# For all yall horse LOVERS!



## englishrider (Feb 4, 2010)

So does anyone love horse like think about them all the time? Even the nonhorsey owners like me!  And get all Giddy and Excited the night before a riding day! Well thats how I am right now. Lesson is tomarrow morning!! Yay I am happy. I hvent had a lesson for like 3 weeks  but yay!:lol: I love horses. I just love grooming, saddling, bridling, riding, unbridling, halterining,unsaddling(is that even a word?)lol. I just basically love horses!  Anyone else?:wink:


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## King03 (Oct 19, 2009)

I love horse too ! i love grooming my horses and i'm exciting before a horse-show!


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## wannahorse22 (Dec 27, 2009)

Same Here! Whenever I start to talk to my dad he says "Ok, what about horses now?" Lol!


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## speedy da fish (May 7, 2009)

whey i think we all love horses, i have that feeling now! off for a ride bye x


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## englishrider (Feb 4, 2010)

lol thanks guys!


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## Marielw (Jan 31, 2010)

This is great. First, hubby wants to get 2 horses this year. Second, we no NOTHING about horses. I've been reading this forum and as much as i can about horses; grooming, vet care, health, exercise requirements, etc...

So today I was telling hubby that I've been spending time 'visualizing' and trying to 'get a feel' of what it might be like if we have horses. It really is just scaring me more and more. Floating teeth? WHAT is THAT? Feed ... besides hay and oats ... what and how much.....it goes on and on. I listed a number of things for hubby that we don't know. Like worming. He said "oh, I'm sure that's just a pill". WELL it seems as though you need to track WHICH worm meds they HAVE taken and WHICH worm meds are coming up as there are DIFFERENT worms ..... ????!!!!! AAAGGGGGHHHHH : ? )

Can't I just cuddle and kiss them? Really .... anyone out there need a professional horse cuddler? : ? )


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

^^^ you can come cuddle my horses any time you want. We can trade for manure shoveling :lol:


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## englishrider (Feb 4, 2010)

Lol guys! Lesson was Perfect. my trainer let me do things indipenant(sp?) And she said I would be cantering in no time I know I've never cantered :shock: plus jessie(my lesson horse that I LOVE) was perfect today!


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

Ever since I have started working I have NO desire to EVER build a big barn with lots of horses and stalls... I just want to move my horse home and never step in another stall again.
But I love riding and all that stuff just cleaning 26 stalls and feeding and watering isnt what it has cracked up to be.


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## ididasku (Mar 15, 2010)

Well i feel outnumbered but we all can feel the same about horses .got my first horse last spring after 35 yrs without 1 i felt like i have no clue on whats going on with them .come to find out horses havent changed any . I feel the same way about horses then as i do now mygrandaughter tool my first horse, so i got another horse . Now i get in trouble for having another girl in my life . Havent been able to ride since my back surgary in october. Doc said im good to go.my babys are 3 and 10 years old.


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## englishrider (Feb 4, 2010)

Tasia said:


> Ever since I have started working I have NO desire to EVER build a big barn with lots of horses and stalls... I just want to move my horse home and never step in another stall again.
> But I love riding and all that stuff just cleaning 26 stalls and feeding and watering isnt what it has cracked up to be.


26 stalls! WOW


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Goodness, it's so sweet to see all the enthusiasm. 

I've had horses 32 years. I boarded for 27 of them, and I've had the horses at home now for the last 5 years.

Boarding and self care are two completely different animals, but now that I'm doing it all myself I can't imagine ever going back to boarding. 

I do all the feeding, grooming, stall cleaning, fence setup/repair, and I enjoy it tremendously. It's a lot of work and I don't ride as much as I used to, but I take great satisfaction in knowing that my horses have clean stalls, safe paddocks, and are fed on a regular schedule.

You truly need a deep love and commitment to these animals to stick with it, because they're expensive to keep and will break your heart when you lose one. But it's all worth it.


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## wannahorse22 (Dec 27, 2009)

SpeedRacer- I know this is random, but what time in the morning do you wake up to feed your horse? If i got one it would be like 5:15 i think. But is that to early?


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

wannahorse22 said:


> SpeedRacer- I know this is random, but what time in the morning do you wake up to feed your horse? If i got one it would be like 5:15 i think. But is that to early?


It all depends on when you need to be at school or work, how many horses you have etc. 
It takes me only about 15-20 min. to get everyone fed and watered. Mine are not in stalls and I don't seperate them to feed. Just walk down the fence line dumping feed, then checking water and hay. 
If I had to seperate everyone it would of course take much longer. I have 4 horses.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Wanna, I need to be at work by 8:00 a.m., so I'm usually up at 5:30 a.m. I have a 45 minute drive to work, so I need to leave home by 7:15 a.m. 

