?

I work at a public library. There are two girls, sisters, who continually cause problems. They are loud, rude, don't want to obey the rules, constantly mess up the books, leave stuff scattered around the teen area, loudly tell other kids that the library sucks and rips people off, spin on the office chairs, etc. Every time we talk to them, they are argumentative and confrontational.

Normally, we simply give a warning or two, then ask a patron to leave for the day. For kids, we also call parents. For each incident of disruptive behavior, we write up an "incident report." When we accumulate enough serious incident reports, we take them to the library board and ask the board to ban the disruptive patron.

The problem here is, these girls and their parents are extremely prone to accusing us of racism. Their father did it when we charged him $3.00 for having overdue dvds. The girls have done it when we've asked them to leave after they were swearing and running barefoot in the kids section. We believe that the father is serious enough to actually sue us for discrimination, should we try to ban the girls. He certainly won't side with us over his kids on any given incident, no matter how much proof we have of their wrongdoing.

None of the staff here have EVER acted inappropriately or racist towards a patron. We're a small library with a limited budget, no security guard, no legal council and few staff members. How do we deal with this situation?!

What kind of saddle blanket/pad do you use in the summer?

Do you avoid the thicker ones because of heat, or keep them on for comfort/padding/support? Do you use a thinner blanket like this? http://aberarmy.info/img.php?fl=f4k426v5d4s2r2f4s5...

I just saw the most awesome riding motto: ""Nos es non mortuus etiamnunc!" ("We're not dead yet!")

What's your riding motto?

I know, I know, this is the HORSE Section-- but you guys are way better at names than anyone else.

I need a name for a rescued male llama!

He's big, black, brown and white-- and he's a real survivor.

Long story short: this llama was on a dairy farm for years, terribly neglected. His face is disfigured because a too-small halter was left on him while he grew. I hired a vet to go out and tranquilize him so I could get him home. He took THREE darts to get wobbly, and he never went down-- this guy is tough. The vet trimmed his overgrown, twisted toenails and vaccinated and dewormed him for me. The whole time, he resisted being moved, but never kicked or spat. He's a trooper.

I just rescued a llama. (Not adopted from a shelter, but literally just brought him home from an awful neglect situation.) He needs a name! I want a name that's not too macho, but reflects his strength, will to live and his bravery. For pictures and full story, see my blog: http://mytevisjourney.blogspot.com/2012/02/llama-s...

Got any name suggestions?

Okay, I'm a horse person, not a llama person. I've never wanted one. But I may get one in order to save it from a bad situation (details below). I've got some library books on the critters, but my vet's too busy to chat today and I still need to know:

1. Will my horses get along with a llama?

2. Can llamas pass on any diseases to my horses? (Would I have to quarantine?)

3. Should you geld a llama? My first instinct is to chop the balls off of anything, to keep it from producing more unwanted things-- but is it the same in the llama world? Will I reduce the chances of re-homing him if he's gelded?

4. I don't necessarily want to keep this llama forever-- after I fix him up, train him up and feed him up, what are the chances of finding him a good home? Are there as many unwanted llamas out there as there are unwanted horses? I need to be able to tell my boarding facility whether or not Mr. Llama is likely to be a permanent guest.

Details of my llama drama: A lady came into the library where I work. She wanted books about llamas/alpacas (she wasn't sure which), because she'd spotted a hairy critter on a dairy farm, got to talking to the farmers, and discovered the farmers weren't really feeding the beast, or watering it, or basically caring for it, so much as letting in run wild in a broken-barbed-wire pasture. In fact, the farmers wanted to get rid of it. She thought she might get it as a pet, or to pull a little cart (*eye-roll*). After reading the books I got her, this lady became convinced that the llama "was better off in 'the wild'" because moving it "might be traumatic" and it was "fending for itself so well." (Translation: she discovered llamas weren't cute, don't pull carts, spit, and involve more work than a lap dog.) I went to look at this llama from the road, and sure enough, there's no or water or food out there, no shelter, incredibly bad fences, and the llama is totally matted in burdocks. Ugh. I'd call animal control, but they refused to do anything for a couple of horses just down the road in the exact same situation, despite my constant phone calls, emailed pictures, etc. So...even though I'm not a llama fan, I can't just leave it, can I?

