# Grade Colt



## ForeverSunRider (Jun 27, 2013)

He's so fuzzy!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

He looks like a sweetie. He's not perfect, but no horse is. I see nothing there that might prevent him from doing exactly what you want and doing it well.

His shoulder appears good though his neck isn't great. He's got a bit of a ewe neck. He's a bit calf kneed and may be a touch knock kneed on the front. I won't comment on his hind legs as I can't see them well enough. His back appears to be nice and short and he's got a decent hip on him.

Only thing really bad that I can see are his feet. They need to be trimmed by a good farrier...yesterday. They are severely underrun, the toes are really long, and I'd lay odds they are really contracted too.

With him being so new, he might not have the training to stand for a farrier yet, but IMHO that should be your #1 priority for the time being.


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## Samson5261 (Jul 25, 2013)

I have just started working with him. He was completely unsocialized when I got him. Then the bad weather kept me from working with him. Today was his fourth day in halter and leading. I plan on starting to work with his feet this coming week. Idk how soon I can get a farrier though as its hard to get one all the way out go where we are. I will start calling around though and hopefully find one!! If I have to would it be ok to maybe sedate him or something to get him thru his first visit?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I see no problem with using a little ACE if need be. I had the same situation as you when I took on an unhandled 2 year old colt and his feet needed some tlc sooner rather than later. Gave him some ACE orally for his first farrier visit and by the next appointment I'd had enough time to work with him. He stands like a champ for the farrier now.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Is he in fact still a colt or has he been gelded? That would be my first priorities, getting him gelded if he hasn't been and feet done.


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## JulieG (Jun 25, 2013)

Is it just me or does his head look huge? 
Maybe it's just his markings that make his face seem rather wide, or maybe you're going to have one big horse once he's done growing!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

^^I didn't even think about the gelding part of it.

That's true, that needs done too and if you can find a farrier that's willing to meet you wherever you have him gelded (_if _it still needs done), then they can work on his feet while he's down. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

^^^^^Good Idea!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

JulieG said:


> Is it just me or does his head look huge?
> Maybe it's just his markings that make his face seem rather wide, or maybe you're going to have one big horse once he's done growing!


He's an 8 month old colt.....he's going through the yearling uglies. I won't even look at conformation on one this age.


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## Samson5261 (Jul 25, 2013)

JCnGrace said:


> I see no problem with using a little ACE if need be. I had the same situation as you when I took on an unhandled 2 year old colt and his feet needed some tlc sooner rather than later. Gave him some ACE orally for his first farrier visit and by the next appointment I'd had enough time to work with him. He stands like a champ for the farrier now.


Where do you get ACE?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Samson5261 (Jul 25, 2013)

The vet I use will not get geld until they drop I will have to go to an equine specialist that I have to trailer to. There is one other vet in my area that I will be calling to see if he gelded before they drop. My other horse is due this month for his shots cowboy will be going to. I'm hoping maybe I can get the farrier to meet me at the vet.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JulieG (Jun 25, 2013)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> He's an 8 month old colt.....he's going through the yearling uglies. I won't even look at conformation on one this age.


Oh I know nothing about confirmation, just thought he looked cute and then noticed the size of his head!  I'm sure he'll grow into it.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Samson5261 said:


> The vet I use will not get geld until they drop I will have to go to an equine specialist that I have to trailer to. There is one other vet in my area that I will be calling to see if he gelded before they drop. My other horse is due this month for his shots cowboy will be going to. I'm hoping maybe I can get the farrier to meet me at the vet.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


He's 8 months old and not yet descended? I'm kind of surprised at that. Hopefully he got gelded before he came to you and that's why he's appearing undescended.


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## GracielaGata (Jan 14, 2012)

I am no expert, so no expert comments... but I love how goofy looking his head is! It isn't huge and long, just this sorta compact chunky thing. But it was the first thing I noticed.. but in a good cute way! It looks like a very sweet head, one that can come up and cuddle into your armpit and ask to be rubbed very softly.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

JulieG said:


> Oh I know nothing about confirmation, just thought he looked cute and then noticed the size of his head!  I'm sure he'll grow into it.


Horses go through phases as they grow up. Breeders generally say, "Look at them at 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months and then not again until 3 years.", because in between they can look all kinds of funny. Some get so bad you want to hide them behind the barn until they slow down on the growth spurts. 

