Need horsey friends! Where are you and who are you?

[ma23peas]

Hey! I'm finally realizing a long seeded dream of owning a couple of horses and trying to turn this small town farm into a ministry of sorts..regardless of how you're using your horses...I'd love to be friends with you so I can have a bevy of buddies to call on when I have a question for you many more seasoned horsie folks or have a WOW for those moments in training when I just am AMAZED! :)

 

Here's a bit about me..

 

Two horses

 

Lena (Sorrel with blaze- actually a registered paint but breedstock)

Dutch (Bay TWH)

 

 

I'm using an assortment of natural horsemanship methods and mostly Parelli...so for any anti-Parellites...don't hate me just indulge me! :)

 

Now an amazing story about Dutch (Lena is as easy breazy as they come 8 year old mare)...but Dutch was sold to me as a kid broke, bomb proof Saddle club horse and had been their family horse for 5 years...the story goes on and on...I,was desperate for a partner for Lena (too ignorant of the herd need) so I believed what I was told...after months of lots of research, filing complaints, and doing everything in my power to alert other buyers I found that my kid broke horse was indeed a very badly abused Tennessee Walker from the heart of TW country....he had just come off the auction block, this "trader" was no family horse raiser, but an illicit and still active illegal horse seller who gets horses off auction, drugs them and puts her daughter on them and thence makes up a story to sell them...so far I've found 50+ horses in 6 months she's done this with...I've had her banned from several sites but she changes her name/farm name etc.

 

It doesn't change the fact that I've got a special case to work with! He is a great partner for Lena (heck she'd have taken a goat) but he was terrified of humans..he also had some bad ground manners...he wouldn't let you near him, then when he did (2 months later) he'd use those teeth to keep you from getting too close...now, 6 months later, he's overcome many milestones...I have the best farrier in the world (after seeing some of the not so capable in dealing with abused horses)..it took him 4 hours to trim Dutch's feet the first time..I don't even want to think about what they did to his feet in TW country. Now it takes less than 45 minutes and he's got soft eyes, he's blinking, he's sighing and he's letting me give him love...he whinnies for me and is the first to greet me..Lena is the boss of the two of them but she's my partner in helping get this horse a life that he can feel safe in.

 

I'm giving our farm/horses 4 more years to get these horses kid broke and bomb proof, plan on lots of trail riding...plan on hosting events at our farm..working on our 200x200 arena ...need footing ideas!...lots to do in 4 years but we're excited about the journey...we'll eventually have 4 total horses so also praying for the next 2 that come in..but I want to spend a good year on these 2 right now...

 

Would love to hear what you do with your horses and share this journey with you!!!

 

Blessings!

Tara

[ma23peas]

Any horsey homeschooling families?

Tara

[Ottakee]

We are Western Michigan and we were out trail riding today. You might not get many horsey answers today as many people our out with their horses.

 

Nearly 2 years ago my girls got their first pony. Jasper was a 9 year old 12hh Haflinger/Shetland pony. Cute as could be, great on the ground, but too fast in the saddle for them. We sold him about 1 year ago. Then we leased Precious, a 17 year old 15.2hh Paint for the girls to share for the winter. When she went back to our riding instructor we got BJ for the girls.

 

BJ is a 30 year old 16hh QH gelding. He came to us in early March basically a woolly skeleton. We got him as a free adoption. Now with lots of pounds on him we have slowly built him up to where they can ride him at an easy pace for about 45-60 minutes a day. He will still trot, lope, and gallop but then tires faster. Since BJ has almost no usable teeth, he gets a mash 3 times a day right now along with pasture.

 

My girls are just turned 13 this week and almost 12. They both have special needs with the older one having more special needs. BJ is a perfect mount for them......I just wish he could handle longer rides.

 

I have Spy, a 15hh 15 year old QH/Arab gelding. I bought him late Feb. after watching my instructor ride him for a few minutes in a blizzard. There were some red flags with the deal but my instructor knew the owner for years and basically the owner didn't know enough about horses to lie about things. Spy is a great and safe trail horse. He does have some stall issues and occ. refuses to get in the trailer but overall is a great horse.

 

I am a new rider. I started riding for the first time on my own not even 2 years ago. My first horse was a 9 year old 14.3hh QH but due to back problems (that we didn't know about when we got him) he bucked me off a few times and moved on.

