| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Flower |
Posted - Feb 27 2010 : 10:00:43 AM
Greetings
I am looking to purchase a Tennessee Walker horse..I am a very novice horse and riding person. I have started taking some lessons in horsemanship and riding. It is just a personal pastime pleasure..I have just always loved horses but been a bit fearful of riding after a negative experience as a teenager. However once I moved to Kentucky at age 50 I decided I must overcome this fear to enjoy a passion. I would welcome and appreciate any advise whatsoever about riding, horses, purchasing a horse, etc..Thank you..have a great day everyone!
blessings to all |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Flower |
Posted - Apr 01 2010 : 06:03:55 AM
I don't know if its the sunny weather and 75 degrees the past couple days but Dakota seems to be calmer, she comes to the gate when she hears the back door open..and not just at feeding time..I have been leading her around the pasture and having her back up and park..she loves being groomed. It would appear that she is adapting now.. Yesterday evening I started up my riding and horsemanship lessons that I had begun last spring. This will help me alot to become more confident and knowledgeable in a practical way..even tho I have been reading books etc..nothing replaces the "Doing". How much daily time spent with Dakota would be considered ideal? Also I would like to give her a bath but I dont think she cares for the hose to much..cause when I went to fill up her water she went away when she heard the hose water. Any tips on bathing? I have a collie and a maltese dogs..a cat and four chickens..and they have been getting acqainted. she seems to prefer the chickens..she doesnt mind the dogs as long as its not feeding time..if they go around her while she is eating she gets furious and lets them know. But other than that, I think she likes the company and activity going on with all the critters.
Be a blessing and have a Happy Spring |
| chaddsgirl |
Posted - Mar 29 2010 : 6:10:48 PM
I agree whole-heartedly with Beth and Alee (as always because they are both full of useful and practical knowledge). Ground work is a great way for you to build your confidence with Miss Dakota. It allows you to get to know her better and helps to establish the relationship between the two of you. The more time you spend working with her on the ground, the better you will feel about getting on her back. You pick up things about her personality, likes and dislikes, and it gives a huge sense of accomplishement to see the horse complying with your commands. I wouldn't worry too much about her wanting to be with the other horses. Horses are like that. They are herd animals and they are very social. But if you are spending quite a bit of time with her in any capacity (grooming, ground work, etc) she won't really need the other horses, but she will still be interested in what they are doing. Goats make great pasture buddies for horses if you feel she is lonely and you aren't able to spend as much time with her as you'd like.
A person is a success if they get up in the morning and get to bed at night and in between does what they want to do. Bob Dylan
Deeperrootsfarm.etsy.com |
| Faransgirl |
Posted - Mar 29 2010 : 09:56:26 AM
Her contentment can depend on you and how much time you spend with her. Horses are very social but they don't have to have other horses exactly. I have seen them bond with lots of other animals. Dogs, cats, goats, donkey's we even had one once that had a rooster that she was special friends with. She does need some sort of company. The problem is they don't have anyone to watch their backs while they are sleeping. I have even found that in the barn there is always one awake watching over the others. Having the unusual experience of working with two different large herds of horses with all sorts of horses thrown together and also have just a couple of horses of my own I am fascinated with behaviour. I have seen them flat out asleep in their stalls with a cat sleeping on top of them. Winona use to do her sleeping with a rooster sitting on her butt. We had one that shared her stall with a rottweiler. We had a blind one that had a donkey for a seeing eye dog. If you have the means to do it the best solution for you would be an older companion only horse. One you don't have to worry about training and riding etc. Donkey's make very good pasture companions and eat almost nothing.
As to your question about her discontent making it difficult for you to ride I would say probably not. Do a bit of ground work with her first, see how she responds and then try riding her. If she is well trained her attention will only be on you when you are riding. If she has had time to setting a short ride in a paddock or round pen would be a good start, then slowly branch out.
Farmgirl Sister 572
When manure happens just say "WOO HOO Fertilizer". |
| Alee |
Posted - Mar 29 2010 : 07:11:22 AM
Shirley- I think if you work with her on her ground manners and such the respect should transfer to you also when you are on her back. How much time do you get to spend with her on a daily basis?
