.
I know i need to put a first aid kit together before we go. Where they will be staying is at our friends property with her 15 year old quarter horse. They already have brushes etc but ill buy some for our horses. So far this is all i can think of:
Horse first aid kit
Shipping boots
Blankets
Halters
Leads
Hay to bring with us to ohio and hay from ohio
Eventually new saddles, bridles, not sure if they use bits or not
Grooming supplies (brushes, combs, fly spray, shampoo, mane and tail conditioner, rubber bands for braiding mane and tail, etc)
Rope and beads for diy browbands and halters etc
Anything else?
A thirteen-year-old breeding stallion who may put up with tack and standing but who’s never been ridden? A good trainer for green horses. An ASTM-certified helmet for you.
Health certificates and all vaccines (especially the mosquito-borne diseases.) Every state’s recommendations are different.
I would not necessarily be over worried about blankets. Not everyone uses them even in cold climates (I never do on a TB) and you’re moving them to Florida. If anything they may have trouble adjusting as it’s already cold up in the midwest. Clippers may be a higher priority.
[QUOTE=Sarahfay94;8903705]
Howdy!
I am looking at getting a horse or two from my great uncle. He breeds Arabians. He has told me if i can come get them that i can have them. Well i will be traveling from florida to ohio and back. With possibly one or two horses. The first horse is a 13 year old beautiful gray Arabian named Ali. He has amazing blood lines. However he has been a stallion for a while. And my uncle is going to have him gelded for us before we come to get him, and i want to work with him to make him a trail horse. Hes never been riden, but he accepts a saddle, stands for the farrier, does done with the vet, trailers great etc. My uncle says hes a very sweet loving horse and would be real easy to train. And the second horse is another Arabian. Shes a bit older. She is 25. Shes already trained to trail and is an amazing horse. Well before we get them i would like to get as much as i can. He said he has saddles for them already and what not. But i know ill need to get blankets, i want to get new harnesses and leads etc. We are working on buying or renting a trailer for the ride there and back. Input would be much appreciated.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Sarahfay94;8903713]I know i need to put a first aid kit together before we go. Where they will be staying is at our friends property with her 15 year old quarter horse. They already have brushes etc but ill buy some for our horses. So far this is all i can think of:
Horse first aid kit
Shipping boots
Blankets
Halters
Leads
Hay to bring with us to ohio and hay from ohio
Eventually new saddles, bridles, not sure if they use bits or not
Grooming supplies (brushes, combs, fly spray, shampoo, mane and tail conditioner, rubber bands for braiding mane and tail, etc)
Rope and beads for diy browbands and halters etc
Anything else?[/QUOTE]
Sounds like a wonderful opportunity for you to get those horses to care for and train.
My first item in that situation would be getting a trainer on board right from the start, to help with the evaluation and training.
That would make life afterwards so much easier, to have a second pair of very experiences eyes there to help with the transition.
I expect you already have that lined up?
As for the list you provided, some of it is good to have on hand right off, like a halter and lead and extra halters and leads, buckets, first aid kit and a basic grooming kit with brushes, currycomb and hoofpick, that you can use right away.
In some places, fly spray also helps keep horses comfortable if there are flies there.
Some of the other, you may never need, depending on what you do with the horses and is something you can add later, as you need.
Don’t forget, that is important, to take many pictures, in all places, so you later have those to enjoy also.
It is fun to start preparing for the new horses, is it.
OP:
I don’t mean to be a Dreamsquasher, but how much experience horse-owning & riding do you have?
Have you ever broken a horse to ride (accepting a saddle sans rider does not = rideable)? Do you have a trainer or someone with the skill to train a horse to be ridden?
Renting a trailer might be the better option if you can find one. Do you have the truck to haul it?
Look into a commercial shipper - might be safer for everyone if you have no experience hauling horses.
As for living with your friend’s horse - mare or gelding?
Your recently-gelded stud could be a problem - takes months for the testosterone levels to drop off.
If they cannot be separated, someone could get hurt.
Like danceronice days: a 13yo stallion, unbroke to ride, is not a great 1st Choice for somebody intending on using him for trails.
He might take right to it, he might toss you into the nearest bush & head for the hills.
The older mare sounds like a better candidate for your intended use.
As far as kitting them out - your freebie saddles may work… or not.
A poorly-fitting saddle can make a rideable horse uncomfortable enough so they become un-rideable or at best an un-enjoyable ride.
Harnesses? Are you planning on driving or did you mean: bridles/saddles/etc?
Every horse should have their own set of brushes to avoid transferring any skin conditions from horse to horse.
At minimum:
A stiff brush for removing mud & dirt < although some tender-skinned horses will never accept a truly stiff brush
A softer finishing brush
A small, soft brush for face
Brush or comb for mane & tail
Hoofpick
I keep my horses in the Midwest where Polar Vortex has entered the vocabulary.
Even with temps well below zero, I rarely blanket my horses.
If we get blizzard conditions where they get wet through on their backs, blankets go on until they dry out, then blankets come off again.
They are not clipped & grow lovely, warm coats.
'My horses live out 24/7 with access to stalls if they want.
They rarely Want.