Unlike Vida, I can't feed mine together. Casper's a pig and bolts his food, then tries to take everyone else's away from them.

Mack and Casper get the same thing, but Mack gets a little more because he's older, this winter was hard on him, and I'm trying to put some weight back on him.

JJ gets a different feed and twice what Mack and Casper get, because he's a TB and a hard keeper.

So, since they all get different amounts/types of feed, I have to separate them to make sure everyone gets what they're supposed to. Once they've eaten their grain they get turned back out again before I leave, and share hay.

I also have a Great Dane and barn cats who need to be fed and watered.

Once everyone's been fed and the horses are out with their hay, I get dressed and head on in to work.


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

I do enjoy spending time with horses and riding. When I build my own barn it may have 8 stalls. lol.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

Mine's fed at 5:30am. My sister-in-law says that my horse and hers stand at the end of their corrals and stare at the house window, just waiting for the light to turn on and then if she's not out there in what they deem a reasonable amount of time.... the neighbors hear all about it. :shock:

Each horse has their own stall and large run (we don't shut stall doors, they are free to go in/out) so feeding in the morning is giving the pre-prepared buckets of feed. Hers eats in her stall, mine outside (unless it's raining/snowing or tired human pours the feed into the inside feeder) and giving hay to mine and hay/alfalfa to hers.

We have to feed separate, I have a quarter horse whose convinced she's starving to death and inhales whatever you feed her (including de-wormer, she LOVES that stuff!!) and she has a thoroughbred whose slow, picky and needs hay in front of her 24x7.

I don't mind shoveling manure, it's quiet and peaceful.... nobody dares to come out there and bother me when I am, for fear I'll make them help! :lol:


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## englishrider (Feb 4, 2010)

Delfina said:


> We have to feed separate, I have a quarter horse whose convinced she's starving to death and inhales whatever you feed her (including de-wormer, she LOVES that stuff!!)


Dewormer really? She loves it? Wow


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## rum4 (Feb 28, 2010)

My wife and I feed ours about 5:30 or 6 in the morning. We have to separate them cause my TWH bolts food and runs everyone else off theirs. We have older QH that has to be stalled to eat due to bad teeth, they are floated, and the amount of feed seh gets, so it takes her a long time to eat. The other two eat at the same speed so no issue there. They share hay and feed time is the only time anyone is stalled. They are standing at the gate or fence looking for you to come feed in the mornings and evenings..


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## englishrider (Feb 4, 2010)

Wow everyone is saying 5:30 and I'm like wow that's early! lol


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

idk about all you guys but i just got my first horse in december 2008 so basically a year an 3 months ago? i as completely horse crazy. but i had never ridden in my life and my horse had never been ridden. i broke her and she taught me. now we have 6 horses where we live but only 4 are ours. i had my first foal a little over a week ago. and he is a dream come true! i did everything backwards but so far my luck as been good enough! 

as for your guys's feeding schedule lol you guys are crazy! i don't feed twice a day. the horses get fed once. and the horse who was pregnant and just had the baby gets fed twice. i fed her around 6:30-8 anywhere in there and she got 4 flakes of hay. and then all of the horses(momma horse included!) get fed at 3-8pm and they get 4 quarts of all grain. and get 1 square bale to share(momma gets 4 more flakes to herself). and they are healthy as can be.

things my way have worked for me. but all horses are different and all of mine seem to be easy keepers so this works well for me.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Some people don't feed grain at all, and just keep hay in front of their horses. Doesn't make anyone more right than anyone else, just different ways of keeping horses.

For those of you gasping about getting up at 5:30, I'm assuming you're not adults with a full-time job. Having horses is a job in itself, so we have to make concessions on the human end. I'd rather get up at 5:30 and make sure my animals are properly fed and watered before I go to work, than rush and make them miss meals.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Don't we all!

I'll get really jumpy and jittery before a show. All throw this summers Gymkhana's I was a wreck beforehand, trying to get everything together. I'm one of those people who has to freak out before I can be calm.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

englishrider said:


> Dewormer really? She loves it? Wow


If you hold up the tube, she comes running and stands there with her mouth open! :shock: Can't throw the empty tubes in the tack room trash can, she'll try and get in there to go through the trash after them. 

She was 100+lbs underweight when I bought her, bolted any and all food as fast as she could. She's slightly chunky now 5mo later and now slowly grazes through her hay but anything edible that she doesn't think she's supposed to have is nabbed any way possible and scarfed.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Speed Racer said:


> *Some people don't feed grain at all, and just keep hay in front of their horses.* *Doesn't make anyone more right than anyone else, just different ways of keeping horses.*
> 
> For those of you gasping about getting up at 5:30, I'm assuming you're not adults with a full-time job. Having horses is a job in itself, so we have to make concessions on the human end. I'd rather get up at 5:30 and make sure my animals are properly fed and watered before I go to work, than rush and make them miss meals.


