angafeabeta

I've raised a ton of stray and newborn puppies, horses, etc, but never kittens. The cat I adopted (showed up at my farm6 weeks ago, didn't know she was pregnant) had her litter yesterday, and I already noticed about 18 hours after birth that the little guys (3 of them) were starting to squint and then relax their closed eyes. Today, I can already see the slit starting to open a bit.

I've been told this process usually starts at 5 days, is this early development normal?

Their mother is long haired, about 16lbs, big boned. No clue about the father. They're huge for the newborns I've seen, the smallest being 4.5oz and the largest being 5.8oz. Could that factor in?

Thanks, all!

I've been working with my own guys since I was 12 (19 now). I've only ever ridden under two instructors, everything I've learned has been kind of organic and come over time with good old fashioned trial and error. I've never really shown, though I have worked with show Tennessee Walkers. I mostly try to bring horses to a soundness. I have trained and retrained probably 30+ horses in the past, though at the time I just called it helping out friends. Most of the horses I worked with, and am currently working with, have massive mental issues or histories of abuse and neglect. The ones who didn't fit into that category went through regular breaking or saddling and simply needed a bit of fixing over a couple of vices or mental blocks. Recently there was a pony pony that had severe aggression/fear issues that went through seven weeks and nearly a thousand dollars of "natural horsemanship" training that only made him worse was referred to me by a neighbor. I helped the little guy out, for free, over the course of my spare time and about a week, and he's a different horse. Because the owner thought I was a miracle worker, people outside the farms in my area (outside of walking distance) are beginning to ask me to take on their problem horses, or help make their already calm ones more safe. I've never asked to be payed before, and never expected it, but with gas being like it is I can't do it for free, and luckily none of them are expecting me to.

It seems like most people are charging between $20-$35 an hour in my area for training on the person's farm. Being a relative novice at the paying side of things, where should I start out? Lower than the average, or about average?

Also, I feel like I should cover myself on the liability side, both for my own sake and the owner's. In terms of making sure that no one ends up suing anyone, should I make sure they have a sign up (the horse ones with the law up saying "horse at your own risk) or is there something more formal I can do?

For those situations where I've put in multiple hours and days of work, but I believe that there is absolutely nothing I can do to help this horse further, refund policy or something of the like? Or is my time worth it?

Also, is there anything else I should know that I'm missing, or any lessons you've learned? I tend to try to cover my bases and make sure I'm not being completely green in all of this, so I'm asking the crowd.

Thanks all, and keep being awesome!

My mom's gelding might be a rig, and we've known this since we were given him. He's a real sweet heart, has never shown much in the way of studdy behaviour to the point that we've never gotten him tested. He's been ridden almost 100% by beginners, except for one abusive English trainer a while back, and is extremely gentle. My 50 yr old very green mother has ridden him for a long while with no problems. He's a QH, and is as muscled as a stallion. He was out of a home, so we offered to take him about a year and a half ago.

He has once tried to mount one of my mares, just after he arrived on our farm. She kicked him, and he's not tried it since to my knowledge. Since mid January, he's had a drastic temperament change. He acts like a barely trained breeding stallion. My alpha mare has started acting differently towards him, keeping him away from my young broodmares. He isn't aggressive, but VERY standoffish, which is not like him at all. Before he started this, he was his typical bomb-proof, well trained and calm self. Now it's like having a breeding stallion on the farm. My mares haven't come back into season yet, and nothing else in the herd has changed. His diet is the same, including salt blocks and beat pulp. His muscle mass has increased, he looks like Rambo. My vet is doing a testosterone check next time he is out.

Since has hasn't been diagnosed yet, and I can't find much about it on the net, is it possible that rigs can flare up and produce more testosterone at different times of the year, or for other factors?

Back in January, I bought Massy. I absolutely love her, she is an awesome broodmare, babysitter, and all around horse. I had heard when I bought her that it had been 7+ years since she'd been ridden, so I always had it in the back of my mind to ride her eventually. I'm now thinking maybe she was 7 when she was last ridden. I bought her as a broodmare, and will be breeding her in the fall of this year or spring of next year. She is a gorgeous slightly stocky TWH mare who has a shape better fitting an 8 year old than a 21 yr old. Picture a strawberry roan pony on steroids, and that's what she looks like. An overgrown children's hunter. Perfect health, too, before we go there.

