Help a novice Horse Lover, PLEASE?

The average cost in America to keep a horse runs $2000 - $2500 per year to feed and keep an average horse. I am in Michigan and I think the hay prices and feed prices are close to yours. Feed ranges $10-$15 per 50# bag on the average and hay ranges $3 - $6 a 50# bale on the average. A horse will eat an average of 125 bales of hay per year. More if they are to be rehabilitated from neglect, less if they're in good health and grass pasture is available during the 6 months of spring and summer.

If you have a place with a barn and fencing all set up, you may think that's a cost you don't have to consider - but it is still a cost to maintain. A horse will chew, kick or otherwise damage property that must be repaired constantly to remain safe for the horse as well as the people. Here in Michigan, board runs $250 - $500 per month depending on location/facility/care, etc. That's well over the average cost I mentioned above and usually only includes feed and care, not costs like farrier (trim feet), annual or bi-annual vet visits, worming, etc.

The last thing on costs to consider are that if you're taking on a rescue horse, these have more potential for higher costs in feed to bring back to proper health and vet care and/or farrier care if they've been neglected as well.

Horses are the farthest things from dogs. A "leader' in the dog world, the alpha female for example, communicates nearly opposite the way a horse does. A dog is smaller, more manageable and more apt to accept a human into their pack. Dogs are predators, Horses are prey - humans are predators so we more naturally understand dogs than horses.

An animal of 1200 lbs. wanting to fight or flee is MUCH different than one of 100 lbs or less. A dog, you can put in the car and take to the vet - maybe $50-$100 later, a problem is solved. A horse has different problems and a MUCH higher cost - to have a vet come visit you costs a minimum of $75 - $100 just to get them to come to your property. To get to them may cost less for an office call, but the truck and trailer needed to get the horse there is a probably $50,000 investment minimally (My rig is probably closer to $75,000 in value). If something is wrong with a horse, it will stop eating or show pain. You can't just 'wait and see' - bad things can happen so fast and infection run rampant through them you must diagnose and treat the problem as immediately as possible.

To a horse, gaining it's trust and respect is a high art. They do not understand the first thing about humans. You don't magically get their trust be being nice. If they're off to slaughter, they've likely been taught that humans are bad. It will take more to gain their trust and respect than a normal horse you might buy.

I would caution you NOT to do this NOW. While I understand your desire to help the nice horsies, you need to know A LOT about horse nature, how to communicate with them and how to handle them before you take any one of them on. If you don't, you'll be taking them from one bad situation to another potentially just as bad for them. If you are comfortable with rescue organizations, find one locally who rescues horses and go voluteer and help them. You'll learn what you need to know about feed and care in a short time, then you can adopt one that's right for you. If there are none available, then go to a local stable and ask to either work there learning about them or ask to help them for free in exchange for learning - or even a private person you might know who has horses - go spend time with them and learn about them. There's also LOTS of learning material on the net, in DVDs and books about horse nature and how to interact with them. If you like to learn this way, you can. While it seems after learning these things that it wasn't that hard, if you don't know them, the outcome can be really, really bad. You could even find a buddy on line to keep as a pen-pal who might take ya step by step through what you must learn before you get started. There have been many professional people who've taken on rescue cases. These people must make tough decisions. For each one they adopt, many others have to be let go to their end. but that's the best we can do. Clinton Anderson has a GREAT series on RFD TV right now where he took on a rescue horse who'd been brought back to health. He has 13 sessions on what he did with her to bring her back. That would teach a lot.

The first time horse I would recommend to any new rider would be blind, deaf and dumb.

Find a trainer/instructor that will work with you and your horse. A lot of older people get into horses because they are more financially capable than when they were 20. There was a lady at my old facility that bought her first horse at 57! Instructors should be able to work with anyone at any age.

An older, well broke horse is a wise decision in this case.

You're from the dog section so you understand how dogs pick up on human emotions, horses are obviously not much different but they outweigh you 10 times. Having a dead broke horse to start on is essential to build confidence in the rider.

Buying a rescue is hit and miss. I strongly support rescues (that's where my pony is from) but they can be a crap shoot for the quality/history of horse you get. There are a lot of faux "rescues" where they are no better than horders. The horses are not being properly treated and they're constantly begging for money.

The resuce that I got Monster from knew all horses by name. The yearlings had their own herd, the lactating and pregnant mares had their own pastures. The stud colts were kept up at the house until that fateful day and the geldings had a good 30 acres to stretch their legs. The herds were usually melded by winter time to ease in feedings and to bring sickly horses back to the house so their weight and health could be monitored.

