<font color="red">Good luck!!
Keep us posted </font color>
LOL Not yet. Don't eaven have the house yet. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] But I do have a lot of questens. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] I did tell my wife about it, and that I did not want to bring her becouse she would want them all. she says that last time she went to the pound, she only got one dog. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Paul Bradway
<font color="blue"> Them being a prey animal and all, I'm not sure how I should carry myself. </font color>
I was the same way, and while by no means an expert, I've learned from my wife.
- No sudden noises or movement.
- If I am walking behind them, I keep a hand on their rump so we each know where both of us are.
- If their ears go back (flat on their heads) trouble is a brewing.
- Don't try and break up a fight between horses.
- If they step on your foot (wear steel toed shoes), don't try and pull it out from under the hoof. Move them off your foot.
- Be extra careful in enclosed spaces, e.g., stall, or any other places where the horse can not escape if they feel they have to.
This is why I don't place them in the same category as dogs, cats, etc. We've had situations where a truck drove by our place and they had a blue tarp covering something in the bed. The blue tarp was making a snapping sound which spooked the horses. The kid across the street set off fireworks on July 4th when my wife was feeding the horses and the horses first reaction is to flee. If you're in the way... [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img] . BTW, the neighbor got a visit from my wife!
The last point is probably the thing you have to remember the most. While there are mean horses (usually caused by mean owners), by and large people get hurt around horses because they're caught in the way when a horse moves, whether out of fear or just because they want to move. I've been caught unawares when a horse swung his head and hit me. My wife got caught when a horse tried to get to some hay and my wife was in the way. While we laugh about it now (see below), a half ton horse can do a lot of inadvertant damage.
The rest of the story...I was walking away from the barn and heard a noise. I turned around in time to see my wife rolling out of the barn like she was practicing forward rolls. I went over to be sure she was OK. She was. She got up and let the horse know that what she (the mare) did was not appropriate. I now refer to it as the 'Equine Bowling Incident'. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
I use the same advice I got when I took the motorcycle riders safety course. That advice was...Always assume that other traffic does not see you and act accordingly. With horses, I always try and determine what they might do and how I will react.
It may depend on how much land/pasture is available and on the access of the animal to water.
We had draft horses on the farm when I grew up. If they were being worked they were kept in a barn, fed and watered twice a day, stalls cleaned. Curried and the shoulders checked. The hoofs were trimmed and shoed or just trimmed and filed. In the winter one pair was kept for chores and the rest were turned out to pasture where they received no care. They foraged for themselves and used snow as a water source. When spring work season approached they would be brought in and grain fed for two or three weeks to prepare them for work.
Egon
You've got a lot of good answers already. We went on vacation last spring for 6 days and paid a young neighbor to feed/water our horses twice a day, move them between stall and pasture and keep an eye on them. She charged $30 per day but is a vet tech and one of the horses severely cut his leg the day before we went on vacation [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img] and needed that looked at after the vet sewed it up. We've also had friends look after them too. One thing about having horses at your own place is you lose the spontaneous "let's go somewhere for the weekend" last minute trips. It's worth it though.
We have Clydesdales, among others, and we really like their temperament and intelligence. We show our horses, ride them and will eventually drive them. We also breed registered Clydes and sport horse "American Warmblood" crosses.
Here's a picture of Rosie taken this weekend. She now weighs 940 pounds. She's 1 year and four months old.
Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."
I'm jumping in a bit late ... but what the heck ...
The amount of work remains the same, whether you enjoy it or not. Some days you enjoy it more than others. Regardless, it needs to be done.
In our case, it's horses much smaller than Belgians, the largest 2 are 34 inches at the whithers ... the others vary from 25 inches to 30 inches.
Since we want to keep them very used to people and be able to easily control them, we stall them every night. So, it's feeding and moving to appropriate pastures (gotta keep the stallion separate) and cleaning the barn every morning (stalls, feed and water buckets). In the evening, it's bringing them in, feeding and putting out frsh hay. And possibly topping up the water.
When we want to go somewhere, we have to get a "pet sitter" to come in. We're currently using our farrier since the original sitter retired. The pet sitter does a minimal amount - food water and letting out or bringing in. Does both the dogs and horses for $10 visit ..... pretty cheap but $20/day does add up.
And then there's all the occasional tasks .... work even if you do love them. Meaning that it takes time ... away from hobbies, work, recreation, etc. It means I never have mornings free to go somewhere early, can't go on 2 day bike trips anymore, etc. (no, I don't begrudge it at all ...)
