We have one horse of our own, a Belgian filly. She's one year, four months old. We were boarding our friends three horses in our barn for the past two years, and they finally built their own barn. So now we're ready to get more of our own horses, as companions to our Belgian, Rosie, and also to, hopefully, eventually ride. We want to adopt horses from a rescue group, to give horses who need it, a good home. Thats how we got Rosie, she was a PMU foal, and we got her at four months old. She is doing very well in her training, and she's incredibly sweet and affectionate.
We went to the rescue group that we got Rosie from over the weekend, and we found a pair of quarter horses that we're considering adopting. They are a pair of geldings, that were in a children's camp. They were literally worked to the bone. They are undernourished, and have some medical problems that I am hoping can be cured without too much trouble. One has rain scald on his back. He also may have an absess on one foot, and it's possible he may have foundered in the past. The other has swelling on his legs in two places. The swelling seems to be fluid filled, and not painful. We think they may be bruises. The horses have been with the rescue group for three weeks, and are now under vetinary care. They are gaining weight and doing well. The swelling on one is going down, and the rain scald on the other is slowly healing.
Apparently the camp that owned them didn't want to spend money on vets for them, so they put them in an auction. The rescue group saved them from the meat market. Despite what this pair has been through, they are incredibly friendly and gentle. They want to be petted and rubbed, and they put their heads on you while you're doing it, and they fall asleep on you.
We're most worried about the horse that may have foundered. We just went through a horrible experience with one of the horses that we were boarding. She had Cushing's Disease, and foundered, and had to be put down last Tuesday. I took that really hard, I was very attached to her, and she was to me. I don't want to go through that again, but both my wife and I became immediately fixated on these two gentle and sweet horses. I was always afraid to deal with hotbloods, but these guys are so gentle.
So...Does anybody have any advice? I also know little about quarter horses, and need to know if they'll have any special requirements. I'm looking forward to Cowboydoc's response, as few people know quarter horses better than him! I'm hoping there may be others with advice, too.
Thanks in advance!
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