I have been hopping up on her bareback for about a month now. Not meaning to move anywhere, just reacquainting her with the feeling of weight on her back. When I did ask for some movement, I got nothing in return. When I pulled lightly on he reins (right or left) she just let her head be pulled back all the way to my shoe. She does back up, so that's something, and does so with the lightest of touches. Going forward still seems to mystify her, even though I've connected a cluck with forward movement on the ground.

I put a saddle on her yesterday, and tried to put a bridle on her. She would have none of the bit, and fought it every second she had it in her mouth like a 2yr old. So I switched to my bitless, and she was cool with that. Saddling up she was better than anyone else in my herd, and stood still perfectly for the few minutes I had to leave her tied. At this point, I thought maybe she would remember a bit better with a saddle on, and that maybe the bit refusal was a product of bad training somewhere along the way. I know she has had some good meaning but not so good for her natural horsemanship thrown at her, so I was expecting a blow up when we started riding.

Getting up on her, it was the same as bareback. She didn't react to my heels, my hands, my legs, but still backed up on command. Not backing up as a way to get away, only when asked.

She doesn't seem to have any hangups, no spooks or anxiety. It doesn't seem like she is just refusing to react, which she does sometimes with other things, she will look back at me like she simply does not know what to do. She moves away from pressure on the ground, responds to clucks for movement, will gait in hand in response to clucks and kisses, etc.

So, my question is this. What good resources are out there to help someone start an older horse? I'm looking to take on the project myself, as I've rebroken about four horses with many years since riding behind them plus abuse for trail and show. My figuring is if I'm going to learn how to start a horse basically from scratch, why not work with the older patient broodmare and not the hyper younger horse?

Any advice from you guys is welcome! Thanks!

I have an awesome Tennessee Walker filly, calm, sane and smart, who will be a yearling at the end of the month. She has done great in halter training, and can be ponied from my 16hh gelding. She longes, and I keep her at a slow gait or slower. She's run the battery of "scary things" with tarps (over and under), sticks, creeks, sprays, etc. She trailers like a dream.

My question is, what steps at what time do I take from this point until she is ready for training? Any good books?

Thanks!

I have a 20 year old Tennessee Walker mare that is constantly evil. We've had her two years, and she is great with my mom, but hates the ground I walk on. I always give her her space, and over the years I've slowly gotten a bit of ground with her. When we first got her, she was underweight and had been left in a field with no grain for about 4 years. The first weird thing I noticed was that she seemed to be lactating. I had to vet check to make sure she wasn't in foal, and he confirmed she wasn't and hadn't been for a while. For a solid two years, this mare has been producing good quality milk, sometimes a slightly full bag, sometimes only a little, but there has never been a point where I have known her not to express some milk.

November before last, she had an insane false pregnancy. We had no idea when she could have come into contact with a stallion, but it happened so fast we were barely able to make phone calls to her previous owner. She actually went into fake labor, and dilated more than my own broodmare did when she gave birth to my May filly. The vet was completely shocked that she wasn't pregnant, she actually had a cyst on her ovary. The mare had gained water weight, and was the size of an 11 months along mare, within the space of two months. When she went into her fake labor, she seemed really calm and sweet, as opposed to her normal self.

I've noticed a correlation between her milk production and her attitude. If she is only producing a little milk, she is a bit calmer, and easier to handle. If she is producing a good bit, she is moody and impossible. I've kept a chart and tried to time it with her heats, but it doesn't seem to go by that. Her feed is the same, pasture-mates are the same, everything is the same but her milk production. Usually I get on the low end, a dime sized amount of milk, and on the high end, a palm full or more. It resembles the texture of my other broodmares milk right before she is ready to wean a foal, if that helps.

We bred this mare to a stud that I love back in July. She throws great show horses that are super flashy, which seems to be a good thing under a western saddle (I'm an English gal). Two months into pregnancy, her milk dried up, and she hasn't expressed any more since that point. Now she is a constant amount of mean, rather than a fluctuating mean.

She has had a total of 4 registered foals. Is it normal for a mare to lactate this much? Is it a heard of thing for her hormones to be in sync with how much milk she is producing? Could it be a constant problem with the cyst? My vet assures me nothing is up, but he doesn't have to deal with this horse every day!

If I left anything out, let me know. Thanks!

I was noticing earlier today that my young Walker mare has visible white sclera in one eye, but her other doesn't. Every other horse I have either has it visible in both, or not at all. I'm just curious if this happens on a lot of horses.

