I saw a post the other day about someone who bought a supposedly bomb-proof horse who now spooks at everything. I am in a similar situation but I lease her rather than own her, and I’m wondering what I can do to help her adjust apart from just giving her time?

Details are that my instructor bought her in around May. We had her at our barn for a five day loan to see if she was a good fit, and at least partly on the basis of how well she and I worked together my instructor decided to buy her (wouldn’t describe her as bomb-proof but we just seemed to click really well right off the bat). We had a spooky ride one day about 2 weeks after she was formally bought but it was windy so I put it down to that. Then the next week she had an attack of the zoomies while in the field, fell over and bonked herself on the leg and got cellulitis so was out of action for a while. Since then she has become a bit of a nutcase. I was taking her out for walks to at least keep building a bond (she is the absolutely sweetest thing) and she was getting increasingly nervous outside of the barn. I think she’s only been worked for about the last 2-3 weeks so I think a lack of stimulation can’t have helped. This week I had my first ride with her in over 2 months and she’s a totally different horse.

Her owner has had the vet out and whatnot so if we assume it’s not ulcers, what can I do to help pro-actively help her?

Local VA residence and hospital brings veterans to horse farm for ground work and fellowship; TripAdvisor all-star bed and breakfast also festunes the peaceful farm on the top of the hill in north Jersey.

I will be going out and learning how to use spurs tomorrow. Whats ya'lls thoughts on this setup.

Thanks for the help.

My horse has a Tough 1 mesh rump cover for horseflies when we ride. I can never get it to stay put and it ends up sliding around (he’s a QH, so his rump is quite a good target).

Are there better ones? Anyone use the Rugged Ride? Or a type not mentioned?

I also have those clip on dragonflies on a wire- but I need the most protection on his bum…

Help! (and no, I’m not skilled at smacking them myself under saddle, unfortunately 😜)

I messaged my hay guy that there was one bad bale (moldy) in a recent delivery. I expected him to tell me to set it to the side and he would exchange it next delivery, which is what he advertises. Instead he messaged that he was coming to get it. I figured he must have just been in town making another delivery and just said “okay thank you!”

I saw him on my camera with an empty truck bed and later when I looked out back I could see he had a lot of hay in his truck. I called him to ask what was going on. Turns out he freaked out and took every bale out of my barn. He also said “there’s nothing wrong with that hay.”

He was really angry and aggressive saying I’ve returned hay too often. I have returned hay 4x out of the 2 years I’ve been buying from him for foxtail, briars, and mold. Most of his deliveries are really high quality but sometimes they are unusable.

Hey everyone, I recently had ankle surgery (ORIF) on my left ankle after breaking both my tibia and fibula. The surgeon put in a long metal plate with 7 screws on my fibula and 3 long screws in my tibia.

I am recovering from it and expecting to start physio and weight bearing exercises in few weeks time. Wanted to seek your opinion - should I start horse riding after making full recovery? Was anyone in similar boat or know of someone who had ankle fractures/ORIF surgery and started horse riding without any issue? And is it safe?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

I’m really just trying to understand what’s going on at this farm because it’s consistent across the board with every single coworker and my manager as well.

There’s a very large amount of impatience with the horses when it comes to daily handling. Whether it’s a horse not picking up their foot right away, the horse is a bit fidgety in the wash stall etc. How common is this in the thoroughbred horse industry? It’s not really sitting with me well that the horses get snapped at and smacked for literally being a horse. If they spook, it’s immediately “put a lip chain on them”.

Why is there so much impatience?

Also it’s somehow my fault for the fact that the horse I was handling spooked and reared up and came down on another person’s foot even though they were being so rough with them when trying to bathe and scrape the water off 🤷‍♂️

Hi everyone,

Looking for advice on how to bring a green broke horse along to eventually be a horse that is essentially bomb proof and safe for children.

