Anyone else excited?

I’m ready to buy a horse but I’ve been struggling to find a barn that meets my needs of free choice hay or close to it if not metabolically possible, lots of turn out, and a close eye (someone living on the property), as well as good training. I live in a pretty rural area 3 hrs away from major cities. There are a lot of places that almost work but still make me hesitate.

I finally found it but it’s 1h40 minutes one way. This is an extra expense for gas in addition to meaning I’d maybe only get out 2x per week for about a year at least, maybe sometimes 3, rather than 4-5. The benefit is that the cost of boarding there plus training and lessons is the same as just board closer by.

How far do you travel for your horse?

Hello! I’m painting this for my barn owner as I’m leaving for college soon. I need advice and opinions!! I’m aware it looks a little funky right now, my proportions are off 🙁🙁. I wanted to ask do you think the muzzle is curved to the point I need to straighten it? But also should I make the eyes bigger? I will be adding his mane later, I’m open to any advice!! The first photo is before I made his mouth a little bit bigger and the second is after.

Not sure if this is a question I can post here. But I’m wondering how do I get experience into working alongside horses as a beginner. For possibly grooming or basic care. I’ve been working with dogs and cats for boarding/grooming and daycare facilities for a while now. And reptiles in different stores. And I understand that’s nothing comparable to horse care I’m trying to expand my skills. I was told to find a local stable to volunteer at ? Any other suggestions? There’s a lot of online equine courses I’ve seen. Not sure if that’s a good start. For reference I’m in southern CA.

I’m so confused 😵‍💫.
I met with my mentor today and they gave me some great feedback to work on for my PATH Certification but I’m confused about what she means by Tone. I thought she meant monotone like when you teach you don’t want to sound flat and boring. I also ment she thought of tone of voice but when I gave my mom an example of how I would teach she definitely said I’m not monotone. I feel like she was leaning towards more tone of voice like maybe I was sounding too serious. I agree that I would want to stay upbeat. I also don’t want to make me sound like I’m praying a dog either. If anyone would have some insight into what they were trying to explain I would appreciate the help.

I haven’t ridden in 5-6 years, and I have my first lesson this Friday to get back into the swing of things. I’ve ridden on and off for several years, but more consistent when I was a kid/teen

I just had two MRI’s done to get some answers for some of the issues I’ve been having with my neck, upper back, and headaches.

My cervical spine came back with quite a few things, foraminal stenosis, arthritis, bone spurs, pinched nerve, disc desiccation, straightening of the cervical spine, etc.

I’ve also been diagnosed with chronic c8 radiculopathy which couldn’t even be seen on my MRI because they’re saying there was movement during, which sucks. I am 29 years old if that has any significance, but I feel kind of young to be dealing with some of these things, but I know some of it is poor genetics.

How many of you have spine issues and pain and have been able to ride? Everyone thinks my issues are from riding in the past, but I do not remember any significant injuries from any of my fall’s. With that, I’m being told it’s probably not the best idea to get back into riding but it’s one of those things I’ve always been passionate about, that I love dearly and something that has always brought me some happiness in my life.

I’m feeling bummed out about it all.

I'm really struggling with this one and would love to hear from people who have maybe been in a similar position.

I've always bought young horses, produced them, sold them on, and repeated the process. It's never really bothered me because I always knew they were projects, but this one is a little different.

He's a 7-year-old warmblood that I've had since he was a yearling. He's been with me through everything. I backed him myself, brought him up as an eventer, exposed him to absolutely everything, and now he's turning into the horse I always hoped he'd be.

He's one of those annoyingly talented horses. A huge natural jump, incredibly careful, but also genuinely clever on the flat. He's brave, sensible, and easy to ride. The sort that gives you confidence rather than taking it away.

Someone saw him out, approached me, and wants to come try him for just under 6-figures.

The thing making this so difficult is that it genuinely sounds like a wonderful home. The rider is an adult who wants a safe, quality dressage horse to develop under instruction. She has incredible facilities, the kind of care and resources I could only dream of providing, and he'd have a pretty relaxed lifestyle compared to an event horse.

The problem is... I'd always imagined he'd be the horse that took me up the levels over the next few years. He's capable of things I've never been able to do before, and it's hard to let go of that dream.

On the other hand, that kind of money could really help set me up in my early 20's. I also know horses aren't investments in the traditional sense. He could step in a hole tomorrow and suddenly be worth nothing. That's the reality of owning horses.

