Thyra
I didn’t realize this “thread” existed on this forum. I definitely know more about horses than I do fish so I am not worried about jumping in with advise or suggestions, but after 50 years of “horsing around” I sadly no longer own any horses, just a lot of memories.
We rode horses, backpacked, showed in pleasure classes and I was also a horse 4H leader. We started showing Appaloosas when the whole idea was just catching on in Western Washington and it was a lot of fun and a whole lot of work.
My personal horse was a $75 bag of bones when I bought her as a kid. She was ravished with lice and hair gone in spots. I was a kid, she was beautiful in my eyes and my parents knew nothing about horses. We were farmers and so there was a place for Queen, but my Dad’s first rule was “If you get hurt, the horse goes!” ( He was kinda afraid of horses) The previous owner ran a “stable” in Northern Wis. where he kept horses he rented to resorts in the summer. In the winter the horses sorta of fended for themselves like deer - therefore that is why Queen looked like she did. Two months later Queen was a different horse and the old owner wanted her back and offered to trade me any two other horses for her!
She may have been “broke” but she definitely wasn’t trained and neither was I - it was the beginning of a 30 year relationship full of adventure and education, but no broken bones! And a whole lot happened between the beginning and the end. Every once in awhile I think back and wonder, “How did I survive?”
I have a lot more to write about, if there is an interest, but I do want to pass on a little learned advise from my 4H days.
1. Do not buy a stallion. Almost every kid wants a “Black Stallion”. Kids and stallions do not belong together and actually a lot of adults aren’t ready for a stallion either.
2. Horses are trained, not broken, so watch for the use of that word when considering a purchase.
3. If you are inexperienced, you don’t want an untrained colt, filly or two year old. The likelihood of you getting the riding horse you wanted is pretty slim.
4. At a 4H seminar I heard this statement: “A horse is only worth what is would bring per pound as meat. The rest of its value is in the training. A $200 horse costs as much to keep as a $3000 horse”. Consider that.
We rode horses, backpacked, showed in pleasure classes and I was also a horse 4H leader. We started showing Appaloosas when the whole idea was just catching on in Western Washington and it was a lot of fun and a whole lot of work.
My personal horse was a $75 bag of bones when I bought her as a kid. She was ravished with lice and hair gone in spots. I was a kid, she was beautiful in my eyes and my parents knew nothing about horses. We were farmers and so there was a place for Queen, but my Dad’s first rule was “If you get hurt, the horse goes!” ( He was kinda afraid of horses) The previous owner ran a “stable” in Northern Wis. where he kept horses he rented to resorts in the summer. In the winter the horses sorta of fended for themselves like deer - therefore that is why Queen looked like she did. Two months later Queen was a different horse and the old owner wanted her back and offered to trade me any two other horses for her!
She may have been “broke” but she definitely wasn’t trained and neither was I - it was the beginning of a 30 year relationship full of adventure and education, but no broken bones! And a whole lot happened between the beginning and the end. Every once in awhile I think back and wonder, “How did I survive?”
I have a lot more to write about, if there is an interest, but I do want to pass on a little learned advise from my 4H days.
1. Do not buy a stallion. Almost every kid wants a “Black Stallion”. Kids and stallions do not belong together and actually a lot of adults aren’t ready for a stallion either.
2. Horses are trained, not broken, so watch for the use of that word when considering a purchase.
3. If you are inexperienced, you don’t want an untrained colt, filly or two year old. The likelihood of you getting the riding horse you wanted is pretty slim.
4. At a 4H seminar I heard this statement: “A horse is only worth what is would bring per pound as meat. The rest of its value is in the training. A $200 horse costs as much to keep as a $3000 horse”. Consider that.
