I’ve come across a few very strange ads for horses for sale ads in the last week or so…just had to share a few with you .

Enjoy!!!

I have a hore that had his man parts off. He was to meen with them on. Heis beter now he don kick no more but he wont let me ride him. I guess he isnt broke. He has papers and says he was borned on the march 10 2009. He is a good one with his feet and will led around good. I bought him at auction and they rode him in the pen a little. But my friend says he not really broke. I got him for my kid but he s no good for kids. I will sell him with papers for $400 what I paid for the vet to fix him. Or trade for a pony or smaller horse my kid can ride. This one got a lot bigger since we got him. I dont know how to measure him like you suppose to do, but he’s shoulder is 64 in he was a lot littler last spring.

Don’t think I need to say too much more about that one!

2 Perfect Horses – $1000

I have 2 great horses that we dont ride anymore.Both are healthy..The black one is approx. 8 yrs old and female..The brown one is approx 13yrs old and used to be a male…they are both barefoot…My kids rode them for awhile but have lost interest in them…They are both around 16 hands tall..(black mare is a bit taller)…Looking for a great home for them..They both love attention and are easy rides…Would like to keep them together if possible..asking $1000 for the pair.

Used to be a male? Since when have they been doing sex change operations on horses!

Ok, I think we all know what they mean, but it certainly didn’t come out right!

Gray Qh Mare

**MUST SALE ASAP ALL OFFERS WILL BE CONCEDED***
 May 1,2003 Birth date of mare she rides very well but not for a begginer rider she is 14.1-14.2 she is Gray Very long mane and tail BEAUTIFUL!!! Bought her but just aint got any time for her about to go back to school and im always working ! havent got to ride her in about 3 months bcz i hurt my knee but had a friend hop on her bare back and she didnt do anything !! Priced to sale papers are wonderful !! Has Wimpy,Leo,Peppy San Badger and some more great horses !!
 Would make wonderful brood mare she has had 1 foal who was amazing i have pictures of him also she was a great mother !!
 Can Text or Email pictures…
 $750 OBO just really need to get this girl sold before i go back to school !!
 Thanks so much !!

Uh, yes, you definitely need to go back to school.

1-VERY BEUTIFUL OVERO PAINT GELDEN,DARK RED SORROW AND WHITE,4-5YRS OLD$400,1-DARK BROWN BAY GELDEN 2-3YRS OLD$200,1-PRETTY,BUCKSKIN AND WHITE,MARE,6-7YRS,$300,BY EACH OR ALL$750.THESE HORSES ARE IN GOOD SHAPE,NOT STCKLY,BEIMG-RUN ON PASTURE,FEAD FEED,AND HAY,ARE OF A FREINLY TYPE,CAN PET THEM,WILL COME TO YOU,CAN BE DEEP IN THE PASTURE AND IF THEY CAN HEAR YOU WISALE,WILL COME TO YOU,LOVES ATCHION,LIKE BIG PETS,BUT HAVE BEEN RUNNING ON PASTURE FOR SOME TIME, WILL NEED RETRAINED OR BROKE,WILL MAKE NICE HORSES,TO SOME ONE WHO KNOWS AND LOVES THEM,

…& so do you! With computers these days, it isn’t that hard to run it through a spell checker is it?

Must Sell Horse

She has been hauled to trail rides, been started on the barrel pattern, and has also been used moving cattle. I have had her since she was a baby and is as sweet as can be. She is a 2002 model. Would make a great barrel horse just needs a job. This horse loves to work. . She is a wonderful horse but I cant give her the attention she deserves. MUST SELL! MAKE AN OFFER! $1000? $900? $800??? Make an offer!!!
I do not have her registered papers, so she is being sold unregistered. If someone would like to dna test her I can give you a copy of the papers.

Ok, so you don’t have her papers, but if I pay for a DNA test you’ll give them to me??? Something doesn’t quite add up here.

Equestrian vaulting is becoming more and more popular these days, and it’s little wonder really. Vaulting combines horse riding with gymnastic activities, all done on a moving horse -- some people would liken it to doing circus tricks on horses!

When you first start out vaulting, you commence training on a barrel -- or simulated horse -- and practice a lot of the moves on that first. Once you’ve become comfortable with that, you move onto a horse and complete the movements at the walk. Once you can perform them well at the walk, you move onto the canter.