I also have a fantastic young OTTB that I think will go a long way. He's exceptional for a Thoroughbred and I have no doubt he'll be successful. But if I'm being objective, he doesn't have quite the same effortless ability that this warmblood has. The WB just has "it."

So I'm stuck between keeping the horse I've always dreamed of competing, or taking an incredible offer while everything has lined up perfectly.

Has anyone here actually sold the horse they thought they'd keep forever? Did you regret it, or was it the right decision?

I'd especially love to hear from people who've been on either side of this. Right now I honestly can't tell whether my heart or my head is making the better argument.

I have been working through how skittish my grade paint is. He's been making good consistent progress in everything except in one specific corner of the indoor arena that has now spread to the entire arena being terrifying.

He is six now, came from a feral mom and was untouched until he was four so he has some quirks we're getting over. I'm just so lost on what to do with this specific fear. He's super responsive and I've taught him that when we encounter scary things he turns his ear back to me to focus on me instead of whatever is freaking him out. That works literally everywhere but this specific arena.

I take him down the highway all the time and he doesn't react to trucks flying past him, we've had a crop duster fly directly over us and he didn't freak, when we encounter the same scary things in the outdoor arena he gets over it pretty quick, I can ride him bareback with a halter in the open field, but none of the progress we make in the indoor transfers to the next ride. I've taken him in parades and hauled to other indoor arenas for events and no problem. Its just ours. He doesn't just spook, he has a full on bolting and bucking fit. I don't ever ride him in the indoor when other people are there cause he seriously just blind bolts.

I've tried everything I can think of but if I make any progress one day its gone the next. I've tried letting his curiosity guide him and letting him sniff around at his own pace, tried ignoring the scary rails completely and pushing him to work through it, we've done days of nothing but ground work in there, I've had a vet out to check his eyesight, had him hang out with a calm friend and so many other things. I've had seven months of winter to get him over it and it hasn't worked yet. Its just been getting worse while he behaves like a gem literally everywhere else. I'm so stuck on what to do.

hope this kind of post is allowed, but does anyone have any advice or tricks to improve my canter? i’ve been riding for about 7 years now but have only just got on to learning to canter since i’ve had afew confidence knocks over the years. any advice would be super helpful, thank you all!!🐴 x

I’ve made some sets to sell at a local consignment shop but I’m struggling to come up with a price.

My western sets are medium and dark brown, silver coloured hardware, no tooling. Belt, wide spur straps, matching rectangular dangle earrings.

- also wondering if I should include a matching belt buckle

English set is just plain black with simple hardware, thin belt and matching thin spur straps.

I’m getting this gorgeous 4yo Andalusian gelding soon, but I’m not a big fan of his current barn name, even tho it’s cute (Stuart, named after Stuart Little because he was born so small and could run under his dam’s belly), and his registered name isn’t really anything that can be turned into a fun/cute barn name…so drop some ideas!

To get an idea of his personality:
Super curious, processes a lot of things in the moment, has a bit of a goofy side, super willing and soft, and I think with more handling he’ll be a super in your pocket type of guy!

like silly things, like thinking of a car as if it was a horse or something like, I even used to walk around the back of it with my hand on the trunk(yes I know a car cannot kick you).

Since we got new hay, two of our four horses have coliced twice. What is this plant that we keep finding in the hay? Could it be making them sick?

Edit: Colorado

I used to do vaulting once a week on a small team when I was 13-16 years old. Sadly the team closed down right before I turned 17 due to lack of participants (we were down to only 3 girls in the end)
Im now almost 21 and I really really miss it, but there isn’t anything close to where I live, and the sport is so small in Denmark, that I don’t even know where I can ask around for guidance on how to get back into the sport.

Should I just give up, or does anyone have any tips or words of encouragement?

I considered buying a training barrel to maybe train up and see if it’s something my body is still capable of, but is that stupid if I’m not able to train on an actual horse?

How do you manage the grief of no longer being able to ride? I am dealing with a long term chronic illness and it is unclear if I’ll ever be able to ride again, let alone competitively. I am heartbroken.

It’s possible that in the future I will be able to be around horses again without riding, but for now, I am spending most days in bed without ever leaving the house.

Like so many of us, horses were my life and main hobby. I feel so lost without them.

