[steint]

About 3 weeks ago I purchased an 8 year old thoroughbred gelding from the Stroud Ok kill pen. He's up here in South Dakota with me now. I have him stabled indoors and have been binding with him by brushing him daily, taking him on walks around the arena and working him from the ground and we occasionally outside. He's a majestic boy; 16.1 hh, never raced, no tatoo, he's patient, stands tied, doesn't fuss or paw. Previous owner say he was trail ridden everywhere and would tolerate you using a bucket to get on him. This was true- I got on him yesterday for the first time in the arena but he wanted to do nothing but go back to his stall (he wasn't listening and "woah" didn't stop him from going to his stall. He walked and didn't run. After that I took him outside to the alfalfa field out back to lunge him and he just wanted to stand there - looking around and winny at the other horses in the pens. It looked like he was amazed with where he was. His head was high and ears forward/perked up. It was weird...guessing he wasn't going to cooperate and with me being tired and hot, i just walked him back to his stall in the arena.

I should also say here he is sick - when he arrived his nose was running/snotty yellow/green. Vet came out the next day and gave him an antibiotic and checked him out. He's ok, but they think he probably won't shake whatever that is for a few months yet. He was trailered up here in an open stock trailer so they think that might have something to do with it - with all that wind blowing through the trailer.

Im excited to ride him but I also don't want to push him if he's not ready. How long do you think I should wait? I want this to be a good experience for the both of us. (him and I).

 

[steint]

About 3 weeks ago I purchased an 8 year old thoroughbred gelding from the Stroud Ok kill pen. He's up here in South Dakota with me now. I have him stabled indoors and have been binding with him by brushing him daily, taking him on walks around the arena and working him from the ground and we occasionally outside. He's a majestic boy; 16.1 hh, never raced, no tatoo, he's patient, stands tied, doesn't fuss or paw. Previous owner say he was trail ridden everywhere and would tolerate you using a bucket to get on him. This was true- I got on him yesterday for the first time in the arena but he wanted to do nothing but go back to his stall (he wasn't listening and "woah" didn't stop him from going to his stall. He walked and didn't run. After that I took him outside to the alfalfa field out back to lunge him and he just wanted to stand there - looking around and winny at the other horses in the pens. It looked like he was amazed with where he was. His head was high and ears forward/perked up. It was weird...guessing he wasn't going to cooperate and with me being tired and hot, i just walked him back to his stall in the arena.

I should also say here he is sick - when he arrived his nose was running/snotty yellow/green. Vet came out the next day and gave him an antibiotic and checked him out. He's ok, but they think he probably won't shake whatever that is for a few months yet. He was trailered up here in an open stock trailer so they think that might have something to do with it - with all that wind blowing through the trailer.

Im excited to ride him but I also don't want to push him if he's not ready. How long do you think I should wait? I want this to be a good experience for the both of us. (him and I).

I should also say he is rideable - the people at the pen video'd riding him and getting on and off, taking the saddle off, etc. He did good. He knows right/left, stopped good for them, all the things.

 

[horselovinguy]

WELCOME to the Forum!!

Sounds your horse got shipping fever....or strangles. Shipping fever and strangles are related by similar bacterium shared.
He doesn't feel well yet I bet.
Its fine to spend time with him but keep him away from the other horses...and don't you touch any other horses either without thorough and careful cleaning of your hands and wash your clothes...

Did the vet not give you a better diagnosis?
Was the word pneumonia said or he has been said to have fluid surrounding his lungs, in his pleura sack?
Those are basics of what shipping fever is and it takes time, weeks to months for it to rectify and heal itself.
Before I would start to work the horse I would be having the vet return to make sure the infection, the obstructions and the fluid heard around the lungs is gone...
Horses treated early have good outcome of recovery, but...you need to make sure the animal has recovered from being sick first... Depending upon how seriously he was sick, his own immune systems ability to fight off germs and bacteria....
Get the vet back out to recheck and give the "all-clear, good to go" diagnosis first...
To much to soon is not good....the horse by his attitude I think is not quite feeling well and a bit more time is needed.
That vet visit though might be able to give the horse a pick me up injection to feeling better sooner...you need to ask.
The vet should be able to give you a timeline on when and how much you can do astride...
🐴....