Thanks!

Bit of a disclaimer, I'm not a Christian. I'm a pagan, so don't get into the atheist vs Christian stuff on me. This is meant for those who believe life begins at conception.

There are a lot of conditions and diseases embryonic stem cell research could potentially cure. Because of the belief that life begins at birth, this research would constitute murder. If you, or one of your loved ones, were affected by one of the diseases that could be cured by stem cell research (such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis to name some), and the options were available to you to receive this treatment that was engineered using embryonic stem cells, would you accept it? Why? If you did accept it, would you be able to religiously justify it?

Thanks! Just curious.

This summer, my mom was given a QH gelding that came with full tack, a custom fitted saddle (Wintec 2000, I about fell over when I heard that was coming with him free) and a $150 half pad. I've not used the half pad because firstly, I'm afraid to get the thing dirty. I can get a good used saddle for how much this woman paid for a half pad. Secondly, I've never used a half pad.

How exactly do you sit it under the saddle so that it doesn't slip? Do you put a thin saddle pad under it? I'll probably end up riding in it once and not again, but I'm going to at least give it a go.

If it helps, this is the pad: http://www.doversaddlery.com/mattes-all-purpose-ha...

Thanks!

I have 8 horses of my own, raise and breed Tennessee Walkers, and I hope to be a part of the University of Louisville's equestrian team if I get in. Knowing that I'll need some experience with horses that can trot, I'm looking for a trainer and stable to take lessons until next fall when I leave for school. I've already had a few years of lessons, I just need a refresher before I start competing.

What do you look for in a trainer and riding stable? What should I watch out for? When I go to look at the horses I would be taking lessons on, what should I look for? I'm 17 now, it's been 7 or 8 years since I've taken lessons, and there are many things I'm sure I've forgotten.

Thanks!

I am hoping to attend the University of Louisville in the fall, and I am interested in beginning to compete. The equestrian team is part of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, and I am not sure how friendly they are to gaited horses. I have a Walker mare I have a hard time convincing people is not an OTTB until she breaks into a flat walk. Is a trotting horse required for hunt seat shows? Will they care if I decide to go into show jumping?

Also, are there any competition associations that focus on college students with gaited horses? Or would I be better off not competing with the school and going with the NWHA?

Thanks!

I rescued a former big lick padded Tennessee Walker mare in July, and she is by far the best horse I have ever had. She has had her pads off for about 4 months now and has made a lot of progress. I have only ever ridden natural trained Walkers at a gait up until this point, and I see to be having issues getting used to her flat walk. On my other Walkers, I always feel like I am riding too far back and have had to add some strength to my abs to keep my seat correct, and I have gotten used to it. With this mare (and it may be her height, she is 17.2hh and the others I've ridden have been 14hh-16.1hh) I feel like I am going to fall forward over her neck if I am sitting when she starts into it, but get knocked back if I accidentally start to post thinking she might trot. Not to mention the fact that with her height, I feel like I'm going 200mph compared to my slower, smaller horses. There is also a lot less movement, like riding on a horse with shocks, and having been started on trotting horses this tends to really throw me for a loop. On my other two, there is at least some movement that keeps me centered and balanced. With her, it's like sitting on top of a barrel with a saddle on it that's being launched out of a cannon.

Also, does anyone know any tips or tricks on getting used to not going walk-trot-flat walk-running walk-canter but instead going straight to the flat walk from a walk? Every time I do it, I nudge her forward and get ready to post only to nearly be knocked off as she shifts it into high gear. All my other Walkers trot, so I am really not used to this.

And is it normal for a horse of this kind (because my other Walkers don't do this) to have a slower canter than running walk?

Thanks!

I have a 6 year old Walker mare I am retraining. She has been abused and sored, so things are being taken at a snail's pace despite her protests to go just a bit faster. Her pads were taken off in early July, and I thought by this time I would still be teaching her what trees are (she has never been in a pasture before). What has sped up her recovery and training has been jumping. I have never seen a horse enjoy themselves as much as she does when she's going over a log or free longing over 6" jumps. Everything is very small, and I am increasing by about 2" a month depending on how her legs look. I have been taking her into the semi-ground cleared area of our land, letting her step over low logs and generally get used to being ridden. So far, she has done beyond my wildest dreams.

