is all that determines if I get him or not. I'm more than happy with him, I just need to decide where he is going to stay.

I don't know where to go.


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

What an ugly situation. That awful of them to treat you that way. I'm going to suggest that you interview the other boading facility and hang around to see how the other boarders treat each other and the horses. (I had an experience years ago where everyone seemed to get along, but when no one was around, one of the ladies would chase the horses in the pasture with a whip to 'exercise' them. No one realized what was happening until someone was home unknown to her the day she accidentally put a horse through a fence. Made us all wonder how many of the other unexplained injuries were actually her fault.)

If they are being that ugly to you just for looking around for a more affordable option, they probably won't be there for you or your horse when you really need them. You, and your horse, deserve a calm, stable (no pun intended) supportive environment. 

I wish you all the best with whatever you choose to do.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

BorderKelpie said:


> If they are being that ugly to you just for looking around for a more affordable option, they probably won't be there for you or your horse when you really need them. You, and your horse, deserve a calm, stable (no pun intended) supportive environment.


Exactly my thought. I went and visited the new barn and I really liked it. I met the owners and their daughter, but no other boarders were there. It seems like a very calm, family environment. My dad has known the owners since high school, and my aunt boarded her horse there many years ago, so they know my dads side of the family. I've also read about their barn online as well and there is nothing but nice things said about it and the people there... 

I just need to grow up and move on, which is hard for me because I HATE change. I've been at my current barn for so long it is scary to leave.I need to stop thinking about what they are going to think of me and if I lose friends over this, I lose them...friends always come and go. I think I am going to board at the new barn and see how I like it. There's no avoiding dramatic horse people...they're everywhere, but at least I will have a fresh start with new people, my own horse, and a new barn that takes great care of their horses.


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## Lepski110 (Dec 7, 2012)

Michelle said:


> The barn I have been at for 6 years decided they are mad at me for exploring my options as far as boarding goes, so I am not sure I will be staying there when I get my horse. They have been making rude comments about me, and I've heard them talking behind my back, plus they are charging a RIDICULOUS amount for boarding...and there is a barn 5 miles away that is charging $175 less (and includes a lot more with boarding) and my dad has known the owners since high school and my aunt used to board her horse there many, many years ago and it is a wonderful place. I mentioned to my current barn that the other barns in the area were charging $175 less and they said that their price is the average in our area...which its not, AND I have to bring my own grain on top of their ridiculous price. I understand hay is expensive and grain prices will be going up, so boarding everywhere is going to go up...but their price is just not right and I'm not going to let them take advantage of me like that. Plus their horses only go out a couple times a week, and I want mine out daily, sun up to sun down (new barn does this)...its not fair to keep them in a stall that much, I don't want him to develop bad habits.
> 
> Part of me does not want to leave because I have been there for so long, everyone there is like my family and I really love them all. I would also be able to ask for help if I encounter any problems during training (the barn owners daughter gave me lessons). Another part of me is saying its time to grow up and start over fresh somewhere else. I know I can do this...
> 
> ...


The temperament of horse business folks will never cease to amaze me!


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

Lepski110 said:


> The temperament of horse business folks will never cease to amaze me!


I know right? There's no escaping dramatic horse people...they're everywhere.

But here's some good news...I emailed the owner of the horse I am looking at getting, and he is going to arrange for the vet to come out and look him over. After the vet certifies a clean bill of health he is coming home with me and is going to stay at the new barn I visited last night. 

Also a little question I forgot to ask them last night...do you typically bring your own feed and water buckets for their stall or do they provide them for you? I just was excited to talk about my horse I didn't ask many questions while they showed me around. The most important thing they brought to my attention was sun burn. Since one half of his face is white, and the skin is pink, I need to invest in a good fly mask and some horse sunblock for around his eye (human sunblock will burn his eye). 

I'm really hoping everything works out...I'm beyond excited.


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## Jane Day (Nov 15, 2012)

Michelle said:


> Also a little question I forgot to ask them last night...do you typically bring your own feed and water buckets for their stall or do they provide them for you? I just was excited to talk about my horse I didn't ask many questions while they showed me around. The most important thing they brought to my attention was sun burn. Since one half of his face is white, and the skin is pink, I need to invest in a good fly mask and some horse sunblock for around his eye (human sunblock will burn his eye).
> 
> I'm really hoping everything works out...I'm beyond excited.


Call the barn manager and ask if you need to bring your own buckets. If so, use a Sharpie and write your name on it. I can't tell you how many buckets, lead ropes, stirrup leathers, saddles have gone walkabout in years past.


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

Jane Day said:


> Call the barn manager and ask if you need to bring your own buckets. If so, use a Sharpie and write your name on it. I can't tell you how many buckets, lead ropes, stirrup leathers, saddles have gone walkabout in years past.


Will do, thanks!

I'm also trying to find a name for him. Right now they call him Flash, but I'm not too keen on it...I like unique names. I've been looking at native american names and the ones I really like are

Ashkii
Cheveyo
Comanchee
Takoda

Any suggestions?


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## Lepski110 (Dec 7, 2012)

Michelle said:


> Will do, thanks!
> 
> I'm also trying to find a name for him. Right now they call him Flash, but I'm not too keen on it...I like unique names. I've been looking at native american names and the ones I really like are
> 
> ...


Names are personal. Try them out when you are with him, you'll feel it when one fits!


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