Horse Care For Beginners

My first horse. 

I was in my early 50′s when I first started riding. I was full enthusiasm and keen to get really involved. I’d just bought a 10 acre property with lush pasture and so had plenty of space to keep a horse. The fencing was excellent as the property had formerly been a deer farm and was fenced accordingly.  So I decided to buy a horse.

 I’d heard of a horse for sale some distance from me and he sounded like he could be OK. So I arranged to see him for an inspection, even although I was totally inexperienced. I took a horse owner friend with me for guidance and went to see him. He turned out to be a rather tall, chestnut thoroughbred. The lady owner didn’t offer to ride him (my first mistake as I should have insisted she did) and my friend mounted him and did some walking, trotting and cantering.

Then it was my turn. With some trepidation I mounted up, but due to my total inexperience, only managed to walk him around the property for a short time. My friend gave the nod of approval and said he looked fine and so I made my first major mistake. I said “yes” to the seller and so became the owner of a horse of unknown origin known by the name of Ziggy.

Back on my property.

After I had Ziggy back on my property I enlisted the help of an instructress from our local Saddle Club who came to my property and gave me a series of lessons. Initially I only rode at home, but then ventured out my front gate and rode on some of the riding tracks that were plentiful in my area.

And then to my local Saddle Club.

 And finally I took him to the monthly all-day training meetings at our local Saddle Club. I learnt a lot, but the only problem was that Ziggy obviously sensed my inexperience and was inclined to fight my every move.

I just couldn’t win.

I persisted with Ziggy for six months or so, but then decided that he wasn’t the horse for me. So I decided to sell him to someone more capable of handling his strong spirit and did just that.

My second mistake (well, almost!) when I came to buy a horse.

Midnight. A Percheron/Thoroughbred Cross.

I’d heard a consistent rumour about a beautiful, big black horse that had apparently been left out in a paddock somewhere in my local area for quite some time.  I was intrigued and decided to check this rumour out. It turned out that it didn’t take me long to find that the horse was actually well attended and was agisted on a horse riding facility not far from my property. I promptly went and had a look. And, yes, he was big, beautiful and black and I instantly fell in love with him.  But was he available to be bought?

I found that the owner was from Melbourne. I phoned him and he told me that he’d owned the horse, Midnight, for two years with the idea of using him at a Hunt Club but had never had the time. Subject to where and how I’d keep Midnight he could be bought for what I thought to be a high price. So I arranged for an inspection at the facility where he was agisted.

The day arrived and the owner finally arrived.  We took the horse to any undercover riding area and owner did several circuits in varying gaits. Then suddenly Midnight went lame in the right front shoulder. The owner instantly dismounted, but it was obvious that I wouldn’t be able to ride him in this condition. It was left that I’d call a vet to look at the shoulder and obtain a full “vet check”.

The vet inspection.
 
The vet found nothing that caused the lameness, but recommended that I not buy him. I was devastated! I reported this to the owner. He then suggested that if I was prepared to take the horse to my property and call in what ever veterinarian treatment was needed to fix the lameness that he’d re-inburse me for all costs and we could then discuss possible purchase. This is where I made my “next big mistake – well almost!” In spite of the vet’s advice I said “yes”.

Calling in the experts.

I called the best veterinarian care people I could find including the senior vet from the Melbourne Racing Club, chiropractors, and even an acupuncturist. All with no success. Then by chance I found a local young lady chiropractor who had a brief look and said “his shoulder has frozen up through lack of riding.  Just exercise and ride him and he’ll come good”.

Once again I reported back to the owner who promptly came down to see me. Standing in the paddock with Midnight he said that if I was prepared to work with the horse and accept all the fees I’d incurred, I could keep Midnight with no purchase cost. I immediately said “yes”.
The owner asked if I’d leave him alone with the horse before he left, and I could see he had tears in his eyes.

So Midnight was mine.

I worked with Midnight, whose name I abbreviated to Middie for everyday use, constantly. I lunged him, rode him in short bursts at first, and finally took him to Saddle Club. He was improving, but if he showed too much sign of soreness I cut the day short. To cut this story short, Middie’s lameness cleared up completely and we became the very best of friends.  He was an absolute gentleman, probably because he was a Percheron/Thoroughbred cross with the Percheron characterists showing through strongly. I had total trust in him and he appeared to have complete trust in me and we’ve had many, many happy years of riding.

Is there a lesson to be learned from this short story?

Yes, I believe there is.  You may just happen to be lucky as I was with Middie. But what I went through could have been a very expensive and disappointing experience. Should you not take the advice that you sought from an expert, in this case the vet, you may find yourself  in possession of horse that is basically unrideable and unsaleably and all you can do is give him a good home. So my advice to anyone deciding on the purchase of a new horse is …

DO NOT TAKE THE LUCK I HAD MIDDIE AND FEEL THAT IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!.
WHEN YOU BUY A HORSE,  HAVE A QUALIFIED ‘VET CHECK’, AND TAKE THE ADVICE OF YOUR VET!

Recommended reading:  Horseback Riding For Dummies

Related posts:

1. Mistakes New Horse Owners Make.
2. So, You Want To Buy Your First Horse ~ What You Need To Know
3. Selecting the Right Horse Riding Saddle is Vital: Tips on Selection and Fitting.
4. Safe Riding: Tips On Keeping You And Your Horse Safe
5. From Racehorse to Trail Riding Horse.

Tags: buy a horse, easy horse care, Equestrian, Horse, horse riding

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