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boskydragon wrote:
Wolflodge, that is what I am secretly worried about, that we wouldn’t ride that much, but you made me feel better as you’re right, he’d be better off here even if we didn’t ride at all.
Husband says no more windstones, books or trips if we do this (and he’s right). Although, there are 2 trips I had said we would make this year and would like to somehow still attempt (and I’m allowed a coiled mother dragon, but she’ll be the last for awhile unless I start asking family to get me them as gifts).
I’m going to call a vet, but really, what do I say if he’s totally not healthy? I mean, I’m already feeling invested emotionally in this poor guy. Should I not take him if he’s sick? (Also have to consider the way the law works here now, if a horse dies you have to have the vet visit to state why the horse died, then we have to have the carcass hauled to the next county to have it officially dumped. It cost a friend $375 to do this last year.) If the vet says he’s good, then we’ll definitely take him.
Thanks for all the responses!I am not one of the most knowledgeable horse people on here, but I have been through this sort of thing. My relatively inexperienced 2cents worth of thoughts:
You will get very, very attached to him,no way around it. But putting your heart out to be bruised is the gift you are giving to him.
From my experience the only thing the vet will thoroughly check is the condition of his feet. You may need to ask the vet and the owner if there are any other health issues that you should be aware of.
Ask the owner if there is anything you need to know about this horse’s behavior! Even if the owner’s honesty is doubtable, he may warn you about a dangerous behavior. No matter how gentle a horse is, he can’t help his own weird phobias if he has them. Ask if he ever rears in panic.. This could be really dangerous.
The other major pitfall is colic. Neglect in the form of lack of regular worming may increase the risk of this.
But, on the positive side,
daily horse maintenance isn’t THAT much work. If you get into a regular routine: feed, clean the feet, pick up the area, put on fly spray and fly mask, turn out, put in at night, feed again, clean feet again take fly mask off… it is just another 2x daily chore to do.I definately think you should get him! I work with horses every week (I volunteer at a therapeutic riding stable) and I ride too! one of the horses I ride is 25 years old, there is a pony that’s 36 (but I hear ponies live a bit longer than horses)! most of the horses there are ridden every day and most of them are pretty old (most between 17 and 25 yrs old, 1 recently died at age 32)!
Finally got to read the whole situation through without skimming. I would get him just because I felt sorry for him. I would def talk the owner down to as low as possible. Offer him $400 and see if he takes it. Just be prepared that he may not live long. If you can get animal control in on it and get him even cheaper, that would be best, but im not sure if thats possible where you are. Good luck!
I can see where your indecision comes from. If you want to give him a peaceful end to his life and bascially rescue him, go ahead and take him – but don’t pay too much. If you’re looking for a horse that’ll serve you well in terms of outdoor activities, it sounds like you should find something else.
I guess it depends on whether you want him primarily for your or his sake.I’d definitely rescue the poor thing to give him a peaceful end to his days. Besides, he could live into his early 30’s. There’s a retired racing champion at the Kentucky Horse Park (John Henry) and he’s either 32 or 33 and he’s still going strong. 😉
I would say HOW CAN YOU NOT GET HIM?? As I was reading I kept thinking about the Color Purple. When Shug and Celie are walking in the field and are talking about walking by the color Purple and not noticing it just pisses God off, and Celie says you mean it just wants to be loved like everybody else? I would say GO FOR IT!! I know cats are much smaller and easier to take care of but I have 4 and none of them where planned but my life would not be the same without any of them
Definitely have him checked out by the vet. Odds are good the vet will examine him and then recommend bloodwork. This is worthwhile because it really does help bring hidden surprises to light. Also, you need to know if this horse has bad feet, ringbone, or any of the dozens of nasty things that can harm his hooves or legs. A horse must have sound hooves and legs in order to be ridden. Even if he’s going to just live in a pasture as a retiree, you need to know if he’s going to be in pain. Definitely have him wormed! Parasites can really mess a horse up and cause him to be sickly.
Have his teeth checked!!! The vet should want to do this anyway. A lot of horses require some light sedation in order to examine the teeth, but it’s worth it. Good teeth mean less chance of colic; bad teeth are just begging for trouble, and will mean a recurrent need to have them floated (sanded level). It’s possible that part of the reason he’s so thin is that he has a tooth spur digging into his cheek. And ask your vet for advice regarding how to prevent colic. A horse’s digestive tract is a delicate thing–kind of a surprise for such a large animal, but there you are. If it gets into trouble, you have colic, which is excruciatingly painful and very dangerous. Ask the vet what the signs of colic are, and find out what diet he recommends for this horse. Also, if possible have the vet or an experienced (and reputable) horseman take a look at the place you plan to keep the horse, and point out any potential problems.
Something to remember is horse behavior. A horse is basically a great big prey animal. When he’s frightened, a horse will want to run away, and he won’t really care who or what he pushes over or runs through; he just wants to escape. If his eyesight is failing, this could be serious because he’s more likely to unintentionally hurt someone, and more likely to hurt himself. How well he sees will be harder to judge, but ask the vet anyway. There are some changes to the eye that are quite recognizable, and the vet should make sure to check this fellow’s eyes closely for you.
Keeping a horse means daily work, but it is relatively straightforward. A horse will eat about a bale of hay a week. You want to have a good source of hay, a way of keeping it dry (never let it mold!), and a way of supplying fresh water. A shelter is important for an older horse. If he’s not going to be ridden, then you won’t need much in the way of tack other than a halter, but if you want to ride him then it’s really important that he have tack that at least fits him well and isn’t worn to the point of breaking suddenly. And you’ll need to keep his stall or pen clean of manure and make sure it drains well even when it rains. A horse that stands in mud will not have healthy feet.
