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Which one would you buy?

7K views 57 replies 28 participants last post by  garlicbunny 
#1 ·
I posted this on a different thread, but thought I would get all your opinions as well.

I am considering 3 horses right now. All are easy keepers (mustangs- gentled - no blankets needed, hay/grass pasture only diet, no shoes, no lameness issues, no colic issues, hardy and healthy).

Thoughts??


Horse Mammal Vertebrate Mane Pony

Above is Vinnie. He is about 15.2hh, super drafty. A bit nervous with people still, as they are still working with him (he came from a neglect situation). He is around 7 or 8 years old. He is great to work with on the ground and beautiful in person (pictures cannot express his presence in person). He is easy to lead, easy to handle. A little hard to catch. NOT started under saddle yet, but ready to start and has been lunged.


Horse Mammal Vertebrate Horse supplies Mare

Above is Dillon. He is also around 15.2hh, and super drafty (the guy in the picture is 6'7" - making Dillon look small!). He also came from a SEVERE abuse situation, but he is an absolute love bug now. He is around 8 years old. He will come he sees you at the gate, and loves to be patted and loved on. He gets excited and can playfully nip, which is being worked on right now (he did to it to me when I was there). He is NOT started under saddle either, but ready to start.

Horse Mammal Vertebrate Przewalski's horse Shetland pony

This is Dood. He is 15h, and 12 years old. He is a Buckskin Appaloosa with changing colors with the seasons. He is saddle trained, but hasn't been ridden much (only a handful of times over the past few years, but said to never put up a fight when resaddling or working with him). He can be hard to catch at times as well.
I will try to attach more pictures of Dood, as his is the hardest to see.

I have met Dillon and Vinnie and love them, I will be meeting Dood this month. My husband likes the looks of Dillon the best, but I know we cannot all go on looks!
 
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#4 ·
Not the 2nd, for sure. Don't like the build and he appears quite back at the knee.
The buckskin is a handsome color, but judging his overall look and description, i would probably go with the first one.
 
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#6 ·
Just from the pics alone, I would prolly go with Vinny., but I would want to go meet them in person. Of course, if I went to see Vinny first & we clicked, I prolly would'nt bother checking out the other two.
 
#7 ·
On paper I like Vinnie the best but I would never recommend a horse without seeing it in the flesh - and you should also get a PPE - even if the horse is 'free'.
Since they're all coming with 'baggage' from past experiences and are unridden then I'm assuming you've either got a good trainer on hand or you've got real time experience of handling these sort of horses.
A cheap horse like this can end up costing you more in the long term that a good ready made one
Since they are all good doers don't forget they will be high risk laminitis horses which is going to mean restricting grazing in the late spring through to late autumn.
 
#11 ·
jaydee - I didn't say the horses were free.

The first two are from a mustang foundation. They were rescued a year ago and have been in training for a year to rehabilitate them. They are very sweet. I don't know if you have mustangs - but the gene for laminitis is incredibly rare, as mustangs will laminitis die off in the wild and therefore do not further along the gene. Very few mustangs EVER end up unsound. They have been grazing their entire life, since caught from the wild. These ones have amazing feet, as the mustang foundation they are with (in NH) has a barefoot specialist on site, as well as a dentist and a vet.

The first two are available for $1000., and if I want to continue training with them on the farm after purchase, it is $1800 to work with them three times a week for 4 weeks and they nearly guarantee a trail ready 'stang. They have been doing this for a few years and have placed many horses. They were also in the movie "Wild Horse, Wild Ride," the documentary. (The farm was, not the horses for adoption).

The last one has no abuse in his past whatsoever. I am not sure what the woman is asking at this point.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Here are some more pictures of Vinnie, since he seems to be the crowd favorite.
OH, his EARS! Donkey ears ;)
These two are with me and my friend leading him around when we met him last weekend.

Horse Mammal Vertebrate Bridle Halter


Horse Mammal Vertebrate Mane Mare


Sadly, I didn't take any more pictures of Dillon... here's another I found online.

Horse Mammal Vertebrate Horse supplies Mane



Here is another of Dood:

Horse Mammal Vertebrate Bridle Halter


(I don't like that picture as much- looks a bit scruffy)
 
#14 ·
I really like, dood the best.. is that pronounced 'dude'? Its drivin me crazy wonderin, lol. :-p theres just somethin about a buckskin!


I like, vinnie too. The bay is also cute..
 
#17 ·
Hm.. maybe you are right. I had read in an article in Equine Journal (or Equus??) that mustangs rarely got laminitis because horses with soundness issues died off and the gene wasn't passed on. I guess I just read that and ran with it.
What does "good-doer" mean?
 
