My first horse,...help?

Question

i am buying my first horse and i have a question.

THe horse already comes with shoes but do i have to keep them up?

also what do i need to give my horse as far as shots and coggins and stuff. I know nothing about that. My aunt has 2 hourses and she never has them see a vet but i want my horse to be healthy andi will be riding like 4 times a week, so what should i have ?

Answer 1

i agree with the firs person...also, if a horse is 11 years or older, you need to have their teeth trimmed by a vet every year! wormers ( available at tractor supply) should be given once a month, some people do it four times a year though ( every season) but my horse trainer says once a month.

Answer 2

Personally none of my horses wear shoes. I do work on gravel roads and pavement when driving.

A good horse with good feet doesn't necessarily require shoes. I did shoe my horse during show season when jumping but pulled them after the show season was over.  My daughters roadster pony came with shoe feet and show shoes, so they were pulled and his feet trimmed then he was turned out for a few months to be a pony and let his tendons adjust to a shorter toe, higher heel and less weight.

Coggins are required by law if you plan to leave your property. In Illinois where I live it is a 12 month paper.  Some states are 6 months. I would be sure the horse is negative before you buy it.

Vaccinations well that is another story and depends on what you believe.  

If the horse is to be turned out on pasture I reccomend Rabies especially if there are cases of rabies in your county.

If you vaccinate for West Nile (I do not) but use the recombnant (modified DNA) vaccine it is safer.

VEE is not necessary as there have been no documented cases in the US

EEE and WEE if there have been cases in your area I would reccomend it.

I would not do the strangles vaccine it is not proven if the tiders hold or not.

Then again that is the case with most vaccines.  I do not vaccinate except I do administer a tetnus anti toxin anytime a horse is cut or punctured (rarely)

Barbwire was brought up.  If you use barbwire it must be a pasture large enough that no one gets chased through the fence.  We have 18 in a 10 acre pasture (mostly shetlands) and have no issue with the barbed wire.

I do have the vet check teeth when coggins are done annually and my older horses see the equine dentist 2 x a year.

It is good to get to know a local equine vet just in case you have an emergency.  We only see our vet for coggins and emergencies. I travel to see the equine dentist.(who is also a vet)

If your aunt is capable and knowledgable she may only need the vet for coggins.  I am capable of vaccinating and most basic vet care myself so I see my vet offically once a year.

Answer 3

The hoses shoes need to be filed down and reset every 6 weeks by your farrier. As far as the shoots go you would want to give your horse the Rabie, Triple E, Rhino, and Flue shoots, and make sure you test your horse for coggins. your local vet can tell you more to keep your horse healthy as possible. Good luck and have fun with your first horse.

Answer 4

OK, I'm NOT being mean or offensive, just laying out the facts:

You NEED to have horse experience before buying. Horse experience does NOT mean riding around on your aunt's horses a few times, I mean YEARS of riding lessons. With a trainer. There's no easy way. You need experience. I've been riding for almost 6 years, but I still don't have a horse. My suggestion is take AT LEAST 2 years of lessons. You should have a perfect walk and trot, with flawless steering, rein control, etc. at these gaits. Your trainer should agree that you are ready for a horse. Even then, you need a deadbroke, beginner safe horse. Your aunt is being abusive to her horses by not vetting them (unless of course she herself or her husband is a vet). Horses should be vetted AT LEAST twice a year. By not vetting her horses, your aunt is putting them in danger of contracting diseases, illnesses, or worse, death. For all we know, your aunt's horses could have colic, West Nile, laminitis, lameness, or other injuries or diseases. Call up your aunt right now and tell her she NEEDS to take her horses to the vet. I can almost guarantee you that there will be something wrong. I'm not saying your aunt is a bad person, I'm saying she needs to smarten up with horses, and FAST. Horses aren't like dogs or cats where you learn as you go. Horses, despite their size, beauty, power, intelligence, and strength, are very delicate and are meant to be owned by experienced horse people. I've been around horses for most of my life (though I wasn't riding all that time!), taking lessons for almost 6 years, and I know a thing or two. Smarten uo BEFORE you get the horse. Really. No joke. Ever watch Animal Planet's show "Animal Cops" where there are abused, neglected, and obviously not taken care of horses? Those horses were owned by people with no experience who rode once or twice, decide they want one, buy one, and that's the outcome. The horse suffers. You can get injured. You don't know what your doing. So do your future horse a favor, postpone buying, and learn. Sign up for lessons NOW, read all the books you can find NOW, and in a couple of years, when youre ready, buy a horse. Ideally the horse should see a vet any where from once a month to once every six months. A farrier should be seen every 1 1/2 - 2 months, and a dentist should be seen about once or twice a year. Be forewarned: the market is HORRIBLE. Hay prices are skyrocketing, and many horse owners are forced to sell their beloved horses because they can no longer afford them. Make sure you have enough money to:

~buy a horse

~pay board ($200-$800/month depending on your area)

~vet your horse ($100 or more/month depending on the vet's findings)

~pay for the farrier ($80 or more/1 1/2 - 2 months based on your area)

~dentist ($Depends)

~have at least an additional $1,000 or more in case your horse becomes sick.

Yes. That's THOUSANDS every year. Be sure you can afford it. Be sure to NEVER buy any of these as a first horse: Stallion, weanling, yearling, any horse under 5, and experienced, advanced, intermediate, or spirited horses. I don't care how adorable or pretty that horse is, it's not worth s******g them up for life due to a lack of experience. A stallion is unpredictable and definately not for first time horse owners. A weanling and yearling are too young for riding, you would have to wait a few years and then train them. Youre not ready for that.  A horse between 2-5 will be "green" or inexperienced. These horses still need training and green rider + green horse = black & blue. Don't atempt it. Get a deaadbroke, bombproof, beginner-safe, 6 or older horse. Experienced, advanced, or intermediate horses are definately not a good match. For example, I'm an intermediate/advanced rider. I have a perfect walk, trot, and good canter. I can steer perfectly at the walk and trot, and steer well enough at the canter. I know leads and I'm starting lead changes soon. Basically, I know what I'm doing. That's what I've learned in 6 years. I learned grooming, tacking, riding, and basic healthcare. BASIC healthcare, lol. But I can feed if given a chance and muck without <too much lol> complaint. You have to learn these things before you even think about getting a horse. Horses are a LOT of work. If you do things wrong, it can really hurt. Unless your parents (I'm assuming you live with your parents, of course you could be an adult, this is one of the disadvantages of Yahoo Answers!) are EXPERIENCED horse people and have owned and taken good care of a few horses, hold off on getting a horse. For your horses sake, LEARN. Don't buy. You need lessons, knowledge, and a whole lot more before youre ready. Trust me! :)

Answer 5

Look I don't mean any offence but you need to have a proper talk with a vet and don't get a horse until you are certain of all these things and know how to look after it in all situations.

Answer 6

ok first off

do you know how to ride?

how long have you been riding?

do you know how to properly care for a horse?

it sounds like you might not know too much, please become educated about horses before getting one, they are a big responsibility and you can't just learn everything overnight.

don't keep your horse at your aunts house. Those horses probably need medical care, and probably aren't well taken care of.

When looking for a place, barbed wire is a big no no, good quality hay, good feeding schedules nice turn out etc.

as for feet, you don't have to keep the shoes on, but horses NEED to see the fairrer every 6-8 weeks.

Dewormer every 3 months

as for shots, ask the old owner what the horse has had. you will probably need to get an updated coggins, and the vet can get your horse on a regular schedule for shots.

also remember teeth floating, the cost of tack etc etc.

Horses are VERY expensive, if you board (which it sounds like your going to) it will probably be about 300 a month, which on board alone translates to 3,600 a year. then you have to add in fairrer, vet, and tack which is probably close to another $3000 a year.

Answer 7

You should have the horse vet checked 'before' you agree to buy it, and then you can ask the vet what shots you need.

Shoes will need replacing on average every six weeks, or maybe more if you ride 4 times a week on hard ground.  Sometimes shoes only last one ride, as they can lose one as fast as they are put on.  If you keep the hooves supple with hoof oil,  the shoes stay on for longer.

Answer 8

Jess-

The horse must have his feet trimmed every six - eight weeks - the shoes will have to come off for this.  The shoes will wear out, but if the horse doesn't require them, they won't need to be replaced.

The horse would require shoes if:

1. Their feet are brittle or unhealthy

2.  You ride on hard ground a lot rather than soft sand, loam or grass

3.  You ride long distances stressing the hooves

4.  The horse has an unsoundness requiring corrective shoeing.

I would wish you'd have known these things before getting the horse as this is a pretty elementary thing, but you're asking now - so that's good at least.

Some people do just fine never having the vet out.  when I was growing up we rarely did with 14 horses - only if a terrible injury we couldn't diagnose and heal ourselves.

However, if you are inexperienced with horse, your horse is at a boarding facility or other horses come and go often or if you will travel with that horse off your property more than maybe once a year, the horse does need some vaccinations yearly depending on what area you are in.

I get mine the 5 way shots for flu west nile - I can't remember right now what's in the 5 way.  I also get them rabies shots because we have Oppossums and coons and fox and coyotes and many bats in our area - bats are the primary carrier of rabies.  Potomac fever might be another that you would innoculate for, but you can't do that along with the other shots, it must be done later and it's usually in the heat of summer that Potomac comes up the most - your vet will know what the horse should get.

A good vet, if you haven't located one - for a horse would be horse - only vet if possible. They've focused on just horses and I"ve found they are generally more knowledgeable - a good vet also won't just tell you point blank what you need to do without an explanation - he'll tell you his opinion, give you choices and allow you to chose.  You can often ask these vets what they'd do were they in your shoes, but for each person the choice may be different.

YOu must have a coggins test usually every year or two - yearly if you're showing in 4H and stuff away from your farm.  Here in Michigan we are required to have Coggins tests done every two years and the horse away from your place is required to have proof of negative coggins with the owner at all times (and DNR officers WILL stop us on the trail asking for them).  The coggins test only tests for NOW - right now what does the horse have or not have - it does not tell you what the horse might be getting or might be prone to get and it only tests for the most common things.  Here in Michigan they cost about $25.  I consider this a good investment for peace of mind.

I have found with my horses I've had for 41 years and the 6 I currently have that between $1000 and $1500 a year is required to keep a horse fed, trimmed, wormed and vetted - for keeping the horses at our farm, not including cost of truck/trailer or land - so it's not a cheap prospect.  If you're boarding at a minimum rate of maybe $200 a month, that's a cost of $2400 a year and may include yearly vet checks, coggins, farrier, etc.  Check with your barn owner or consult your boarding agreement to see.

Good luck - do ride 4X a week - if you're young (and I assume a girl), I'll let you in on a couple little secrets:

1.  Horses are better companions than boys without exception

2.  IF you can find a boy who's good with horses, he's likely a good guy.  It takes a lot for a boy to learn to communicate well with another species like the horse - they must be patient, kind and considerate, which is also good for us girls.

On the same token - if a boy you see is heavy handed with his horse and shouts at it or is mean- avoid him.

Good luck!

Answer 9

1Q. Well no you don't have to keep shoes on, a barefoot trim is better actually. But ask the person you are buying the horse from her perspective. I keep my horse barefoot and personally think its the best way and I ride my horse 4 or more times a week to. But everybody has there own ideas on the matter. I would recommend looking at this article http://www.myhorse.com/health/natural-ho...

2Q. It's always good to have a pre-purchase exam with a coggins test especially if you don't know all the horses previous history. As far as vaccinations go you should get the veterinary records from the person you are buying from. Your horse should by now be vaccinated for the year but next year you need it done again. this article will tell you what you need done http://www.myhorse.com/health/preventati... You should also have yearly vet examinations, teeth done annually and hooves done every 4-8 weeks. This website tells you everything about horse health and more http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/... Its the 4h horse reference manual

Answer 10

Yes you do need to keep shoes up if you don't the will crack far and it will be hard to get them back to how they should be after that...

Shots yes! They need different shots... what I would do is ask the person who you are buying him from what shots they have already givin to him so you don't cross them again..  If he has had none then I would suggest giving him:

Here we give a standard 5 way and west nile. The 5 way includes encephalitis, rhino, a couple of types of flu and I forgot the other. Also it would be good for you to take him to the vet just for a general check up... to see if his teeth have been floated or need to be floated. Thats important!

Then while you are at the vet ask him questions for your horses health, no one can give you better advice then a vet... Your horse will thank you trust me!

Good Luck hope I helped and welcome to the Horse world!!!

Answer 11

If the horse goes well with shoes, I recommend you keep them on. If you don't want to keep the shoes on, you should consult a farrier first and see if he thinks your horses feet are strong enough for him to go barefoot. Also, think about where your riding him. If it's in a field or for trail riding then I think that he should have shoes

Shots should be done once a year--your vet will do your coggins test then. Horses generally need Rabies, Strangles, West Nile, Rhino, Botulism, Tetanus, EPM (some debate w/ that one), and Potomac horse fever. I might be forgetting a few, and some people don't do all. It's personal preference.

Your horse also needs to be dewormed every six to eight weeks

I also recommend dentist visits either every six months, or every year. If you allow them to go without a dentist, your horse will probably become difficult to ride.

Answer 12

You sound like you really want to do whats best for the horse even if you dont know much. I admire that.

As for shoes- I would get a vet check to check him out before you buy him, feet and everything. To make sure there is no soundness issues. All of my horses need shoes every 6weeks tops. They grow really quick and need to be cleaned at least once a day to keep clean of debris and thrush.

Vaccinations- every three months. It is better to do some kind of 6-way. Thats was you only administer one and not 7 different kinds. That has worked best for me is a 6-way at your local feed store.

Coggins- Usually you only need this if your horse will be traveling, and came from a different part of the state. Its part of a health certificate, it is good to have one on hand anyway even if you are not traveling. I would highly recommend it.

Feed- If you would like to know a little more about feeding please e-mail me at [e-mail].

Hope this helps! and Good luck!