# soon to be horse..!? What do I need?



## Jillyann (Mar 31, 2009)

If youre buying a horse, you should probably already know what you need? And if you really dont know what you need, then you are absolutely not ready for a horse, what so ever.


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

Jillyann said:


> If youre buying a horse, you should probably already know what you need? And if you really dont know what you need, then you are absolutely not ready for a horse, what so ever.


Well, that's helpful

OP - are you completely new to horses or getting back into them? Does anyone in your immediate circle of friends/family know/have horses? Where are you keeping her - the needs will vary depending on keeping her at home or at a boarding facility as far as some of the items.
The bare basics would be:
a water container
halter/lead
riding gear - saddle, bridle, pad/blanket
grooming suplies - hoofpick, brush
first aid - basic wound care spray/cream, roll of vet wrap, scissors, etc
This is by no means a complete list - but I need to get back to work, lol


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

> If youre buying a horse, you should probably already know what you need? And if you really dont know what you need, then you are absolutely not ready for a horse, what so ever.


Actually, I do have tons of stuff already, and I have owned a horse before.
I was just checking to see if I missed anything..
I appreciate you concern though




> OP - are you completely new to horses or getting back into them? Does anyone in your immediate circle of friends/family know/have horses? Where are you keeping her - the needs will vary depending on keeping her at home or at a boarding facility as far as some of the items.
> The bare basics would be:
> a water container
> halter/lead
> ...


I have been riding for about 5 yrs, and I have owned a horse once before.
I would keep at a friends house down the road, they have about 2 acres they don't use.

thank you! xD

Here is a list of what I have already:
2 halters
2 leadropes
hoof pick
body brush
dandy brush
water brush
rubber curry comb
metal curry comb
sponge
face brush
mane comb
sweat scraper
fly spray

tack box
dressage saddle (gonna sell, as I ride western now )
english bridle
saddle pad (goes with saddle)

lunge line
lunge whip

grain bucket

fly mask (arab size, prob need new one)


What I need pretty much would be:
- tail brush
- western saddle/pad and bridle
- first aid supplies
- water trough/bucket
- fly mask

Is that all?


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

I would add to that 'at the least'

*The first aid kit (if you can find a good one, prepared, go for it!) 
*Individual feed buckets, and brushes, are always good, so you may need another one
*Salt block
*Mineral Block
*Horse Treats (of course!)
*Mane and Tail Shampoo and Conditioner (not necessarily 'that' brand, but you'll need something, to scrub them down everyonce in a while)
*When your colt is ready to ride, I prefer to have his own bridle, bit, and pad (personal preference, but also makes it easier than adjusting everytime, and prevents cross contamination)
*It's also always good to have an extra lead rope around, incase the horse breaks one
*your fly mask may fit baby right now
*Leg protection for when you ride, or work the horses; this again is personal preference, although I don't know why one wouldn't want to protect his horse's legs when he's working him hard. Slow rides fine, but the hard works, jumping, and trail rides...why not?
*I'd start arranging a farrier now, as well; so when they are ready for their feet to be done, you are all set to go


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## M2twisted (Sep 9, 2009)

ya, find a good shoer and vet. those are blessing to have!


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

> I would add to that 'at the least'
> 
> *The first aid kit (if you can find a good one, prepared, go for it!)
> *Individual feed buckets, and brushes, are always good, so you may need another one
> ...


Thank you so much! That was very helpful!
We are still not postitive about the yearling, but if we do get him, we will def. be getting more stuff for him 

I'm writing this down right now, before I forget 

We have a farrier only a couple blocks down  so that is awesome! We used him with our old horse, and he is really good xD


Thanks again! 

Also,

About how many bales do you think we will need to get for the winter?
How much do they eat per day/week/month?

What type should we get? alfalfa? grass? alfalfa-grass mix? alfalfa timothy brone?

We live in bc, canada, so winter lasts about 6 months. Also, the property we would keep them on is only about 1 - 1.5 acres..

Should we fence off two sections, so we can let them eat grass only a couple hours a day (in summer/spring), then put them in the one side the rest of the time?

Then in winter, we would leave the gate open in the middle, and they can go all around..

What do you think?


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

I guess I should post a couple pictures of the gelding as well


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

If its cold you are going to need rugs, raincoats and boots for you. 