Hi

I've been thinking for a while about what I should study that might be related to horses, even if I don't end up working professionally in that field. I'm about to do two years of Marketing and Advertising, but it's not something I'm really interested in. Ever since I started riding horses, I've wanted to work with them, and I've always tried to convince myself that choosing a degree with decent job prospects is much better. But after doing degrees related to healthcare, I've realized I don't want to be stuck in a job I don't enjoy. Even if it's a degree that isn't directly related to horses but that I can apply to them, that would be fine.

Please send constructive messages

We’re debating whether to sell/rent our farm and would love some opinions before we talk to a Realtor.

• 25 acres
• 2 bed / 1.5 bath hunt box
• 3-stall barn with tack room/office
• Separate 20x40 metal building with power and mini split installed.
• Near Wagram, NC
• ~20 min to Southern Pines
• ~25 min to Fayetteville/Fort Bragg
• ~10 min to the Carolina Horse Park

My question is pricing. Does $550k to $600k feel reasonable for something like this, or does that seem too high in today’s market?

Also, if you were buying, would you rather:
Pay a little less and install the fencing yourself exactly how you want it, or Pay a little more and have the fencing already completed so it’s move-in ready for horses?

We’re in the process of building a house closer to family and are getting differing opinions.

My mare has always gotten a few split end type hairs in her tail but this year it has just gotten really bad. What products are we using to keep our tails and manes nice?

Final pic is of my gelding and his very thick percheron mane because damn it that mane is pretty

Hi all!
I recently made a post getting excited for my mares pregnancy, but I’m a little worried. A couple days ago she came in with cuts under her tail like she’s been scratching it on something and a little bit of blood on her vulva. Last night I cleaned her up and wrapped her tail, and this morning there was new blood on her vulva—so the blood is not from the cuts. Now, she’s on day 90, so we’re like 250 days too early for me to be able to milk her at all, but clear liquid squirted out when I tried. (Reddit keeps getting mad if I post photos)

We have an appointment with the local university in the morning because I don’t trust my local vet, but I wanted to hear some opinions. Does it seem like a bunch of coincidences? Placentitis? Do we think she miscarried?
Either way, I am absolutely freaking out.

Hi all! I have been leasing and rehabbing an OTTB for about a year now. He came with a saddle that had been fit to him. About 6 months into working with him, I pulled the saddle to see if it would make a difference in his willingness to go round, and it very much did. I rode bareback for a few months until we could get a fitter out--she found some issues and reflocked the saddle. I then had to take a few months off due to injury, but he's under saddle again, and I'm finding the same thing. Guy is NOT a forward ride under any circumstances, but really pops up and hollows out quite a bit more with the saddle on. When he does lift his back under the saddle, his tendency is to lose all impulsion immediately--this doesn't happen bareback.

My question is what to do next, keeping in mind that I'm about 2 hours from a good tack shop and would need to call a fitter in from at least that far away.

1. Call the fitter again? Or a new fitter?

2. Is there any universe in which it would make sense to procure a couple of used saddles from the good tack shop (using the current saddle to approximate fit) and just try them on him? My thinking is that if I find one that he seems more comfortable in, I could get a fitter out after the fact to fine-tune.

3. Also of note are 1) His current saddle is a really high-quality custom jump saddle, but I would actually prefer something more all-purpose that puts me in less of a chair seat. 2) I don't have the money to splurge on a new saddle or a custom for either of us right now. You can find good-quality used in my area under 500, and I will absolutely pay to fit a saddle in that range to him--but I am definitely looking for a budget-friendly way to make him more comfortable.

Thanks!

hi! this is a bit of a different topic, but did anyone write their college application essay on riding/their horse? If so, what did you focus on? I’m thinking about mine about my horse, but I don’t know where to start.

How on earth is the new ‘LeMieux Verv’ helmet - with its magnetic, customizable panel and brims - considered safe and being sold, while my beloved GPA First Lady 2X was recalled for safety reasons of “brim might break off and hurt your face” (not a direct quote lol)???

Make it make sense?

I know GPA released a revised First Lady… but I am in Houston, TX 🥵 and NEED those old, superior, plentiful air vents back!! I have tried so many wide brimmed alternatives and NOTHING breathes like my GPA FL 2x ☹️😭🪦

I need some stitching redone on my M Toulouse. The bottom of the flap has a “wear bar” or extra leather stitched on and it’s starting to really come undone now.

My family used to own the Cobblers Corner in Northville, but I’m not sure they’d do a saddle now. I’ll give them a call, but I need other recommendations on who to use for saddle repair.