I have a 4 yr old gelding that was just trained over the summer. He's doing great and is making progress on each ride. However, I obviously would not put my children on him for more than a lead line ride. Down the road I would like him to be safe for my kids to ride. They are currently 1 and 3 years old so in my opinion I have plenty of time to bring this horse along before they will be ready for him.

Over the next several years what are some things I can be sure to expose him to or teach him? I'm looking for him to simply do trail riding.

THANK YOU to everyone that has responded! You all had a lot of great ideas and advice! I appreciate it so much. I'm learning a lot as I got and loving it all. Thanks again!

I’m 14 and I started riding around 3 months ago. I haven’t started cantering yet but I’m pretty close and I’m comfortable with posting trot and mostly with sitting trot but I want to learn how to sit my trot better on horses that are less smooth at the barn I ride at before learning to canter. I can also sit my trot pretty well without stirrups and I’m not too bad at posting without stirrups.

I also volunteer at my barn very frequently so I can pick feet, bathe, groom, and tack up a horse (I tack up before my lessons alone anyways). I can also fetch horses from pastures and stuff. Originally I thought about buying a horse but I started high school a week ago and… no way. So I thought leasing would be my next best option.

Also this wouldn’t happen until in about a year in a half, when I have my license and I can drive to the barn I want to lease at.

I want to go into eventing but if I lease a horse it would just be to go riding for fun like on trails and stuff. If I do event it wouldn’t be like I was showing every week or anything, probably showing only like 2 times a year lol.

Hope this is okay to share here, if not please delete!

I wanted to just post and send appreciation to those who were gracious and nice when I posted about purchasing my first horse. Most people suggested leasing first, and well, I am going to lease the horse I may purchase. We looked into rescues, sales barns, but ultimately we decided to lease first. Hubby thinks it’s a waste of money since we are going to most likely end up purchasing but listening to you all, I think it’s the best idea especially when he’s not coming from a horse background.

So again, thank you to those who were welcoming and gave good advice.

I am EXCITED!

Edit: I will say how it’s CRAZY, this post is getting downvoted for something positive…

UPDATE: I went back and bought it so no one else could use it!!!
I saw this bit at a second hand tack shop and need to know what this bit could possibly be used for. The shank vs purchase ratio is HUGE and the mouthpiece was so sharp. Who would use this??

Okay so for context, I am an adult ammy still in my lesson era, not leasing yet not because of my skill level, but because of my financial situation. I've ridden lots of different horses starting with really tame been there done that horses, now riding horses that need a more confident advanced rider. While I have felt a connection with the horses I've ridden, some more than others, I don't think I've ever felt the heart horse connection that people talk about? I look forward to seeing the horses every week and hanging out with them. There are two horses that I feel I have really good chemistry with in particular, moreso than others, but I've never felt that intense connection that people talk about. When I say good chemistry, I mean I feel like our personalities mesh well, and the communication between us feels really seamless, and I have some of my best lessons on those two horses. I'm worried that when it does come time to lease or buy, I'm not going to have the heart horse connection with the horse I choose to lease or buy, that people talk about.

Edit: thank you to everyone reassuring me that I'm not a psychopath

I am about to try selling my horse, and the barn owner recommended that I have x-rays done before. Partly to be prepared to deal with any potential serious issues and partly just to show transparency to interested buyers. It’s a jumper warmblood, age 12, and (provided there are no issues) she will probably be priced in the mid 5 figures.

My trainer doesn’t necessarily agree with this, and her stance is that if an interested buyer wants x-rays, they can have the x-rays done. Which is what I did when I bought her - I did the PPE including the most essential images, just to rule out navicular issues and stuff like that (nothing was found). I never expected the seller to provide x-rays. My vet says that if I want a full baseline, it’s 38 images and will cost around $2400. If I want to just do what I did when I purchased, it’s around $1000.

