Ugh this whole thing is just awful. I hope that pony gets the vet attention and rehab he needs.

Would not change a thing. (Ps cobs nose is covered in some lick thing that gets everywhere other ones is too but his black nose covers it)

I have nobody to talk about this with, so i figured i’d post on here. around march of this year i got a 12 year old OTTB mare. her previous owners abandoned her at her boarding barn, and despite being fed tremendous amounts of feed she just wouldn’t keep weight on. our vet thinks it was a depression issue, as she had no physical issues.

since march i’ve been working on slowly bringing her back to work, making her into a civilized horse, and now a possible ranch prospect. it was a stressful time trying to find what feed routine worked, what exercise worked, and trying to figure out a green thoroughbred as a novice rider who had only ever been on fat lazy quarter horses.

this horse has made me into a better person, rider, and has become my best friend. recently everyones been telling me about how good shes looking, yet i could see no progress since i had gotten her. however today i finally did 🥹 first 2 pics are back in march, the rest are from this week. this was also posted in the other horse subreddit

I (F28) am currently in the process of buying my first horse and have been shopping with my (M43) trainer. As a rider, my greatest challenge is my confidence. I put a lot of stock into my relationship with the horse I’m riding, whether I trust them, etc. Knowing what to expect from the horse I’m on really calms me. Now at my home barn, I typically prefer the larger, more forward lesson horses, BUT as with any lesson program, the forward lesson horses are still pretty tame as they’re being ridden 2-3 times a day.

In this buying process, he has been recommending some really advanced and young performance horses. I’ll be boarding with him so he will continue being my trainer after I buy. I like the idea of these performance horses in theory, but I question if that’s the right move for my first horse. I would consider myself an advanced beginner, possibly low-intermediate rider. I have about 8 years of riding experience taking 2 lessons a week with him.

Lately, I’ve been gravitating towards some older, shorter, more easygoing prospects and I can tell he’s not excited about it. I think one of my biggest issues is riding these sale horses for the first time without knowing them or their quirks (fear of the unknown). Of course my trainer rides them first but he’s an amazing rider so that only gives me so much confidence.

Recently, a beginner rider friend of mine (literally just starting out) said “I love these horses you’ve been looking at lately, they’re more my speed” and it’s just sticking with me/rubbing me wrong.

Ultimate question is: should I be looking for a more easygoing confidence-booster as my first horse (knowing that I still have so much to learn as a first time owner) or should I be trusting my trainer and going for these intimidating, young performance horses and hoping that once I get to know them, we’ll click? I don’t want to be nervous every time I go to the barn. And certainly having my trainer on-site will be helpful, but I’m not his only client so a lot of the day-to-day training will be up to me.

I've boarded my horse at the same facility on the Colorado Front Range for about a decade, and I'm curious what other boarders are currently paying for comparable care.

Since 2022, my board has increased by over 40%, sometimes with more than one increase per year. We just had another $50/month increase in August, bringing my outside run-with-shed board to $795/month. Rising hay prices and the drought were specifically mentioned as reasons for the increase.

Now we've been notified that starting October 1, there will be an additional $85/month hay surcharge, bringing my total to $880/month. The previous notice did mention the possibility of a surcharge if hay costs increased beyond what was covered by the new rate, so this wasn't completely out of nowhere.

I completely understand that hay, diesel, insurance, labor, equipment, and pretty much everything else have become more expensive. I'm not expecting board prices to stay the same forever, and I'm not questioning anyone's right to raise prices. What I'm struggling with is the cumulative increases compared with the level of care and facility I'm getting for the money.

For $880/month (including hay surcharge), my horse lives in an outside run with a shed. He gets hay twice daily, a small amount of senior feed twice daily, daily manure removal from his run, an automatic waterer, and access to indoor/outdoor arenas. I provide additional senior feed, buy my own shavings, and clean his shed myself every day.

The facility is pretty basic and there haven't been many improvements over the years. The road base footing in my horse's run gets extremely hard and compacted. In the past, my horse developed really bad sores, one of which progressed to a life-threatening infection. At one point, I paid out of pocket for a truckload of sand and equipment rental to completely redo the footing in his run. The outdoor arena is extremely dusty and isn't watered, and there are ongoing maintenance and safety issues around the property that have been brought up but haven't been addressed.