Good Luck & if you do go through with this plan, please come back here for more advice.
Oh my.
OP - trailering a recently gelded adult horse and an old mare all the way from Ohio to Florida is risky in and of itself. Factor in limited horse experience, and really I think it is a recipe for disaster.
Do you plan to drive straight thru? If not you need a layover place. Have you ever driven a truck/trailer? Who will be with you?
Florida is very strict about health certificates, must be done w/in very short period of the trip, coggins, shots all that are necessary. You MUST stop at the Ag Center.
I’d worry a lot less about what you need to buy and more about the proper set up for their future home so that no horse gets hurt, how you are going to take this gelding from not broke to trail riding material w/out getting hurt.
I have a 14 yr old stallion, never used for breeding, but he does know what all that is for, and if I gelded him I’m pretty sure it would be a very long time before I’d let him hang out w/ any mares…
[QUOTE=Sarahfay94;8903705]
Howdy!
I am looking at getting a horse or two from my great uncle. He breeds Arabians. He has told me if i can come get them that i can have them. Well i will be traveling from florida to ohio and back. With possibly one or two horses. The first horse is a 13 year old beautiful gray Arabian named Ali. He has amazing blood lines. However he has been a stallion for a while. And my uncle is going to have him gelded for us before we come to get him, and i want to work with him to make him a trail horse. Hes never been riden, but he accepts a saddle, stands for the farrier, does done with the vet, trailers great etc. My uncle says hes a very sweet loving horse and would be real easy to train. And the second horse is another Arabian. Shes a bit older. She is 25. Shes already trained to trail and is an amazing horse. Well before we get them i would like to get as much as i can. He said he has saddles for them already and what not. But i know ill need to get blankets, i want to get new harnesses and leads etc. We are working on buying or renting a trailer for the ride there and back. Input would be much appreciated.[/QUOTE]
It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
1 Like
Can you have a trainer work with them for a few weeks before you decide if you want to bring them home? Many a 13 year old will not want to become a riding horse, after never having been ridden during his lifetime. He may be quite difficult or impossible to train. Do you plan to have a vetting to make sure they are sound and healthy? A free horse is not really free. It costs a lot to feed, shoe, and provide shelter and veterinary care. If the horses will never be rideable, is that ok for you? How capable of a rider are you?
I hope this works out well, but I do worry that these horses may not be suitable.
Please have a written plan in place with your relative on what happens to the horses if they don’t work out for you. Can they be returned to him? Who is responsible for shipping them back? Can you sell them or otherwise rehome them? Is he giving you their papers in case he says you can sell? Clarify as much as you can Good luck
How much experience do you have? As a new horse owner, starting off with two horses is a lot in my opinion (double the cost, double the work). Yes these are “free” horses but if you lack experience (riding and/or horse care)- I think you may be biting off more than you can happily chew. Trailering two horses long distance is also not a good start for someone new to trailering. If you have not been riding regularly I think you would be best to get into a lesson program and hone your skills and see what you really enjoy. Also it is probably better to start off with a lease before buying- horses can be very time consuming and you want to be sure ownership is compatible with your life style. Riding will help you decide what kind of horse would be best suited to your needs and you may do much better trying out what is locally available. Best of luck to you.
I would look for horses closer to home that can do exactly what I want to do right now. I would thank great uncle for the offer of the free horses but recognize that the cost of transport and training, as well as the unsuitability of the horses, makes it a bad match.
1 Like
THIS. I will wager that within a 100 mile radius of your area, there are free horses that are rideable, sound and for whatever reason, they are being re-homed. If you take these horses, you are really doing him a huge favor, not the other way around. I am not saying he is trying to pawn anything off on you but an unbroke newly gelded 13 yr old and a 25 yr old horse is not really the best thing for YOU. I have a sound, teenaged lower level dressage horse that is a dreamy lesson horse I am offering for a care lease. All I hear are crickets or people will say they might use her IF I ship her to them. So there are some gems out there that would be better suited if that is that you want.
[QUOTE=IronwoodFarm;8904644]
I would look for horses closer to home that can do exactly what I want to do right now. I would thank great uncle for the offer of the free horses but recognize that the cost of transport and training, as well as the unsuitability of the horses, makes it a bad match.[/QUOTE]
Speaking of crickets…
2 posts in 10 minutes, then nada.
OP:
Are you chewing over the info offered here?
Or have you taken your ball & gone home?
Guys- no where did she (he?) say she was an inexperienced rider, or has never trained an unstarted horse, or doesn’t have a trainer, or has never owned/ leased/ been responsible for a horse, or doesn’t understand vaccination protocol, or … etc etc etc
I agree, doesn’t sound like a great plan, BUT we don’t know a lot of the variables. Need more info. Maybe she’s the last option for a soft landing for these two.
OP: if you’ve committed to these specific 2 horses already:
- Get the stallion gelded, asap.
- Trailer cannot be a 2 horse. Need at the minimum a 4 horse slant so you can put an empty space in between them.
- They need negative coggins & a health cert.
- Stop at FL ag station (and have the above papers. They check.)