I don't grain mine in the summer. A mineral salt block and all the grass they can eat is plenty. In the winter they get grained once a day around noon and have 24/7 hay. 
My husband works midnights so I try to keep feedings when he can do it in case I can't. Horses like to be fed on a regular schedule, doesn't matter what that schedule is.


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## englishrider (Feb 4, 2010)

Delfina said:


> If you hold up the tube, she comes running and stands there with her mouth open! :shock: Can't throw the empty tubes in the tack room trash can, she'll try and get in there to go through the trash after them.
> 
> She was 100+lbs underweight when I bought her, bolted any and all food as fast as she could. She's slightly chunky now 5mo later and now slowly grazes through her hay but anything edible that she doesn't think she's supposed to have is nabbed any way possible and scarfed.


LOL:lol:


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

I am an addict and don't want a cure.:lol::lol: I have been riding for 51 years, long long rides almost every second day and still get a high from it. That feeling has never gone away over the years and the longest time I can remember of not riding is 3 weeks, 3 weeks without a horse between my legs and it is my wife's fault. She made me go to Portugal in February.
I was out last night, can't ride tonight because of commitments but come Thursday I will be back out running.
Yes I am a horse lover, an addict and I love it. I ride about 2000 miles a year or a minumum of 4 times a week. I was born to be a rider.
I will die without a horse:lol::lol:


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

Vidaloco said:


> I don't grain mine in the summer. A mineral salt block and all the grass they can eat is plenty. In the winter they get grained once a day around noon and have 24/7 hay.


I grain year round, don't change summer or winter. Every graining also includes a handfull of table salt thrown into the wet mixture. Free access to a salt lick also. they have unlimited graze and in the end of August I start filling the hay feeder as well.
Most of the time my guy looses weight on pasture. Grass just doesn't have the same value as good hay for a heavy running horse. By fall he is getting pretty ribby and fattens up in winter with hay and the reduced riding load.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

RiosDad said:


> I grain year round, don't change summer or winter. Every graining also includes a handfull of table salt thrown into the wet mixture. Free access to a salt lick also. they have unlimited graze and in the end of August I start filling the hay feeder as well.
> Most of the time my guy looses weight on pasture. Grass just doesn't have the same value as good hay for a heavy running horse. By fall he is getting pretty ribby and fattens up in winter with hay and the reduced riding load.


I consulted my NRCS officer before I planted my pasture years ago. We set up a "salad" type mixture of grasses and legumes. Mine are always healthy with very shiny coats and good weight after a month on the pasture. I can see feeding on a non-managed pasture needing to stay on a supplemental feed.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

Vidaloco said:


> I consulted my NRCS officer before I planted my pasture years ago. We set up a "salad" type mixture of grasses and legumes. Mine are always healthy with very shiny coats and good weight after a month on the pasture. I can see feeding on a non-managed pasture needing to stay on a supplemental feed.


It's not the quality of the grass that is the problem, it is the quantity. A horse can only eat so much grass. Hay is concentrated grass, moisture removed so 10 pounds of grass doesn't equal 10 pounds of hay.
A hard working horse can not eat enough grass for the energy required for hard work, thus the concentrates/grain thus the requirement to continue eating hay.

My neighbour runs an endurance horse that eats 26 pounds of grain daily, mainly corn along with hay to keep him in running weight. On any pasture he would just loose too much weight.

Often by the end of summer my old guy would be quite ribby whiile his lazy pasture mates were rolling fat. Same feed just different work load.
I fed 7 pounds of grain, again mainly corn.


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## aintnocitygirl (Mar 12, 2010)

Vidaloco said:


> I don't grain mine in the summer. A mineral salt block and all the grass they can eat is plenty. In the winter they get grained once a day around noon and have 24/7 hay.


 I do the same exact thing with my mare. The grass in her pasture is so green & thick during the summer & she gets pretty fat on it. :lol: (She is out 24-7.. I live in FL.) During the winter she gets her grain everyday because the grass is bad from the cold. Shes happy & healthy.


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## englishrider (Feb 4, 2010)

gotta love the chubby horses!^^


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## ponycrazy (Mar 7, 2010)

haha YES! That is exactly me!!! As, you know from all my posts saying how much I want one haha. As you said on a visitor message I have "Horse Fever" haha.

I didn't know anyone else was like this too! I thought I was just weird. haha. But guess not!!


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## englishrider (Feb 4, 2010)

^^ It's okay to be weird! LOL :lol:


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