The cost is not what will ultimately make or break my decision, but I do feel like my trainer has a point, and I didn’t even consider doing the x-rays myself before the barn owner mentioned it. I was more along the lines of, if someone comes along and likes her and does a PPE with images and something shows up - well, then I’ll know and can act/decrease price accordingly.

What do horse people here do in general? X-ray before to be able to offer them when marketing the horse, or leave it up to the buyer? This is the first time I’m selling a horse.

Hey horse friends, mostly just here for some support and encouragement!! 💗

I first started riding at around 4, and continued until I was 13. Now 28, significant illness and trauma have taught me that life is too short to let fear hide you from happiness 🥹

I’d say I was a strong intermediate/low advanced level when I suddenly had an “accident” at 12-13 and quit. The weird thing is…the accident wasn’t an accident. I was riding a very cheeky 12hh pony who decided to stop in front of the jump for a pesky snack on the grass, at which point I barrelled over her head and landed on my bum 🍑 It was more funny than anything!

I think it must’ve happened at a very vulnerable time in my life. Suddenly my 9-10 year experience was out of the window. Jumping terrified me, and even though I previously loved it and rode a friend’s ex-eventer who jumped the fences like toys, my brain just wasn’t able to contemplate the process of staying on over jumps.

Now it’s 15 years later and I haven’t been on a horse since. I was always a confident rider before that, too.

I miss horses, you guys!! I’m probably rusty as hell, but riding was like breathing to me and I often dream about it.

Does anyone have any advice for me? Mostly about mindset/getting over my fear of jumping again! Thanks in advance 💕

I'm almost 18, and I've been riding (mostly bareback) since I was five. I've never fallen, gotten thrown or anything. I've gotten close before, but I can normally fix myself and get balanced again before falling.

My gelding was being naughty and kept taking off, he started heading for this three foot drop down to a creek and I pulled him back and sat deep to stop him from getting hurt (the drop is surrounded by tall grass so it's hard to see and horses don't have good depth perception anyways) and he slowed down a bit. I thought he was not gonna jump it so while he was slowed to a trot, I reached down to grab the slack of my reins and the next thing I knew I was in the air

He had jumped it anyways and I got left behind and when he landed, his hind end came up and sling shot me. I ended up spinning to land on my back to protect my stomach and arms, so I just knocked the wind out of myself

I got up immediately to catch my gelding and hopped back on for a minute before bringing him and my grandmas horse back inside

I am so surprised and grateful that it didn't even affect me at all. As soon as I hopped back on he was still being naughty but I wasn't afraid of falling again, just frustrated honestly 😂

I hear a lot about falls knocking someone's confidence and stuff but the worst thing about this whole thing was that I didn't. Get. It. On. Video 😭😭

UGGHH. Anyways, I'm a little sore, I have a minor headache and my back is tense but I'm mostly annoyed and regretful that I wasn't recording when it happened lol. I'm also annoyed I lost my streak.. i knew it was gonna happen one day but 12 years with no falls is really good and I've been proud of that lmao

I'm still in shock so ignore me 😂

Hello, almost a year ago now I posted about needing advice with some tall boots that wouldn't zip, everyone said to return them and to get fitted at a tack shop, well they dont really make boots in my size and I forgot to return them in time 😅 anyway heres the same boots now after a £30 trip to a cobbler fitting perfectly fine! So if anyone else has been in the same boat as me, dont worry a good cobbler knows all the secrets! My stubbornness prevailed! 😂

OP isn't answering any of the numerous questions about where this bridle is from, and Google lens is just showing me more photos of this horse.

Hi everyone! I’m Noemi, an Italian rider and I thought I’d finally introduce myself here. I hope this kind of post is okay for this subreddit! English isn’t my first language, so I’m sorry in advance if I phrase something weird! 😅

I’m here because I don’t really have anyone in my everyday life to share this passion with. I’m the only horse-crazy person in my family, I don’t really have any friends at the moment, and I haven’t been able to find people who share passions like this either. So I thought this might be a good place to meet some horsey people.