My mare HATES any kind of tube in her mouth-- every time I worm her, it's a huge fight. No matter how gentle and patient I am, she immediately gets very upset when the tube is anywhere near her mouth. I've only been able to make her take it after making it clear that she doesn't get to stop trotting on the longe line until she takes it. It takes 40 minutes and a good amount of wrestling.

-yeah, yeah, pellet wormers; but they're less effective and harder to find unless you buy in bulk

-disguising the tube with molasses did not work

-the applesauce-in-a-syringe trick to desensitize her also didn't work! I can hardly get the tube in her mouth for her to figure out it tastes nice-- the one time I did, she fought even harder the next time I tried.

-she fights so hard about the tube that I am NOT going to tie her down to anything; she's likely to break the leadrope, the post, or her neck!

The vet has declared her sound and in good health. Her teeth are fine. She has good ground manners otherwise, and respects my space. Any ideas on how to fix this nasty behavior?

There's a BIG horse auction in my area every fall. Hundreds of horses are sold there-- many of them VERY cheaply, because some people can't afford hay for the winter. I want to go "just to window shop" but I know I'll be extremely tempted to buy-- and I need to save my cash to take care of the two horses I already have!

So please, help me get my auction fix; tell me the best/worst auction story you have!

Have you ever bought a horse at an auction? Tack? How did it turn out?

What's the most pathetic sight you've ever seen at an auction?

Have you been to one and NOT bought anything?

How are prices in your area?

The most pathetic thing I've ever seen at auction was a totally blind, pure black Tennesse Walker mare. She was young and gorgeous, but thin and so blind that she actually banged into things; she was terrified in the ring, and injured from the trailer ride and from banging into stuff in the sale barn. The sellers were begging for someone to take her home. Don't know if the kill buyers got her or not; sometimes they won't take blind horses. I wish the sellers had either kept her or put her down, instead of putting her through that.

Prices in my area are WAY low; on the low end, you can pick up any grade youngster for less than $100, even the nicer looking ones, or a calm, grade, basic-broke trail horse for $400-$500. Even a registered, well-trained horse with really nice conformation can be had for about $1,000. I've seen horses go for $25. On the other hand, I did see a horse sell at auction about 5 years ago for over $10K; he was a cutting champion, totally gorgeous. They had a kid go into the arena and pretend to be a calf; the horse "cut" her just the same!

I don't think I've ever been able to go to an auction and NOT buy something, even if it was a couple of new buckets or halter.

I've bought three horses at auction:

Lika Tiger Lilly was a 2 year old registered Polish arabian being sold to cover part of the owner's unpaid boarding debt; I picked her up for $200. She was a dainty, gorgeous bay who had obviously never been out of her box stall before; she spent the whole first week at my farm spooking at fireflies and charging around the pasture. She calmed down quickly, I put some groundwork on her, let her grow up a bit, and re-sold her. Last I knew she was a 4H horse on the drill team and doing WP. Nice horse.

Rowdy, a small red gelding who was sold either as an appendix QH or an Arabian cross (nobody knew which), underweight, health issues, terrible conformation. The seller there wasn't even his owner, and didn't know much about him. After feeding and vet care, he turned out to be a very good boy, albeit with a trot like a jackhammer; re-sold him to a nice home.

Tonka, a big brown gelding built like a tank, with an attitude to match. He was super calm in the ring and might originally have come from out west; the seller didn't know. Bought him as a possible family trail mount; he just was not a friendly dude. I put some riding on him and re-sold him to a trainer's apprentice for a roping prospect.

Some questions just get asked over and over, so here, in one convenient guide, are 90% of the answers you are looking for! I've included some super helpful and interesting websites. Warning: a few of these answers are slightly snarky.

