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Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | (show all) s1120 Gold Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 437 Loc: Niverville NY How much work IS a horse?       09/19/02 01:15 PM Edit   Reply   OK, reading RichZ's posts about the horses got me to thinking.[Ya, Ya,I know, thats not always a good thing ] How much work IS a horse? Is it a everyday, for hours type of a thing? How do you go away on vacation? I can bring the dogs with me, but its hard to fit a horse in the car. So whats invalved on a daly bases? Food, water? Grooming? Whats the deal. Can you get by a week, by just having someone stop by to feed, and water? I don't want to sound dumb, but I got NO idea. Thanks. Paul Bradway Post Extras:       MikePA Gold Member Reged: 09/10/02 Posts: 338 Loc: Southern PA Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/19/02 01:41 PM Edit   Reply   Caring for a horse is work , whether it's a lot of work is kind of subjective. It involves the following activities; 1. Feed and water twice a day, every day. Vacation? What's a vacation? If we leave, we ask a relative to feed the horses for us. If we can't get a volunteer, someone stays home. How long this takes is a function of how many horses you have. Our three horses take 15-20 minutes to feed, twice a day. This counts the time it takes to walk to the barn. 2. Stalls should be cleaned out on a daily basis (my opinion) and bedding (straw, wood chips, etc.) added as needed. If you don't do it every day, it just builds up. For our three equine children, an hour a day. 3. The barn needs cleaned on a regular basis. Floor swept, tack room cleaned, etc. 3 hours a week 4. The horses should also be groomed (brushed, hooves cleaned, etc.) on a regular basis. Maybe not daily, but at least once per week. This is when you find things for the vet and farrier to do. 3 hours a week 5. Tack needs cleaned and maintained which is a function of how much you use it. 6. Water buckets, feed buckets, etc. needed cleaned on a regular basis. 7. Add in all the normal maintenance a barn needs. 8. Add in all the normal maintenance a horse trailer needs (assuming you have one). 9. Add in time spent on the phone arranging to be there for the farrier and vet. You don't always have to be there, but we prefer to be there. 10. Someone has to go the the feed store to get food, salt blocks, wood chips (what we use). One Saturday morning per month is dedicated to this trip and then unloading the supplies. 11. Unlike doc, we have to buy our hay from a local farmer. Pick the first nice weekend in April/May and the hottest weekend in July/August and guess what I am doing? The farmer calls and I go get hay.Sometimes he will bring a wagon full, but it needs unloaded right away if for no other reason than he needs it back to load more hay on it. Some people have hay delivered and stacked. Great if you can afford it. Lotta work? Yep. Post Extras:       s1120 Gold Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 437 Loc: Niverville NY Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: MikePA]       09/19/02 01:48 PM Edit   Reply   OK, So if you are going away, you would have to get someone to devote an hour, or two every day to take care of the horses? Normaly that does not seem like TOO much work. I find you spend a lot of time just hanging around looking for something to do anyways. Thanks. Paul Bradway Post Extras:       MikePA Gold Member Reged: 09/10/02 Posts: 338 Loc: Southern PA Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/19/02 01:58 PM Edit   Reply   We are happy if we can find someone to just feed and water them, much less all the other daily activities. Someone in our area started a business that offers this service, but we haven't used them. Post Extras:       RichZ Veteran Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 558 Loc: Cambridge, New York in beautiful Washington County, next to Vermont Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/19/02 02:32 PM Edit   Reply   Mike did a great job of describing the work, but one man's work is another man's pleasure. I get up early every morning to clean Rosies' stall. I do it first thing before I take a shower. Believe it or not, I enjoy it! Then I groom her, and even play with her for a while, or else do some lead training, depending on how much time I have. To me, none of this stuff is work, but it is VERY TIME CONSUMING!!! One thing you left out, Mike is brush hogging pastures and keeping the paddock in shape. And, oh yeah, I spend a lot of time mending fences, both wood fences and electric fences. Believe it or not, I love all of that. Also, I'm trying my hand at growing my own hay. That takes a lot of time, but again, I love it. More tractor time!!! Like anything else when it comes to animals, it's a committment!! And don't forget that horses can live over 30 years, so it's a long committment!! Rich "What