Oasis...I have a question for ya

Sydney · Moderator

Oasis...I have a question for ya

PrettyDobie · ~Best In Show~ Senior Board Member!

1. You can look on ASPCA sometime they have horses that arent at the ASPCA but are at another horse rescue they are jus ttring to help them find the horse a home or there is always my favorite place petfinder.com. Around here I have seen ads in the newspaper as well.

2. How big is the property the horses with be staying on. I know not all places do this because there horses arent in the field alot but get tubs for water. Do walk the fence line and make sure the fence is secure.

3. A good horse for your cousin might be a draft but of course i'm not completely sure. My opinion the hieght of the horse doesnt really matter. I have a cousin that has a Mustang Mix and he stands 6"2 and weights 212 and the mustang works fine for him.

4. For me i have gone with some friends looking for horses and they always cheek there teeth, joints, and hoofs.

Sydney · Moderator

Thanks PD!!!!!
Your the best!

PrettyDobie · ~Best In Show~ Senior Board Member!

LOL your welcome

Dallasgoldens · MAD DOG!

you may try looking into PMU horse.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=pmu+horse+for+sale

PrettyDobie · ~Best In Show~ Senior Board Member!

Yea lot of the horses that are up for adoption on petfinder.com are mares and foals from PMU.

StormyWinter · Moderator

We had tubs like PD suggested, but one thing that we always had was consinsit running water in them. That way the misquito's don't breed in the water. We kept the tubs close to the fence and ran hose's and kept the water running at a slow drizzle.

Also if there are already stables check them before putting a horse in one. Check all the boards and make sure they are all OK. Check the locks. My horse hated being in his stable and for the first few mins he would always try and kick his way out.

When we went to buy horse we always checked their joints, and feet. Making sure they were all OK, check for cracking in the hoves ect..

As for a good horse for your cousin, I had a Appachie mix. My uncle would ride him with no problem. He's 6'6 260+lbs. If he's not a experianced rider get a easy horse for him to ride. I never used the these terms but at some ridign stables they had them labled as, Novice, experianed and expert horses. Novice were mild mannered horses that almost always followed direction and never took off without warning. Expert's were the ones that always seem to have a mind of their own, when they wanted to run they ran.

My horse had a mind of his own, if he didn't want to be ridin that day nothing was going to change his mind.

Make sure he gets nice comfortable saddles, when soft blankets as well.

oasis05 · Moderator

Sydney wrote:

Hey O!!! How's Rain? I'd love to see some recent pics of her. I have a coulpe questions and since you ride and have a horse I thought you would be the best person to ask! Anyone else that knows the answers please feel free to reply! My cousin just bought horse propety close to my house. Since I use to own horses he wants my help to take care of them and ride them. He also wants my help in buying some horses. Its been a long long time since I have riden or even been around a horse. Im sure it will all come back but since I have never bought a horse I dont know how to go about it and i dont know where to look. Do you know of any rescues or places that sell horses? Also im wondering, do you know what I should look for when looking at horses? The horses would be used mostly for trials, my main concern is my cousins size. He is a very big guy at about 6'4 and heavy, not fat just very big. I need to find him a horse that can comfortably carry him. Any ideas on what type of horse would be good for him? I was thinkg quarter horse since they are stocky and strong but they are also kind of short arnt they? Do you think my cosuin needs a taller horse then that. Also im wondering if you or anyone for that matter, knows what i need to prepare his place for horses. I do believe there are stables there already. I know we need shavings, hay,a vet, farrier, all the tack and such, anything else? Thanks for any help!

Hi, sorry i'm not on the ball here....lol Ok, to answer your questions......

Rain is doing great. I am riding her more and more and she is behaving like a charm. Thunder, on the other hand, threw me and it is now time for him to go. He is a great horse but needs someone experienced with a firmer hand. I can train him but i don't have enough time with all that i am doing with Rain and we bought him under the impression that he was a kids horse.

Some great places to look are horsetrader.com, equinehits.com, equine.com and horstopia.com. You can find some good horses there but make sure and look for ads on kids horses and "bombproof" ads. Those are the best horses. Just make sure you ride it or have the seller ride it to verify. People can lie to sell anything.

Make sure you look at the overall health, make sure the hooves are well trimmed or shod and nicely rounded (no huge cracks, breaks or curled up hoof wall and NO lameness....small cracks and chips are ok as long as they are not sore). Make sure they are not sway-backed, that their front legs are straight or slightly turned out (NOT TURNED IN...bad...bad), Make sure they are calm to lead, load in a trailer good and ride nice and calm. Check for a long scar on the underside of their belly. Not necissarily a bad thing but it means they have collicked and may easily again. Ask questions......lots of questions like.....why are they selling it? Has it ever bucked someone off? Has it ever had a major injury or operation? Just ask a lot of questions and if they don't want to answer, they are hiding something. Also, pick up it's hooves...does it let you calmly? Are it's eyes clean and clear and so on. You will know by the looks of it whether it is externally healthy or not. You can also ask a vet to come out and do a wellness check on it which is a great idea IF you can afford it.

A quarter horse would be great for your cousin. The first quarter horses were short and stalky and some still are like my mare but a lot nowadays are tall with long legs. I would look for one about 15 hands or more for him. Do not try a thoroughbred, saddlebred, arab or draft. The first 3 are much more spirited and take more training. The draft are big and calm but they take a massive amount of feed and hay and are much more at risk for hoof diseases due to their heavy weight. That can get very costly.

As for what you need to set the place up, all you need is a good sturdy fence, some shelter, feed and water troghs and yes, all that you stated above. You will go through Farriers and vets for a bit until you find the right one but the best way to find them is ask everyone you can that has horses who they use. Word of mouth is the key.

If you find some horses and you have any more questions or need any training tips, let me know and i will be happy to help. If you'd like, PM me and i will give you my e-mail addy so i know i will get your messages.