I've heard some dodgy stuff about Lucerne (Alfalfa for you I think), about there being too much protein and it can cause problems. You can have some but the majority of the diet should be another kind of hay. I used Meadow, but a fair few people I know like Oaten. See what is available around your area.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Sounds like you have a pretty good start. You will need some winter supply where you are, so you should add a water tank heater to your list. 
I feed 4 horses so my hay feeding will be way more than yours. I feed free choice grass hay (not alfalfa) Large round bales that are around 1000 lbs each. They go through one of those in about 10 days. One horse will use small square bales normally. The large ones will rot before they get it eaten so its a waste. Find a good hay supplier, I buy all of mine as soon as its cut. Buying it as you need it is better if you don't have storage, although you gamble on the price you will pay. 
Most horses can get by on free choice good grass hay only. I feed a pellet feed as well, 1 lb. per 1000 lb body weight of horse. Some people feed more but mine maintain well on that. What you feed depends on how much work the horse will be doing. You will need a small scale to weigh your feed so add that to your list. A weight/height tape is handy to have as well and they aren't expensive. Great to have when you need to medicate/worm a horse by body weight. 
Do lots of research and ask lots of questions even if you think they are stupid Believe me, we all had to start somewhere on our horsey knowledge journey 


ETA I would pass on that gelding. He looks under weight, too young and possibly worm infested.


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## Zab (Oct 4, 2008)

You'll notice what you lack when you need it 
I had a halter, a few buckets, a pasture, a stall and one brush when I got my horse  I got everything else when I saw what I needed and what size he was. Most of it the first week...

For mane and tail I personally use green soap. Dunno if you have it there or how common it is, but it's dirt cheap, nature-friendly, washes everything pretty good and gives the hairs a thin layer of..something.. that proects them pretty well. It's great for washing off small wounds and stuff too (doctors recommendation to both people and animal) thanks to that protective layer. I've gone so far I use it on my own hair too.. But it's great to have for all cleaning purposes, be it the horse or the buckets or a scratch..

Unless the horses are getting fat, I see no reason to limit their grass intake. Horses are made to eat at least 16-18 hours a day, spread around the time and resting in between. If their stomachs are empty for more than a few hours, the ''acids'' made to break down the food goes to breaking down the stomach instead and that causes ulcars. Horses don't digest at all as we do, we're made to handle starvation a few days but they're made to eat all the time. It's way better to give free access on hay/grass and no grain or other feed, than to give less grass but the same amount of grain if they get fat. They're not even made to eat grain, it's just supposed to be a supplement if the straw/grass lacks something they need. Like protein or energy.

If the horse gets fat by the grass (more than just a little thicker, they should gain in summer and loose in winter, but not overly much) and excersize isn't enough, it might be a good idea to cut down on the grass time. Either with a grazing muzzle that allows some grass to get eaten, but slow (make sure it doesn't rub or give sores, ad that they can eat some with it) or by getting a pasture with less grass and keep them there more.

However it is good to have one pasture for summer and one for winter, to keep worms and parasites low. Preferably you let every pasture ''rest'' one year between use, so perhaps one pasture for the first full year, and then a second pasture for the second year, first pasture for third year etc.

My horse eats about 13kg hay every day, when he's not in the pasture with grass in the day. But it's individual, some horses won't eat enough (they're the ones mostly needing grain, unless you can get a better hay) and horses needing 20kg per day. They would usually be best off with a low quality hay (as in low energy, protein etc, not as in bad and dusty) so what kind of hay you need depends on your horse, and on how much money you have.. I know that at some places hay is hard to get by, but I still advice to give as much as possible. I also advice to use straw in the stalls, especially if you don't have free access to hay.
The hay needs a good balance between protein, energy and minerals.

If your horses arn't used to grass, you might want to get them used to it slowly and that's the only time I'd say you should limit their tim in a grass pasture to a few hours a day and slowly increase it to full time.

You might need blankets for winter, but if you're not clipping them, most horses can handle a lot of cold. It's water that's the problem and that makes them freeze, not usual cold. A good rug for when the horse is wet and needs to dry off and stay warm is really helpful. I've had times when Crow needed 4 rugs at once to keep warm! He had been really wet in a storm before we could get them back in..and it wasn't more than a little below freezing that day. He usually go ''naked'' in the pasture even when it's really cold. 