a long strange trip it's been." Post Extras:       s1120 Gold Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 437 Loc: Niverville NY Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: RichZ]       09/19/02 03:31 PM Edit   Reply   That takes a lot of time, but again, I love it Rich, That says it all! Like anything, its not work unless you don't want to do it. Paul Bradway Post Extras:       LazyJ_Arabians Gold Member Reged: 09/16/02 Posts: 343 Loc: Central Arkansas Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/19/02 04:55 PM Edit   Reply   For the last four years I've made a notch in the gatepost to my garden for every wheelbarrow full of horse manure I've dumped in there. I recently had to move to a different post because the original max'ed out at a little over 3,000 notches. I grow big tomatoes! Post Extras:       Ian New Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 3 Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: LazyJ_Arabians]       09/19/02 06:12 PM Edit   Reply   S1120, I'm glad you started this thread. I am in the early stages of building my barn and run-in shelter(s). I currently have the cement foundation poured and back filled and have a rough outline of where a 150' x 200' pen will go. I have been reading some books and magazines on the subject of horse care and management, but, I am fully aware of "Theory v.s. Reality". Theory is all written stuff and reality is all the info you gleen from horse owners on ByNet.com. You mentioned... what does a horse owner do on vacation? My wife asked that same question last week and luckily enough we have a neighbor down the road who offered to look after our horse/pony when we go away. So, for us, that solves one problem. I have always wanted a large animal like a horse...this will be a labor of love. Post Extras:       s1120 Gold Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 437 Loc: Niverville NY Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: Ian]       09/20/02 06:32 AM Edit   Reply   I have some family down where I am moving, so I am sure I will have a neace, or nephew that would help out. But it is still a BIG step. Think we will hold off for awhile. My wife can go see other peoples horses. Paul Bradway Post Extras:       edt Member Reged: 09/13/02 Posts: 39 Loc: so. N.H Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/20/02 07:52 AM Edit   Reply   Hi s1120 my two cents we have 5 horses and mike is right my only difrence is my horses only go in the barn stall in the winter so i clean up there padock's outside about once a week no bedding in the out side houses they tend not to mess them up.BUT too be able too ride them at any time is the best we ride the beach the woods during fall and i love the winter both me and my wife split the duties we have a person who loves horses who feeds and water when we go away she also takes care of my dogs and cats my daughter loves them my son well he knows we have them EDT Post Extras:       lmassom Member Reged: 09/18/02 Posts: 42 Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/20/02 08:16 AM Edit   Reply   Yes, it takes some "work", but I wouldn't trade the joy I get from interacting with my horses every day for a year of vacation! Larry Larry Post Extras:       RichZ Veteran Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 558 Loc: Cambridge, New York in beautiful Washington County, next to Vermont Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: lmassom]       09/20/02 09:17 AM Edit   Reply   I agree, Larry! When we bought our farm, and started getting many animals, my wife and I agreed that the farm IS our vacation. We have no intention of going away for anything other than a family emergency. We'd rather have our animals than a vacation, any day!! Rich "What a long strange trip it's been." Post Extras:       farmhouse New Member Reged: 09/13/02 Posts: 23 Loc: East Texas Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/20/02 02:11 PM Edit   Reply   My daughter wanted a horse so badly that we extracted a promise that she would take care of him. She kept her part of the bargain but I was willing to lend a hand when necessary. We had about 4 acres of native pasture for grazing and we supplemented with oats and some hay in the winter months. The grooming was a whenever schedule but with little girls and their horses this was usually on a pretty regular basis. We found that the horse could survive very well during a week-long absence in the summer. Winter, of course, required feeding each day. Ample water is essential no matter what the season. Owning a horse in the country is a great experience but it's like the boatowner once said, two of the greatest days of his life had to do with his boat-the day he bought it and the day he sold it! Good luck Romans 8:28 Post Extras:       s1120 Gold Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 437 Loc: Niverville NY Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/22/02 