 

The girls and I take lessson once a week and we ride 5-6 days a week. We board our horses with a good friend of mine who has 3 horses and a donkey.

 

As to your dreams, what about doing some riding---even for 1 or 2---for kids with special needs? My friend led my girls around on their horses for almost a year before we bought ours. Horses are such great therapy for kids with special medical, emotional, physical or mental impairments. Obviously you need to take a lot of safety precautions but the rewards can be great.

 

Where are you located? There are several "families" aorund here that always have the "dead broke, bomb proof" horses for sale---esp. 3 year old ones. When I had an ad out for a confidence builder, very beginner friendly older horse, I had someone promise me that their 2 year old STALLION would make a perfect trail mount for me with 30 days at the trainer????????

[Remudamom]

Well goodness, you surely know that we are horsey. Let's see, we have.....

Shiloh, 9yr old AQHA

Hacinta, 8yr old SE AHA

Jedi, 7yr old Welsh

Memphis, 4yr old AQHA

Bunni, 3yr old AQHA

Mace, 2yr old Welsh cross

Tishaminga, 2yr old AQHA

Legend, yearling 1/2 Arabian, AHA

Lilly, yearling 1/2 Arabian, AHA

Rumor,yearling 1/2 Arabian, AHA

Fable, yearling Welara (with a grand champion on the top and the bottom!)

Rafiqua, yearling SE AHA.

 

We start our own horses, and the boys help tremendously. The two girls started their own horses, esp. my 14 yr old, who is riding her 2yr old this summer. Jedi the pony is MINE, she pulls my pony cart. Memphis and Hacinta are my favorites. Three of the 1/2 Arabians will be for sale, and probably Bunni. We're trying to get down to about eight.

 

My sis rides, she has TWH, and she's in Tuscaloosa. Where are you?

[Remudamom]

Cindyg here is big into Parelli, I'm CA to the core.

 

You need to out that trader to FHotD. Put her out of business fast.

[Journey]

I'll be your horsey friend! We have a 10 year old Thoroughbred mare. Her barn name is Night and her show name is Hello Beautiful, except that she's never been shown! She gets too nervous when she leaves her barn. My daughter takes riding lessons at another barn and she shows the barn owner's horses for him. She rides hunter/jumpers and just loves it. I rode when I was younger so I'm so thankful that she has my love of horses. My other daughter doesn't care for them at all! We got our mare from the old man (86 years old) who raised and raced her. She chipped a bone in her knee so she was no good to him, which is fine with us! She's never been lame since we've owned her which has been about 4 years. My daughter is now training her to jump. Not too high (she saves that for the horses at the other barn she rides at). We'd love to get another ex-racer and train HIM (don't love mares) so that my daughter can show him. That takes money though and well...that's not about to happen right now! Anyway, I love hearing about other homeschooling families that own horses. Thanks for starting this thread.

[Remudamom]

I'll slap some stamps on one of my half Arab/half Qh yearlings and send her to your dd. Should be a great rodeo horse!

[sleepy]

I don't own any horses, but my sil owns a Welsh pony. I just wanted to tell you that your horses are beautiful! :001_smile:

[Ottakee]

Forgot to mention---check out http://www.markrashid.com and his books. He learned from an OLD time cowboy about working with horses and has some really great ideas for those abused horses. He is not Clinton Anderson, Parelli, or anyone else, just a down to earth guy that figures things out with each horse as he goes along. His books are great reads if your library has them.

[Mekanamom]

We're horsey. My avatar is my mustang, Jackpot.

 

We have:

 

Jackpot (Mustang)

 

Diamond (TWH)

 

Majestic (rescued PMU mare... sold to us as "quarter horse type" but she looks more TB to me)

 

Rudy (ancient 30+ year old quarter horse with no teeth left! He's totally wonderful and still going strong)

 

Storm (Mini/Hackney cross)

 

Skeeter (Mini/Hackney cross)

 

and we board my SIL's horse here: Keel (OTTB)

 

They are great. I'm nursing my mustang back to health after his latest bout of laminitis. :glare: He is feeling much better, but still has a ways to go.

