Horse lovers/horse people who are realistic... could you help me understand?

Question

i see people all the time come here, and ask about saving a horse. but i want to know if one person can list ( a whole list, if you only have one answer please come back with more when you have em) reasons to get a horse that "needs saving". and add on to that list why people would suggest a beginner to get a rescue horse, because i see alot of people suggestion that to people looking for a first horse.

dont be rude, dont be offensive. i'll take 4 or more reasons as a list.

here's my list for a beginner/first time horse owner to not buy a rescue horse:

1. the horse has been abused and is not a very trusting animal.

2. the horse is going to have more faults/issues.

3. it's unsafe for rider/horse.

4. they're not normal riding horses, they're abused in one shape or form and not for people to learn on them/with them.

5. i think only people who are experenced should consider it, and still never rush in to save a horse they dont know.

6. all the good intentions wont always help.

Answer 1

In general I don't recommend rescue horses for beginners, but in a few cases I might, and since you asked for reasons a beginner SHOULD rescue a horse, here are some:

1) Horses that have been rescued by the Humane Society or a similar organization have usually been tested for personality and worked with for socialization.  Just as they check out the dogs for hidden problems, they check out the horses, and work with them, and are scrupulously honest in pointing out their problems.

2) Sometimes these are good horses that have fallen on hard times and been neglected rather than abused.  They are generally older, more seasoned, and have patience for the human race, or they would be dead.

3)  Many of these horses are fine personality wise, but only suitable for beginners.  They'll never be athletes or show horses, but can ramble around on trails just fine.  They'll be good for a beginner without much ambition.

4)  Many people want a pasture buddy, or a lawn ornament.  They don't actually want to ride it or handle it, just have the status of owning one.  This is an ideal home for horses that are "people sour" through abuse or neglect.  They'll be well fed and taken care of and left to themselves, and that'll be the best home possible for them.

5)  You can learn a lot from gaining the trust of an abused animal.  If the horse can be handled, is mature, and perhaps recovering from injury, a beginner can nurse it back to health, learn what it feels like to bond with the horse, and feel really good about themselves.

6)  They're cheap.  All owners, first time or fiftieth time, make mistakes with their horses.  First time owners usually make the most mistakes.  These are great horses to make mistakes on.  (Cynical, perhaps, but realistic.)

7)  They need homes, and no one experienced with horses is going to take them in.  People recommend them to beginners because they care more about the horse than about the person.  I won't say this is wrong...  but I won't do it, either.

It won't always work out for the horse or the owner, but it can, and it's often the only home that's available for the horse or the only horse available for the owner.

Answer 2

Why shouldnt beginers get rescues?

1.  Often horses sold for meat at auctions are there for a reason other then someone didnt want them.  They are sick, unsound, or down right dangerous.  Beginers may have the heart, but they dont have the skill for these animals.

2. Beginers are still learning themselves and have a huge amount to process.  its very rare to find a babysitter in a rescue. Odds are 1 in 100 of finding the perfect horse that just happened on bad circumstances.  Black Beauty was a story.

3.  first time owners do not as a rule have the facilities to properly care for and segragate a sick, run down horse.  Infecting a entire barn with something will not make people like you any more or feel sympathy for your rescue horse.

4.  experience is a excellent teacher,  It also is a unforgiving one.  If you come across that rogue mare, or gelding that has learned he can hurt people, it can lead to deadly consequences, for both you and the horse.  Why risk it?

adding on.

5.  1200lbs of INSANE underneath you is like sitting on a powder keg and waiting for someone to light a spark.  A experienced rider can "feel " this and divert the horse to another task. A beginer can only help confuse the horse more and bring the explosion one step closer.

6.  Been there done this.  Taken on horses with all sorts of issues.  Managed to retrain most, rehome a few, and to know the few that just were beyond help.  We've taken in the ones that were starved near to death.  One that was used to hauling in the OPEN back of a pickup truck and would JUMP up into it like a dog, because his owner BEAT HIM if he didnt. A pony that stood a scant 11 hands high, and was ridden by full sized adult men in a circle y saddle at a dead run.  He had two gates when we got him  Dead run, dead stop.  A standardbred that had NEVER been outside in his life.  He was foaled at a amish farm and spent the first 4 years of his life inside the barn.  They didnt have the time to work with him and he ran thru a fence so he stayed inside from then on.... These are NOT for beginners, even if they assume they can tackle this sort of thing, it takes patience, time, and the eye that only years of riding can bring.