Water maintenance has also been an ongoing concern. Years ago, my horse coliced badly enough that he had to be hospitalized. The hospital told me he was severely dehydrated and he needed IV fluids. The visit ended up costing me nearly $4,000. When I came home that night, I checked his automatic waterer and found disgusting water with some type of white mold or growth in it. I can't know for certain whether the dirty water contributed to his dehydration, but I've always wondered whether he wasn't drinking enough because he didn't want to drink it. It happened when I first moved him to this barn,  and I didn't realize that I needed to check his waterer myself every day.

Since then, I check and clean his waterer myself rather than relying on the barn to do it. Cleaning the waterers is supposed to be included in board, but in my experience they can go a week or more without being cleaned. There is also a major mouse problem, and I've repeatedly found drowned mice in my horse's waterer, so I check his water religiously.

The pricing structure is another thing I'm struggling to understand. Full stall board with daily turnout is $935/month, only $140 more than my current $795 outside board. Those horses get their stalls cleaned and approximately a bag of shavings per day, water buckets manually filled multiple times a day, fans over their stalls, individual turnout and bring-in by employees, and blanketing services. The turnout areas and their water also have to be maintained.

Meanwhile, my horse requires significantly less labor and fewer barn-provided supplies. I provide my own shavings, clean my own shed, and he has an automatic waterer.

I've stayed at this facility for about a decade, so obviously there are reasons I've stayed. I'm also not looking to debate whether boarding facilities are expensive to operate or whether barn owners deserve to make a profit. I completely understand both.

I'm specifically hoping to compare what other boarders on the Front Range are currently paying for a similar level of care and facilities.

If you board in Colorado, especially along the Front Range, I'd love to know what you pay, what type of board you have, what's included, and whether you've recently had board increases or separate hay surcharges.

Progress pics of my 4 year old ottb. First picture is from April , I had owned him for two months and he had just gotten castrated. The last two are from tonight. The dude is still growing like a weed, but boy is he looking good.

3 lbs Triple Crown Senior gold (I know he’s 4, but the senior is amazing)
Free choice 1st cut Timothy
2 lbs alfalfa cubes
1/2 cup of flax
We also got his tummy sorted out (ulcers, as is usual when they come off the track) which made a world of difference.
Maybe I’m biased, but I think he looks pretty dang good 😝
(He’s also been out of work for a month due to abscesses and my own injury, so he’s lacking good muscle)

I’ve received some devastating news today. My 5 year-old quarter horse filly has grade 2 to low 3 neurological deficits. The vet thinks that cervical OCD and/or wobblers is the likely culprit but has too little information to commit to a diagnosis. She is referring me to one of the premier neuro specialists in our area or maybe the country, and I feel lucky to have this access, but I’m also devastated. The word euthanasia did come up during the conversation and I’m just a wreck.

If anyone is interested in her case I can give more details. I’m not exactly looking for advice. I totally trust the veterinary team. The sports medicine specialist who saw her today is exceedingly well regarded and I’ve worked with her before for another horse and she is absolutely stellar.

What I’m hoping for is some reassurance, or reality check, whichever you can provide, from folks who’ve had experience with similar cases. Even if it’s bad news, I want to hear it so I can be prepared.

Right now, I just have to wait to hear back from the specialist, since she only takes referrals. Then, since we’re in the SF Bay Area, I have to organize a ride out to UC Davis since I don’t have a trailer, and then I have to just figure out wtf to do based on what they tell me. And even getting an answer is going to be big bucks.

Folks, I paid less than $5K for this horse as a yearling. I never had big hopes and dreams, just wanted to trail ride and do fun stuff with a nice gentle all arounder. I have now spent at least as much as what I paid for her just trying to get answers already. This is my nightmare. I’ve been thinking things like, once this is over, that’s it I’m done. I can’t do this again.

Please, whatever you can tell me would be much appreciated!

Hello everyone,

I need advice as it’s pretty late in the evening. I have an 18yo mare that has been shoed for the last 10 years in front legs. We decided to try barefoot, and she has been trimmed yesterday, but today she is absolutely dead lame, she lives outside with an open door stable all the time, didn’t leave the stable once. i tried taking her out for a walk on the grass, and she has been okay on grass, but still lame. on concrete she’s dead lame. there’s no heat in either hoof, but I’m worried on what should i do next. I’m posting photos of the trim before and after, and any advice is appreciated!
Noted: she has clubfoot in the front right (fully black)
Thank you so much in advance!

Edit to answer all questions:
1. I’m from a small country that doesn’t have hoof boots readily available at any corner
2. My farrier recommended trying barefoot as she isn’t in any work and is always on softer ground
3. We are all working together on her barefoot journey, and everybody agreed it would be better for her to try out barefoot.
4. As I am from a small country, we have a few and in between farriers, especially barefoot trimmers. We are working with the best that we have
I know the extent of taking of her shoes, and was hoping for more advice and less ‘why did you do this?!? fire your farrier immediately!’ comments.