06:07 AM Edit   Reply   OK, Now for the REAL dumb question. Outher then riding it, any thing else a horse is good for? Not that I NEED it to do anything. I got three dogs that the only thing they do is get in your way, just a thought. Paul Bradway Post Extras:       DUMBDOG Gold Member Reged: 09/11/02 Posts: 286 Loc: North Dakota, Florida Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/22/02 06:13 AM Edit   Reply   Some get to pull the bud wagon, but they have to be a Clydsdale. Post Extras:       MikePA Gold Member Reged: 09/10/02 Posts: 338 Loc: Southern PA Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/22/02 06:20 AM Edit   Reply   I got three dogs that the only thing they do is get in your way, just a thought. In the case of horses, you get in their way. But seriously, other than riding the horse, people use them for pulling carriages, some use them for farm work. There's at least one oufit in my area that has a thriving carriage business. The owner has a number of great looking black horses (I forget the breed), that are used to pull ornate carriages for the bride and groom at weddings and at other special events. She arrives with a big Ford pickup, pulling a gooseneck trailer that contains the horses, their tack and the carriage. I don't know what she charges, but given the work she puts in, it's not enough! Post Extras:       s1120 Gold Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 437 Loc: Niverville NY Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: MikePA]       09/22/02 06:33 AM Edit   Reply   , you get in their way LOL, I think the dogs think that also. I never thought of pulling a cart. [duhhh, I'm a little slow sometimes] How hard is that on a horse? I'm just thinking, for me to ride a horse, it would have to be a BIG horse. I'm a big guy, and I would think riding would be hard on it. Paul Bradway Post Extras:       MikePA Gold Member Reged: 09/10/02 Posts: 338 Loc: Southern PA Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/22/02 06:43 AM Edit   Reply   I never thought of pulling a cart. How hard is that on a horse? Not hard at all, however they have to be trained to do it. Post Extras:       cowboydoc Veteran Member Reged: 09/11/02 Posts: 642 Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: DUMBDOG]       09/22/02 08:36 AM Edit   Reply   Actually Clydesdale isn't even the #1 breed for pulling. The #1 breed is Belgians. Then you have Percherons as well. They have several hitching and cart class competitions all across the country. As far as what horses are used for they are used for ranching, rodeo, breeding, showing, and yes they are even used for eating in several countries. Post Extras:       RichZ Veteran Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 558 Loc: Cambridge, New York in beautiful Washington County, next to Vermont Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/23/02 09:26 AM Edit   Reply   Paul, horses can also be used for farm and logging work, instead of tractors. But to me the most important thing is that they're sweet animals. They can be pets, and like any other pet, you might not expect them to do anything except show their love. And they're REAL good at that. Our Belgian, Rosie, is incredibly affectionate, just like a huge dog! She loves to be rubbed and petted, and she loves to give kisses. She even plays like a dog, she has a ball with a handle on it that she plays with. She's just a lot of fun to be with and play with. We are training her though. Right now we're lead training her. She already walks on a lead and responds to verbal commands. I just started training her on a long lead, on which you have less conrol, so your verbal commands are even more important. Our farrier is aslo a trainer, and just last week, he gave her her first lesson with him laying on her back! He also trains horses at Saratoga Race Track, and he said she responded as well on her first lesson on her back, as some thoroughbreds he's been training at Saratoga for 5 months! If it sounds like I'm proud of Rosie, it's because I am! We eventually want to train her to pull a wagon and to ride, but Belgians shouldn't be riden until they're about three years old. But that's OK, because training her is fun! She actually gets excited when she sees the lead, and knows we'll be working together. She just loves the attention. And when she learns something new, she loves showing it off for people! Horses are fun! I think if you love dogs, you'll love horses, too! Rich "What a long strange trip it's been." Post Extras:       pbenven Silver Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 198 Loc: QC, Canada Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: cowboydoc]       09/23/02 09:30 AM Edit   Reply   The Belgians and Percherons are impressive animals. There's our annual fair where they have different classes, from under saddle up to the 8 horse hitch. It's quite something to see them riding around the