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
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| Flower |
Posted - Mar 29 2010 : 06:17:14 AM
Alee take a look at the bigger picture of Dakota on the previous page of posts..in the background on the right you can see the hill where the other horses usually are..but between them and Dakota is a field which you can't see because it goes into a little bit of a valley between them and her.
Be a blessing and have a Happy Spring |
| Flower |
Posted - Mar 29 2010 : 05:26:26 AM
Well she was turned out with a couple other horses for winter months but was back alone after that..she is uses to both..they are separated by a field..just enough distance to be frustrating for her I guess..that piece of field is not ours unfortunately so I can not let her have access to it..actually the other day she got out so we up graded the electric fence. She looked so funny when I called her name, she sheepishly turned to look at me as if to say "who me...a girls gotta do what shes gotta do"..lol I am a little nervous to ride her yet. I am wondering if her restlessness about the other horses are going to cause problems when I am on her.??
Be a blessing and have a Happy Spring |
| Alee |
Posted - Mar 27 2010 : 07:17:09 AM
Was she out with other horses at her previous place? Horses are very social animals so they do prefer to be in a herd situation, however if they have a human giving them lots of attention they are usually fine. Are the horses close enough that they can touch noses over the fence or are they further away than that?
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
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| Flower |
Posted - Mar 27 2010 : 04:54:49 AM
Thank you Alicia...She is doing good..she spotted some other horses in the neighbours pasture and got a little excited..she wanted to get to them and stands in a corner facing them alot..I hope this isnt making her sad..I was hoping it would be a comfort to her to see other horses. Did you get my email with my address that you requested? Hope you had a good weekend and have a great weekend
Be a blessing and have a Happy Spring |
| AliciaNak |
Posted - Mar 25 2010 : 07:29:17 AM
She's beautiful Shirley, I love that long tail! How's she doing?
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
www.artfire.com/users/BlondeNakCreations |
| Alee |
Posted - Mar 24 2010 : 8:01:47 PM
Thank you, Shirley! That makes me feel so much better! I know how much these horses mean to us and I would hate for anything bad to happen! *hugs8
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Flower |
Posted - Mar 24 2010 : 11:33:38 AM
Thank you everyone...
Alee I went right out and took off the halter...I will be going to buy a leather one...Thanks again..any other tips and advice is more than welcome..since I am a newbie horse owner and horsewoman wannabe...
Be a blessing and have a Happy Spring |
| Faransgirl |
Posted - Mar 24 2010 : 11:03:14 AM
Congratulations on finding Miss Dakota, she is lovely and sounds like a great age. Older horses do seem to settle more quickly and she probably won't need more than 2 or 3 weeks. I never leave halters on my horses. I use them if I am working with them or moving them from one place to another, then they come off. I do put one on them if we are in line for a hurricane thought. They have halters with their names and my phone number on them. The halters are neon colors so they can be seen from a long distance. They have special break-away clips in case they get caught on something. But by leaving the halters on, if for some reason they get away during transport or if we can't get out with them and we need to let them go they have halters on with necessary information on them. Otherwise they don't even wear halter in their stalls. It is amazing how strong halter and lead ropes can be. I have seen lots of horses in situations that you would think the halter would give but they just don't.
Farmgirl Sister 572
When manure happens just say "WOO HOO Fertilizer". |
| chaddsgirl |
Posted - Mar 24 2010 : 07:32:57 AM
Shirley! Congratulations!! That is so exciting and she looks like a sweet girl. :) I'm so glad you found a good match. :) Grooming, massage, ground work those are all good bonding activities. And if she doesn't seem spooked or nervous, I'd say you could start riding her any time. I'm so happy for you Shirley!
Alee- I actually had that happen to one of my horses, he got his foot stuck in his nylon halter. Fortunately we were able to rescue him quickly or it would have been disastrous. That was the end of Nylon halters in the pasture for me. So scary!!