 

I own the first two Parelli levels and have been to one of their tour stops, but personally find CA easier to follow. Hee hee, I think they are both good programs! And I think it's neat to have access to home-study horsemanship curricula. :001_smile:

 

Oh yeah, I just saw Ottake's suggestion to check out the Mark Rashid books, and I agree!! They are really entertaining reads and informative as well.

 

Lucky you building an arena!!

[Soph the vet]

The only horse I currently have is one of Remudamom's and it is my virtual horse (which one was it:confused:)

 

I rode hunter/jumpers for years as a kid and young adult. We had mostly thoroughbreds, some off the track. I have had some crazy rides! I did the East Coast circuit with two of my horses in high school and college and competed against Paul Newman's daughter (sad that he just passed, but his daughter at that time was kind of a snot, I'm sure she's grown out of that by now just like I have). In vet school, I exercised racehorses for $7/ horse. Crazy, crazy, crazy. They can really haul you know what. I can stay on anything that bucks, rears or goes 50mph. If it falls down, then I usually come off!:lol:

Now I just dream about horses. My dd9 would love one but we just cannot put a horse on a quarter acre!!

[ma23peas]

I'm soo excited to meet all you horsey ladies!! I don't mind those that don't have horses, just any that have dreams of horsies are horsey buds! I'll be more than glad to keep your horse fix alive with updates/pics of our progress...

 

I had thought about using the horses for therapy for disabled children...I have some concerns about that but that may be where we're led.....right now, we're envisioning doing summer camps...having paid camps for 3 weeks and having 6 weeks of free camps for kids that otherwise wouldn't get the opportunity...we have a large foster home organization around here and was considering opening our farm to them...my kids and all their homeschool buds who are horsey would help run the camps..hence why I'm giving myself 4 more years, by then all my kids will be into their teens and ready to tackle the responsibility.

 

My girls have had great lessons for 2 years (instructors are all Parelli types and that's how we got into it)..I went to all their lessons (2 hours each week) and learned quite a lot...I watch my level 2 videos while I do the treadmill then I go outside and try to make it happen! :) I've just had to take it really slow with Dutch..Lena is left brained introvert, Dutch is right brained introvert..as opposite as possible! :)

 

I'm going to add you all to my contacts, don't know how contacts work but I like knowing I can find you in a pinch...now for my first 'WHAT DO YOU DO question"

 

On Dutch's belly those flies have been eating him up..since he's been hands off for the first half he's got scabby areas that will scab up then fall off and weep clear which attracts the flies again..he hates the SWAT stuff...my farrier said I should use lard...that it will keep the flies away and not sting like th SWAT does...Dutch is sooo scared of fly spray and I know that would burn as well...other than waiting for the freeze to come and kill them all...what do you do??

 

Thanks!!!

Tara

[Remudamom]

Lard's not a bad idea, but I bet Soph will have a better one.

 

To get him used to fly spray begin with water in a bottle. Cheap and doesn't burn.

[ma23peas]

Wanted to say how sorry I am to read of the family who put their horse down, that would be extremely sad for us! We just had to put down our family dog of 15 years and it was not easy.

 

And Remuda...I remember about 5 years ago there was this picture of a black/white amazing looking foal...for some reason I was thinking it was yours or you posted a link to it..long ago! I've always wondered how that foal turned out?

 

Thanks for all you horsey friends!!! I need to get my butt on Lena, but each time I lead my girls around on her in the round pen, Dutch goes sooo buddy sour and I really need another horsey person there to help him cope..I've tried ignoring but he gets more and more sour..working on that....but I really think he needs a year of just decompression from all his abuse..

 

Oh! What is ThotD??? Let me know where I can report her..I've reported that trader to the TN Department of AG...FBI INternet Fraud...horsetopia, equine now, horseville..but it doesn't matter, in 2 months she's back up with a different name but the same cell and same daughter featured on these horses...

 

Thanks!!

Tara

[Happy]

I'm a former horse gal. Lost my sweet mare in 2005. She was 33 years old and had been a part of our lives for nineteen years. (and three days.)

She was a 3/4 Arab with either quarter horse or morgan as the other part.

