# Entering the unknown (All advice greatly appreciated)



## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

I got my current horse when she was 18 as well, and she turned 23 in March. She's been a fabulous first horse for more reasons than I can count. She's a Morgan, so she should go for years more, though I will say this year she has had some changes in muscling/body condition that have no cause we can pin down with bloodwork, etc. Just more of a senior horse than a young one. It has required close attention to diet, but no medical treatment outside of an over the counter joint supplement.

My riding goals are very tame though, and she is good for hacking around the woods and fields at whatever pace suits her-some days a leisurely walk, some days an animated canter.

Will enjoy following your journal with your new horse!

PS-Sorry to hear about Astro.


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## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

Maybe you should get this post to the member journals section 

I'd like to try and keep up either way


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Welcome back and congratulations on your new horse!! 

IMO I would not make any sudden changes to an 18yr old horse that has been in the same home for 16 years. 

Pictures are required of any new horses


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## pineapplepastures (Nov 12, 2013)

egrogan said:


> I got my current horse when she was 18 as well, and she turned 23 in March. She's been a fabulous first horse for more reasons than I can count. She's a Morgan, so she should go for years more, though I will say this year she has had some changes in muscling/body condition that have no cause we can pin down with bloodwork, etc. Just more of a senior horse than a young one. It has required close attention to diet, but no medical treatment outside of an over the counter joint supplement.
> 
> My riding goals are very tame though, and she is good for hacking around the woods and fields at whatever pace suits her-some days a leisurely walk, some days an animated canter.
> 
> ...


thanks for the responses! I agree that I should probably just stick to trail riding & spoiling him due to his age. I want to get another horse eventually, & perhaps that will be my liberty horse. 

Heres some pictures of Pluto from our last ride, I'll post more when he makes it home on wednesday 

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

hes soo cute to me


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## pineapplepastures (Nov 12, 2013)

oops i meant to reply to everyone not just egroran, still trying to remember how to message board properly & things have def gotten more high tech since my last visit hah


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## pineapplepastures (Nov 12, 2013)

BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 said:


> Maybe you should get this post to the member journals section
> 
> I'd like to try and keep up either way


should I delete this thread & repost in the members journal?


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I will move it.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

He's cute! 

I wouldn't rule liberty work out of the question if you want to try it and he seems responsive. My mare had been an arena/(failed) lesson horse when I got her, and didn't really seem to have trail experience. It was something I really wanted to do with her, so it was a slow process but eventually successful. So much so she now much prefers hacking out to riding in the arena 

It sort of a cliche, but "listen to your horse" seems a good way to go when you have the luxury of time and can figure out what he enjoys.

As far as moving the thread0 I think if you hit the little "exclamation point" button below your name on your first post, that will flag the thread to the moderators, and you can ask them to move it to the journal section.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

just for future info . .. @*egrogan* is right; use report button to request moving of a thread. and, you will not be able to delete a thread on your own. it's not possible for members. jsut the way this forum works.


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## pineapplepastures (Nov 12, 2013)

tinyliny said:


> just for future info . .. @*egrogan* is right; use report button to request moving of a thread. and, you will not be able to delete a thread on your own. it's not possible for members. jsut the way this forum works.


ok thank you tinyliny! I responded to your private message btw!


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## pineapplepastures (Nov 12, 2013)

egrogan said:


> It sort of a cliche, but "listen to your horse" seems a good way to go when you have the luxury of time and can figure out what he enjoys.


I like that because I do have all the time in the world to figure out what would make him happiest. The previous owner said he loves trails but hates arena work so it seems very 50/50 on how he'll respond to liberty ground work exercises that would need to be done in an arena. I'm hoping that because hes such a smart & interested boy that he will like the games & hopefully find them to be entertaining. My last horse, Astro, was really into it. He loved to get things "right"


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## pineapplepastures (Nov 12, 2013)

Horses are funny. Just yesterday I was scared I bit off more than I could chew. Today I'm certain he's exactly the horse Ive been waiting for. 

Got to the barn & Pluto walked right up to me. (heart swoon) We did a lot of ground work off and on lead which he took for games, he absolutely loved it. Anyway, the ground work exercises made him love me, he was following me everywhere and coming when called for. I wasn't sure if I was jumping the gun with riding him today but I am extremely glad I did. He's perfect under saddle. I've always had quarter horses so I'm getting used to him as an arab. He really is a fancy boy, haha. I am in love with his gait & how he holds his tail high even at a walk. 

Long story short, today was a dream. I am so happy to have a horse again, especially this one. 

I have a trainer coming on monday to critique my riding but mostly my handling since I still get a little scared of leading him and taking him out of his corral. I'm really excited for that. 

Just want to say one more time it feels sooooo good to have a horse again


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## pineapplepastures (Nov 12, 2013)

So it will be three weeks tomorrow that I've had Pluto.

i was so worried about his age, but man does this pony still have spunk. Turns out he's exactly the perfect horse for liberty, too! I've actually only saddled & bridled him once since he's arrived, & have been riding him with just a halter, lead & a liberty rope my friend made ever since. He's so responsive, and we've bonded quicker than any horse I've ever had. 

I'm also trick training him. He's learned to "smile" and "pick it up" already. We're going to work on bowing after he's had the chiropractor & vet out. 

He was rather underweight upon getting him, but he's been packing on the pounds and muscle tone quite well in the last 3 weeks. 

All & all I couldn't be happier with my horse. He's amazing and I feel so lucky to have found him.


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## pineapplepastures (Nov 12, 2013)

its been a month & two weeks since Pluto came home. 

I can't believe how quickly we've bonded. And my hesitation to start him on liberty is laughable, he's been full liberty for over half a month now. Here's a photo from a few weeks back when we first starting training for liberty using the halter. He's gained quite a bit of weight even since this photo. 






*This journal has been closed due to prolonged lack of participation by the author. Journals that have no active participation by the author for a period of time greater than 18 months will be considered abandoned and will be closed until the author asks for them to be reopened.*


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