 

[steint]

Thank you for the welcome!
I wasn’t there when the vet came out, but he called me after he left the stables. All he said was that he thought it was from shipping. He took a rectal temp which he said prompted him to give the antibiotic. He also said to exercise him about ten minutes every day. The horse did perk up after that day and seems to be still doing ok, but his nose is still running. I’ll call him tomorrow and see if he can come do that recheck.
My horse’s stable is in the arena, but it’s also next to another horse that is well known and been everywhere and contracted everything he said. The owner of that horse said it’s fine he’s there just to keep mine company. The other stables are in another part of the barn away from those two. I have been careful not to touch any other horses or their tack. When I take him out and walk him in the arena they “talk” to each other so I know they’re getting along great 😃 it’s kind of funny. I’m really thankful I found a place that will deal with him being sick and not kick us out.
I love this big guy so much. He is such a good horse and all the other horse owners are impressed with his patience with me, as am I.

 

[stevenson]

It sounds like your horse is still sick, with a runny nose, so a Recheck with the Vet would be a good thing. IT would be really good if you could meet the Vet and be there. Some horses take longer to adjust to a new home. If there is a corral that can attach to the box stall so your horse could be outside and be able to look around it would probably help him.

 

[steint]

It sounds like your horse is still sick, with a runny nose, so a Recheck with the Vet would be a good thing. IT would be really good if you could meet the Vet and be there. Some horses take longer to adjust to a new home. If there is a corral that can attach to the box stall so your horse could be outside and be able to look around it would probably help him.

Hi there! There isn’t a stall available that has an attached corral. Looking at the video of him I have the lady said he was never stalled - so I think that’s a good idea to get him outside. I would really love to just bring him home to my place but I don’t have a fence to keep him in. We live on 10 acres so it would be ideal, that way I could have an eye on him more often. What would it take for me to put up some fence? I know I can get horse fence and posts at the farm supply store but how big does it need to be for just him?

 

[horselovinguy]

To fence a area for the horse to come home...you can start smaller and add to it as you can.
50'x150' is a nice size to start with, even that could be shorter but this size would allow him to run around a bit and self exercise, buck & fart as he feels better. You can also ride in that size if you place a barn/shelter toward the end....a 50x120 is adequate to exercise in to start with...it can challenge you to ride and rate your horse, make decisions to not just go roundy-round in boredom for the animal.

Remember when you put posts in the closer you space the stronger the fence becomes and corner posts need bracing both directions and longer length than line posts of the long sides.
Gates always take a 8' long post and larger diameter as no matter what gate you use it puts added stress hanging on that post.
I have 4 board plank for my smaller containment paddock area, but otherwise we have horse fence or field fence all with a top board placed so no bending of the fence to try the grass seen on the other side.
Many use electric fence to keep the horses off their fence but living in the lightening capital of the world we would be inviting more ground strikes and danger to the horses than I want to do...
We use 1"x6"x16' long boards rough cut for our top boards with all fence posts at 8' distances gives very good strength of fence had. A nice nailing distance to to work with.

If he is not used to being stalled, get him some outdoor time every day even in a temporary corral would let him move more...amazing what a horse can do in a small round pen t/o I've seen them do by their choice.
🐴... jmo...