- Bring at least 5 bales of OH hay with you. All you really need “equipment”-wise right now is a halter & lead each. I wouldn’t bother with shipping boots on unbroken older horses like these.
- When you get them home do NOT turn them out together. Need to be stabled and pastured separately, for at least 3 months.
- Be careful and have fun getting to know them! Don’t be too worried about a “bond” forming between you and them too soon. Just keep them and you safe and the rest will come.
[QUOTE=Alterrain;8904685]
Guys- no where did she (he?) say she was an inexperienced rider, or has never trained an unstarted horse, or doesn’t have a trainer, or has never owned/ leased/ been responsible for a horse, or doesn’t understand vaccination protocol, or … etc etc etc[/QUOTE]
Several posters (myself included) asked these questions & got zilch in reply.
My thoughts are either OP is:
A)mulling over the responses rec’d.
B)does not have daily access to COTH
C)will not reappear as advice was not all Sunshine & Butterflies.
She didn’t say inexperienced but the vocabulary and questions in general point that way.
OP (original poster) if you are inexperienced with horses I would highly recommend that you do not get these two. They are both going to have different challenges one with age and the associated extra care and the other with being a late gelded stallion with no under saddle training. As another poster mentioned there are plenty of free horses out there and even more in the $500 range that would be perfect for trail riding.
I vote troll…Poster never came back…
On a positive note…it’s NOT cold yet in most of Ohio. Haven’t even had a freeze yet in most of the state. Soon, but not yet.
On the not so positive side, gelding a 13 year old stud is close to major surgery and expensive if done correctly and the safest way possible for the horse. Doubt he’d be fit for long days in the trailer for some time. You will need some vetwork and paperwork on both horses to allow them into Florida, it can cost more then you think. Will Uncle pick that up too or will you be paying for it?
The travel itself is going to be expensive round trip, take 12-20 hours each way (depending on where in Oh and Fl) add a day in Ohio when picking up and possibly another overnite on the way up empty and with the horses enroute? You are realistically talking the better part of a week on the road going up and back. And that’s not allowing for construction, weather, breakdowns or wreck delays (yours or those you get stuck behinds).
This needs to be thought through more throughly. Including written contract for board at friends place -who’s responsible for what, what friend will provide in feed, water, fencing and what you will pay for it. And a written agreement for the transportation, who pays for hundreds of dollars in gas, food, overnite accommodations, possible accident damage to tow vehicle and/or trailer and additional auto insurance costs for friend.
Geriatric horses can find drastic change and very long travel days more difficult. Particularly when not off the home property for years…or decades…or ever? Might not be in her best interests. Also may not be able to be what you expect as far as riding often or for very long. She could have 5 useful years left, or none. Sorry, she’s old. How long has it been since she was ridden?
Think most concur it’s a very long road breaking out a never ridden 13 year old, much less one that is still a stud facing a $$ clinic procedure with recovery time.
This is going to cost you close to 1k if not more, As has been mentioned, there are free horses looking for homes much closer to you that will only cost a couple hundred to bring to friends place, if that. Ones that are being ridden now, don’t need vetwork and have more useful years of regular use left.
Experience has taught me to mistrust very dramatic first posts so not sure I didn’t just waste my time here…
Horse first aid kit-yes
Shipping boots- no
Blankets- only if trailering in an open stock trailer leaving Ohio and below 45. Then take off blankets the further down south you get. I live in FL an Ohio raised horses will be very uncomfortable with blankets on when it is 50.
Halters-yes-maybe 2 each or so
Leads-yes- maybe 3 each or so
Hay to bring with us to ohio and hay from ohio-yes-
Eventually new saddles, bridles, not sure if they use bits or not
Grooming supplies (brushes, combs, fly spray, shampoo, mane and tail conditioner, rubber bands for braiding mane and tail, etc)
Rope and beads for diy browbands and halters etc
Anything else?
Bolded is the least important things. Don’t even worry about them because you will be taking on a big enough handful with just 2 horses. I hope you have good fencing and a sturdy trailer. Or this previously a stallion is exceptional in his manners
[QUOTE=2DogsFarm;8904697]
Several posters (myself included) asked these questions & got zilch in reply.
My thoughts are either OP is:
A)mulling over the responses rec’d.
B)does not have daily access to COTH
C)will not reappear as advice was not all Sunshine & Butterflies.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=gypsymare;8904765]She didn’t say inexperienced but the vocabulary and questions in general point that way.
OP (original poster) if you are inexperienced with horses I would highly recommend that you do not get these two. They are both going to have different challenges one with age and the associated extra care and the other with being a late gelded stallion with no under saddle training. As another poster mentioned there are plenty of free horses out there and even more in the $500 range that would be perfect for trail riding.[/QUOTE]
[edit]
OP wanting horse supplies and putting there bands to braid mane and tail?
That I say is a giveaway that the whole is not making too much sense with getting two, arabians no less, one a just gelded older unridden stallion, to care for and train, that will be stabled in a friends barn.
That story sounds a bit like one of those “how many incongruences can you count with this picture?”
Not getting any feedback by now also could indicate the story may not be as told.
While it may be all true, the odds are maybe not so good that the story is.