I have discovered in our rides together that she likes to chase and look for things. I have a 1 1/2 year old German Shepherd that makes it her job to hide so that my mare and I have to go find her. We will do this for hours on end, and it really builds up some good muscle in my mare while making her find her feet. She doesn't realize that she's been working because she's truly enjoying herself. Because she is incredibly ADD there are few ways to really "work" her as she becomes distracted if a squirrel runs up a tree several miles away. But when she is looking for that little dog, she stays on task and everyone says she is a bloodhound in horse form.

Other than hunting, are there any competitions or shows that involve this kind of thing? We have become quite good at it, and we both like it enough that I would really like to find a group that competes. I live in the south eastern US, so I would not like to venture further north than Kentucky or maybe Indiana near Louisville, west than Alabama, keeping the Carolinas and Florida in mind.

Thanks guys!

I have a mare who absolutely loves hunting. I have 8 dogs, and one of them (who I am convinced is half coyote) will run away from us and hide, then let herself be "caught" then run off again. The three of us will do this for hours on weekends, and my mare really gets into it. She has been abused, and is a former big lick TWH show horse, but has become a 17.2hh lapdog. Doing this has done wonders for her recovery, both mentally and physically. I'm an intermediate rider, but I've never participated in this before.

I'm wondering if there are any hunts in my area. I'm not sure if I'd like one where something was killed, but I'd still like some info on it. She and I are still very much getting into this, and I would really like to foster something that is fun for both horse and rider. She is only 6 years old, and I'm 17, so we are taking it slow knowing that we have a lot of time. I'm in Georgia, about an hour NW of Atlanta. Looking for ones in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and southern Kentucky that are open to beginners. And if it helps, I'm an English rider.

Thanks!

I have been involved with horses for eight years, and have eight horses of my own with two in foal. I run a Tennessee Walker breeding farm, I'm a senior in high school, and I plan to attend the University of Louisville in the fall to major in equine industry.

I have some time from the beginning of the year until mid May that I would like to devote to some sort of horse internship. I have two mares foaling in mid June, and I'm training a mare until December, but the between time is going to be completely free. I am homeschooled, so I am willing to travel a decent amount to get to it (I'm in Georgia) and it will not interrupt my schooling.

Does anyone know of a horse internship that is open to HS students? I find a lot of overseas ones, but I would like to stay in the southeast US. I have a great deal of experience in many aspects of the horse industry, and I'm willing to muck stalls for a month (I do it daily anyway!), repair fences, etc.

Thanks!

I have a 6 year old Tennessee Walker mare who I rescued back in July. She was raised in a big lick (performance) barn and has had no herd contact or been outside until she came to my farm. We have worked through a lot of issues together, and I can say with confidence that she is the best horse I have ever had or met, even with all her eccentricities.

Today, when we were riding, it was the first day I hadn't 100% cleaned out the corral between horses (I rode 3 today). The muck rake had broken and it was getting late so I got up all but two piles that I didn't see as being an issue and tacked up my mare. All was fine until I took her down a center, and the pile was directly in her path (my gelding had picked the dead center of the corral). The mare is 17.2hh, I figured all would be OK and she would just step over it like my other horses. She got within 6 inches of it and stopped so fast that she nearly threw me over her neck. I looked around, trying to figure out what had made her flip. But she was completely calm and appeared to have just stopped, not spooked, so I squeezed and asked her to move on. For all my efforts, crop included, she would not move forward. So I backed her up, turned her around, and she had no problems. For a while, I couldn't figure out what happened. About 10 minutes later, I took her down the center again and got close to the pile (about 3 feet). She jumped to the side, jumped forward, then walked around it, again nearly knocking me off. I have never seen this mare refuse anything with a rider on her back, she normally trusts me completely.

She does not do this without a rider or in a halter, but will do it while being led from the ground with a rider on her. Does anyone have a clue what is going on here and how to help her get over it? I keep things pretty clean where we ride and I've never noticed her doing this in the pasture. Any and all advice is appreciated! Thanks

I am in the process of learning French (I <3 Rosetta Stone, that stuff really works) and as I was grooming my mare earlier tonight the idea struck me that knowing horse terms in French might help me later on in life because I am pursuing a career in horses. Does anyone know of any online resources for that kind of thing? I've found them for dressage moves, but never for the every day things like stalls, brushes, tail, hindquarters, hocks, different kinds of bits, walk, trot, muck bucket, blanket, the things we use every day.

Thanks!