A person is a success if they get up in the morning and get to bed at night and in between does what they want to do. Bob Dylan
Deeperrootsfarm.etsy.com |
| Flower |
Posted - Mar 24 2010 : 07:23:58 AM
OMG.. ok thanks for that info Alee ! I just got her.. I sure don't want to lose her !!
[URL=http://s985.photobucket.com/albums/ae338/flower_51/Dakota/?action=view¤t=trailer210-1.jpg] [/URL]
Be a blessing and have a Happy Spring |
| Alee |
Posted - Mar 24 2010 : 06:37:02 AM
She looks great!!
But can I ask a huge favor? Please don't leave a nylon halter on her while she is off a lead rope. Nylon doesn't break and and I have seen horses get really injured when they go to rub on a fence post and the halter gets hung up and they can't get away and the halter won't break. I also know a person who's horse was scratching his face with his back hoof when a nylon halter was on- He got his hoof or through part of the halter and when he freaked out he actually broke his neck. If she needs to wear a halter while on turn out, leather halters are sturdy but they will break before the horse comes to injury. My horse got spooked by someone closing the large stable door without warning (she had never heard/seen that happen before) and she reared in the cross ties. She had a leather halter on and it held for a second but then snapped.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Flower |
Posted - Mar 24 2010 : 06:22:42 AM
I finally found her.. my new barnyard buddy, Miss Dakota ...a horse of my own..she is lovely !
Be a blessing and have a Happy Spring |
| Alee |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 8:48:27 PM
Congrats Shirley!
Each horse is different. My young 2 year old arab took about 6 weeks to fully settle in to her new home when I brought her here all the way from Idaho. However, I have seen some (especially older) horses that settle in lickity split.
I like to bond with my horse by grooming daily, giving treats when she is a good girl, and working with her ground training. Always remember horses respect and crave an authority figure and if one isn't provided they will try to fill that void (especially with mares). In the wild this is how the herd survives- by always having a strong leader. So do as much ground work as you can with her to firmly establish yourself as the leader.
Maybe give her a week or two to adjust to a new routine before riding her? I think you need to go with what your heart is saying. If she seems content and not restless then she might even enjoy a nice little ride as a chance of pace!
Congrats on Miss Dakota Red!! I am sure she is a sweetheart!!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Flower |
Posted - Mar 21 2010 : 6:47:15 PM
I found her! Miss Dakota Red my own horse. She is a registered TWalker. She is 17 years old and a chestnut color with a blaze face. When I get figured out how to post a picture I will do so. My husband spotted her online and we had seen her before but for some reason assumed she was sold. Anyway I went to see her and it clicked right away she is so much more layed back than the last one I had spent time visiting. She belonged to an older fellow who got her over ten years ago when he retired and has been trail riding her and riding her in local small town parades with his grandchildren. She is getting settled in her new environment, any pointers on making this a smooth transition for her are welcome. Also what are some good ways to have her bond with me, or will she always miss her previous owner? How much settle in time should I give her before I start riding her? She is so lovely
blessings to all |
| AliciaNak |
Posted - Mar 15 2010 : 10:00:21 AM
Aww Shirley, I'm sorry. It's hard not to fall in love with them instantly. But good job on using your head.
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
www.artfire.com/users/BlondeNakCreations |
| chaddsgirl |
Posted - Mar 15 2010 : 08:26:30 AM
Shirley, I'm so glad to hear you have made such a good decision. Sometimes people go ahead and buy a horse they have their heart set on, and just hope it works out for the best. I'm sorry it was a no go, but I am just sure you will find a horse really suited to you if you keep looking. Best of luck in your continued search!