I would like nothing more than to see these old horses find loving homes where they can just wander around a nice pasture and have food and shelter and attention, and maybe some light riding. Horses are extremely social and want to have a herd around them; a loving human family is an acceptable “herd” for most horses. I hope that this one will prove “healthy enough” and that you’ll be able to give him a home for his declining years. Twenty isn’t bad, if the horse is healthy. I knew a thirty-year-old gelding that was still a great trail horse. Best of luck! 🙂
Quote:Dragon Master Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 9:42 am Post subject:
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I would say HOW CAN YOU NOT GET HIM?? I know cats are much smaller and easier to take care of but I have 4 and none of them where planned but my life would not be the same without any of them
Yep, I too have rescued cats & dogs (all but one of our current hoard are rescued), but they usually find me and don’t cost up front. Mostly, I’m quite used to the care they need, so it’s not as big a leap. (Plus they’re way cheaper to feed; horse hay is going for $9/bale down the road.) But, as many of you had noted, this was something I was feeling I needed to do, and I wanted to know if anyone thought I was jumping in over my head (having never cared for a horse on my own before). SO, I told the lady currently housing the horse that we would buy him and she was supposed to call me back with the phone number for the owner. I’m still waiting for her to call me back.
We were going to spend the weekend setting up the stall area for Mr. T (NOT my name for him), but my baby had a fever of 103 all Saturday (tylenol brought it down to 99 and then just before the 4 hours were up it’d skyrocket back to 103). It lasted 24 1/2 hours, and then was gone. Strange, but I’m not complaining that it’s gone. Then Saturday night, a dog got into the neighbor’s yard and from there, dug under the fence into our yard and attacked one of our goats. We heard her yelling at 4 a.m.; Dave had to literally beat the dog off with a stick. He’s so lucky the dog didn’t turn on him. Nanny will be fine, but her neck & ear were all bloodied and after I cleaned her she just wanted me to hold her… she didn’t even want grain and she’s a piggy! Poor baby.
So, we went to town to buy special stakes to further secure our fence line (was secured with cinder blocks & railroad ties) and while we were out we had dinner…. Dave took the baby to change his diaper (such a good husband!) and when coming out of the men’s room the seating hostess pushed open the door and it slammed into Ryan’s (the baby’s) head. He has a red welt & a knot, poor little guy. Now, did anyone spot the mystery part? I asked my husband, “Why was she going into the men’s room?” and he said, “I was wondering that too.” 🙄 😆
So, mystery of the seating hostess not solved, baby & goat doing fine, fence line secure, but horse pasture still lacking gate and no return call from the lady holding horse and now we get to start the week!
Barrdwing, I have printed out your response! I figure I won’t be able to not buy the horse if something is wrong with him, so I’ll have the vet check him here so I know what I’m up against.
Ski, you’re right too, and I’m going to try to offer less, and see what the guy will go for.Sorry so long!
If the guy doesn’t want to take less, suggest that there’s always the option of the Humane Society/ Animal Control (whichever you have) taking the horse away and he’ll get nothing at all for the horse.
Fingers crossed, for all of you! 🙂 (Poor Ryan! I’m glad he’s feeling better. And that dog better watch its six; got no business being out of his yard and attacking stock. 👿 It’s a good way to get shot. Do you know who the owner is?)
Looking back on that post, oosh, I did let it get kind of long. Sorry. 😳 But I do hope it’s useful to you. I was raised around horses and would love to do what you’re doing for this old soldier. Someday maybe we’ll have the facilities.
Update!
Well, aside first:Quote:Barrdwing Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:26 am Post subject:
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Fingers crossed, for all of you! (Poor Ryan! I’m glad he’s feeling better. And that dog better watch its six; got no business being out of his yard and attacking stock. It’s a good way to get shot. Do you know who the owner is?)
We don’t know who the owner is, as he came in from the neighborhood behind us, so to speak. But, there are people with young horses & cows around here, so getting shot is a definite possibility for that aggressive dog.
Now horse update!
The whole scenario is kinda smelly… there were 3 middle men (or women, as it were), and now there are only 2. The one who has the horse now (and has been feeding him for 2 months) we’ll call the good guy. The other one (who actually had the horse and wasn’t feeding him) we’ll call the bad guy. Turns out the bad guy won’t give the good guy the owner’s name & number, and just says for me to write out a check for the good guy who should then pay the bad guy who will then pay the owner. WHAT? Good guy says that the owner gave the horse to the bad guy and probably has no idea his horse has been neglected for half a year. (Of course, who doesn’t even check up on their horse?) Anyway, I offered less, and the lady (bad guy) called my bluff and said if she couldn’t get $600 they’d take him back. I replied with Ting’s idea of blackmail (spelled the non-Ski way 🙂 ), which is to say that we’d call the state and it turns out that the good guy has called state & humane society on the bad guy more than once, but the laws here are so flimsy that she was told unless a horse dies they can’t do anything. Well what the heck good is that for the abused animals? 😡
SO, bottom line, I have bought the horse (through the good guy!) and we’re now going to spend the next week fixing the gate & fencing off the food stall and loading up on hay, um, and getting a water tank, ….. and need to find a local horse vet that will come out as we’re only renting a trailer, not buying one.So, yay horsey gets a new home with a loving family and his own goats and boo, bad guy gets paid and goes unpunished, at least until aliens come down and she gets stuck with an uncaring family that won’t feed & water her regularly.
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