 

Sweet, sturdy, and sassy which is a great combo for a beginner owner. She was very forgiving of beginners and those without experience. I could tell when I'd 'graduated' to a new plateau of horsiness because she would decided I needed lessons. (In loading in the trailer, in handling a spooky shy, in ground handling, etc.) My kids could crawl underneath her without her batting an eyelash. In fact, I saw my five year old son grab her halter and walk his feet up her forelegs, chest, and neck so that he was all but hanging up side down under her jaw. She stood still as a stone until he dropped his feet back down. (I started breathing again soon after.)

 

Ahhh....there will never be another girl like her. I break pretty easily so I've retired from riding (and falling off), but I would love the chance to groom, care, and play with one again.

 

One thing you might consider....a kid horse is a temperment as well as training. Some horses, no matter how well trained, will never be sound enough for a kid or a nervous beginner. Don't be afraid to move Dutch to an experienced owner someday and find another wonderful horse for your plans.

 

I'm a Ray Hunt devotee for the most part. All the *others* learned from him. :D

 

Give both your steeds a piece of carrot or apple from me.

[TwinMominTX]

I own a few. Actually I should say that a few own me.

 

I have twelve quarter horses and the most beautiful wonderful donkey in the entire world. We are trying to sell a few as we have lots of babies on the way. We are a western ridng family. My girls are very in to barrels and other western speed events.

[Ottakee]

I would suggest giving him a year to settle down if you can. Not all agree but my friend rescued a POA pony that might have been an Amish buggy pony at one time--someone even suggested he had been in an accident. She did try working with him at first but then with time constraints, etc. she ended up not doing a lot of formal work with him for about 9 months. The difference in him is amazing. He is still not quite ready to ride, but almost, but he is so much calmer.

 

Do try to get the Mark Rashid books. He is big on taking a horse like this and maybe taking weeks to get to touch it and doing things in very slow and gentle steps.

[Ottakee]

The camp idea sounds great. We actually met our son AT a therapeutic riding center. His foster family took all of the foster kids there to ride once a week. He had the double whammy though of having fetal alcohol syndrome and being in foster care. He though now has given up horses for dirt bikes.

 

You will have to research all of the libability stuff though for running a camp--esp. for kids and those in foster care. Great area of ministry though. You could even start out slowly with one family and do it as friends, not a business, etc.

[ma23peas]

I think Mark Rashid and I would have a lot in common...I can't tell you how just giving the horse the time it takes has made all the difference in the world...I was just very fortunate to have a horseman for my farrier...how many farriers would take 4 hours to let this horse know he cared...

 

My favorite line is "A horse doesn't care how much you know, until he knows how much you care."

 

WOW!! That says it all!!!

 

Tara

[Remudamom]

Wanted to say how sorry I am to read of the family who put their horse down, that would be extremely sad for us! We just had to put down our family dog of 15 years and it was not easy.

 

And Remuda...I remember about 5 years ago there was this picture of a black/white amazing looking foal...for some reason I was thinking it was yours or you posted a link to it..long ago! I've always wondered how that foal turned out?

 

Thanks for all you horsey friends!!! I need to get my butt on Lena, but each time I lead my girls around on her in the round pen, Dutch goes sooo buddy sour and I really need another horsey person there to help him cope..I've tried ignoring but he gets more and more sour..working on that....but I really think he needs a year of just decompression from all his abuse..

 

Oh! What is ThotD??? Let me know where I can report her..I've reported that trader to the TN Department of AG...FBI INternet Fraud...horsetopia, equine now, horseville..but it doesn't matter, in 2 months she's back up with a different name but the same cell and same daughter featured on these horses...

 

Thanks!!

Tara

 

The foal basically faded until it was almost solid white. Quickly too.

 

Fugly Horse of the Day, google her, you'll find her.

[LibraryLover]

My dds are sitting here beside me trying to figure out how to go and live with one of you. lol

 

And Remudamom my gils are loving your xanga pics. I wish I'd known years ago that I was going to be given these partuclar children. I would have purchased more real estate. lol

[Ottakee]

That sounds like a great program. Most kids around here in 4H have their own horses but a few lease them--but for more than $35/month.

 

I might actually let my riding instructor's daughter lease my horse next summer for 4H. She is a great rider and the experience would only help him be a better horse for me. I would keep him and still ride him most of the time but let her practice on him 1-2 times a week and show him.