#20 ·
Just wondering, but is there any particular reason why you're going with these instead of looking into the BLM adoption process?

No offense, but for $1000, I'd dang sure be wanting a horse that was going decent under saddle. With horse prices like they are, none of those horses are worth their asking price. Also, 3 rides a week for 4 weeks is only 12 rides, you will not have a steady trail horse after only 12 rides...and their training prices are a little astronomical. $800 for 12 rides?
 
#21 ·
I also don't care for Dood's neck development, at 12 years old. His photos come across as him being a confident, bold horse... Perhaps a little settled in his opinion of things. The other two seem gentler and softer, somehow.

That said, they want double the training fee of our going rate, around here. $1800 for 4 weeks?? Yikes! That'd better be one solid horse. I'd expect that they'd have brought them further in the past year they've had them, if they expect that much progress in a month. Jmo. ...or is the $1800 purchase + training?

Sigh... I do like me a sexy looking drafty type!
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#22 ·
Yeah, the training price is STEEP. My friend has worked full time at a breeding and training facility and lives nearby and basically told me if I got Vinnie or Dillon she would not allow me to let them train them onsite for those prices - and that she would take them herself for free (I pay for hay,etc) and train them with me.

I would go through BLM, but I am in MA. There are literally NO options near me unless I want to purchase a mustang sight unseen (except pictures) and have them shipped for a couple thousand anyway.
 
#25 ·
I agree, there are just so few options around here when considering mustangs. I know it is silly to want a specific horse breed, but I went to the mustang farm near me and worked with them for a bit and fell in love. Hard when you are a good days drive from any NATURAL wild mustangs.
Like I said, I do have the option of purchasing and then having my friend work with me in completing their training...
 
#29 ·
Thanks for clarifying jaydee - that makes a lot of sense.

Is there a way to avoid that? I am sure the owners that have them now could also give me some information. Less grazing time, more quality hay?
I'd treat them exactly the same way as I manage my easy keepers/laminitis prone horses. Plenty of exercise. restrict grazing with either a muzzle, a starvation patch, stabling for part of the day - whatever works for your management regime. Keep away from all feeds that aren't low starch/sugar - an easy keeper needs very little - honestly even in full work I have a couple who would look fat fed on cardboard!!
Some hays can be as high in sugar as grass so soaking helps to remove them
Lots of laminitis advice on the forum
 
#30 ·
This is similar to what I read in that equine magazine -

"The care for a horse diagnosed with laminitis can be at times very frustrating. Even horses under the best possible may not respond to care and/or recover fully. This is another reason why wild Mustangs may not have a high incidence of laminitis or founder. In the wild a lame horse has a low survival rate. Horses in the wild with weaknesses tend to breed less. Domesticated horses have no such circumstances since they are controlled and cared largely by man."

"..The more the horse goes back to a wild Mustang life, the better. Smaller meals spaced out over a period time so that the horse’s digestion is more natural."

"Movement is also important to digestion in a horse. Horses should take a bite of food then take a step. Repeat that same process over a period of eighteen hours a day. Again the wild Mustang eats poor nutritional forage yet covers long distances each day. The domesticated horse eats very high nutritional food (grains, grasses, hay) yet often travels very little distance compared the wild Mustang. Movement helps digestion, hoof wear (naturally trimming hoof to keep the coffin bone in proper position) and blood flow (increases nutrition to the hoof)."

(all found here: How to care for a horse with laminitis - by Matthew Brendal - Helium )
 
#32 ·
This is similar to what I read in that equine magazine -
Theres lots of good info out there and being prepared is always better than having to sort the problem after it happens
I think you probably do need to look around at other possibilities for locating a mustang and maybe other breeds too. Think about why you want one and what it is that attracts you to them - if its just to have a nice trail horse then other breeds will do that job - if its something about the breed appearance then stick to your plan.
 
#31 ·
I'm not a fan of the 3rd one - especially his neck. The 1st one is my favorite and the 2nd one looks like he would make a decent trail mount.

But $1000? Yikes! You might want to check into the TIP program. You get a gentled mustang for the normal adoption fee of $125. Awesome program - that is how I got my mustang. Even if there are not adoptions in your area there might be a TIP trainer.
 
#33 · (Edited)
I really don't like Vinnie's front feet. They look under slung and the pasterns look long.
Dillon is over the knee in the front and looks a little long backed in the 1st photo's, but in the 2nd set he doesn't look as bad.
Dood looks good in the moving pictures, but in the ones where he's standing still I don't like the way his neck connects. He also looks a little ewe necked.
I agree with Smrobs and don't think they are worth the asking price, but I'm partial to Dillon. I thinks its just cause he looks like a love bug, and reminds me of our guy, Havok.
 
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