Re: [RC] buying on a budget - TypeF \(Jackie Floyd\)
I guess technically, I should not have used the
word "Mustang." I figured we were talking in generic terms. Sorry. I was also
generically speaking about riding horses, not necessarily endurance. Sorry,
again. I forget that this group is pretty single-minded in the endurance thing
LOL :) I'm only like ADDICTED ....
Getting them as youngsters does not require that
you have 6 ft. high fences. I can't remember what it was (been awhile) but I
know it wasn't that. The horse camp my daughter attended for 5 years adopted 3
yearlings every year for the kids to work with. When the kids went to the camp
for 6 years in a row, they were given the Mustang of their choice. Most of
those babies went to live with the kids who went to the camp. The rest were
sold when the owners retired. We purchased one my daughter worked with. I
myself, would be leary of adopting an older horse (having had experience with
an older Arabian rescue who was set in her ways), but after seeing how
well all these youngsters turned out, would not have a problem adopting
another one.
But I'll definitely agree, it's not for everyone.
And I think the original poster probably assumed we were all good horse
people, not Joe Q. Blow off the street. Wait, we've had this conversation
before ...
Other things to factor into the BLM program
costs (ps I am not against the program):
Cost of building a fence big enough to keep the
equine in: in TX it has to be 6ft tall and a certain minimum sq
footage<--- That alone will buy you an already trained
horse
Cost to get there, ie how far away is the
'auction'-then bidding process
Injuries during the gentling process-time off
work, doctor bills, etc
Gelding the colts/stallion-this is upwards of
$125 plus the care afterwards--my guess hosing off a somewhat wild colt
would be another interesting challenge. --My dressage instructor says
gelding are made in heaven.
Broken tack-best to use the old stuff but still
something to consider.
Broken fences, disruption to other horses you
may have.
However, there are a lot of great success
stories if you can get thru all the extra risks.
This past weekend, I saw some 3yo qtr horses
being ridden by green riders and the horses were not bothered by
anything. They appeared to be 'working' qtr horses so were not so
bulky in muscle.
A good disposition can go a LONG way over looks
unless one really likes those 'extra challenges'.
A local trainer is 'sortof giving away' a
warmblood she has been working with for over 2 yrs.. he just likes to
'rodeo' and won't stay 'trained'. We take a risk with every
horse we ride or try to train. Remember, the injuries you
sustain will return to mess up your life later on. Moderation is a
good thing. Bull riders and bronc riders eventually have their
injuries catch up to them. Personally, I still want to be riding at
75!!!
Happy Trails, Mary Ann
Subject: Re: [RC] buying on a budget
In a
message dated 9/7/2004 5:41:45 AM Pacific Standard Time, whytrotfarms@xxxxxxxxx
writes:
if you are serious about buying a good endurance horse
and paying a rock bottom price, get a mustang! you can
find one of just about any size, shape or color. prices
start at $125 for younger stock at the blm adoptions, but you can
find some 4 years old and up for $25! thats right, $25!
that is what i paid for a five year old mustang
stallion,