Vaulting is excellent for your balance and can be a valuable part of the training for any horse rider competing in any other disciplines -- dressage, western, jumping etc.

To get an idea of what you can do with vaulting I’ve included some videos of some great equestrian vaulting videos below (not all are of British equestrian vaulting).

Freestyle Competition at an international event in Saumur, France, 2011

This video below is an absolutely brilliant example of equestrian vaulting at it’s very best. Gold medal winner, Joanne Eccles at the World Equestrian Games 2010 in Kentucky doing her Freestyle.

And here’s a couple of juniors doing a Ken & Barbie Freestyle team display!

Here’s a collection of funny horse riding falls I found on YouTube recently…no one got hurt in any of these falls! Enjoy!!!

This little girl was very keen to show her friend how she could canter her pony bareback…

…the only problem was, this 12 year old Welsh Mountain pony had a trick or 2 up it’s sleeve too .

In this one, the horse decides if I have to have a bath in this river…then so do you!

A very neat somersault off this pony…

If this person ever decides to pursue another career other than show jumping, I’m sure they’ll do very well at equestrian vaulting!

This is a great story about the heroic horse, Sergeant Reckless, and her involvement in the Korean War. This great little mare was purchased from a Korean racetrack by the US army and trained to help transport dangerous explosives…on her own!

Just saw this ad pop up on one of the horse classifieds sites that I spend a bit too much time on …no harm in window shopping is there?

Anyway, brought a smile to my face & I reckon it would definitely get people’s attention. Next time you’ve got a horse or pony for sale, it mightn’t hurt to try a slightly different tactic like these guys to help your ad stand out from the thousand or so others!

For Sale: One rather loud halter – comes with free pony! , $4,500 ono

One rather loudly coloured halter for sale – cob size, good condition (barely used), also matching lead rope!! Be seen wherever you go with this one!!
 
Oh, and it comes with the following pony attached to it:
 
WIZARD
 
Sire: Willowcroft Hawfinch
 Dam: Dalpura Puffin
 DOB: 6th October 1999
 Height: 14.1hh
 
Wiz is a wonderful little gelding who would be best suited to someone who does not mind a forward pony. He is by no means ‘silly’, and is a gentleman to handle on the ground, in the arena, etc, however he is energetic and would benefit from a confident rider.
 
Wizard has ‘been there, done that’ and is very eager to please, willing to do whatever is asked of him, and has been used for Pony Club, Competition, Mounted Games etc – everything a pony of his size should be used for!
 Nothing is too much trouble for him and you will find that he is more than ready to be your best friend!
 He is offered for sale to a competant home and will NOT be sold to a nervous or beginners home. He is for CONFIDENT people only. (Courtesy http://www.myaushorse.com.au/)

What a great little ad, so next time you’re selling a horse, give it a bit of thought and see if you can come up with something better!

If you’ve come across any other funny or different horses for sale ads, I’d love to hear about them so feel free to share them in the comments .

Knowing how much hay to feed a horse can be tricky, but fortunately there’s a very simple rule of thumb that you can go by to work it out. The last thing you want to do is under feed your horse, and have them skinny or over feed them and be wasting money on excess hay.

The first thing you need to know, is how much your horse weighs. There are several different ways you can find this out including:

1. Taking the horse to a public weighbridge. Just take the horse out of the trailer and walk them onto the bridge to get their weight. The horse should be weighed just before they have a feed and a drink of water to make sure you get their true weight and not their weight plus what’s in their gut, which if full, can be up to 90 lbs (40kgs) more.
2. Using a horse weight tape. You can usually purchase these from a good saddlery or horse feed store & you simply run them around your horse’s chest immediately behind the withers. They’re better than nothing, but the biggest problem with these is that they can be out by up to 20% depending on the make of the tape and the conformation of the horse.
3. Take a rough guess…not the best option, but depending on your situation, it might work out ok. A VERY rough guide is: Ponies to approx. 13.2 hh, up to 750lb (350kg); Large Ponies/Galloways 13.2hh to 15hh, 750lb to 1,000lb (350kg to 450kg); Over 15hh, 1,000lb & up (over 450kg).

Now, to work out how much hay to feed a horse, you need to understand that a horse needs to eat between 1.5% & 3.0% of it’s body weight each day (when at rest) in dry matter. What’s dry matter?