1. Q. How much does a horse cost?

A. A grade, trail broke horse = less than $1,000, often $500. A registered WB A-circuit jumper? Tens of thousands. You get what you pay for.

Care for that horse = thousands per year. Yes, really. No, really, we mean it.

2. Q. If I breed my ___ colored horse to a ___ colored stallion, what will I get?

A. Breeding for color alone? You’ll probably get a horse with a terrible body (poor conformation). Good luck with future lameness issues and a rough ride! Maybe try a rescue horse instead? However, try this color breeding calculator: http://www.animalgenetics.us/CCalculator1.asp

3. Q. How can I convince my parent to buy me a horse/pony?

A. Buy showing how committed and responsible you are BEFORE you get the horse. Job, saving money, chores, no whining, volunteering, lessons, monthly budget, good grades—for MONTHS.

4. Q. What colors would look good on my horse?

A. Opposites look good. Dark colors on light horses and vice-versa. Neon colors & animal prints = tacky. Try these horse color matching sites:

http://www.ultimatehorsesite.com/tackpicker/index....

http://www.hobbyhorseinc.com/09_dress_for_success/...

5. Q. I have ______ years/type of experience but have never trained. Should I train this green/unbroken horse?

A. If you have to ask, the answer is probably “no.”

6. Q. I have a personal problem with _____ at my barn. What do I do?

A. Talk to them maturely about the problem, and how to fix it. Don’t blame, communicate clearly, discuss expectations. Not solved? Talk to barn owner. Not solved? Leave.

7. Q. What color is my horse?

A. Check out this website for all the REAL colors and horse coat color genetics: http://www.whitehorseproductions.com/equinecolor.h...

8. Q. What’s wrong with my horse? His/her symptoms are _______.

A. Call a vet. We cannot see your horse, nor are we trained to diagnose it. If you can’t afford a vet, you really can’t afford a horse. Not serious enough to call a vet? Fine—but it’s better not to take chances.

9. Q. Can I find the registration/parentage of my horse with a DNA test?

A. No. You need the parents’ DNA samples/registration papers.

10. Q. My horse has this training problem:_____.

A. Are you working at least 3-4 times a week? No? Start. Small steps, no misbehavior allowed, build over time. Get library books. Watch David Lee Archer on Youtube. Other problems: call a trainer. Your safety and your horse’s future are worth it.

11. Q. How’s my riding?

A. You need an instructor. We can (somewhat) judge you based off of your video, but we can’t sit in the ring with you and remind you to keep your heels down, your hands right, etc. Just looking for flattery? Bugger off.

12. Q. What bit should I use?

A. A snaffle or a curb bit. Period. (Unless you’re doing a pretty fancy sport.) If your horse pulls too much or “doesn’t listen,” your problem is that your horse need more training. Using a “stronger” bit just means inflicting more pain on your horse to force him to behave—at least for now. Not cool.

13. Q. Why are people here so MEAN?

A. We’ve answered ALL of these questions, over and over and over and over and over again, until we are sick to our stomachs of people who want to take shortcuts in the training and care of their horses.

Just do it right, people.

Quiz time!

A horse's conformation is the way its body is put together. Conformation can determine a horse's athletic ability, the probability it will become lame or develop arthritis and the smoothness of its gait. It's the most important thing to look for when buying or breeding a horse. How good are you at judging a horse's conformation?

This is a re-post, but I think enough time has passed that most people won't have seen it. Answers are at the bottom (don't peek!).

Here are the horses: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63829022@N05/59443479...

...and here are the questions:

1. Which horse has sickle hocks?

2. Which horse has post hocks?

3. Which horse has correct hocks?

4. Which horse is "camped out" behind?

5. Which horse's back is the longest?

6. Which horse is most "downhill"?

7. Which horse is the best "type" for English classes, despite his flaws?

8. Which horse would be a great gaming horse because of his compact frame, short cannons and over-all decent-to-good conformation?

Here are the answers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63829022@N05/59448876...