 

[steint]

Thank you for the advice! I truly appreciate you taking the time to respond.
Does the fenced area have to have dirt or sand in it? All we have is grass everywhere, surrounded by tree/shelter belt on 3 sides. A 50x150 area running east/west is certainly doable on either side of the house on the north or south side within the inside of the trees. Being in South Dakota I’m assuming the south side might be better- especially in winters? And have the open end of the shelter facing East?
We also have a lot of wildlife that like to roam about in the trees - would this spook the horse? The 50x150 area would be up next to the trees. Lately we’ve had several deer, pheasants, a few coyotes, skunk, and today we have a woodchuck we’ve discovered roaming around the hen house.

 

[stevenson]

wow, grass ! You can probably do post with some no climb horse fence and fence the entire grass area, and actually cross fence it, so you can rotate pasture. You could use T post instead of wood post. Or use wood post every 3 post. Also get the horse used to the pasture grass so you do not end up with founder or colic. See if you have a friend that has a horse that would board with you . You could also make the wood corral with a 3 sided or open stall for the horse, and then let it out onto the other fenced land to graze.

 

[horselovinguy]

Whatever you have for footing will work to get the horse home.
Grass everywhere sounds wonderful if the horse is on a pasture environment now. Otherwise, if you bring home a horse who is not accustomed to 24/7 grass, he needs to be introduced a few hours a day and build that to being all day...will take about 10 days and he will be only eating pasture otherwise he will get the runs and possible belly ache and could get laminitis or founder...a balancing act to keep the horse healthy it must be.
Living in South Dakota not sure what direction your storms come from more and that makes a difference in how you place a shelter opening... @beau159 is near their and might be able to share what she did as she just put up a shelter for her horses recently...

The horse{s} will get used to the wildlife as long as they are not predators of the horse such as bear or mountain lion or such. Horses will never rest if they can not be safe in their home, so depending upon what you have animal wise is going to dictate the housing and safety/security factor you need and must offer the horse{s}.
With the exception of the hungry coyote which can/will attack a horse ...the rest will probably come to eat the hay you feed, the grain pieces dropped to the ground or found in manure...
Skunks will raid the hen house as has happened here not sure about woodchucks...
Coyotes will absolutely kill your hens...so that must be made coyote proof to protect your food source. And they will hunt in daylight and be seen too...
When you bring home a horse you will also attract other critters of field mice, wild rat rodents, opossums you not know are around...time to get steel cans for food if you not have them...the undesirable critters are coming as the weather gets cold so be prepared.

To protect your grass from over-grazing I would fence as large as you can, section it to 1/4's and rotate the horse a week in each size and move on to the next...allows grass to have 3 weeks recuperation time for regrowth.
Interior fencing many do use t-post. I had bad, terrible experience with steel posts at another barn on the property used steel t-posts..please if you do t-post buy the caps and use them.... I have seen the devastating damage a mare endured when she was playing in a t/o with that kind of fence post, must of bucked and came down on it...impaled, tore and ripped her guts open... If the posts had had caps the damage would of been so reduced...please, use caps on t-posts.She survived but hundreds of $$ in vet expenses, complications healing happened and she was to be bred and that was ruined as she not longer could safely carry she had so much damage turned me off of those posts ever concerning my horses and property..

The pictures shown are t-post caps different styles and what a fence using t-post can look like and what the exposure your horse faces if not capped....
Yes, the horses can knock them off after they stretch in the weather so replacing them is a pest but protects your horse from some serious injuries from rubbing and scratching, heaven forbid you have a buck and land on the things...
The last picture is t-post, fence and a top-rail fence design..
Use HD t-posts cause they are longer length and thicker adding strength to the fence. Those caps can be found at local farm stores, Tractor Supply, Lowe's, Home Depot and of course online...shop around for best prices.

Prepare now to get your hay supply in and stored out of the weather cause you can not graze on frozen ground not growing and the horse must eat....
Your winter arrives sooner and lasts longer than other locations in this nation.
The sooner you can get your hay supply the more choice quality and better price you will pay...hay is skyrocketing right now so it will be quite a expense to bring in what you need for many months of forage and a proper storage to protect it from weather and spoiling.
That should get you started in preparations to bring home your horse...
🐴.... jmo...