A lot of older horses are disposed of by their owners because they don't want the responsibility of an aging horse. They can cost more money but they generally make good beginner horses... and they deserve the live the rest of their life out happily and not left neglected and skinny.

Costs you can expect:

Board - This depends. I don't know the prices in PA. There are lots of great questions on this board though of what you should look for when looking at a boarding facility.

Farrier - $30 every six weeks if barefoot. Shoes are around $80 for fronts and $120 all around

Routine Vet Care - Vaccinations and general health exam

Floating - This is so important. Horses do not wear their teeth evenly when they chew, and as a result they develop painful, sharp points. This leads to a whole plethera of behavioral issues.

http://www.petfinder.com/index.html

I would search there for adoptable horses. I can't recommend a certain breed for a novice rider, but usually an adult or older horse (I go for over 6 years old, and shoot for older) that is a mare or gelding. I am partial to geldings while some people love mares. Read up on first time buying, and try to get an experienced person to help you with picking a horse. Many horses at rescues will have special needs or be a younger horse but there is a rare one that is suitable for a beginner. The biggest thing is trying out the horse to be sure it is suitable for you. A really good idea is a trial run, keeping the horse wherever you would have it for a few days and being sure it's right for you. I'll list the costs of my horse, but they vary a lot depending on the horse and where your live and what stuff you buy. (I'm in the southeast which is a cheap place to live and my horse is an easy keeper.)

feed-$12.50 per bag, lasts about 3 weeks to a month

hay-$80 for 20 bales, lasts about 3 months (just guessing, not 100% sure)

board-$150 per month (that's stall and pasture, self care. it's usually more than that)

tack-initial start up just varies too much to even estimate. search for used tack on ebay and craigslist, new tack on sites like horse.com

and there are deworming and veterinary expenses. mostly deworming, if you get a horse headed to slaughter it may need some veterinary care which I can't really estimate.

farrier-mine is $30 for a trim every 4 to 6 weeks. some people pay more than that for shoes, but my horse doesn't wear shoes.

And this is a good resource for finding boarding stables http://www.ridingresource.com/

The bit. It's not cold metal, once it is in the mouth for a minute or two it is warm. The bit was made to give an ultimate communication between the rider and horse. We can't communicate with them using hand signals or words. So we use touch. A bit is only an abusive object in abusive hands. A bit with good hands will never cause any harm to a horse. Where as with the hackamore (if not using the bosal) the communication is blurred. The signals are not clear because it's the same general effect as pulling on the halter. So turning can be very confusing for a horse. Also if the hackamore is not properly adjusted it can restrict the horses breathing. If you pull too strong you can break the horses nose. Of course different horses like different methods. Some can go very well in a hackamore.

The difference between rescuing a dog without knowing anything and rescuing a horse without knowing anything is you are expecting the horse to fulfill a certain function. If you and the horse are not suited you could be seriously hurt or killed.

Your first step would be to find a trainer in the discipline you like in your area. Ride with him/her, get back into the swing of things. Find out how much they charge for board, if there are discounted lesson prices for a boarder, or even if you could work off your board or lessons by cleaning stalls.

Find a trainer you really enjoy working with - let them know that your goal would be to rescue a horse. Do you read Fugly Horse of the Day? She has some excellent postings about how to go to an auction and get a horse that isn't going to kill you. www.fuglyblog.com . If you go to an Auction, and I'm pretty sure there's a big one in PA, bring your trainer with you. There are no test rides, sometimes horses aren't even ridden through and there's no way to know what you have until you get home. Make sure you have someone very, very experienced with you. You have to bring a trailer and have cash in hand at the auction.

Your other option would be to find an equine rescue in your area (start at Petfinder.com looking for horses and from there you can go to individual web sites of the rescues) so you could meet the horse you are interested in and take your time.

If you are just getting back into riding avoid Arabs, Trakheners, Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. These horses have a lot of heart but they are also workaholics and way too much for someone who's been out of the game for a while to handle. If you are an experienced rider and think you can get back into shape quickly then you should be able to have one. Arabs have good feet, not so much the Trakheners, TBs or SBs.

Anything draft cross is *usually* good for a beginner as they *tend* to be low key to start with. Certain quarter horses can be good but if it's an Impressive line you want to make sure s/he is N/N before you buy.

Good luck!

Bare in mind that often horses that are headed to slaughter may not be suitable for a first time buyer.