Things like spreading the manure on the fields (by shovel, cart and ATV right now while I rebuild the manure cart), keeping the barn repaired, keeping the fence repaired, brushhogging the pasture, keeping the trailers in shape, cleaning and painting the manure cart at least once a year (I didn't do that to the first one and ended up replacing it).
And, as was noted, (buying) hauling and stacking hay, getting feed (custom mixed), keeping the tack and the cart in shape, buying, hauling and unloading shavings (for bedding). Keeping the water system in shape (just noticed the main hydrant is starting to leak so I have to do some maintenance this weekend. Brushhogging doesn't get close enough to the fence (I learned that one quick ... tore out a few hundred yards of wire) so I have about 1-1/2 miles of fence to clean under with scythe, weedwacker and branch lops.
Oh ... can't forget the tractor maintenance (justification for the tractor is the "farm") ...and, as I mentioned, I'm rebuilding a manure wagon.
Oops ... just remembered. Additional pasture tasks. I built a 3-sided shelter for the stallion last fall. I just finished clearing a new pasture which will be the habitation for the baby stallion (he just turned 2-1/2 and if the boss insists on keeping him - will have to be segregated like his daddy) ... so I'll be building another shelter soon.
Did I mention it's a lot of work? Enjoyable ... but constant. And by constant I mean every day. There's no sick days allowed ... horses are creatures of habit ... get very cranky when you screw around with the schedule.
Oh yeah ... and I can't forget worming them too (they hate the taste ....). And we've had several instances of colic ... that takes a lot of walking, worrying, forcing warm water and mineral oil down their throats, etc.
Oh ... and pregnancies ... don't forget that mares tend to have babies if you have studs around. Additional feed and suplpements and then being there to assist the mare when foaling ... always at 3 AM ... [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img]
Now ... what are they good for? Well, they're fun ... I had to put my foot down to prevent the wife from making booties for them and letting them in the house. The old gelding is trained to pull a cart ... a full grown mini can easily haul 2 adults around - cart or sled. I'm sure we'll eventually train the baby stallion for the same unless I convince the owner/boss to part with him.
They're an endless source of amusement ... they like us (or the treats ... I'm never sure which) and they're "cute" and the boss adores the babies. She was quite upset this year as the last baby was born 1 week after 9/11 and I wouldn't allow her to breed momma again until this spring (I don't think Michigan winters are amenable to baby minis) so she has to wait another 7 months or so before she gets another little one.
They love attention and will stand for (what seems like) hours getting groomed. Of course, you have to watch out ... they want to groom right back and they have teeth.
Would I give them up? Well, they're the boss's, I'm just the bozo that does all the work. When she decides it's no longer fun, they'll be gone in a heartbeat. On the other hand, maybe someday she'll actually sell some of the offspring and I'll get a return on my initial (and ongoing) investment (isn't that what "breeding horse" means?) [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
pete
it's a shame that common sense isn't
Hey Pete! Here's a picture of you're namesake. He's an illegitimate cross-breed (walker/arabian) born on 7/15. He was monikkered Pistol Pete right about the time he first stood up and I snapped this picture. Pardon my $49 camera.
doggone cute .... all legs and skinny just like when I was young!
Even at his tender age, my youngest mini could walk under him ...
I'm always amazed at how big "normal" horses are after spending so much time with ours.
pete
it's a shame that common sense isn't
Great points on being around a horse. We just inherited a 3 year old quarter horse and i tell you I was not happy that day...I am not a horse person at all....well guess who is the one worried she has enough food and water and that her stall is clean enough. It was said if it is fun it's not work and that is how it is exactly. I have never really been an animal person but Sugar and I....it's gonna sound wierd....but I get this feeling from her that she likes me and will never hurt me..kind of a vibe. She runs up to the gate when we get home just like a dog...she goes to the far side of the property when the kids get home off the bus and my 5 yr. old will walk the fence line with her all the way to her stall and feed her a treat. Now we are having problems with my FIL's estate and the state of Idaho wants EVERYTHING.....praying that doesn't include Sugar or as my 3 yr old has fondly renamed her Sugar Tube (cube). So are horses a lot of work Nope if you ask me [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Katey mom to
my 4 Carhartt
kids
Egon,
I second that thought.
It depends on how much land you have. Four horses on 2 acers and your work will never be done since you will need to feed them after they kill every little spec of your grass from overgrazing.
Let the same 4 horses run on 100 acers and you will not need to do much in the summer. They will not be able to keep the grass mowed. A couple of ponds to water them and your good to go until winter time.
I bet you will find you want to spend time with them and the grooming and supplemental feed will come natural.
Fred
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