Answer 3

I agree with you totally. Here's my list adding onto your reasons.

1. It takes many years of being around horse's to understand an abused horse's psyche.

2. A beginner is easily intimidated and agitated when something starts to go wrong. And with a rescue, things are bound to go wrong.

3. Most rescues need extra maintenance. A beginner that gets a horse that needs A LOT of extra care could get upset because it's more work than fun, and end up returning or selling the horse- and the horse once again has to start his healing process over.

4. Most beginners aren't familiar with all the costs of owning and keeping a horse. If they get a rescue that requires lots of care and extra money that the owners don't have, the horse could end up in the same situation as in #3.

EDIT: I found myself laughing at that Carrie Underwood commercial the other day where she said she was a horse whisperer and the ZOOM out and it's a little miniature horse. Cracked me up.

Answer 4

i think you make some good points, but animals are very forgiving. i rescued a horse and it is my husbands first horse. he loves her and she loves him. they make a perfect pair together. it really depends on the horse. i of course helped him with her and i have been around horses since i was 5. i think any beginner should look at buying a horse that is stable unless they have someone that can help them and show them what to do.

Answer 5

I'd advise anyone who was not a well versed professional to avoid buying at auction -  far too many surprises waiting for the unwary. The best thing that the " I'm getting my first horse" person can do is hire an experienced and qualified person to find a horse that is suitable for them. However we all know that is not what happens most of the time because they want that wonderful first horse that they found for themselves  for as little as possible and if it's got a few "quirks" well it was abused - that explains everything.

While I will give credit for good intentions these are not dogs that can (usually) reasonably be rehabbed by anyone with a good dose of common sense and patience they are 1000lbs of muscle with a prey animal's instincts. Not a job for an inexperienced handler.

If they want to be involved in saving a horse they should volunteer at the rescue centre or donate money.

Answer 6

I've owned abused horses off and on most of my life.  You all probably know my most famous one, Hollywood Blue, but not by his name, by the flying horse that comes cantering across the movie screen each time you see a Tri Star movie.  He posed for their logo back in '84 or there abouts, they took 35mm and all I got was a stinkin' polaroid!  LOL

Most of the problem horses I've gotten normally haven't been fed (So was the case with Blue.).

You HAVE to have an understanding about what's going on with the horse, you don't just go out and "rescue" one, you have to have a game plan.

Most of the horses I rescue, I've known and known that they've come on hard times.  I look at them as old friends.

Abuse comes in MANY forms when it comes to horses.  There's the lack of feed, physical abuse (torture) or lack of knowledge abuse.

I've owned all of the above.  My favorite TB was foaled out of a class A hunter, who nobody at the stable knew what she had been.  The gal I got her from told me she wasn't broke too well after she saddled her up with an old heavy Saddle King western saddle and a Slyster salinas mouthed shanked curb bit and crossed her reins.

Blue hardly looked like his later self the 5 years I'd known him before I ended up with him.  His former owner once saw me give my crew a hot bran mash and instead of asking me what it contained, went to the nearest feedstore and bought "laying mash".

Then there's my current formerly abused horse, Grey my now 18 yr old Azteca gelding.  He was 10 when I met him.  A friend of mine "rescued" him but once she got him, didn't have a clue how to correct his "issues".  He'd been a charro horse who'd been bowed in both front tendons.  They layed him up, healed the bows nicely then sold him to some "wannabe" charro who didn't know that after a long layup, the horse was bound to get barnsour.  Grey'd spin around on the forehand and the wannabe would fall of.  He'd drag Grey back to the stable he was boarding at and BEAT him with a lunge whip or crop, while tied to a trailer.  My friend rescued him, but had him for 2 years and still didn't know what to do with him.  I got him, and upon my first ride knew he wasn't going to be a horse an intermediate rider could handle.

7 years later, he's still with me, he's my little buddy.  The highest compliment he's paid me is that he will let his food sit in his feeder to spend time with me.  He still occassionally does his spinning game undersaddle, I just take a deep seat and sit it out.