arena - just barely enough room. I'd love to own a horse too, but I'm a little intimidated. Them being a prey animal and all, I'm not sure how I should carry myself. With dogs, for example, it's easy - they live by similar rules as us. I can tell (most of the time) what a dog is telling me with body language, eye contact, etc. I haven't been around horses long enough to speak their language - one that seems much more complicated to me. Post Extras:       RichZ Veteran Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 558 Loc: Cambridge, New York in beautiful Washington County, next to Vermont Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: pbenven]       09/23/02 09:52 AM Edit   Reply   I'm new to horses, but learning fast, though very far from an expert. I started with a Belgian, because they're gentle giants, very mellow. Rosie is teaching me as much as I'm teaching her. There are a lot of good books on horse care. You can learn their body language, just like you can any animal's. Also, their eyes are very expressive and tell you a lot. Do some research, and ask a lot of questions. Don't be intimidated, but do be careful, they're big animals, but they worth every minute you spend with them! Rich "What a long strange trip it's been." Post Extras:       pbenven Silver Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 198 Loc: QC, Canada Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: RichZ]       09/23/02 10:15 AM Edit   Reply   Rosie, eh - seems that's a popular name for Belgians. Am I wrong? Man I'd love to own one. What made you decide on the Belgian specifically? Here, Percherons, Clydes, and Belgians are pretty equally represented. And in the next town there's a beautiful black and white Shire. For hay, are we talking like half a bale a day? What about excercise? I know a guy nearby that would hook his pair up to an old tree stump/root ball and have them pull it around for an hour or so. Post Extras:       RichZ Veteran Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 558 Loc: Cambridge, New York in beautiful Washington County, next to Vermont Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: pbenven]       09/23/02 10:51 AM Edit   Reply   I don't know if Rosie is a common name for Belgians. I never knew one with that name, but it could be common. When we got her, she just looked like a Rosie! We got a Belgian because she's our first horse, and we wanted a very mellow breed. Draft horses are cold bloods, and as such are the most mellow. We might have gotten any draft horse, but we wanted to adopt a PMU foal. We requested a draft horse foal from the horse rescue group, and we got Rosie! We couldn't be happier. We got her at four months old, and she has been very easy to train and work with. And she's so loving! Right now she grazes in the pasture, so I'm not sure how much hay she would eat, but I'll guess 1/2 to 1 bale a day. She also gets sweet feed every morning and night. At this point I do lead training with her almost every day, but that's not much exercise. She loves to run in the pasture, so I guess that's her main exercise. I highly reccommend adopting a PMU foal. You can get one for about $500, and they're purebred Belgians, or many other breeds. I'll tell you all about that if you like. I would reccommend a Belgian in a heartbeat!! Rich "What a long strange trip it's been." Edited by RichZ (09/23/02 10:54 AM) Post Extras:       RichZ Veteran Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 558 Loc: Cambridge, New York in beautiful Washington County, next to Vermont Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: pbenven]       09/23/02 10:56 AM Attachment Edit   Reply   Here's a picture of Rosie at about 7 months old. I'm going to take some pictures of her soon, and I'll post them. She's 16 months old now. Rich "What a long strange trip it's been." Post Extras:       RichZ Veteran Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 558 Loc: Cambridge, New York in beautiful Washington County, next to Vermont Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: pbenven]       09/23/02 10:59 AM Attachment Edit   Reply   Here's another picture of Rosie at 7 months. Rich "What a long strange trip it's been." Post Extras:       pbenven Silver Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 198 Loc: QC, Canada Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: RichZ]       09/23/02 12:03 PM Edit   Reply   Thanks for the info and the pic, Rich. I'll do some searching on horse rescue sites. Post Extras:       s1120 Gold Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 437 Loc: Niverville NY Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: RichZ]       09/23/02 12:06 PM Edit   Reply   WOW Rich, She is a beauty! How big will she get? Real big? Paul Bradway Post Extras:       RichZ Veteran Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 558 Loc: Cambridge, New York in beautiful Washington County, next to