Horse Shopping
Mar. 4th, 2010 11:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crazychicknladyI posted something similar to the following on The Horse Forum. Mostly I needed to vent on someone besides M (I gave him a brief run down and that was more than enough for him ;-), and it was such a long post I decided to copy most of it and bring it here.
I went to look at a mare today and was very disappointed. She was advertised as bomb proof, and she definitely acted the part. But she was so dull and blank. I started wondering if she was drugged, but when they put her away and went to get her some hay she perked up a little and even whinnied.
I think it may be that she was just putting up with the people stuff to get to what she really wanted (food). She was calm, but she exuded an attitude of not really caring what was happening to her or around her - like she knows her job, but she's just tolerating all the stupid stuff us humans want to put her through.
Now it also could be she was very uncomfortable, seeing as the owner has definitely been lax in the basic care department. They got her back in December and have never gotten her feet done - and she is in shoes so she has no way to naturally wear her hooves down. She was tripping every once in a while at the walk and she looked stiff in back.
I tried picking her hooves and after digging way down, I caught the tell tale smell of thrush. When I made a that smells bad sound, the lady casually said, "Oh she probably just has a little thrush." Her hooves were packed - you'd think if you were selling a horse, you'd have picked her hooves before someone came at a scheduled time to see her. Then again, I could believe the owner has never ever picked that mares hooves.
I told the owner I'd like to look at the mare again once her feet get done (she told me she's calling a farrier tomorrow) - I'm trying to give the mare the benefit of the doubt, everyone can have a bad day, and once her feet feel better she might be more energetic (plus the kids loved her). If this weren't my first horse, and I was up for a gamble, I'd have offered the owner $500 cash on the spot (the asking price is $1500 - no way she's selling for that in her current condition) just to get her out of there.
The worst part was that while the owner was claiming not to have the money for a farrier (or worming, or vaccinations) for the mare, she was also telling me about her other horse she has at a trainer. It was like he was her golden boy who got all the money, and the mare was stuck with the crumbs.
A good thing that came out of looking at this horse is all the kids got a turn being ponied on her. S finally got her chance to sit on a horse (she had the chance when she was five, but was too scared, and has felt like she was missing something ever since). Best of all, C now wants a horse. He even finagled an extra chance to sit on the mare before we left (see image below). If he had his way we'd get the horse we looked at today, but he's willing to wait till we find an even better one.
I went to look at a mare today and was very disappointed. She was advertised as bomb proof, and she definitely acted the part. But she was so dull and blank. I started wondering if she was drugged, but when they put her away and went to get her some hay she perked up a little and even whinnied.
I think it may be that she was just putting up with the people stuff to get to what she really wanted (food). She was calm, but she exuded an attitude of not really caring what was happening to her or around her - like she knows her job, but she's just tolerating all the stupid stuff us humans want to put her through.
Now it also could be she was very uncomfortable, seeing as the owner has definitely been lax in the basic care department. They got her back in December and have never gotten her feet done - and she is in shoes so she has no way to naturally wear her hooves down. She was tripping every once in a while at the walk and she looked stiff in back.
I tried picking her hooves and after digging way down, I caught the tell tale smell of thrush. When I made a that smells bad sound, the lady casually said, "Oh she probably just has a little thrush." Her hooves were packed - you'd think if you were selling a horse, you'd have picked her hooves before someone came at a scheduled time to see her. Then again, I could believe the owner has never ever picked that mares hooves.
I told the owner I'd like to look at the mare again once her feet get done (she told me she's calling a farrier tomorrow) - I'm trying to give the mare the benefit of the doubt, everyone can have a bad day, and once her feet feel better she might be more energetic (plus the kids loved her). If this weren't my first horse, and I was up for a gamble, I'd have offered the owner $500 cash on the spot (the asking price is $1500 - no way she's selling for that in her current condition) just to get her out of there.
The worst part was that while the owner was claiming not to have the money for a farrier (or worming, or vaccinations) for the mare, she was also telling me about her other horse she has at a trainer. It was like he was her golden boy who got all the money, and the mare was stuck with the crumbs.
A good thing that came out of looking at this horse is all the kids got a turn being ponied on her. S finally got her chance to sit on a horse (she had the chance when she was five, but was too scared, and has felt like she was missing something ever since). Best of all, C now wants a horse. He even finagled an extra chance to sit on the mare before we left (see image below). If he had his way we'd get the horse we looked at today, but he's willing to wait till we find an even better one.
