"New Horse"

[CKC1586]

Grand Daughter has her first horse.... She is a nice old mare and is in good condition. I want to keep her that way. What is your yearly protocol for vaccinations etc??? Supplements???

 

[jonbri55]

First of all, congratulations on your grand daughters' first horse! And good for you for buying an older, been there, done that horse! Old horses are the best!! We feed ours a good senior feed, have his teeth checked yearly, wormed regularly-every 2-3 months and vaccinated yearly (contact your vet on what to vaccinate for in your area). We also feed beet pulp - very well soaked - with wheat bran and corn oil mixed in. Ours is an ArabX and very hard to keep weight on and he does well even though he hardly has any teeth! We also usually feed alfalfa hay just because he doesn't have many teeth and has a problem chewing stemmy grass hay.

 

[CKC1586]

Thanks! My vet will be checking her over on the 17th and get her vacinations etc. I have her in a wooded lot and she is getting first cutting grass hay (came with her) and I have been giving her some (half a scoop) of oats each day since the "pasture" is so poor. I put out a trace mineral block and she tore into it! She also came with three of her buddies (goats). Kind of a package deal.....
Grandma is a big sucker...

 

[jonbri55]

Sounds like she is going to enjoy Grandma's house! Grandparents play a big part in our 4-H group. They usually have more time than a lot of the parents to fuss over the kids! Good for you!

 

[spinandslide]

So neat! Kids and animals sure do cook up some good photo ops! Post photos when you get a minute!

We vaccinate ours yearly with the 7 way vacc..but the vaccinations really depend on the area you live in and what the mare will be doing(shows, trail riding off property) For example, in my area of the country, Potomac Horse Fever doesnt occur, however, I vaccinate my show horses against it, as they might be at a show with a horse with the northeast that may be carrying it! Your vet will know best.

Oats are a great thing, however in older horses, watch to make sure they are able to chew them properly. I feed mine pellets, they are great, as with the older ones, Ive been able to wet them down and make a mush they can eat. I also fed my older horses beet pulp and alfalfa cubes..all soaked, to help them get their roughage and maintain weight.

Definantly have your vet take apeek at her teeth and get them floated if need be.

Here is a photo of my son and my mare, whom will be his mare, next year, jogging next to my husband at a cowhorse clinic we attended. She is 16 this year. gotta love them oldies!

 

[TexasBred]

These folks make one of the best Sr. Horse Feeds I've seen...works well on any horse for that matter. Just sometimes hard to find.

http://www.tdihorsefeeds.com/

 

[CKC1586]

This is not a good picture, I am a lousy photographer! But here they are...

 

[CKC1586]

spinandslide, I couldn't get your picture to come up?

 

[spinandslide]

they look great together!

Your g-daughter will learn so much from that old mare!

Let me try my photo again...

 

[CKC1586]

Thanks, I sure am impressed with her disposition.
Your little guy looks great up there on that mare, how big is she?

 

[spinandslide]

Thanks, I sure am impressed with her disposition.
Your little guy looks great up there on that mare, how big is she?

Disposition is so terriably important in a kids horse..Folks sometimes look for a deal and end up with a lemon.

My mare is about 15 hands. She is 16 years old and was a pretty good reining horse back in the day. Also a pretty neat, easy to ride cowhorse, for when he's ready for that phase. He is gaining confidence on her all the time. Shes a pretty good horse for him. He'll have to share with mom abit this year and early next, as my other mare is pregnant and will go back to work when her foal is weaned next summer.

 

[jonbri55]

I agree-disposition is so important for any horse-but especially for a kid's horse. We bought an old horse for my daughter's first horse-she could stand on him while he was out in the field, no halter on, and shoot her BB gun (now, NOT recommended of course-I found out later!). But the point is, he was so calm and gentle and willing to please. He wasn't a lug either-she won ribbons in gaming off of him when he was 25!

 

[milkmaid]

Looks like you got a good one there. Hope you get many years out of her.

The one thing that comes to mind that hasn't been mentioned yet... is don't forget to vaccinate her for West Nile.

 

[CKC1586]

Yup, Vet is coming tomorrow to give her a once over and vaccinate. Got her feet trimmed the first of this month.