Meat colts - the true cost of rescuing them (a diary)

silv said:
What a sweet wee man, quite a beard he has going on!
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Ha ha yeah - I thought that tidying him up might be a bit much yet though lol. Next spring though he will be made to look smart ;)

His beardedness :)

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Hi guys - no more updates from me. I've been told I am talking rubbish one to many times now. I have a wealth of experience and am sick of jumped up little kids thinking they know it all. I don't need to be part of this nonsense - it's just getting me wound up for no reason and I don't see why I should need to justify myself to strangers on the Internet. I've found I offer more advice than I ask for, which when told I'm talking rubbish, is a total waste of my time.

I now have a 6yo that I am competing, a 5yo that I am getting ready to do WH next year and a 3yo to get ready to back. Oh and not forgetting feral foal, Oreo. I have plenty of work on my hands with them. I'll take my 'rubbish' advice and use it myself on my own horses :)

To all of you that have been a delight - thankyou. All the best to you all :)

Oh and to all of you that gave me that much grief about keeping my sec D entire that I gelded him - I actually didn't. Shock horror!!
 
:( Have seen it happen myself. Will miss the Oreo updates very much. Best of luck with him and the other new youngster though. Onwards and upwards :) x
 
Carrots&Mints said:
I live just down the road (m65) from where these ponies were, the yard that my mother has her horse resuced 18 of the little sweethearts, all had ringworm lice and god knows what else. When I went up the day after they got them, there were 3 or 4 in each stable, poor things looked so malnurished and they were so scared! One of them was due to be put to sleep as it couldnt stand up properly, but after a week came fine, will never be anything but a feild companion as it will never be sound. I go up regulary to my mums yard and I see them out in the feild with full bellys and enjoying life :) half of them (the older ones) are in a feild and are being handled and the other half are out in the woods enjoying being youngsters and will be brought in come winter.

The guy who owns my mums yard has since been back to the place where they all were and managed to pick up the stallion that was used to breed all these unwanted colts, they now have him, washed him down as he was caked in s**t matted feathers ect and now after some looking after and some decent food in his belly hes turned out to be quite a nice sweet pony, really great to handle. The people said he was about 4 year old but looking at his teeth more 14 year old but YO doesnt care, would rather see him being looked after rather than starved in a pile of *****!.
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Doesn't surprise me they live at a Manchester postcode I'm afraid. Several common denominators with the ones I used to see locally on the other side of the city.
 
Fides, please don't think I'm having a pop at you because I'm not. I just wondered if you've had Oreo gelded, and if not I'd be interested in your reasons for that.
 
I just thought I would post an update as its been way over 12 months and these threads are a bit useless without updates eh? I've been away due to personal circumstances - some of them linked to posting this :(.

So what has happened in the meantime? The foal that left with him that my friend took on has died - a perforated bowel due to encysted red worm burden :( It turns out the owner of the ponies has since been prosecuted by the RSPCA as they found 13 dead horses on the property. Unfortunately as the husband was in prison at the time (the reason these were being sold for meat - they were sold on by the land owner I believe) it was the wife who was prosecuted. Hubby is now out and they are under investigation again after police found a further 3 carcasses when issuing a warrant against a huge vehicle theft racquet. Why the RSPCA never followed up (or if they did and were just blind) I don't know?

So Oreo - he's an absolute little star! He was gelded at the end of the Autumn just past at a cost of £240. In addition to this I have spent £160 on a saddle, £50 on a saddle fitter, £10 on a girth, £15 on stirrups, £10 on leathers, £25 on a bridle, £12 on a bit, £15 on a roller that fitted, £30 on pony sized long lines so I didn't have to deal with spaghetti, and he goes through a field safe head collar a month so probably about £100 in head collars! I'd love to turn out without them but I have an issue with walkers leaving gates open so I daren't. There have been trims every 10 weeks at £20 so that's £120 over the past year, plus another £18 for his tetanus booster (I've not counted the call out fee as my others were done too). Then there is worming at £25 ish a pop as I have been egg counting too due to the added risk - so about £100 in worming). I have the dentist coming out on Monday - she's been out once before to get him used to the gag and everything when she did my ridden horses and charged me £10 for an age check and just to get him used to the process. I think as it is a proper visit tomorrow it might be the full £40 fee. Dentist is needed a he has started cutting his proper teeth which means he was a (poor) late foal from the year before, rather than an early foal that year - so he is now around 3 and a big boy :)

So in total the cost to get him to a point where I can start thinking about backing him has been £1146! And that is with me doing all the training of him - this could have been far more if I had needed professional help.