Some may require alot of time, work and money.

For instance you could end up buying/adopting an unbroken horse that if you did not know how to train, you would have to pay for, or a horse that has health issues, you could end up paying alot of money and only have heartache, or end up with an animal you couldn't handle.

Though i admire that you want to rescue a horse headed for slaughter, just be careful what you take on.

Obviously there are some horses headed to slaughter that have the potential to be amazing, but never have the chance.

Alternatively you can adopt a horse from a charity, the horse will likely have been trained and you will be given something suitable.

There are many unwanted horses at the moment, so charities have no shortage of them either.

Yuppers... I am another of the psycho nut case nasty tempered morons from the dog section... who also happens to love horses and know a little bit about them.

First, I would ask, what do you plan to do with the horse? Show? Trail ride? What style do you intend to ride... Western, saddle-seat or hunt seat?

Full service boarding will be the most expensive, costing several hundred dollars a month, depending on the facilities. If you live in an area that gets a lot of bad weather in winter, I would suggest a place with an indoor arena so you don't freeze your hoo-ha off.

Personally, I would look for a well broke stock type horse- Quarter Horse, Appy, Paint... at least 10-12 years old, one that's been there done that. They tend to be calmer, or maybe a nice flat-shod Tennessee Walker... sooo smooth to ride! And there's nothing wrong with a good old grade horse! I also recommend a gelding rather than a mare,so you don't have to put up with her monthly PMS b*tchiness.

If you want more info, you know where to find me. ;-)

You want a rescue horse that you can train but you're a beginner? Am i getting this right? Or will this horse be a PET?

If you are a beginner, do not buy anything that is not broke. And chance of finding a sound well broke horse who needs rescuing is slim.

I suggest you volunteer at a barn for a while and pick up a few tricks of the trade. Take lessons if you plan on riding.

Just like rescue dogs, rescue horse can come with A LOT of baggage. Unless you are experienced, it might be best that you go with a well broke seasoned horse. Google for rescues in your area and start volunteering and get back up to speed with horses.

Chances are you will find a horse that you 'click' with there and can move into the adoption stage. In the meantime, take come lessons and brush up on your horsemanship and riding skills.

The costs will depend on your area for boarding, hay, feed, vet, farrier, and all that. Expect to pay around $300 per month for partial care board, and budget $75 to $100 for hoof car every six to eight weeks.

Feed us usually around $12 per 50 pounds. Then you have worming, once every 3 months, at about $15 a pop. Then grooming instruments, tack, blankets, etc. Budget money and put back monthly for emergency vet calls.

If you want to trail ride and/or show figure in a truck and horse trailer and insurance. It gets pricey pretty quick.

I'd recommend volunteering first.

Another psycho weighs in:

Gee AngelWolf... after reading some of these responses, I was thinking of buying a horse too, but I had bought the IAMS and had no clue that we first timers would not be ready for one. And I had the leash ready too.

What I did when I wanted a horse so badly ... that my sister ended up getting ...

We have a lot of stables in my area and I went and talked with those at the stables about the various horses. Obviously there has to be a place to keep the horse if you do not have a large enough dog house to accommodate ... But by doing this, my dad actually followed through with what I had been doing and after a lot of good conversations ended up with a nice tame pony for my little sister. After I moved away from home I was thrilled to visit and ride her. She was very easy to handle and very well trained, very gentle.

Let me take my Thorazine and get back to the doggie section now.

my parents bought my first horse off the slaughter truck for $25 (20 years ago) and he was the most amazing horse i ever had so i dont think that you should really care about what breed you are going to buy if you are rescuing you should be more worried about the situation and the care of the horse and how bad it looks if its going to be a rescue

depending on how bad off the rescue is would determine the costs, a dog is different from a horse because a horse takes more feed, vet bills can be about the same or different in cost, horse has to have more room and bigger shelter, and but also time just like a dog

idk about the PA area since i live in Ga but boarding around here is about $300-$400 a month, you should call and check around with vets and boarding places before you adopt

i would recommend starting off with a smaller horse esp if you arnt that experienced and havnt worked around them that much cause rescue horses can sometimes be a HAND FULL and take a lot of extra care

EDIT:: lol mares dont PMS monthly its more like hourly from what i've seen, most of them are always mean but you sometimes get that random mare that is just perfect and i wouldnt recommend a TWH to a novice unless you know that particular horse is really calm, they can sometimes be flighty and nervous, i've worked with them my whole life and currently only own 2 but they are really fun to ride