Now I have an exneighbor who tried her hand at rescuing 2 pmu Belgium cross mares.  She short changed her other horses on feed to be able to feed these girls more.  She nearly lost her little Arab and finally lost her old first horse because of the ups and downs feed wise.  In the long run, she lost both the PMU mares as well and never did get them as much as halter broke.

If folks don't have a clue what they are doin' then leave the rescuing to those who do.  I once asked one of the people who were so dead set on shutting down the rendering plants here in the US if she'd pay $100.00/mo to rescue a horse.  She answered me "NO WAY!!!!" but didn't want the horses killed here.  To THOSE bleeding hearts, I say "Put your money where your mouth is!"  I know a few who do donate to rescues on a monthly basis, at least they are trying, BUT I think we should have put our money into making sure that rendering plants in the US were more humanely run instead of subjecting horses to the travesty going on in Mexico.

:::Steps off Soap Box:::

Answer 7

I dont think a rescue horse is good for a begginer. Begginers need a horse that they can trust. Not a spooky horse. Also it may sound perfect but if you have never taken lessons... I would wait. Have the money and Time!!! Also I have been riding for almost 4 years and still dont own a horse!

Answer 8

1. You don't know what could spook a rescued horse. For all you know, men abused it, so whenever it gets close to a man, it freaks.

2. You don't know how to get it on a proper nutritious diet.

3. Rescue horses usually aren't ready to ride for a few months/years, or ever, depending on how badly they were abused.

4. The horse could have health problems that you don't know about.

5. Beginners need to learn the foundation of riding. Riding a horse that has been abused and does not trust people will not be a good choice, nor a safe one.

6. Resuce horses often have a lot of health problems, such as dental, foot, digestive, etc. This can be very costly, not to mention frustrating.

7. Rescue horses aren't always easy to love. A beginner usually wants a horse that they can cuddle and fuss over, and a rescue horse won't allow you to do that.

I hope this helped.

Edit:

I just thought I would put a bit of a backround to help back up my points:

We have a rescue horse named Thunder who is the sweetest guy ever in the paddock, but he cannot be ridden. We decided to discontinue his training after 3 months of trying to saddle train him. After 3 months of getting nowhere, we decided to make him a companion horse. However, we also have a resuce mare named Bitsy, who would shy away from all women, as a woman used to beat her quite forcefully with a crop, and after we showed her that we won't hurt her, she's amazing around girls and women now. My 6 year old cousin rides her! She's not so great with crops, though. I have a few more examples, but you get the point. I wouldn't recommend putting the task of rehabilitating a rescue horse on a beginner. It's not fair or realistic to the horse or the rider.

Answer 9

Let's be realistic....

Some of these horses out of Canada that were Premarin mares or Premarin babies, have had little handling, and are unsuitable for anything.  The window for training is gone.  And I find it sad that slaughter is no longer done in the US.  That means that the horse is loaded into a trailer with as many as some hauler can get in, and driven into Mexico.  If the horse gives the hauler a bad time, these guys gouge out the eyes, putting the horse in pain and terror, but at least the horse settles down.  Death is not a bad thing.... the process of dying is!!!!!!... and thus these horses are forced to endure a dying process of perhaps several days, with no water in a hot trailer.... whoever sponsored bill this did a horse no favor.  And idiots voted for it.

Then the rescue bunches sprung up.....saving these horses before the killers could take them to Mexico.  Nice idea, but with hay at $27/ bale, few are the takers.

A first time horse owner ---usually a kid--- has no experience, and thus is unable to deal with issues of "killer horses."  So, I'd always suggest a new horse person have a pleasant experience, not one that might leave him/her paralyzed.

There is no satisfactory answer... not every horse out of Canada will ever be suitable as a riding horse.  And it is for sure sad to see a young horse sent off to Mexico.  

I'd re-instate the ability for slaughter horses again in the United States.  There is nothing wrong with a humane death... we allow it for dogs, surely we could allow it for horses.

Answer 10

I do not think a rescue is a good beginners horse 95% of the time.   Yes, some are wonderful! You get those Flicka girls & they think they can like the movie.... That is the key word to them "Movie"!  & Some people think they are the "Horse Whisperer" & can save them all & fix them all !! LOL  Or the 13yrs who can train horses! Or the ones who are going to school to be  "Equine  Medical something" but don't know what  to do about her horse in pain.... *bangs head*

Good question!