I guess that's all advice I have.. oh, one more; as much time in the pasture as possible. Horses arn't made to stand still in a stall for several hours and they don't sleep all night. Their bodys and minds need to move around and walk, or they'll get bored and migt get bad ''habits'' like chewing on everything, ''swallowing'' air and walk around, stressing their joints by walking too much in a small area. Make the pasture interesting too to invite movement


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

Thank you for the information 
helped soo much!

So, for one horse.. about 1000 pound round bale will last 1.5 months?
In small bales (rectangle) about 50 pound bales.. would those last about 3 days?


About the gelding.. If we got a vet to look at the mare, would it cost the same amount to get him checked?
Also, would the vet know if he has worms?


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

that was for vidaloco 

I am reading urs right now zab


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## Zab (Oct 4, 2008)

I don't think the gelding looks underweight.. but perhaps worminfested or lack of protein. It's hard to tell..he's a yearling, right? They never look good 
(don't take me too seriously here, I have a resque yearling at home that really looked bad so I might compare with him) anyyway, that's things you can fix.

But I don't really love his looks so I'd pass on him, as long as you have other horses to accompany your new one.


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

> Unless the horses are getting fat, I see no reason to limit their grass intake. Horses are made to eat at least 16-18 hours a day, spread around the time and resting in between. If their stomachs are empty for more than a few hours, the ''acids'' made to break down the food goes to breaking down the stomach instead and that causes ulcars.


I was thinking since the pasture is only 1 - 1.5 acres.. the grass would be gone soon..
Also we only have that one acre.. so can't really have 2 turnout pastures 



And, wow! thanks for all the info  Its helped alot!
Thanks everyone for your time! xD


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

> Idon't think the gelding looks underweight.. but perhaps worminfested or lack of protein. It's hard to tell..he's a yearling, right? They never look good
> (don't take me too seriously here, I have a resque yearling at home that really looked bad so I might compare with him) anyyway, that's things you can fix.
> 
> But I don't really love his looks so I'd pass on him, as long as you have other horses to accompany your new one.


Yeah, he is about 1.5 yrs old. He is registered. Has his papers.

The mare would then be my only horse.. so she would still need a companion as she has had buddies her whole life.


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## Zab (Oct 4, 2008)

Grass grow too 

But with your space, I'd say; keep it at one pasture then. You might need to muck it out a little every day/week, or use a tractor or something to turn it all around once a year. (you could take half the pasture at a time with a few weeks or months in between so that the horses has something to run on) this is to keep the parasite pressure low. You might have to plant new grass when that's done. But it depends on how the pasture looks, and what would be best for it.

If they can't get grass in the pasture, you'll need straw or hay to give them as well, to keep those stomachs working


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## Zab (Oct 4, 2008)

horseluver50 said:


> Yeah, he is about 1.5 yrs old. He is registered. Has his papers.
> 
> The mare would then be my only horse.. so she would still need a companion as she has had buddies her whole life.


Yes, she needs company. All horses does that and I feel really sad for those that's too destroyed to accept friends.. I know a stallion among others that had never been outside the stall or arena, andnever seen a friend, before he got to sweden. It has taken years, especially to make him accept friends, but now he's out in his pasture and even have another horse there (a gelding I think) and they work well together 

But it doesn't have to be that gelding, perhaps you can find a horse that's more fun for you to have as well. Perhaps a pony with a carriage for variation  Or another, good riding horse


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

horseluver50 said:


> Thank you for the information
> helped soo much!
> 
> *So, for one horse.. about 1000 pound round bale will last 1.5 months?*
> ...


Sorry I should have said the large bales usually have more waste on them. They sit outside more often and will rot on the bottoms. If not covered the outter layer will sometimes be waste as well. .
You could feed a large bale to one horse if you have a way to cover it. 
I'm not one to ask how many small bales 1 horse will eat, I've not fed that way in many years. I'm guessing 1/2 bale per day? 
My reason for passing on the gelding is mostly his age. You probably want a horse you can ride right away and who won't need a lot of training. You would probably be better off looking in the 7 + age group. 
Also, some horses do fine being alone, others don't. You don't always need a companion. 1 horse on 1 1/2 acres is OK. I always figure 2 acres of pasture per horse so thats pretty close. We keep a sacrifice (dry) lot of about 2 acres that I keep 4 horses on when my pasture starts to stress and during bad weather. Since you don't have that much land you should plan on feeding hay all year, or set up a small paddock as a sacrifice lot.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Here is a great web site with lots of beginner to advanced information. She has a couple of books out as well if you would rather have "in hand" information. Horse training and horse care information by Cherry Hill

She has a book called Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage that might be helpful to you


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

zab -- haha, i know grass grows  But with 2 horses on it, it would wear down completely. 