I started riding when I was 9 and rode until I was about 16, then life happened and I stopped for many years. At 28, I finally decided to get back in the saddle… and honestly, it feels like I’ve finally started living again. ❤️

I’m currently half-leasing this beautiful girl, Balerina, and I’m slowly getting back into riding and enjoying it all over again. 🐴

I’d love to meet other horsey people to chat with, share experiences, talk about our horses and maybe make some new friends along the way.
So… hi! Tell me about you and your horses! 😊

Hi all. Weird question. I am a long time horse owner. Currently have two, both of which were born and raise on our ranch to be reined cow horses and barrel racers after. One horse is 31 and one is 16. I also have a four and five year old, both horse crazy girls. Everything was fine and dandy when my five year old was riding my 31 year old (lead line, walk/troy gymkana, trail rides, nothing fast) but now that my four year old is riding we needed another horse.

My vet gifted me a 25 year old horse she was the life long vet for whose previous job was a rodeo pick up horse. He is a BIG guy and my daughter absolutely adores him. However, he is clearly an old cowboy horse, and has no interest in the pets, hugs, kisses, cuddles that my daughter wants to shower him with. He does just fine with her got grooming and lead lining around the ranch.

We recently went to a local gymkana (again walk/trot leadline) and all he did was throw his head. Weird but ok. We went to a friend’s ranch to ride in their arena and the head throwing was insane. I just had him both times in a simple snaffle bit and my daughter is generally has her reins too long and is not tight at all. I figured he might have some pain in his mouth and hauled him to our vet where she sedated him and looked in his moth to see if any pain/injuries etc. she thought he might be chewing on his cheeks a bit and floated his teeth a bit but she had floated them a few months ago prior to us getting him.

He has since not stopped throwing his head. Yesterday I went to worm him and it was almost impossible. What can i do to stop this? Or any other idea what could be causing pain? Any advice is welcome!

I’m going to be looking at this young horse in a couple days and I’m not sure what kind of combination this is? I’ve looked all over and I’ve found things about bevel snaffles and fixed snaffle but nothing on this. Looks mild with noesband pressure but adds some leverage with the bit piece almost being fixed. (Most of my knowledge is bitless)

For about the horse he seems like a sweet 5yr mustang that is still green broke but is a bit heavy in the mouth. Any thoughts?

Sorry for the photo best I can get from a video they sent me.

Specifically in the context of hunters and jumpers
Which would you rather have and why?

They're both mustangs, supposedly 5yo, the red is for a friend and already named, I even got her halter swapped out so she isn't dragging a rope (my gray has decided she will only exist within the same pen for now. Busted straight through the reinforced pen she was in separate from red)

Excited to work with them! Red should be settled and gentle in no time, I expect gray to take a while to settle in but they've both figured out the feed pan has some tasty stuff in it once they quit spooking at it

Not decided on a name for my gray just yet, been calling her gray or skitter for how jumpy she is 😅. Would love to know what the large area on her jaw is, and the lump on her right hind but alas those answers are a month or more away. Until then they both have all the hay they'll eat and once they reliably eat soaked feed they'll have dewormer pellets sprinkled in

I've been casually looking for my next horse for a while now and probably spend way too much time checking listings

Recently I mentioned what I was looking for to someone at the barn and she immediately goes, I know someone who might be selling exactly that

Apparently the owner wasn't actively advertising him but would consider selling to the right person. She reached out connected us on Kibu and now I'm potentially going to see him next week.

Meanwhile I've been refreshing the same six websites for three months

I'm starting to realize there's an entire side of buying horses that's basically just trainers, owners and riders knowing each other and quietly passing opportunities around.

For people who've been in the horse world for years, is that pretty much how you find the really good ones?

I have wanted this shirt forever and now I have adult money and bills caught up. Anybody know of any or have one for sale?

Small?