Is there any truth to this statement my trainer told me?

I’m an adult beginner and I started riding last October. I take weekly lessons and I’m just starting to learn cantering. Because of illness and other things, I recently had to take a three week break for the first time.

When I got back in the saddle, I felt really disoriented and like I had gone three steps backwards. Thankfully, by the end of the lesson I got the hang of things again, and my trainer confirmed that I had improved throughout the lesson.

I told her I was sad that just three weeks away had made me feel so rusty. She then told me that her own trainer, who she considers the best trainer in our country, says that in riding, what you learn before the age of 24 or 25 really sticks, but what you learn after that doesn’t.

I know she probably didn’t mean it in a discouraging way, but honestly, I took it to heart and it really affected my confidence. Is there actually any truth to this?

A little more context, not necessary to read: I always wanted to ride as a child, but unfortunately I never had the opportunity. My mother was very afraid of horses and wouldn’t let me learn. I’m still really happy that I finally get to ride now, even though I wish I had started earlier.

I’m also planning to start a family in the next couple of years, so I may have to take another break from riding in the future. The thought that I might simply forget everything I learn now is making me wonder what the point is, which is probably why this comment hit me harder than it otherwise would have.

The following stud recived an award for horse friendly stable of the year. It is in german but I think how they handle and keep their stallions is exceptional.

The name is Gut Schönweide.

Their stables are bigger than usual (5 meters x 5meters) plus every stallion has an attached paddock, all you can eat high quality hay and they can socialise with their neighbours. Both inside the stables and outside. Every horse gets daily turnout and the stallions are really chill and easy to handle.

Every stallion is an active breeding stallion and participates in shows.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1J5rh3GgfB/

I know I know.. there are going to be so many people under my post saying "you ride with a top trainer you shouldn't be asking people on Reddit". But I'm struggling here. I ride with one of the top eq and jumper barns and I have placed many many times at the top rated horse-shows in the US as well as placing top 25 in USEF medal finals last year, but I have never catch rode or gotten offered the opportunity to catch ride. I am desperate at this point and all I want is to get experience and Build a name for myself. I am not one of these juniors with 5-6 horses they can rotate and jump every week with. I feel so lost and I don't understand if there is something I'm missing. Do I reach out to trainers? Do I advertise? If anyone on here has gotten catch rides in the past please put your two cents in. I get that this might be a rambling and stupid post to put on Reddit, but I'm just trying to figure things out.

Sorry for spamming him across the sub today lol

I’m considering making an offer on a lightly used 2h horse trailer. I don’t have a horse currently but am hoping to start shopping for my next horse in a year or so. The trailer checks most of the boxes I’m looking for so even though it’s probably a little early to buy one, there are no guarantees I’ll find one that I like this much/in this good of condition/etc when it’s closer to “the right time”. Additionally in my head I’m justifying the idea by thinking how it will spread out the massive investments of a trailer, horse, potentially new saddle/other equipment when I do start seriously looking. Is this a completely silly idea? I may use it lightly before I buy a horse - I currently half lease so I might use it to take my lease out to shows or trail rides myself instead of relying on someone else but this isn’t a major factor.

Also if it isn’t a completely silly idea - who is everyone insuring trailers with? My last trailer was insured with Progressive but I found out after putting in a claim that covering it was a mistake on their end and they only insure horse trailers with LQ’s so I need to find a different company next time.

Thanks!

I’ve just ordered a helmet camera so I can record my rides! It’s the one that films in front and behind you. Very excited. No more trying not to drop my phone lol

Wondering how many of you ride with a camera?

I’m ripping my hair out at this point. Please no rude or condescending comments. I’ve been riding one of my horses for about 7 months now & I cannot get her to pick up the correct lead for the life of me. Loping off to the right, I’m sitting on my left pocket, left leg is sitting further back & right leg is sitting more forward and I squeeze. Loping off to the left, I’m sitting on my right pocket, right leg is sitting further back & left leg is sitting more forward and I squeeze, as I’ve been instructed to do by trainers. I try to guide her with her head & it just looks a mess. I’ve consulted trainers and multiple have told me it will “come with time”. I’m lost. She’s physically fit. Any tips or tricks to help? Again, please do not comment condescendingly or rude. All I want is to be successful & I am apparently lacking in this area. I would not call myself a green rider by any means, but this feels like more than something that will “just come with time”.