Thanks 

vidaloco -- I would have hay stored in a tent, with protection on the bottom as well.

Well, kinda the whole reason I wanted the gelding, would be to train him, then sell him or keep him when he is trained to ride.
The owner began training horses when she was my age, and I think it would be a great learning experience for me, and to have fun while I`m at it 

Thanks for the link 
I own a book on horse keeping on a small acreage, it is really good! 


Thanks again!!


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## Zab (Oct 4, 2008)

Be careful with that gelding tho.. After what you've written, you don't have a lot of experience with horses (really..5 years is nothing when it comes to training a horse from scratch) and training a young horse is both dangerous and easy to mess up.

Crow was 5 and well handeled when I got him, but not broke to ride. One little mistake shattered my wrist, damaging it for life, and it took me more than a year to get over my new won fright of riding. It wasn't easier because the horse still wasn't broke to ride... And in the end I sent him to a trainer, it was either that or sell him/put him down (to save him from ending up on a slaughter transport due to his breed, age and training level). It worked out which I'm utterly grateful for 

And now I bought a yearling that I still don't know if I'll manage to train myself or not, but I'll take that problem when he's older. At least I'm good at training ground manners 

My point is..don't start out with a young, untrained horse just yet. You have plenty of time to gain experiense and practice, but don't start out too hard.


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

I understand your experiences with an untrained horse. But, I have read alot of books, articles etc. and I kinda know what I will be doing.
Everyone starts training their own horse someday in their life.

I realize you got hurt, and that scared you, but you could fall off a bombproof broke horse and break your back.

Working with any type of horses is dangerous, but if I am doing what I love, I don't think about it 


But, anyways.. I'm not sure we are going to get either of them... I still haven't decided


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## Zab (Oct 4, 2008)

You sound just like me 

The point is; to get back up on a non-broke horse is way worse than getting back up on a well broke horse. I've had many accidents, only that one scared me.
I had 12 years experience with horses and riding, 3 years on a horse high school with lessons for breaking young horses under saddle. I don't know how much I've read, and I have been with people and trained their young horses, with guidance, before. It was still too much for me to handle.
now, Crow is a bit special and pretty nervous, but that's besides the point, really.

Don't get an unbroke young horse the first thing you do. Really, just don't. There is no reason for you to start practising that just yet.
Yes, all horses are dangerous and I dont want you to be too terrified to move around them or do what you feel like, but why start out with the hardest types? I promise that you'll learn tons just by owning a well broke horse. 

If you're like me tho, and you sound to be, you won't care what I say since you have already decided to train a young horse asap. But please, at least take help as often as possble (peferably every day) from a good horse person with lots of experience and who works in a way you think is right for you and your horse.


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## Jillyann (Mar 31, 2009)

horseluver50 said:


> I understand your experiences with an untrained horse. But, I have read alot of books, articles etc. and I kinda know what I will be doing.
> *Everyone starts training their own horse someday in their life.*
> 
> I realize you got hurt, and that scared you, but you could fall off a bombproof broke horse and break your back.
> ...



With a trained professional for the first few times. Not alone. And 5 years is nothing. Books and articles aren't good enough IMHO. Do you even have a trainer? How old are you? Have you ever helped anyone train a horse from the ground up before? If not....you have another thing coming to you.

Not trying to be rude, but really it sounds like you dont have much experience.

And I know you have 'owned' a horse before... how long ago? And how old were you? Did you actually even do anything with the horse? Why did you sell the horse, or however you got rid of it?


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

Some people start training their own horses at age 10.
It's my decision.

I have a trainer. I am 13. I haven't trained a horse before, but I hope to become a parelli trainer

I owned a horse about 3 year ago. I was 9 when we got her. She was only 3, we made a wrong choice in buying her, she bit us, and reared and she wasnt a nice horse to be around.


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## Jillyann (Mar 31, 2009)

I have never heard of a 10 year old training a horse by themselves. Good luck.