Dry matter is horse feed without any moisture in it. Hay might seem dry, but it actually still has a bit of moisture in it – usually around 10% – so we need to take that into account.

For example:

A 900lb Arab at rest, will need:

Approx. 2.0% of 900 lb in dry matter each day – this percentage can vary between different horses.

2.0% of 900lb = 18lb of dry matter daily.

Remember, this doesn’t mean 18lb of hay, as hay has water in it. To work out how much hay the horse actually needs we:

18lb x 11% = 19.8lb hay

So to maintain condition, with no other feed, this Arab horse, would need around 20lb (9kg) of hay each day.

Now if the horse wasn’t keeping the weight on at this rate, obviously you’d have to increase it. Also, as soon as the horse starts to do any work, they’re using more energy, so will usually need some more feed to help compensate.

This should give you a close guide of how much hay to feed a horse. Obviously, you can adjust it as needed, but it gives you a good, solid base to start from!

Horse riding games are a lot of fun. They sure beat doing circles in the arena all day!

Not to say that you shouldn’t be doing some nice, steady arena work some of the time, but it’s not good for you or your horse to do it every day. This is where horse riding games come in!

They’re not only a heap of fun but they help improve your riding skills and confidence at the same time – perfect for using in horse riding lessons as well. They also help to give your horse a bit of variety in life & keep them from going ‘stale’ from doing too much of one thing.

There are literally hundreds of different horse riding games you can do & there’s nothing stopping you making up your own games either. Games are more fun when there’s at least a couple of riders – it gives you some friendly competition -- but it doesn’t hurt to practice them on your own as well!

Here’s some of the best that you might like to try with your horse or pony.

Egg & Spoon Race

Requirements: 1 egg & 1 spoon per rider

Skills: Good coordination, smooth transitions, good balance.

A game that will keep the chooks busy & the riders’ on edge as they try not to break the egg! The rider needs to hold the spoon by the end of the handle (far away from the egg) and try not to drop the egg. This can be played in a couple of different ways.

First, the riders can circle around the arena and be asked to walk, trot, canter (lope) and change direction. If someone drops their egg, they have to leave the arena. The winner is the last person left in the ring.

Another way, is to do it as a race. Usually, the riders will line up at the start/finish line, ride to a barrel as fast as they can, turn around the barrel and race back to the start/finish line. The first person over the line who hasn’t dropped their egg is the winner.

Pole Bending

Requirements: 5 or 6 (officially 6) poles.

Skills: Control, agility of the horse.

Pole bending is a very popular horse riding game that you’ll find at many gymkhanas and horse shows these days.

Like many horse riding games, there are several different variations, but they all come down to the same basic principle – whichever horse can weave their way through the poles the fastest, following the required pattern and not knocking any down, is the winner.

The version you’ll most likely find at horse shows, involves using 6 wooden poles, each 6 feet in height. The first pole is placed 12 feet from the start line, with the rest of the poles being placed in a straight line, with a distance of 21 feet between each pole.

The rider starts either to the left or right of the first pole (usually to the left so the pole is on the right) and weaves their way through the poles, turning around the last one, and weaving back. If they knock a pole down, touch one with their hand or fail to follow the required course, they could be eliminated.

Open Ended Barrel Race

Requirements: 1 x 55 gallon barrel with both ends removed (or some other tunnel to crawl through).

Skills: Fast mounting & dismounting, a horse that will ground tie (stay when the reins are dropped on the ground).

The open end barrel race differs from the traditional barrel race in that the rider has to go through a barrel instead of around one.

A 55 gallon barrel with both ends removed is placed on the turning line, standing on end. The rider has to ride down to the barrel, dismount, tip the barrel over, crawl through the barrel, then remount and head back across the finish line.

Not surprisingly, having a horse that will ground tie is a big advantage with this game!

More horse riding games coming soon…

When buying a horse, there’s many things that you need to consider, especially if it’s your first horse. You need to ask yourself:

• Can you afford to keep a horse?
• What do you want to do with your horse?
• How much experience do you have?
• Where are you going to keep it?
• How much do you want to spend to buy a horse?
• What breed of horse do you want?
• What size horse do you need?

In fact, I better stop there otherwise I’ll never stop! The list of questions you need to ask yourself is endless!