Post how well you did! Best (and most honest) score gets the points :)

If you didn't know, the Fugly Horse of the Day blog has a new owner. For those of you who have read both bloggers, what do you think of the new writer compared to Cathy?

One of my horses just came back from 30 days of training. Obviously she's still a little green. I'm having trouble getting her to travel straight sometimes. I'll pick a point on the ground and ride towards it, but she'll wobble and veer to both sides. Part of the problem is that she's nervous about some areas. I've lunged her there, but she just doesn't like those places.

Would riding her work at a trot help, to push her forward and giver her less time to evade?

What exercises can we be doing to improve our steering? I'm working hard on being consistent with my leg aids :)

Before we married, I knew my husband and his partners were planning on opening a second restaurant. When they did so however, they had to get loans from private investors (the bank wouldn't loan to them). Despite my persistant questions, my husband wouldn't tell me how much they borrowed, or when the loans would be due, or pretty much anything. He did tell me that we would personally be on the hook for the loans if the restaurant fell through, because despite being an LLC, they had to personally guarantee the loans. I kept asking for more information on the financial state of the business, and got no answers. I kept suggesting things and asking questions about the business in general, and was told it was "none of my business." Now my husband hasn't been paid for seven months, and the business is in trouble. I have been paying all the bills.

If I had been smart, I would have asked for a pre-nuptual agreement to protect myself. Now I'm married to him, but I don't want to have to take on potentially huge debt when I have not been allowed any knowledge about, or input in, my husband's business.

I don't want to divorce him yet. The financial stuff bothers me, but it's not as important as our relationship. I want to see if we can work things out. However, I still want protection from the debt I could face if his business falls through.

Is there some sort of "post nuptual" agreement, or immunity contract we could create, so that I can stay married to him but not have to pay for his debt if the business fails?

I just saw a ton of comments in question about horse slaughter, where many people said that they'd rather see horses go to slaughter because "it's a quick death." (It's not really quick to be jammed on a trailer full of terrified horses and be shipped for days to an awful, stressful death in Mexico, but whatever.) I was pretty disturbed by that, so I have a question:

What about euthanasia as a quick death? Why would you NOT euthanize your old horse, who has given you many years of faithful service? Why not a more peaceful end?

Because despite being able to pay for a horse and its care in the first place, you're now too cheap or "broke" to give him a peaceful end, now that he's no longer useful to you?

Because you're so greedy, you want the $100 that the kill-buyer might give you?

Because you're so selfish, you'd send your horse to a horrible death at slaughter rather than go through the emotional pain of watching him be put to sleep?

And folks, we're NOT talking about starvation versus slaughter. Anyone who starves a horse is just an asshole, when that person could just shoot the horse, send him to a kill auction or pay for euthanasia. I'm not talking about backyard breeders either, who clearly have no morals already and will breed and sell anything.

I'm talking about typical horse people who know their options, and are not normally horse abusers but send their horse to slaughter anyway rather than euthanize.

What's the justification for that??

I'm looking at you, Izzie, Needle and Two to Tango! You're some of the people who talked about slaughter as a "quick death," as if there were no other options. Were you talking about how you will send YOUR horses to slaughter when they get old?

Bonus Question: I know some vet clinics and horse rescues host low-cost gelding and euthanasia clinics like this one: http://www.horsehumane.org/eclinic.htm. Please post if you know of one in your area!

Last time I answered a conformation question here, I noticed many other people giving wrong answers about the horse's hocks. Many people said "sickle hocked" when the horse was obviously not sickle hocked. SO here's your chance to practice! Here are three horses, horse A, horse B and horse C:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63829022@N05/59443479...

Which horse has sickle hocks?

Which horse has post hocks?

Which horse has correct hocks?

Bonus questions:

Which horse is "camped out" behind?

Which horse's back is the longest?

Which horse is most "downhill"?

Which horse is the best "type" for English classes, despite his flaws?

Which horse would be a great gaming horse because of his compact frame and over-all decent-to-good conformation?

Here are the correct answers, but don't peek until YOU'VE answered!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63829022@N05/59448883...