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

I know a few people who have trained horses that young.
Also, I wouldn't be training it on my own, I have an aunt and a friend to help me.

But, I don't think we are getting the horses anymore.. she might be too small


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## Zab (Oct 4, 2008)

Look... you sound like a pretty smart 13 yearsold, you know what you want and you express yourself maturely.

Just... good luck. I do hope you'll learn before you get killed or bound to a wheelchair. It sounds harsh, but it's the truth. We all need to learn from our mistakes, but somethings can wait. Either you learn how to handle the horse correctly and make a somewhat decent horse of him that's at the least not dangerous to be around, or learn that it was in fact too much for you at this time of life. Or you will end up seriously injured. To be honest..even with a good trainer, you have the odds very much against you.


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## Zab (Oct 4, 2008)

There are other horses, so the advice you're given here will count for pretty much any horse you decide for.

Perhaps you can get a good riding horse for your purposes, and an old pasture pet or so, that's of course healthy, as a companion. That way you'll have time to learn more and when the old horse has it better off in horse heaven you can decide for a younger horse to train. And still have done the old horse a favour by giving him or her a good last part of his/her life.


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## Jillyann (Mar 31, 2009)

I couldnt agree more with what Zab has said.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

horseluver50 said:


> She was only 3, we made a wrong choice in buying her, she bit us, and reared and she wasnt a nice horse to be around.


She probably thought you weren't very nice people to be around. 
Remember, never blame the horse. It generally always rider error. 
I hope it works out for you. You have gotten good advice about what you need. I think you need to invest in a trainer in the beginning -- But you seem opposed to that. I hope your aunt and whomever else is helping you know what their doing.


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## Audra0729 (Feb 25, 2009)

As far as hay for 1 horse, My horse went through a bale every 2 days or so, that's with 2 flakes am & pm. account about 200 bales for the winter if your winter is about 6 months, also depends on the weight of the hay. A lot for more hay than less if possible, if storage permits, for the first winter and get a good feed, stay away from a sweet feed tho, go either a mix of sweet feed and pellet or just a pellet period.

Good luck with any training you do. I bought my yearling only about 6 years into my riding career, with the right help you can do it. I had trained a few horses from a 2 year old to a 10 year old under supervision before I got my yearling. I also retrained my OTTB so I know with patience and understanding it is possible. 

just be safe! having some direction in the beginning would be helpful, not to tell you what to do but just to be there is something goes wrong.


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

Spastic Dove -- ? we never rode her.. only our professional trainer.. don't say its rider error, as we have a really good trainer.. Our horse spooked at everything and reared, our trainer said she needs an experienced rider, we were beginers at the time.

Thats why we sold her. She had never been ridden before, and I wasn't blaming her. She just wasn't suitable for us when we were younger.

Thanks Audra for the info


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## Jillyann (Mar 31, 2009)

horseluver50 said:


> Spastic Dove -- ? we never rode her.. only our professional trainer.. don't say its rider error, as we have a really good trainer.. Our horse spooked at everything and reared, our trainer said she needs an experienced rider, we were beginers at the time.
> 
> Thats why we sold her. She had never been ridden before, and I wasn't blaming her. She just wasn't suitable for us when we were younger.
> 
> Thanks Audra for the info



Its still almost 100% rider/trainer error if a horse acts up. The horse was not taught to behave that way. Either someone let the horse get away with it, or she was not properly trained...


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

I can tell you now.

My trainer who trained her, is very good with horses.
She is a great teacher. Tons of people know her. She teached pony club, vet assistant, and trains dressage horses mainly.

It is def. not OUR trainers error. She was being trained before by someone else, when we didn't own her.. for only a little bit though.

Also, its not only cause of bad training, some horses rear when they spook at something, that is what she did.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

She may not have been suitable for a young rider, but the horse is never to blame. If you had a good trainer, she should have worked with the horse through that issue. Perhaps you did not get to because you realized she was not suitable for a beginner rider and that I will understand -- However the horse was not at fault.


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## Jillyann (Mar 31, 2009)

Spastic is right!


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## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

I never said it was the horses fault 

I just said she wasn't right for us at the time.

Also, I'm pretty sure we aren't getting this mare, or the young gelding..
so lets be done


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## tseluyu dylan (Sep 25, 2009)

how exciting! lovely horse, dapples are amazing!


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