Should you OWN a horse?

Perch,

*THANK YOU* for starting this thread. It has touched on a lot of things that have been bothering me lately.

Ditto, ditto, ditto!!!

But back to our average newb BYO. Based on farmpony's story, and frankly, my own (I bought a "riding school dropout" when I was 14 with my babysitting money, and *rode* it to a new barn because I couldn't afford hauling; when I needed some lessons to work on his issues, the initial response from my parents was "But you've taken riding lessons for years, you should be giving lessons!" Oh, eventually, I did get lessons - from a "very experienced" teenager) some of these novices do learn to become responsible horsepeople.

How do we help those who are capable of learning? And how do we sort them out from the rest?

I believe most posters do genuinely want information and/or education. Many are taking the easy route by asking here rather than doing there own research. Most are hoping for a quick fix. Lots are shocked and resentful when they're confronted with their own ignorance.

So what's the best way to reach them? Any thoughts?

If the real answer is flame them all; and the serious ones will come back in spite of it, I'm okay with it. Hand me and SpeedRacer flamethrowers, I'm ready.

Kmd,

No one is talking about unnecessary vet calls for sniffles and a cough.

Would you call the vet for a colic or a non-weight bearing lameness?

There was a poster here months ago who had a horse that was down and couldn't rise, and posted asking for advice on what he could do to help the horse, and got defensive and then nasty when every response was "Call the vet."

THAT'S the kind of poster this is about.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, I want one! Do I need a license to operate a flamethrower??

Exactly!! That's actually one of the threads that made me start to feel this way...

Of course. That I can totally understand. It just came across like it was for everyone who doesn't have the vet come out for every little thing.

Sorry kmd, I didn't mean for this to sound like I was attacking those with less than deep pockets, because mine certainly aren't. It's more directed towards those who don't want to understand what can happen and don't really want to know how to be a responsible / prepared owner.

Wow, I didn't read it that way at all. Glad we could clarify.
I have the vet out exactly once per year. I do fall booster shots myself. For 4 or 5 years when I didn't have to have Cogginses, I did all my shots myself and didn't see a vet. I don't believe I'm the person this thread is directed at either.

I have a list of threads in my head that made me want to scream and bash my head against the wall. I choose that one as an example because that person no longer posts and I thought it was safe. I'm sure the horse died; at one point the poster's solution was to rig a sling and block and tackle and sling the horse up; the thread degenerated into a lot of nonsense about economics and why they couldn't afford the vet.

I think perch has the same list of head-banging threads in her head as me; the rest are not really safe to discuss.

I definitely get it now, no harm done

I agree with the majority of this- we get yearly vaccinations, and the farrier is out once every 6 weeks, but often Rainy doesn't need her hooves done, so she waits till next time- the only thing is trainers. I'm going to assume you mean that it bothers you when a horse has a bad problem- not for everything. I don't appreciate it when someone has a chronic rearer, but disregards everyone saying you need help. But not everyone can afford to have a trainer to help them do everything.
Does that make sense? Anyway, I agree almost completely. :)

Kmd, I consider you a responsible owner. You get the vet out when and if it's necessary, and keep up with their dental and farrier care. You don't cheap out if the animals really need it.

I have a very loonnnggg list of threads in my head where I just want to reach through the computer and slap someone stupid, but I think that would be redundant since it's apparent they're stupid enough.

Most of the time I don't even bother to answer those threads anymore, because they don't want to hear reason, they just want someone to tell them they're a good person and how to fix their problems without involving an outlay of money or time. Threads like this:

Oh bother! My horse impaled himself on a spike and now he's bleeding all over, and his intestines are oozing from the wound. I don't have time for this, stupid horse! How do I fix it? And don't say a vet, 'cause I ain't got no money!

Yeah, where's my flamethrower?