I have a 6 year old Tennessee Walker mare who I am just starting over small jumps. She absolutely loves natural jumps, creeks, rises, fallen trees, etc. I have never been able to convince her that stadium jumps or poles are not going to eat her. She will not go over them on a longe line, or with me on her. She either runs around it, rears and refuses, or runs off. I have never tried her over anything higher than 1', but it's mostly 6". She is 17.2hh and can walk over that without any effort, but will not canter or gait over it.

Today, I free longed her for the first time in a medium/large roundpen. After some time working on voice commands, I laid a pole on the ground and asked her to gait over it, which she did. I was pretty impressed because she had never done that, so I set the pole up about 4" and asked her to gait over it, then canter. She did both very willingly and seemed to be enjoying herself. I got it up to 2', then took it to mid height and started her longing on a line. She got to the jump, looked like she was going to do it, then completely locked up and refused.

Any clue why she's doing this? And how to convince her that they're not going to eat her? She's extremely brave with anything other than this, I've seen her jump a 2'8" tree like it was nothing, but she completely shuts down when she sees these. And for the record, yes, Walkers can jump.

Thanks!

My mom was given a rather large rig QH gelding this summer. I've had no time to ride him, focusing on my own two to get ready for a comp in April, and with winter coming I am getting some time to ride him. I've tried getting a bit in his mouth before, and I've never managed it until a couple days ago. He raises his head up, will not open his mouth, and keeps his head up there until the bridle is completely out of sight. His former owners rode him in a bitless bridle, but the thing is pretty much worthless with him and I end up riding with my legs and seat. Not that I mind, but with the bitless it's hard to get his attention sometimes and keep it.

Two days ago, I decided I'd put a very soft bit in that I use with my uber soft mouthed Walker mare (loose ring hollow mouth french link snaffle) in his mouth. Because of the thinness of the link, I was able to get him to open his mouth long enough to get the bit in and slide the headstall on. I had fit the headstall before I put the bit on to lessen the hassle. When the bit hit his tongue, he almost appeared to be gagging (yes I know horses can't, but that's what it looked like). He opened his mouth all the way, arched his tongue away from the bit, and kept turning his head to the side to keep from touching it. I couldn't figure out what in the world was going on, so after about 45 seconds I took the bridle off and he was totally fine. I tried the same thing again yesterday with similar results.

From what I know of his history, he was a late cut ranch horse in Nebraska until he was about 9, then was brought here and turned into a dressage and low level jumping horse, then was a schooling horse. He rides really well, and has a lot of English training in him along with what he's learned from being a cutting horse. He's not my type, I ride Tennessee Walkers, and I am getting him back into shape for trail riding.

Does anyone have a clue what he is doing? And how to work with him on it? I'd really like for him to be in a bit (he has stopping issues) but with the way he's acting that's looking iffy.

Thanks!

My mom was given a QH gelding over the summer named Pi. He is her dream horse, a beefy athletic 16hh with one blue eye and a drop dead gorgeous sorrel piebald. I'm not used to working with horses like him, I raise Tennessee Walkers, but I am getting him back into trail-worthy shape. He is a former ranch horse from Nebraska that was brought to Georgia and turned into a dressage and low jump schooling horse. I am giving her just a few pointers tomorrow at a walk with him, and I need some help with how to break a few things to her.

First, let me say that I am an avid English rider. She is an avid Western rider. I believe that a lot of English principles can be applied to the benefit of the Western rider, and vice versa. She believes that everything English is more than a tad sissy and that most of my advice is based on wanted to "convert" her to an unsafe way of riding.

Normally, this would not be a problem with dealing with a horse itself. However, Pi has a pretty hard mouth from years of cowboying out in Nebraska. Without leg aids, it takes some serious muscle power for him to turn his head. With leg aids, he is an absolute dream to work with and will turn any degree you ask him until told otherwise. There is very little you can do with him with the reins, pretty much everything he does comes from your seat from stopping, starting, to turning. I am working with him on his mouth but I personally have very few problems with it and don't think about it much when riding him.

How do I work with her on using her seat? She rides Western because she uses her reins a lot and it's a lot easier (not saying in general, just her point of view). I've tried with her once on using her calves and legs, but she just ends up using her heels and making him go faster. She is 49 and set in her ways, and doesn't take too well to having to do very much in the saddle other than sit there. Also, how do I make this as easy as possible seeing as I am 17 and her daughter, but will be assuming the teaching role? She's a bit of a control freak and does not like to admit how much of a novice she is.

Thanks guys!