Transporting a mare WITHOUT her foal?

[zezere]

Hello. In this post I am going to defend myself.

I knew someone would comment on the doing hooves myself thing That is probably a topic into a different category, but I'll just mention here that you shouldn't worry, ever since I trim hooves myself, they have gone better, crooked hooves are no longer as crooked as they were. Frequent rasping every few days seems to do the job better than a six-weekly trimming, and my farrier checks the results from time to time. Sure thing "doing a few courses" doesn't make you into a professional who can go and trim any horse, but for a horse you know well and see every day and there's a farrier to check if you haven't ruined it, it's not a crime.

Another reason I do hooves myself is that the local farrier has done a really bad job and I no longer trust him. So I get a better farrier from a lot farther away, but infrequently.

3. What about costs of veterinary emergency or treating ongoing health problem. Horses are never cheap.
Rant over.

Absolutely agree. I have a veterinary emergency budget that I don't touch. Not for buying horses, not for buying anything else.
About treating ongoing health problems... Depending on the kind of problem, that may still be in the budget.
And if something is not in the budget, then I would be the one putting horses on the market because of "circumstances"

Please, OP, reconsider and buy a sensible cob or native type for you to have fun on with minimal horse care needs (and get a farrier to trim the feet).

Well. Fun is not the reason I am into horses
Challenge is.
The only question is whether the size of the challenge is what I can handle or not.
I have already dismissed one mare a few weeks ago, because I thought that challenge was too big for me. The mare was too smart Trained all people around her not to put any pressure on her, not with reins, not with legs. The only way to ride her was to have another horse go first and have her follow that horse.
She would have fit in my budget easily, though

”It is a waste NOT to breed from this mare” a poor justification for irresponsible breeding.

That's an interesting opinion, thanks for that. A couple of you mentioned here that a mare with good pedigree is not a good enough reason to breed. I was of a different impression, based on what I see happening around...

 

[Shay]

Sounds like you might not be in the UK OP? Different counties have different attitudes to breeding, weaning, husbandry etc. Certainly your responses don't seem to fit with the UK based experience of horses, breeding etc. For example you wouldn't be automatically able to sell a 3/4TB to a breeder on the basis that she has good breeding. The UK is massively over populated with unwanted horses right now so indiscriminate breeding is generally frowned on. Your proposed feeds are not usual in the UK etc. And perhaps most importantly you have not accounted for insurance!

 

[BallyJ]

And if something is not in the budget, then I would be the one putting horses on the market because of "circumstances"

I was with you until this comment.

I really cannot believe you'd sell on a horse with medical issues because you couldn't afford treatment. Have the horse PTS or insure.

 

[Velcrobum]

Suspect grammar, suspect knowledge whole story not really reading true......................

 

[zezere]

Update.

Yesterday I bought the mare.

She loaded in about 3 seconds. Didn't kick, didn't pull, didn't call the foal and didn't even look back. The owner had said that "she doesn't like to go in the trailer, but isn't very difficult either". Either that was an understatement, or she really wanted to get away from the foal. She travelled together with another horse and she was the calm one in the trailer.

At my place she is now the calmest horse in the herd. All other horses are making more fuss about this new addition to the herd than she does. She did look around and called a couple of times as if missing the foal and that was it.

She isn't apathetic though. During feeding time, because she didn't get as much feed as others, only some soaked hay pellets which she didn't like, she tried a million ways to steal from the buckets of others and demonstrated quite a bit of mental and physical agility.

So... conclusion - mares and their relationships to their foals can be very very different...

Sounds like you might not be in the UK OP? Different counties have different attitudes to breeding, weaning, husbandry etc. Certainly your responses don't seem to fit with the UK based experience of horses, breeding etc. For example you wouldn't be automatically able to sell a 3/4TB to a breeder on the basis that she has good breeding. The UK is massively over populated with unwanted horses right now so indiscriminate breeding is generally frowned on. Your proposed feeds are not usual in the UK etc. And perhaps most importantly you have not accounted for insurance!

Hmmm yeah that might be it Well noticed about insurance. Is that a UK only forum? I hope not, there's so much interesting information here. Been reeding it for a while, just wasn't registered until now.
As for feeds, they aren't very usual here either. The usual would be simply oats and/or muesli. I did some research and consulted a vet, and came up with that mixture that I mentioned. That way it doesn't cost as much as muesli but is more balanced than just oats.

Yes the attitude towards breeding isn't so negative here, thoroughbreds are pretty rare as well. There are other breeds though, that no one wants, such as trotters for example.

I really cannot believe you'd sell on a horse with medical issues because you couldn't afford treatment. Have the horse PTS or insure.

But why not? As long as the medical issue is mentioned in the ad and the price is lowered, all the way to zero if needed, is that so bad? Riders who focus on riding careers do it all the time. As soon as the horse isn't suitable for a certain level, it goes to someone else, someone who can benefit from that horse better. In fact all of my horses came to me that way. I bought my gelding after he wasn't suitable for top sport anymore because of an injury, and two 20 year old mares were given to me for free, one of them with a serious medical issue, as company horses for my gelding. Looking back, it was a good deal even with all the vet bills and special feed taken into account.

So... in most cases, horses are able to find another home. In those rare cases when the medical issue is so bad that no one would take the horse for free, well... for that there's the emergency budget... But then again, only if "circumstances" arise. Which can happen to anyone.