There is a syndrome caused by lack of calcium absorption called big head syndrome, and it's caused by incorrect calcium to phosphorous ratio or oxalate pastures found in the southern hemisphere. 

Hopefully, this little guy's head just appears large because of the fur and camera angles.


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## Samson5261 (Jul 25, 2013)

Honestly I have not been able to check yet just look. He does not yet like me touching him there. I can't even really touch his belly. I'm working on that. Hopefully when I check I find them lol! Cowboy was and still is underweight though that winter coat hides it well. His head is not really that large the blaze and his winter coat make it look that way. When I first brought him home he was really butt high but has evened out.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Samson5261 said:


> Where do you get ACE?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 From your vet. Tell him/her what you want it for and the approximate weight of your colt and they'll draw you up a syringe of it. At least mine does.

Some pointers if you've never used it before:

For something minor like a hoof trim, I'll give it orally instead of injecting it just because I avoid needles when I can (I HATE needles, yes I'm a wuss).

Do it before the farrier while he's calm. If you try trimming without it and he's hyped up then you give him the ACE it won't work. Takes 20 minutes or so for it to take affect.

Even with the ACE try to keep things fairly quiet and low key because they can shake it off. My farrier likes to tell stories and he can get excited in the telling and laugh loud or talk with his hands. If he knows we're working on a newby that's been given a dose, he'll save the theatrics for after he's done working on that particular horse, which he'll do first.


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## JulieG (Jun 25, 2013)

Thanks Dreamcatcher! I thought they went through an awkward phase, but for some reason I was thinking it was only around the age of 2. That is a great saying to keep in mind.


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## Critter sitter (Jun 2, 2012)

I think he is Cute cute cute .. I love his Fuzzy head I just wanna Smooch his Nose!


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## Samson5261 (Jul 25, 2013)

Critter sitter said:


> I think he is Cute cute cute .. I love his Fuzzy head I just wanna Smooch his Nose!


I do to😃! Sadly he won't let me yet but one can hope!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Don't worry, he'll come around. When I got my filly, she was just about his age and also completely feral. With some time, she learned to enjoy my company and will tolerate stuff that she doesn't really like with minimal fuss.

I don't think he'll have an oversized head when he's grown, I think it's just a case of markings, winter fuzzies, and his undermuscled neck from being thin making him look that way for now.

There's a reason that "yearling fuglies" is such a common term LOL. Almost all horses go through at _least_ one stage of _complete_ wonkiness. :wink:


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## womack29 (Oct 30, 2011)

No horse is perfect. My mare is on the large size for her breed but I do not care. She and I are a perfect pair


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Have your vet see him and check for "big head disease" that is the result of an over abundance of Phosphorus in the diet and the Ca/P ratio being messed up. He looks like there is something going on nutritionally. 

At this age if he does have this issue it is reversible.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

JCnGrace said:


> I see no problem with using a little ACE if need be. I had the same situation as you when I took on an unhandled 2 year old colt and his feet needed some tlc sooner rather than later. Gave him some ACE orally for his first farrier visit and by the next appointment I'd had enough time to work with him. He stands like a champ for the farrier now.


I may be mistaken but I thought you were not supposed to give ace to male horses. Sometimes it can have a adverse effect and they can have some muscle paralyzed and their penis is permantly dropped..


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

i think he will look much cuter when some of the fuzzy is gone and he is nice and slick.
I bet he will be real cute ! He may not drop until he is older, and if he is not kept with any mares or fillys , I would not worry about gelding him yet, sometimes they dont drop until after age 1. I had a couple that did not drop until about age 1 and a half and it was summer hot and the flies were awful so we waited until they were close to being 2 yrs old. They had not been acting nasty and it May help make yours get a little thicker necked.
Churu - who has told you that ? They ace geldings and stallions all the time. It just cracks me up the things people come up with. If you have a horse that is given to much drug or has bad kidneys livers etc and cannot process the drug out of thier system it may take Longer for them to retract thier penis, but is sounds to me that if this happened then there was some major issue with the horse to start with.


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## Samson5261 (Jul 25, 2013)

His head is really not that big most of it is winter fur and does still have some baby fuzz left. He is also really big boned. He will be seeing the vet this month so will talk to her just to be safe.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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