You should know if you can afford a horse & I’m sure you can work out where to keep it (horse boarding stables), so I’ll go through some of the more commonly asked questions about how to buy a horse that you may not be able to answer by yourself.

What Age Horse Should I Get?

The age of the horse you end up buying will usually depend on how much horse experience you have.

If this is your first horse, even if you’ve been riding for a few years, I would definitely NOT recommend getting a young horse that’s either unbroken or just broken in (green broken).

Green broken horses are VERY different from a horse that’s been ridden for a few years and they need someone who knows what they’re doing to guide them in the right direction & not be scared to discipline them if needed.

Green or inexperienced horses + Green or inexperienced riders = Not a good mix!

In most cases, a horse around 10 years or older is a pretty safe bet when buying a horse for the first time, but it’s probably a good idea not to go much over 17 or 18 years old – you don’t want your horse to drop dead on you 6 months after you bought it!

There are some exceptions to this, but it’s a pretty good rule of thumb to follow.

Stallions may be stunning, but they need to be kept securely away from mares.

Should I Get a Mare, Gelding or Stallion?

Ok, first thing, cross the stallion off the list straight away…do it right now!

A stallion (a male horse who still has his crown jewels) is something that only experienced horse riders and owners should consider.

Firstly, stallions can be very different to handle than mares or geldings – you can’t ‘tell’ most stallions to do anything, or try to be bossy with them, you need to treat them with the utmost respect (mind you, you should be doing this with any horse). Secondly, unless your neighbour or fellow horse boarders all want their mares in foal, you’ll need very good (& high) fences and they probably won’t want to go riding with you when their mares are in season.

So that leaves us with a mare or a gelding (a male horse without his jewels)?

Whether or not you like mares or geldings is really a personal preference. Some people will say that mares can be ‘bitchy’ and difficult to handle, especially when in season (which some can be), but in the majority of cases, this isn’t true.

There are ‘bad’ mares, but there’s almost as many ‘bad’ geldings – sorry, don’t like saying horses are ‘bad’, as their behaviour is usually as a result of how we handle them.

So don’t let anyone tell you not to get a mare. I can safely say from personal experience that the vast majority of mares are absolutely brilliant horses. In fact I had someone say to me once:

A good mare will beat a good gelding any day!

…& having had several good mares (& quite a few geldings) I can definitely vouch for the fact that this is true!

New Forest Pony

What Breed Should I Get When Buying a Horse?

Any breed that’s quiet and suits what you want to do!

No particular breed is quieter than another. There’s horses that are ‘hot’ or ‘fizzy’ and horses that are quiet in any breed.

You might hear from people not to buy an Arab or a Thoroughbred for your first horse, as they tend to be a bit ‘hot’, but if you find one that’s quiet then don’t hesitate. Don’t let a horse’s breed put you off going to look at it, if everything else seems ok!

Buying a horse is a big expense and comes with a big commitment, but think carefully first, keep these things in mind and you should be able to find yourself a friend for life!

Here’s a list of the latest release horse movies 2011. The film producers have definitely done a great job with horse movies this year. There are several that look really good…definitely worth going to the movies for or hiring on DVD as soon as they come out!

Hope you find the list useful…more coming soon.

Cowboys & Aliens – Release Date July 29th 2011

Cowboys & Aliens isn’t strictly a completely horsey movie, but it does have horses in it! It’s based on the Malibu Comics novel that mixes western and science fiction.

It’s set in the 1800s in Arizona – during the middle of a fight between the Indians and cowboys, an alien spaceship crash lands. The alien leader of the spaceship has plans to take over the Wild West and enslave everyone, but the cowboys and Indians have other ideas and fight back!

Personally, I don’t think it’s something that I’d go out of my way to watch, but if you like the sci-fi style movies as well, then you might enjoy it.

War Horse – Release Date December 25th 2011

Yet to be released (as I write), the Steven Spielberg film War Horse looks like it could be a winner!

Set in rural England & Europe during World War 1 in the early 1900s, it starts off with a touching partnership between a horse called Joey, and a young man Albert who trains and tames him. At the start of the war, they’re forcefully separated.

The movie then follows Joey’s extraordinary journey through the war and shows the incredible impact he has on everyone he comes across – British cavalry, German foot soldiers, and a French farmer & his granddaughter. The story meets an emotion charged peak in the heart of No Man’s Land.