Vermont Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: pbenven]       09/23/02 12:08 PM Edit   Reply   Paul, the rescue center I got Rosie from is Spring Hill Rescue. They're in Vermont. They have a web site. They just got 100 foals they saved from the meat market this weekend. Check them out! The person who runs it is Gina Brown. You can e-mail her at SpringHillRescue@aol.com. Tell her that you're a friend of mine inquiring about her horses. She may have some foals that are not yet claimed. Interestingly, all of the PMU foals she gets are from Canada, but I'm not sure where. Good luck!! Keep us posted!!! Rich "What a long strange trip it's been." Post Extras:       RichZ Veteran Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 558 Loc: Cambridge, New York in beautiful Washington County, next to Vermont Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/23/02 12:20 PM Edit   Reply   Thanks, Paul! I think she's beautiful, but then she's my baby! The last time we weighed her (You actually use a weight tape on horses. It measures their size at a certain point, and translates that into weight.) She weighed 780 pounds. That was about 5 months ago. She's getting her annual shots this Wednesday, so she'll be weighed then. I'll bet she easily weighs over 1000 pounds now. She'll probably reach 1300 or more. We'll see. She's actually small for her age for a Belgian, but you can see by the pictures how much bigger boned they are than regular horses. But she still acts like my little baby. She's extremely sensitive. IF she misbehaves (which is rare - she sometimes gets too excited when I get into the paddock and can get a little rambunctious. Not good for such a big animal!) all I have to do is tell her shes a "BAD GIRL!". She stops what she's doing and actually turns her back to me and sulks, until I tell her that she's a good girl again. Then she turns around and starts kissing me! She's just TOO funny! Rich "What a long strange trip it's been." Post Extras:       s1120 Gold Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 437 Loc: Niverville NY Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: RichZ]       09/23/02 12:22 PM Edit   Reply   Good luck!! Keep us posted LOL Not yet. Don't eaven have the house yet. But I do have a lot of questens. I did tell my wife about it, and that I did not want to bring her becouse she would want them all. she says that last time she went to the pound, she only got one dog. Paul Bradway Post Extras:       MikePA Gold Member Reged: 09/10/02 Posts: 338 Loc: Southern PA Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: pbenven]       09/23/02 02:10 PM Edit   Reply   Them being a prey animal and all, I'm not sure how I should carry myself. I was the same way, and while by no means an expert, I've learned from my wife. - No sudden noises or movement. - If I am walking behind them, I keep a hand on their rump so we each know where both of us are. - If their ears go back (flat on their heads) trouble is a brewing. - Don't try and break up a fight between horses. - If they step on your foot (wear steel toed shoes), don't try and pull it out from under the hoof. Move them off your foot. - Be extra careful in enclosed spaces, e.g., stall, or any other places where the horse can not escape if they feel they have to. This is why I don't place them in the same category as dogs, cats, etc. We've had situations where a truck drove by our place and they had a blue tarp covering something in the bed. The blue tarp was making a snapping sound which spooked the horses. The kid across the street set off fireworks on July 4th when my wife was feeding the horses and the horses first reaction is to flee. If you're in the way... . BTW, the neighbor got a visit from my wife! The last point is probably the thing you have to remember the most. While there are mean horses (usually caused by mean owners), by and large people get hurt around horses because they're caught in the way when a horse moves, whether out of fear or just because they want to move. I've been caught unawares when a horse swung his head and hit me. My wife got caught when a horse tried to get to some hay and my wife was in the way. While we laugh about it now (see below), a half ton horse can do a lot of inadvertant damage. The rest of the story...I was walking away from the barn and heard a noise. I turned around in time to see my wife rolling out of the barn like she was practicing forward rolls. I went over to be sure she was OK. She was. She got up and let the horse know that what she (the mare) did was not appropriate. I now refer to it as the 'Equine Bowling Incident'. I use the same advice I got when I took the motorcycle riders safety course. That advice was...Always assume that other traffic does not see you and act accordingly. With horses, I always try and determine what they might do and how I will react. Post Extras:       egon Veteran Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 