Thank you to Kristen for telling me about using Flickr to make this work :)

I created a horse conformation quiz for us in the horse section. However, it doesn't seem to be showing up. I made sure that I placed it in the Pets--> Horses category and waited, refreshed, waited, refreshed. When it didn't show up, I deleted it, re-formed the quiz and re-posted. It's still not showing! Why? Here it is:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Av5sA...

Last time I answered a conformation question here, I noticed many other people giving wrong answers about the horse's hocks. Many people said "sickle hocked" when the horse was obviously not sickle hocked. SO here's your chance to practice! Here are three horses, horse A, horse B and horse C:

http://s818.photobucket.com/albums/zz104/horsefeat...

Which horse has sickle hocks?

Which horse has post hocks?

Which horse has correct hocks?

Bonus questions:

Which horse is "camped out" behind?

Which horse's back is the longest?

Which horse is most "downhill"?

Which horse is the best "type" for English classes, despite his flaws?

Which horse would be a great gaming horse because of his compact frame and over-all decent-to-good conformation?

Here are the correct answers, but don't peek until YOU'VE answered!

http://s818.photobucket.com/albums/zz104/horsefeat...

I feel like I'm constantly stuffing my face. Whenever I'm not actually eating a meal, I'm sucking on hard candy, chewing on a tooth pick or grabbing snacks. I've been told I have an oral fixation lol ;)

Needless to say, I'm overweight and I want to fix that, but I also want to address my cravings.

I do exercise-- in fact, if I wasn't so active I'd REALLY be in trouble...

In addition to changing the way I eat and what I eat, I'm thinking about fasting.

Some people have told me that fasting can help break the constant craving for food all the time. I also think I'd just like to feel really empty for once and give my body a break from the constant cycle of eating. I've also heard that fasting is more "natural" for your body, since humans haven't had such a huge amount of food available 24/7 until really recently in history.

So, how would fasting affect me? I'm thinking 1 day each week-- is that realistic or effective?

Would it ACTUALLY reduce my food cravings over time?

Is it possibly dangerous for your health, or good for you?

Noooooooooo! It's my favorite horse blog EVER and the writer says she just doesn't have enough time! I seriously think I might cry.

What did you learn from her, that you didn't know before?

I learned:

-Always cap your T-posts, because horses can and DO impale themselves.

-There are low-cost gelding and euthanasia clinics out there to prevent over-population and give horses a better death than slaughter!

-Test any QH or grade stock-type horse for HYPP, especially if they have Impressive breeding, because HYPP has KILLED people when horses go into seizures under their riders.

-Tenesse Walking Horses are often abusively "sored" and have huge pads and chains put on their feet before many of the big TWH shows, to make their gaits artificially bigger.

-Training is the MOST important way to ensure your horse will always be safe-- if something happens to you AND your will/money, at least the horse has skills to save it from slaughter.

What did YOU learn that you didn't know before?

I've noticed many people on here are:

A) studying conformation and wanting to know more

or

B) making statements about conformation that make NO sense.

So let's hold a little conformation clinic! I consider myself to be an "amateur expert*," and I'll pick the best analysis of this horse as the best answer:

http://mhwf.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5368970

This horse is an 8 year old "Friesian Sport Horse" mare available at one of the rescues in my state for just $600. Sport horses can be beautiful examples of the power, grace and athleticism you can get when the best elements of two breeds are combined-- or they can be badly-bred, awkward crosses between wildy popular breeds and whatever else is in the pasture. Can you tell which one this horse is? Can you dissect her top line, legs, neck, hip and overall balance? Sorry, there's no rear or front shots.

*I'm certainly not trying to brag, or pretend I know everything about conformation. I still think this would be a fun exercise :)

P.S. For those of you who don't know, conformation is the way in which a horse's body is put together. Conformation determines whether a horse will be able to perform well at its discipline, whether it will be more or less likely to experience injury and lameness and how smooth of a ride it will be. It's extremely important to be able to judge conformation if you're looking to buy, breed or compete a horse.