To be released on Christmas Day, this looks like the pick of the horse movies 2011, and definitely one that I’m going to go and see!

And They’re Off – Release Date October 28th 2011

As the title suggests, this movie is set in the tough and unpredictable world of horse racing. Trainer, Dusty Sanders loves his horses, but unfortunately doesn’t win very often!

He has a hard week – loses his jockey girlfriend Dee (because he didn’t invite her to his high school reunion) & loses most of his horses. The owners send them elsewhere to be trained as he doesn’t seem to be doing a very good job. What can he do next to get things back on track?

If you like a good comedy – with the bonus of horses – then this is a horse movie that’s probably worth watching.

Buck – Release Date June 17th 2011

Buck is a brilliant documentary about the life and hugely successful horse training methods of Buck Brannaman.

The movie follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his incredibly successful approach to horses. A real-life horse-whisperer, he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment.

Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses -- and people -- with his understanding, compassion and respect. In this film, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life.

Though Buck doesn’t fit into the same category as your traditional horse movies (2011), I definitely think this is one to watch!

Make sure you bookmark this page…more coming soon!

Unfortunately not all of us are lucky enough to have our own property where we can keep our horse or pony. In these situations, our only other choice if we want to keep a horse, is to use horse boarding stables.

At the moment, I’m having to use horse boarding facilities for my pony, but we have had our own property in the past, so I’ve been on both sides of the fence – when we had our property we offered horse boarding for people, but I’ve also had to use horse boarding stables on several different occasions.

So What Do You Need to Look For When You Have to Board Your Horse?

Barbed wire can be lethal around horses.

1. Good Fences – The last thing you want is your horse injuring itself in poor quality fencing, especially barbed wire. Check that the fences & gates are intact with no sharp edges. Ideally, the fencing should all be electric or post and rail.
2. Safe Stables & Shedding – These need to be checked the same as the fencing. Make sure there aren’t any holes in stable walls, no sharp bits of metal poking out or anything else a horse could injure itself on. If horses can find something to injure themselves on, they will!
3. Weed Free Pastures – Some weeds in any horse pasture is inevitable, but try to avoid places where the paddocks are just full of weeds (in particular toxic weeds) with no grass at all. Some horse boarding facilities don’t offer paddocking (only yards or stables) so if this is the case then you don’t need to worry about this.
4. Somewhere to Ride – Stop and think, where are you going to ride your horse? You definitely don’t want to try and ride your horse in a 10 acre paddock with 10 other horses running free around you…that’s a recipe for disaster! At the very least you need a paddock that doesn’t have horses in it to ride in, or easy access to quiet roads but the best thing is a proper riding arena.
5. Stables or Somewhere to Put Your Horse if They’re Sick – If your horse is going to be in a paddock all the time, you still need to be able to put it somewhere by itself if it becomes sick or injures itself. Stables are perfect for this, but a very small yard would do as well.
6. A Knowledgeable, Horsey Person Living on the Property – Horses can become sick or get injured at any time of the day or night and if you live 20 minutes away, you can’t be there all the time to keep an eye on them. By the time you get there the next morning to feed, it could be too late! Someone, who can call you if there’s a problem, needs to live on the property.
7. Shelter in the Yards or Paddocks – A good paddock shelter or plenty of trees is essential. Your horse needs some way to escape from the scorching summer heat or take shelter during the cold winter rain.
8. A Place to Store Your Horse Feed – You don’t want to have to transport your horse feed from your home to the boarding stables every day. A weather and rodent proof storage facility will stop your car from looking like a hay shed!


Hopefully your horse boarding stables has a better toilet than this...but even this is better than nothing!

9. Outdoor Toilet & Wash Room – You’ve been out riding your horse for a few hours and are desperate to go to the toilet…a proper toilet is much more convenient than a bush or holding on for half an hour until you’re home!
10. Reasonable Rates – Are their boarding fees affordable? Usually, the more facilities there are, the more expensive the rates, but in saying that there is a fair bit of variation so it’s worth shopping around!

Now if you can find a place that ticks all the boxes, then count yourself very lucky! However, you might find that you don’t need everything listed above in your horse boarding facilities or are happy to go without some of those features – it all depends on your individual requirements!

From my personal experience though, if you can find horse boarding stables that meet most of the standards in the list, it will make your horse boarding experience much easier…for both you and your horse!