Re: buying a horse (long)

[Knaptyme@aol.com]

The day I drove up to look at Phoenix, my current, I knew that I had to have
him.  My friend with me said, I didn't know you where an impulse buyer.  All
you had to do was look in that horses eyes and know he would give you 100%.
He had been starved and beaten, you could still see the scars from the spurs.
He just wanted someone to love and take care of him.  It took along time, but
he finally trusts me and will do anything for me.  9/10's emotion is sometimes
all it takes.  In my case, it was 100% emotion.  I refused to have a vet check
on him.

It was throw caution (ok, $1,500) to the wind and take my chances.  I couldn't
leave him where he was.  The friends who I cajoled into driving to get him,
made the comment on the way home, "If he doesn't work out you can always sell
him."  Needless, to say, they weren't impressed with the horse.  He has
surprised them and everyone who came into contact with him in during the first
year I owned him.  He has turned into one of "H" of an endurance horse.

I will comment on posts I've been reading about buying the $3,000 horse who
has been well-fed, wormed and had all the shots vs. the horse you know nothing
about.  Just because the horse costs a lot of money doesn't mean that it will
be any sounder than the abused horse.  It may take you longer to get the
abused horse into condition, but you should feel really good (no make that
great) about rescuing the abused horse.  If you have the time and commitment
to take an abused horse and return him to health, you are giving him his life
back.  Not everyone has that.  So think very carefully, about doing it.

In the process of bringing mine back, I came across a sale in Bakersfield for
abused Arabians.  I was eager to go, until I realized that my horse still
needed all my attention and love to get back to the horse he should be.  If I
still lived on the West Coast, I would now attend that sale and buy the horse
that attracted 100% of my emotions and try to bring him/her back to the horse
they should be.  I will be looking for similar sales in MN.

Rescuing horses is not for everyone.  If you want a horse ready able and
willing to go, then that is not the project for you.  Rescued horses require
time and above all PATIENCE.  They don't realize they have a reason to trust
humans.  You must give them that reason.  My experience has been with Arabs,
you really have to convince them.  

Recently, I had to give mine penicillin shots for a week.  The logical place
to do it was in his shed, it shielded us from the wind and outside
interference.  That was early December.  Too this day, when I turn on the shed
light and start stroking and petting, everything is ok, until I introduce
something new.  He thinks I'm going to hurt him again.  And believe me,
penicillin shots hurt, you have to use an 18 gauge needle.  It will probably
take him 6 months to get over that fear.  By the way, if I leave the light
off, he couldn't care less.  I turned the light on to give the shots.

Horses are amazing, they remember what hurt them forever.  What feels good,
they forget quickly.  Are they more like us than we would like to think?

Just my opinion,

Diane