...or insure.

Horse insurance doesn't exist here. My insurance is a separate savings account.

Suspect grammar, suspect knowledge whole story not really reading true......................

ehm.. hehehe shall I take a photo of my new mare with today's newspaper? That could help. But I can't help you with the grammar...

 

[AmyMay]

Glad it went well. Do be careful feeding horses together, especially when there’s a new horse in with the herd.

 

[meleeka]

But why not? As long as the medical issue is mentioned in the ad and the price is lowered, all the way to zero if needed, is that so bad? Riders who focus on riding careers do it all the time. As soon as the horse isn't suitable for a certain level, it goes to someone else, someone who can benefit from that horse better. In fact all of my horses came to me that way. I bought my gelding after he wasn't suitable for top sport anymore because of an injury, and two 20 year old mares were given to me for free, one of them with a serious medical issue, as company horses for my gelding. Looking back, it was a good deal even with all the vet bills and special feed taken into account.

So... in most cases, horses are able to find another home. In those rare cases when the medical issue is so bad that no one would take the horse for free, well... for that there's the emergency budget... But then again, only if "circumstances" arise. Which can happen to anyone.

...

Perhaps it’s different where you are but here in the UK there’s many people who would buy a horse for free or cheap and then advertise it the next day as a healthy horse with no issue. It then gets sold to an unsuspecting buyer who finds out what’s wrong with it and then sells it on. The cycle then goes on with the horse getting passed from one bad home to another, until it eventually either gets bought by a ‘meat man’ at auction or is left to rot in a field somewhere. Either that or it’s bought by somebody who just doesn’t care, because it’s cheap, and worked anyway until It breaks. It’s not something I’d want for a much loved horse.

 

[Shay]

Is that a UK only forum?

No - but the vast majority of posters are from the UK. We have limited land and horses are comparatively more expensive to keep here than in many countries. That influences views on breeding etc. and also means that there isn't the facility for many to keep an unrideable horse for lengthy periods. Sadly selling on a horse with medical issues (often not disclosed or improperly understood) is sadly not uncommon in the UK. Views on management, tack, bitting, feed - and quite probably everything else!! - will different at least slightly from other countries. So - read and be welcome. Post and be welcome. But don't be too surprised if folk sometimes struggle to understand your approach!

 

[Gloi]

I knew someone would comment on the doing hooves myself thing That is probably a topic into a different category, but I'll just mention here that you shouldn't worry, ever since I trim hooves myself, they have gone better, crooked hooves are no longer as crooked as they were. Frequent rasping every few days seems to do the job better than a six-weekly trimming, and my farrier checks the results from time to time. Sure thing "doing a few courses" doesn't make you into a professional who can go and trim any horse, but for a horse you know well and see every day and there's a farrier to check if you haven't ruined it, it's not a crime.
.

Exactly!

 

[zezere]

Hmmm yes I forgot that horses can simply be resold as healthy horses. I think the only reason why this is less common here is that in a small country where horses aren't popular, the market is simply so small, that the same horse going on the market twice in a short period of time would be noticed quickly. The only way to cheat like this would be to sell abroad or sell in private. But if you sell abroad, there's transportation costs etc, so you don't do that with cheap horses... and if you do it in private, you loose reputation.

As for overbreeding and general neglect of animals, there's probably no difference between UK and other countries, it happens everywhere, UK is simply more aware of it. There are rescue organisations, attention from media, etc.

In case of my horses, I still keep in touch with the previous owners, and if I had to sell my horses, I would offer them to people I know, or at least I would get to know them first, before selling.

 

[Velcrobum]

I stand corrected! That english is not your first language and you live in a country that cares for equines in a totally different way explains why so many on this thread were suspicious of trolling. It happens a fair bit at times on this forum platform. I hope your new mare settles well.

 

[zezere]

I stand corrected! That english is not your first language and you live in a country that cares for equines in a totally different way explains why so many on this thread were suspicious of trolling. It happens a fair bit at times on this forum platform. I hope your new mare settles well.

well I don't know if it's a "totally different way", somehow I feel that I simply don't see too many of those terrible cases of neglect or overbreeding just because of the lack of awareness. I actually think that UK might be one of the better countries for horses. One thing I didn't like though, was that I had to spend more than half of the time on asphalt when hacking (had a few opportunities to ride in UK).

Update on the mare, today a vet visited, and gave me permission to start increasing her feed already. Her udder is already very small! Last time she nursed was Saturday morning, the udder was hard and warm to the touch on Sunday, and Monday evening she is almost dried up.. wow... The vet explained that this can happen when mares are thin.

Phew... I am relieved. On the other hand, everything is somehow too good... (to be true)

 

[zezere]

Another quick update. She's alive And she's okay. It's hard to notice the weight gain though, and it's been a month already. Maybe the butt is slightly rounder, and the spine doesn't stick out so much anymore...

Now I understand a bit better, why she didn't stress out when the foal was left behind. She isn't the most "motherly" creature. Quite independent, doesn't mind being alone, seems more interested in people than other horses. Perhaps mare's reaction to the loss of her foal can be somewhat predicted, knowing her personality...

 

[AFB]

OP, can I ask where you're from? (Apologies if I've missed it.) I find the differing ways of keeping horses around the world quite interesting