3031 Loc: Nova Scotia,Canada Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/25/02 06:18 AM Edit   Reply   It may depend on how much land/pasture is available and on the access of the animal to water. We had draft horses on the farm when I grew up. If they were being worked they were kept in a barn, fed and watered twice a day, stalls cleaned. Curried and the shoulders checked. The hoofs were trimmed and shoed or just trimmed and filed. In the winter one pair was kept for chores and the rest were turned out to pasture where they received no care. They foraged for themselves and used snow as a water source. When spring work season approached they would be brought in and grain fed for two or three weeks to prepare them for work. Egon Post Extras:       GrantMO New Member Reged: 09/11/02 Posts: 6 Loc: KCMO Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       09/26/02 12:43 AM Edit   Reply   You've got a lot of good answers already. We went on vacation last spring for 6 days and paid a young neighbor to feed/water our horses twice a day, move them between stall and pasture and keep an eye on them. She charged $30 per day but is a vet tech and one of the horses severely cut his leg the day before we went on vacation and needed that looked at after the vet sewed it up. We've also had friends look after them too. One thing about having horses at your own place is you lose the spontaneous "let's go somewhere for the weekend" last minute trips. It's worth it though. We have Clydesdales, among others, and we really like their temperament and intelligence. We show our horses, ride them and will eventually drive them. We also breed registered Clydes and sport horse "American Warmblood" crosses. Post Extras:       RichZ Veteran Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 558 Loc: Cambridge, New York in beautiful Washington County, next to Vermont Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: RichZ]       09/30/02 11:55 AM Attachment Edit   Reply   Here's a picture of Rosie taken this weekend. She now weighs 940 pounds. She's 1 year and four months old. Rich "What a long strange trip it's been." Post Extras:       wingnut Gold Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 260 Loc: mid-Michigan Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: s1120]       10/01/02 12:29 PM Edit   Reply   I'm jumping in a bit late ... but what the heck ... The amount of work remains the same, whether you enjoy it or not. Some days you enjoy it more than others. Regardless, it needs to be done. In our case, it's horses much smaller than Belgians, the largest 2 are 34 inches at the whithers ... the others vary from 25 inches to 30 inches. Since we want to keep them very used to people and be able to easily control them, we stall them every night. So, it's feeding and moving to appropriate pastures (gotta keep the stallion separate) and cleaning the barn every morning (stalls, feed and water buckets). In the evening, it's bringing them in, feeding and putting out frsh hay. And possibly topping up the water. When we want to go somewhere, we have to get a "pet sitter" to come in. We're currently using our farrier since the original sitter retired. The pet sitter does a minimal amount - food water and letting out or bringing in. Does both the dogs and horses for $10 visit ..... pretty cheap but $20/day does add up. And then there's all the occasional tasks .... work even if you do love them. Meaning that it takes time ... away from hobbies, work, recreation, etc. It means I never have mornings free to go somewhere early, can't go on 2 day bike trips anymore, etc. (no, I don't begrudge it at all ...) Things like spreading the manure on the fields (by shovel, cart and ATV right now while I rebuild the manure cart), keeping the barn repaired, keeping the fence repaired, brushhogging the pasture, keeping the trailers in shape, cleaning and painting the manure cart at least once a year (I didn't do that to the first one and ended up replacing it). And, as was noted, (buying) hauling and stacking hay, getting feed (custom mixed), keeping the tack and the cart in shape, buying, hauling and unloading shavings (for bedding). Keeping the water system in shape (just noticed the main hydrant is starting to leak so I have to do some maintenance this weekend. Brushhogging doesn't get close enough to the fence (I learned that one quick ... tore out a few hundred yards of wire) so I have about 1-1/2 miles of fence to clean under with scythe, weedwacker and branch lops. Oh ... can't forget the tractor maintenance (justification for the tractor is the "farm") ...and, as I mentioned, I'm rebuilding a manure wagon. Oops ... just remembered. Additional pasture tasks. I built a 3-sided shelter for the stallion last fall. I just finished clearing a new pasture which will be the habitation for the baby stallion (he just turned 2-1/2 and if the boss insists on keeping