A person is a success if they get up in the morning and get to bed at night and in between does what they want to do. Bob Dylan
Deeperrootsfarm.etsy.com |
| Flower |
Posted - Mar 12 2010 : 2:26:47 PM
Well I went back this afternoon to see the horse and I did not get on her. Decision made..NO. She was skittish nervous wouldn't stand still to mount..not even for the trainer but he mounted her anyway, she was walking alright but her head was tied and she was trying to move it allot she doesn't care for the bit.. probably cause its been a while. He got her into gait but she looked bouncy and was going sideways. Anyway.. I am not ready for a horse like that and she is not ready for an amateur like me, she needs an experienced rider because she needs alot of work. To bad because she is sweet and beautiful and healthy etc. So.. I will be calling the owner tomorrow to tell him no. He is a breeder and as she was an older broodmare is selling her cheap compared to all his other horses that are being broke and trained for show.
blessings to all |
| Alee |
Posted - Mar 12 2010 : 06:36:45 AM
Shirley- If she used to be a show horse and she is a bit older you really need to get her legs and feet checked. They used to so something called Soring which is literally what it sounds like. They would make the horse's feet sore so they stepped higher. The breeders/owners got raided by USDA Inspectors at their big shows and a lot of Tennesee Walkers of impecable breeding got abandoned at the fairgrounds while owners were literally climbing the fence around the show grounds to get away because they were being arrested for cruelty to animals. So I wouldn't expect a breeder to answer honestly if asked if she was given "Old School" training techniques or not, just FYI.
Also the Tennessee walkers that I have seen and the one I rode bob their head quite a bit until they get to their full gait. It's not like riding a non gaited horse where the head bob is undesired. I'll double check with the ranch manager where I board my Arab (it's a Tennessee Walker breeding ranch). Maybe you should ask to ride without the tie down. She should bob her head until she gets into the running walk.
Does the owner tell you why he wants an answer by tomorrow? That seems awfully rushed for such a big investment. It sounds like you are being very aware in this process so I think you should go with your heart. *hugs*
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Flower |
Posted - Mar 12 2010 : 05:20:56 AM
Hi
I went back yesterday to see the horse again.. but this time they had already rode her in the morning so I just groomed her and then we saddled her up but the trainer just wanted to walk her but I asked him to get her into gait..he did but not for long as she had her head tied down..she was a show horse before and really bobs her head, so they said I would have to tie down her head until she stopped that..then when she did go into her gait it was not very smooth and he said its because she has no shoes on and hasn't done it for years..however..she was a show horse that wore pads. Anyway she grooms well of course because of all the hours she was groomed for show . . but I don't have peace about her yet.. I think she needs allot of retraining for just being a regular walker with a natural smooth gait,..I think she was trained for the big lick.Plus she has never been trail rode..not that I am going to be going on any trails for a while. I am going to see her this morning .. but at this point I don't feel qualified to get her. An experienced rider would snatch her up because she is beautiful and comes from good bloodlines etc and is gentle. I think I need a horse that was raised doing their natural gait and has been on trails. I'll see again this morning how she does..but the owner wants an answer by tomorrow.
blessings to all |
| Faransgirl |
Posted - Mar 11 2010 : 08:29:55 AM
If she just got nervous with the cart it sound good. Sounds like the people are honest too if they had someone ride her the allowed you to ride and are willing to let you come back and work with her. If you have the confidence I would take her through all her gaits before making a decision. Or at least have their rider do it. My big gelding is a plodder when it comes to walking, trots like riding in a limo but bucks like a maniac the first time you ask him to canter. He is ok the after the first time but who know what he is going to do the first time out. There is a picture posting tutorial on the general forum page. I use photo bucket. Just go to Photobucket.com and set up an account. Then you upload your photos there, it will walk you through it and then when they are there copy paste the img number onto the MJ's quick reply box and the pictures come through. If that is confusing use the tutorial. I got confused with the tutorial but I am lucky and have a daughter that is a web-designer and she walked me through the photobucket process.
What sort of horse is your girl. Would love to hear about her.
Farmgirl Sister 572
When manure happens just say "WOO HOO Fertilizer". |
| chaddsgirl |
Posted - Mar 11 2010 : 06:59:34 AM
Shirley, that is wonderful! Sounds like you are off to a good start! Absolutely get her checked out by a vet and a farrier, but it sounds like things are looking good!
A person is a success if they get up in the morning and get to bed at night and in between does what they want to do. Bob Dylan
Deeperrootsfarm.etsy.com |