So what has he done so far I hear you ask? I started basic stuff with him after he had recovered from the gelding. He has had a saddle and bridle with bit on, he hacks in hand (only 5-10 minutes at a time). When loose schooling him he has learned the voice commands for walk, trot, canter for both upwards and downwards transitions, and halt too. I then roped my other half into leading him so we could start to learn to long line. He's now long lining really well and will do upwards transitions with a little flick of the dangling stirrups - walk and trot only. And then he started cutting teeth so we have had a break since November.

The dentist is coming on Monday to double check his teeth and hopefully is all is week we can do a bit more work.

He is now standing at 12h1 at the withers and 12h2 at the bum. I must actually measure him again as I haven't measured him since he was gelded so he may be bigger now.

I'm going to hit reply now so I don't lose all I have typed but will post some piccies in a minute.
 
So the photos

As his winter coat came through he was sweating so much the poor duck - we bib clipped him. Unfortunately that wasn't enough so we did end up scalping him! He was much happier and than I have just bib clipped him since. Although he hasn't been clipped since Christmas as the weather seems to suit his fluffiness now!

Here he is sporting a bib clip after his full clip had started to grow out. He just stands and dozes while you clip him - he loves it!

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His greedy side!

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Showing his rough size compared to me

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Pensive... Right little chunk!

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Bitted (sorry it looks horribly clunky with his headcollar over the top)

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Learning to long line - please excuse the hideous clip!

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Action shot - raised poles :)
 
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I wasn't quick enough for the last edit - sorry the pics are huge!

Action shot - raised poles :)

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And a final shot of him having a little pop - he jumps from field to field regularly so this teeny jump is nothing. If anyone is still concerned - I pointed him at the jump twice, once in each direction and only one time. This is the most recent shot of him (plus the other hairy shots) where his coat is growing back out and he has hairy little legs :)

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So that's him - he's turning into quite a useful little chap! Just need a small person for him ;) but he has cost the best part of £1200 to get him to this point and he hasn't yet had a rider on board...
 
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He's coming along nicely isn't he. :)

I can think of a few people I know who could use being pointed along to this thread.. why is it some people only see the purchase cost when it is the maintenance that adds up..
 
Oh he's lovely Fides and such a lucky chap to have found you:-)

Yes agreed with comment that people should see how much it actually costs to bring them on.

Look forward to hearing further updates on him :D
 
He's gorgeous - lovely to see an update. I'm not going to add up the cost of my own addiction. No good can come of that. But it does show the cost of producing a riding horse/pony.
 
Bless him. Although he has cost you a lot - you did do it with your eyes wide open and with your experience, you have given him a chance at a wonderful life. I have always wondered how he was doing..... thank you for the update :)
 
have loved this post, you have done him proud and he looks as though he would take your weight when he matures a bit, you are not by any means a heavyweight yourself, having rescued a 16 2hh wb mare, now blossomed into a tank with attitude after 3yrs, I envy you, having a pony to contend with, good luck with Oreo, he's gorgeous
 
You know, Fides, with you being umm... a bit on the short side and him being such a chunk you may get away with riding him yourself... ;)
 
Thanks evreryone :) He is a total little dude and I am so pleased I have him as part of my little herd

Mince Pie said:
You know, Fides, with you being umm... a bit on the short side and him being such a chunk you may get away with riding him yourself... ;)
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In height yes, definitely not in weight... I have a very lightweight rider in mind to back him :)
 
you have done him proud He looks very sweet and it is a credit to you your pocket and your experience that has given him a chance. For one I am not keen on people rescuing as it leads to so much misery for so many but I do congratulate you on doing a good job on him.
 
He is one very lucky little horse, hope you have lots of fun with him.

My welsh cob was a rescue from a private home. Although this couple take horses to shows like the royal welsh, the horse I bought off them, was according to the vet a week from being dead he was so poor. He was covered in lice and full of worms, I don't think his feet had been trimmed for the 18 months they owned him.
 
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