him - will have to be segregated like his daddy) ... so I'll be building another shelter soon. Did I mention it's a lot of work? Enjoyable ... but constant. And by constant I mean every day. There's no sick days allowed ... horses are creatures of habit ... get very cranky when you screw around with the schedule. Oh yeah ... and I can't forget worming them too (they hate the taste ....). And we've had several instances of colic ... that takes a lot of walking, worrying, forcing warm water and mineral oil down their throats, etc. Oh ... and pregnancies ... don't forget that mares tend to have babies if you have studs around. Additional feed and suplpements and then being there to assist the mare when foaling ... always at 3 AM ... Now ... what are they good for? Well, they're fun ... I had to put my foot down to prevent the wife from making booties for them and letting them in the house. The old gelding is trained to pull a cart ... a full grown mini can easily haul 2 adults around - cart or sled. I'm sure we'll eventually train the baby stallion for the same unless I convince the owner/boss to part with him. They're an endless source of amusement ... they like us (or the treats ... I'm never sure which) and they're "cute" and the boss adores the babies. She was quite upset this year as the last baby was born 1 week after 9/11 and I wouldn't allow her to breed momma again until this spring (I don't think Michigan winters are amenable to baby minis) so she has to wait another 7 months or so before she gets another little one. They love attention and will stand for (what seems like) hours getting groomed. Of course, you have to watch out ... they want to groom right back and they have teeth. Would I give them up? Well, they're the boss's, I'm just the bozo that does all the work. When she decides it's no longer fun, they'll be gone in a heartbeat. On the other hand, maybe someday she'll actually sell some of the offspring and I'll get a return on my initial (and ongoing) investment (isn't that what "breeding horse" means?) pete it's a shame that common sense isn't http://www.dahlhausminiatures.com Post Extras:       LazyJ_Arabians Gold Member Reged: 09/16/02 Posts: 343 Loc: Central Arkansas Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: wingnut]       10/02/02 10:40 AM Attachment Edit   Reply   Hey Pete! Here's a picture of you're namesake. He's an illegitimate cross-breed (walker/arabian) born on 7/15. He was monikkered Pistol Pete right about the time he first stood up and I snapped this picture. Pardon my $49 camera. Post Extras:       wingnut Gold Member Reged: 09/12/02 Posts: 260 Loc: mid-Michigan Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: LazyJ_Arabians]       10/02/02 06:49 PM Edit   Reply   doggone cute .... all legs and skinny just like when I was young! Even at his tender age, my youngest mini could walk under him ... I'm always amazed at how big "normal" horses are after spending so much time with ours. pete it's a shame that common sense isn't http://www.dahlhausminiatures.com Post Extras:       RedRockRanch New Member Reged: 03/10/03 Posts: 9 Loc: N. Idaho Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: MikePA]       03/12/03 08:40 PM Edit   Reply   Great points on being around a horse. We just inherited a 3 year old quarter horse and i tell you I was not happy that day...I am not a horse person at all....well guess who is the one worried she has enough food and water and that her stall is clean enough. It was said if it is fun it's not work and that is how it is exactly. I have never really been an animal person but Sugar and I....it's gonna sound wierd....but I get this feeling from her that she likes me and will never hurt me..kind of a vibe. She runs up to the gate when we get home just like a dog...she goes to the far side of the property when the kids get home off the bus and my 5 yr. old will walk the fence line with her all the way to her stall and feed her a treat. Now we are having problems with my FIL's estate and the state of Idaho wants EVERYTHING.....praying that doesn't include Sugar or as my 3 yr old has fondly renamed her Sugar Tube (cube). So are horses a lot of work Nope if you ask me Katey mom to my 4 Carhartt kids Post Extras:       Phred Silver Member Reged: 09/13/02 Posts: 104 Loc: Arkansas Re: How much work IS a horse? [re: egon]       03/12/03 10:30 PM Edit   Reply   Egon, I second that thought. It depends on how much land you have. Four horses on 2 acers and your work will never be done since you will need to feed them after they kill every little spec of your grass from overgrazing. Let the same 4 horses run on 100 acers and you will not need to do much in the summer. They will not be able to keep the grass mowed. A couple of ponds to water them and your good to go until winter time. I bet you will find you want to spend time with them and the grooming and supplemental feed will come natural. Fred Post Extras: