# Are horses really this cheap?



## we love bsh's

Been browsing my local area and found this lovely horse,im shocked at the price.

Oh if only :001_wub:


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## moggiemum

you can get them even cheaper than that as well , at the horse markets , before they go off to the can


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## we love bsh's

would love one but would know how to care for one.


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## moggiemum

thats good then ,,,,,,,yes? ^^^^^

i sorta know bits and pieces but knowledge very old , it's the upkeep thats expensive but i plan to have it all one day :thumbup1:


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## shamykebab

Don't go there! There's only one reason horses are sold cheap...!


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## we love bsh's

shamykebab said:


> Don't go there! There's only one reason horses are sold cheap...!


We cant get one we dont have the time,but im curious to why you say theres only one reason there sold cheap?


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## we love bsh's

moggiemum said:


> thats good then ,,,,,,,yes? ^^^^^
> 
> i sorta know bits and pieces but knowledge very old , it's the upkeep thats expensive but i plan to have it all one day :thumbup1:


Yeah that makes sense


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## lilythepink

Thats not cheap.

Its a colt too.so where I live that would be another £150 to geld him too.

Cheapest pony I ever bought was 2 guineas at an auction and another for £5 outside the ring.

Livery yards charge by the week...here its about £20 for use of a stable. Then there is feed and hay and bedding and the farrier. plus regular worming.

Farrier here charges £20 for a foot trim.and thats needed about every 6 to 8 weeks.

This time of year there are plenty foals offered for free or abandoned . Plenty more horses offered very cheap or free or on loan cos people can't afford them.

I never take a horse on loan and never take them for free. Only buy even if its for a nominal fee.


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## 1290423

It gets lower then that, people are selling then for a tenner, its all very sad,


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## StormyThai

You can buy ponies for as little as 50p if you know where to go, it's a sad state of affairs really 

I have bought a shetland stallion for £30 before


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## Lel

As said, people are giving them away. 

Sometimes horses will be given away because they aren't suitable for the required purpose (and owner might not volunteer that they have injury/illness). Other times people can't afford the upkeep and just want them to find a new home.


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## we love bsh's

lilythepink said:


> Thats not cheap.
> 
> Its a colt too.so where I live that would be another £150 to geld him too.
> 
> Cheapest pony I ever bought was 2 guineas at an auction and another for £5 outside the ring.
> 
> Livery yards charge by the week...here its about £20 for use of a stable. Then there is feed and hay and bedding and the farrier. plus regular worming.
> 
> Farrier here charges £20 for a foot trim.and thats needed about every 6 to 8 weeks.
> 
> This time of year there are plenty foals offered for free or abandoned . Plenty more horses offered very cheap or free or on loan cos people can't afford them.
> 
> I never take a horse on loan and never take them for free. Only buy even if its for a nominal fee.


What does a colt mean? I did say i knew nothing lol.Just wondering what been a colt meant to his price?..and whats geld?


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## StormyThai

we love bsh's said:


> What does a colt mean? I did say i knew nothing lol.Just wondering what been a colt meant to his price?..and whats geld?


A colt is a young stallion, gelding is the horsey term for neutering 
No one wants to take on colts especially as many livery yards won't accept stallions.


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## we love bsh's

StormyThai said:


> A colt is a young stallion, gelding is the horsey term for neutering
> No one wants to take on colts especially as many livery yards won't accept stallions.


how come are they troublesome?


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## newfiesmum

Does it even say how old he is? No one should think of taking on a foal of either sex unless they really know what they are doing. He will have to be broken in when he is old enough, schooled for whatever he can do, and a cob is a really heavy horse. It depends what you would want one for. 

I am going to have to take the link out so will just add

Colt foal for sale £80 Pets4Homes


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## newfiesmum

moggiemum said:


> you can get them even cheaper than that as well , at the horse markets , before they go off to the can


Years ago there was a girl in my daughter's riding club who bought a one eyes horse from the slaughter house for £50, brought him on and qualified for Wembley Horse of the Year Show on him.


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## we love bsh's

newfiesmum said:


> Does it even say how old he is? No one should think of taking on a foal of either sex unless they really know what they are doing. He will have to be broken in when he is old enough, schooled for whatever he can do, and a cob is a really heavy horse. It depends what you would want one for.
> 
> I am going to have to take the link out so will just add
> 
> Colt foal for sale £80 Pets4Homes


Out of interest why do you need to remove the link? iv seen lots of ads linked to here,never thought it was an issue?


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## newfiesmum

we love bsh's said:


> Out of interest why do you need to remove the link? iv seen lots of ads linked to here,never thought it was an issue?


We remove links to animals for sale if we see them or they are reported. Don't want to give them any more attention. Sites for higher up the search engines the more links they have.


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## StormyThai

we love bsh's said:


> how come are they troublesome?


They can be once the hormones hit, and many places just aren't equipped to stable a stallion. When I had the welsh cobs it was like fort knocks with high fencing and making sure doors and gates were locked. If there is a mare in season in the area it can send many stallions loopy and many people just don't have the experience to cope with them.

Once neutered they can be little lambs but those furry teabags cause all manner of problems :lol:


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## we love bsh's

StormyThai said:


> They can be once the hormones hit, and many places just aren't equipped to stable a stallion. When I had the welsh cobs it was like fort knocks with high fencing and making sure doors and gates were locked. If there is a mare in season in the area it can send many stallions loopy and many people just don't have the experience to cope with them.
> 
> Once neutered they can be little lambs but those furry teabags cause all manner of problems :lol:


haha i see thanx for the info,rather interesting.


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## we love bsh's

newfiesmum said:


> We remove links to animals for sale if we see them or they are reported. Don't want to give them any more attention. Sites for higher up the search engines the more links they have.


..........oh ok.


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## Hanwombat

Sadly colts especially can be sold for next to nothing. In the gypsy world they're no used to them as they can produce foals so gypsies will get rid of them or worse... the poor piebald colt the other week so was found drowned in the river... probably gypsies.

I also used to work for Redwings and the amount of colts found abandoned was disgusting.


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## we love bsh's

Hanwombat said:


> Sadly colts especially can be sold for next to nothing. In the gypsy world they're no used to them as they can produce foals so gypsies will get rid of them or worse... the poor piebald colt the other week so was found drowned in the river... probably gypsies.
> 
> I also used to work for Redwings and the amount of colts found abandoned was disgusting.


omg that is awful  so sad.

If it was up to me id love one and would learn how to care for one,but we dont have the time to give to one at present as i imagine it would be alot of work and we hardly get chance to sit down as it is.

..maybe one day


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## newfiesmum

StormyThai said:


> They can be once the hormones hit, and many places just aren't equipped to stable a stallion. When I had the welsh cobs it was like fort knocks with high fencing and making sure doors and gates were locked. If there is a mare in season in the area it can send many stallions loopy and many people just don't have the experience to cope with them.
> 
> Once neutered they can be little lambs but those furry teabags cause all manner of problems :lol:


Bloody terrifying creatures, stallions, whether there is a mare in season or out. We used to have one a few fields up and every timewe walked out mare past I thought he was going to have the gate down.


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## StormyThai

newfiesmum said:


> Bloody terrifying creatures, stallions, whether there is a mare in season or out. We used to have one a few fields up and every timewe walked out mare past I thought he was going to have the gate down.


Even my 32" shetland stallion became a snorting, stamping beast when he smelt a mare in season. All my stallions were grazed back from any public access for that very reason, I would have been mortified if any of them had escaped and caught a random mare 

People used to laugh at me when they saw Tex rear and prance about, I didn't get the same reaction if it was the bigger boys showing the same displays 

Give me geldings any day of the week :lol:


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## Hanwombat

Always wanted a gelding and yet ive had three mares  two currently


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## shamykebab

we love bsh's said:


> We cant get one we dont have the time,but im curious to why you say theres only one reason there sold cheap?


Because invariably there will be something wrong with the poor thing, and without a proper vetting you'll just be buying an ongoing huge vet bill.


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## shamykebab

StormyThai said:


> Give me geldings any day of the week :lol:


.......Ditto!!


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## StormyThai

Hanwombat said:


> Always wanted a gelding and yet ive had three mares  two currently


I had a yard of 10 mares once......

Never again :crazy:


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## we love bsh's

shamykebab said:


> Because invariably there will be something wrong with the poor thing, and without a proper vetting you'll just be buying an ongoing huge vet bill.


I see.would certainly be wise to take an horsey person with ya if you dont know what to look for.Probably even more wiser to learn yourself before thinking of buying/owning one.

Also i noticed people rent their horses out it this a horse world normally thingy?:lol:


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## lilythepink

StormyThai said:


> Even my 32" shetland stallion became a snorting, stamping beast when he smelt a mare in season. All my stallions were grazed back from any public access for that very reason, I would have been mortified if any of them had escaped and caught a random mare
> 
> People used to laugh at me when they saw Tex rear and prance about, I didn't get the same reaction if it was the bigger boys showing the same displays
> 
> Give me geldings any day of the week :lol:


Nah.give me a stroppy mare always.lol


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## StormyThai

lilythepink said:


> Nah.give me a stroppy mare always.lol


I must say they are very rewarding once you get through to them 

WLB - Yep, there is a loan where the loanee pays for all costs whilst the horse is in their care, you can also do part loans/shares where you share the costs and duties with the owner and then you get leases which are normally on breeding or competition horses where you essentially "rent" out your horse over a period of time (normally a year).


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## newfiesmum

we love bsh's said:


> I see.would certainly be wise to take an horsey person with ya if you dont know what to look for.Probably even more wiser to learn yourself before thinking of buying/owning one.
> 
> Also i noticed people rent their horses out it this a horse world normally thingy?:lol:


They don't rent them out usually, they loan them out so that while the horse still belongs to you, you don't have any of the expense of caring for it. People do that for various reasons: they might be going to university, and intend to take the horse back when they come home, or it may be like us we just didn't want to completely give her up, but she would only jump at home in the field. Get her to a show and she got all shy and she wouldn't jump a damned thing! Or you might have one that is too old to sell, but not to old for simple hacking. Lots of reasons to loan a horse out rather than sell it.



lilythepink said:


> Nah.give me a stroppy mare always.lol


That's what my mum used to call me, a stroppy mare!


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## moggiemum

i used to ride and jump a connamara stallion, he was a feisty delight 

i also helped break him in for the trap


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## toffee44

This country's horse breeding is out of control.

And too many have horses they can't control or train properly, those horses become dangerous and sold cheap and fall into a viscous circle.

I really want a ex racer again and the actual horse would cost me nothing but the upkeep is so high now.


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## AlexArt

You can pick up ponies for a £1 at my local horse auctions, that's why I don't go anymore - knowing the sad scruffy pathetic looking creatures are destined for the meat man is heart breaking, plus if you did buy one you're only pushing up demand not to mention the vet bills which will follow! A neighbour of mine 'rescued' one such scrag pile for a few pounds, got him as a kids pony as he was so sweet, turned out he was very ill with strangles and all the horses in the valley had to be swabbed and isolated as a result - cost me a bomb as I had visiting mares for my stallions at the time, once the pony got better she couldn't get near it, it's still wild as hell 5yrs later!!!
There are far too many idiots out there who have a mare and will breed to the nearest scrag pile stallion to try and make a fast buck, a cheap horse costs just as much to keep as an expensive one, and folk are getting pickier now with what they buy, but it seems the message hasn't got through to the bottom end of the market! It usually costs me on average a grand a year to keep a horse and that's if all goes well, 2 and a half to breed one and that's with my own stallion so no stud fees, I have always trimmed my horses feet too as they are breeding stock not riding horses, but when I did ride it was £60 a set of shoes every 6 weeks - the costs add up very fast with horses and if anything goes wrong the vet bills always seem to have lots of noughts on the end!! There are a lot of folk who are 'rescuing' these cheap horses with no clue as to costs and often then dump the horse/pony on the nearest rescue when reality hits - there are worse fates than the meat man sadly!

Give me a stallion any day of the week rather than a mare, some of the mares who have visited my stallions over the years have been lethal!! A stallion should have better manners than any other in my book, if they haven't they need their nuts off and shouldn't be bred from!! My 3/4 of a ton old boy has always had impeccable manners, there's no way I could control him if he didn't, and we covered mares with him in just a head collar - it was the mares I was more worried about, he got kicked really badly by a WB mare who exploded when he went to cover her, she just missed my head, but my stallion got such a nasty kick to his hock that he has arthritis in the joint now, he used to hide behind me for years after that before going near a mare incase it kicked him!! Mind you my arab stally used to like a bit of rough treatment or he wouldn't be interested!!!  I don't breed anymore as firstly I don't have the time, and secondly the costs are huge and finding a suitable home is always a nightmare, we just have frozen tadpoles from my last stallion and he had his noodles off in spring so he's back out with his old girls with no chances of any accidental babies!!!!  
I think they should bring back licenses for breeding horses and owning stallions - there are far too many out there that shouldn't have nuts!!!!!


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## we love bsh's

AlexArt said:


> You can pick up ponies for a £1 at my local horse auctions, that's why I don't go anymore - knowing the sad scruffy pathetic looking creatures are destined for the meat man is heart breaking, plus if you did buy one you're only pushing up demand not to mention the vet bills which will follow! A neighbour of mine 'rescued' one such scrag pile for a few pounds, got him as a kids pony as he was so sweet, turned out he was very ill with strangles and all the horses in the valley had to be swabbed and isolated as a result - cost me a bomb as I had visiting mares for my stallions at the time, once the pony got better she couldn't get near it, it's still wild as hell 5yrs later!!!
> There are far too many idiots out there who have a mare and will breed to the nearest scrag pile stallion to try and make a fast buck, a cheap horse costs just as much to keep as an expensive one, and folk are getting pickier now with what they buy, but it seems the message hasn't got through to the bottom end of the market! It usually costs me on average a grand a year to keep a horse and that's if all goes well, 2 and a half to breed one and that's with my own stallion so no stud fees, I have always trimmed my horses feet too as they are breeding stock not riding horses, but when I did ride it was £60 a set of shoes every 6 weeks - the costs add up very fast with horses and if anything goes wrong the vet bills always seem to have lots of noughts on the end!! There are a lot of folk who are 'rescuing' these cheap horses with no clue as to costs and often then dump the horse/pony on the nearest rescue when reality hits - there are worse fates than the meat man sadly!
> 
> Give me a stallion any day of the week rather than a mare, some of the mares who have visited my stallions over the years have been lethal!! A stallion should have better manners than any other in my book, if they haven't they need their nuts off and shouldn't be bred from!! My 3/4 of a ton old boy has always had impeccable manners, there's no way I could control him if he didn't, and we covered mares with him in just a head collar - it was the mares I was more worried about, he got kicked really badly by a WB mare who exploded when he went to cover her, she just missed my head, but my stallion got such a nasty kick to his hock that he has arthritis in the joint now, he used to hide behind me for years after that before going near a mare incase it kicked him!! Mind you my arab stally used to like a bit of rough treatment or he wouldn't be interested!!!  I don't breed anymore as firstly I don't have the time, and secondly the costs are huge and finding a suitable home is always a nightmare, we just have frozen tadpoles from my last stallion and he had his noodles off in spring so he's back out with his old girls with no chances of any accidental babies!!!!
> I think they should bring back licenses for breeding horses and owning stallions - there are far too many out there that shouldn't have nuts!!!!!


That was a really interesting read.

The other day i was tallying up how much id spent in a year on raw feed along for the cats and was amazed id spent £1300 

I bet it was an amazing experience breeding the horses very dangerous to by the sounds of it


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## kirksandallchins

Something needs to be done about gipsies/travellers who tether their horses on any spare land and breed from the mares yearly.

The local council and RSPCA appear to be scared of the travelling community. Complaints have been made as the owners never brought water for their horses even in the height of summer (they were being spied upon by local residents and dog walkers). One of my friends even removed a bridle and harness from a young cob, the poor thing was distressed and not put it's head down to graze. It had been left for a full day with the owner not checking it, the RSPCA would do nothing so she was forced to take action.


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## AlexArt

I think leaving the harness on and their heads tied in is the lazy way of breaking a horse to harness, the gypsies use it often, the horse is usually so hungry and dehydrated after the 3 or 4 days they leave it depending on how much fighting it does, it will do anything!! They often do it on yearlings and 2yr olds as well as most haven't the skill to break a horse in properly so they drive them as babies when they are easy to bully and physically can't fight back! A bloke near me drives his yearlings, one was out pulling a cart with 4 adults in it on a very hot summer day for 2hrs at the trot, how it didn't drop dead I don't know, he rides them as well and he must be around 16 stone and the cobs he breeds are around 14Hh!! I wouldn't even think of breaking in a horse until it is at least 4 sometimes 5 or 6 depending on how mature mentally and physically they are!! I was told by a very well known carriage driving person to do this to one of mine, and to turn the horse out in full harness for 3 days with his head tied in so he couldn't eat or drink, could you imagine the injuries they could get for starters!! I put the phone down on him I was so shocked, and he thought nothing of breaking a 2yr old to harness either!!!


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## Wiz201

AlexArt said:


> I think leaving the harness on and their heads tied in is the lazy way of breaking a horse to harness, the gypsies use it often, the horse is usually so hungry and dehydrated after the 3 or 4 days they leave it depending on how much fighting it does, it will do anything!! They often do it on yearlings and 2yr olds as well as most haven't the skill to break a horse in properly so they drive them as babies when they are easy to bully and physically can't fight back! A bloke near me drives his yearlings, one was out pulling a cart with 4 adults in it on a very hot summer day for 2hrs at the trot, how it didn't drop dead I don't know, he rides them as well and he must be around 16 stone and the cobs he breeds are around 14Hh!! I wouldn't even think of breaking in a horse until it is at least 4 sometimes 5 or 6 depending on how mature mentally and physically they are!! I was told by a very well known carriage driving person to do this to one of mine, and to turn the horse out in full harness for 3 days with his head tied in so he couldn't eat or drink, could you imagine the injuries they could get for starters!! I put the phone down on him I was so shocked, and he thought nothing of breaking a 2yr old to harness either!!!


you'd be amazed at how much a pony can pull, however I would not expect a young pony to be pulling a lot of weight. I drive a 14.2 cob x pony and I'm about 16 stone at the moment but he's a fit 20 year old.


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## lostbear

This is horrible! I had no idea that such casual abuse of horses and ponies was so common - it is shocking.

I agree that the RSPCA and Police will avoid any interaction with gypsies if they possibly can. My friend ended up with a dog that was left shut in a barrel when some gypsies left the verge they had been camped on for a few days. It was like a bag of bones and desperately thirsty. God alone knows how long he's been in there. It was freezing cold, too. Neither the police nor the RSPCA would do anything.


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## we love bsh's

lostbear said:


> This is horrible! I had no idea that such casual abuse of horses and ponies was so common - it is shocking.
> 
> I agree that the RSPCA and Police will avoid any interaction with gypsies if they possibly can. My friend ended up with a dog that was left shut in a barrel when some gypsies left the verge they had been camped on for a few days. It was like a bag of bones and desperately thirsty. God alone knows how long he's been in there. It was freezing cold, too. Neither the police nor the RSPCA would do anything.


Thats terrible,i knew some gypsies when i was young they had a whippet and i know these are meant to be lean animals but this dog was seriously thin.

There are cruel people everywhere though look at some of the people in china on the fur farms  seen some awful vids on youtube etc.


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## AlexArt

Wiz201 I know ponies can carry adults and are capable when fit and fully grown of pulling a good deal of weight, but these were yearlings and 2yr olds that were being ridden and driven!! A horse's weight bearing joints don't fuse, regardless of breed or how mature and chunky they may look until they are at least 4yrs old, so the damage caused by idiots riding and driving an animal under 4 is irreversible and there's no excuse or reason to ride or drive or even breed a horse under 4 except to make a fast buck with no regard to its long term health! That's why it makes me made when I see people doing it and it's usually the travellers that do it as they don't seem to care as there is always another poor creature to take it's place when they break down as they are so cheap to buy!!


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## lilythepink

kirksandallchins said:


> Something needs to be done about gipsies/travellers who tether their horses on any spare land and breed from the mares yearly.
> 
> The local council and RSPCA appear to be scared of the travelling community. Complaints have been made as the owners never brought water for their horses even in the height of summer (they were being spied upon by local residents and dog walkers). One of my friends even removed a bridle and harness from a young cob, the poor thing was distressed and not put it's head down to graze. It had been left for a full day with the owner not checking it, the RSPCA would do nothing so she was forced to take action.


Its not just gypsies who breed every year. Gypsies see animals as cash crops.just like farmers have sheep and pigs and cows...and once they don't breed any more, they have to go.


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## Wiz201

AlexArt said:


> Wiz201 I know ponies can carry adults and are capable when fit and fully grown of pulling a good deal of weight, but these were yearlings and 2yr olds that were being ridden and driven!! A horse's weight bearing joints don't fuse, regardless of breed or how mature and chunky they may look until they are at least 4yrs old, so the damage caused by idiots riding and driving an animal under 4 is irreversible and there's no excuse or reason to ride or drive or even breed a horse under 4 except to make a fast buck with no regard to its long term health! That's why it makes me made when I see people doing it and it's usually the travellers that do it as they don't seem to care as there is always another poor creature to take it's place when they break down as they are so cheap to buy!!


If you had read my post, I did say young ponies shouldn't be pulling any weight


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## freckles

newfiesmum said:


> Bloody terrifying creatures, stallions, whether there is a mare in season or out. We used to have one a few fields up and every timewe walked out mare past I thought he was going to have the gate down.


not all stallions a terrifying.. this is Harley, my homebred stallion, good as gold but I have brought him up being firm but fair with him, has 2 mares next to him (one his mum)and they live out 24/7 ...and is no trouble, but then he dont know any different (and hes has covered mares, so he knows what its all about)... though he is grounded at the moment for jumping out the grazing paddock down the lane, not that he goes anywhere except to the nearest clump of grass.. and will come to call...

and none of this is photo shopped..


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