 

[beau159]

I would really love to just bring him home to my place but I don’t have a fence to keep him in. We live on 10 acres so it would be ideal, that way I could have an eye on him more often. What would it take for me to put up some fence? I know I can get horse fence and posts at the farm supply store but how big does it need to be for just him?

Does the fenced area have to have dirt or sand in it? All we have is grass everywhere, surrounded by tree/shelter belt on 3 sides. A 50x150 area running east/west is certainly doable on either side of the house on the north or south side within the inside of the trees. Being in South Dakota I’m assuming the south side might be better- especially in winters? And have the open end of the shelter facing East?
We also have a lot of wildlife that like to roam about in the trees - would this spook the horse? The 50x150 area would be up next to the trees. Lately we’ve had several deer, pheasants, a few coyotes, skunk, and today we have a woodchuck we’ve discovered roaming around the hen house.

Hi OP! I'm in North Dakota.

If you are doing a smaller area such as 50x50, it's going to be best if you can make it solid-type construction. Such as solid metal pipe fencing. Or large wooden posts with corral panels. Or even a wood corral (high maintenance to take care of the wood). This is going to be safer for your horse than other materials such as metal T-posts in small areas. Keep in mind you'll need appropriate tools to put a fence in yourself. Do you have anything to dig corner posts?

No, just your grass is fine. But likely, for a 50x50, he's going to turn it into dirt himself. Yes, you'll want a shelter if you are confining him to a small space. Winter storms USUALLY come from the north or west. (However we did just have a very strange historic blizzard in April and at different points of the storm, basically the wind came from every direction. )

I have 130 acres so the perimeter of mine is metal T-posts with smooth "barbless" wire. Then I have smaller pastures sectioned off with run (breakable!!!) electric fence wire. I purposefully did that because it's easy to work with to put up and make repairs, and I know it will break in the event a horse runs through it or gets caught in that. I want that. It's easy for me to replace fence. Difficult to replace horse flesh!

I'm in the process of putting up a horse shelter. Currently all they had was a windbreak. Eventually (not this year), we'll be putting up a corral around the windbreak.
I do have a "round pen" and that serves as a corral when needed. Lightweight corral panels that are secured to large wooden posts.

Your horse will get used to the wildlife.

My biggest question for you - are there horses around you? If NOT, then I would not move your horse yet. Horses often do not do well completely alone. Unless there is a companion animal.

Also, do you have HAY? If he's in a 50x50 area, he'll need hay.
Do you have a way to haul it?
Store it?

It's lovely having your horse at home but there are so many things to plan for!

 

[beau159]

Another thing I thought of - snow removal. You'll want to plan your 50x50 area for him so that you have access to remove snow during the winter, should it be located in an area where it is going to drift.
Do you have a snowbloer? Skidsteer or bobcat? You'll also plan how to move your snow and have an appropriate gate to access it.

We have a Bobcat so as we are building things, I plan so that we can get it in everywhere to use heavy machinery to move snow. (work smarter not harder!)

 

[steint]

Another thing I thought of - snow removal. You'll want to plan your 50x50 area for him so that you have access to remove snow during the winter, should it be located in an area where it is going to drift.
Do you have a snowbloer? Skidsteer or bobcat? You'll also plan how to move your snow and have an appropriate gate to access it.

We have a Bobcat so as we are building things, I plan so that we can get it in everywhere to use heavy machinery to move snow. (work smarter not harder!)

Hey thanks for joining the discussion! So we do snow removal - therefore I do have access to a couple of payloaders and skidsteers, so I’m good there. It would be a 150x50 area. There are no horses around me - just crops and cattle. I was hoping to get by with T posts and some wooden posts along with horse fence…I don’t have a ton of money to spend for steel fence except for the gate. I plan on purchasing/rescuing two more horses soon so that would be his pals he could hang out with.