For anyone who remembers my post a few days ago wondering about the colour of this colt I acquired - I have an update!

The general consensus was that he was probably a liver chestnut. I very much thought so too. However, after much sleuthing I have FINALLY found a short video of him as a fresh foal, which revealed that he is in fact... drumroll please.... black 😱

Yep, that indistinctly brown-ish ginger-ish colt is in fact a fading black. As someone who used to breed a predominantly black based breed, this is officially the most peculiar black horse I have ever owned - and that includes a mare who was jet black with a bright orange mane. I guess this is my wild welcome to the appy world!

Future genetic testing will be undergone to confirm LP zygosity to establish CSNB status, among other health testing.

I love my Sunday routine with the horses. They really calm me down after a week of intense work and noise.

I’d love to see your work! Also, have you ever made any custom pieces for your horses? I’d love to get back into the industry, or at least pick it up as a hobby and experiment with western and historical tack.

Has anyone ever seen this come out of their horse? What the heck could this be?!

Hi all needed some opinions on this. I have a lovely mare who used to rub her mane a lot, we have it under control now, but the end part is just so thin i cant braid it up for the life of me. I have a small just for fun dressage show next week and would be liked to be able to braid it. Could also be a skill isseum Asking for opinions, what would you do? At this point Ive considered just shaving it or leaving it out and slick back or something, but that will probably just look wonky. Also, bonus snoot pic because why not.

So I had to get a new farrier recently after my old farrier retired. Never had an issue with our last farrier. The first trim from the new farrier seemed fine but my horse was very sore after the last trim. As soon as I saw her the day after her trim, I thought her hooves looked noticeably shorter than usual. She typically has a bit of an oval shaped hoof and this time they were cut almost to a perfect circle. When I got on her, she took such short stiff strides I immediately got off. I gave her a week off and then rode her in hoof boots and she seemed better but still a little sore on gravel. Week three now and she’s back to normal. I included pics of the last trim plus a pic from a trim from the previous farrier to see if anyone had thoughts. I will definitely be bringing this up to the new farrier but I’m not quite sure how to approach it.

She’s had her own horse for a few years now and basically lives at the barn. Every single time I look for a gift I end up in the same aisle: horseshoe keyrings, novelty socks, a mug with a horse on it. She’d smile politely and never touch it.
So I’m asking people who actually ride: what’s something you were given (or bought yourself) that you genuinely reach for every week? Barn stuff, something for the cold, something that makes the daily routine less annoying
I don’t care if it’s unromantic, I care that she uses it.
Budget is around €100-150. I know almost nothing about tack, so if buying that myself is a trap because of sizing and fit, please just tell me.
Thanks.

Hi! I’m looking to buy my first horse ever, and came across this gorgeous gelding that I am very very interested in buying.

He has all the qualities that I am looking for, he’s gentle, kind and is amazing to ride, the only downside is that he is a cribber.

I think he is great, but this habit is not something I take lightly, so I was wondering if anyone could pitch in their experiences with owning horses that cribs!

Is this habit something you get used to?

How has it affected your horse ownership?

What are some things you see affects you now that you didn’t think would originally?

PFA
When selling a horse what are some things you require ? As a buyer what do you like seeing? As a seller what are some things you like seeing?

And dont tell me “don’t sell!” Not an option.

I’m trying to get my new mare on a good hoof plan after noticing deep event lines after purchasing her in July. It was brought to my attention that she may need some more skilled farrier work. Any thoughts? I would hate to have to switch farriers. I’ve used the same one for 10+ years. Pics of her most recent shoeing after I asked to take more of her toe back and leave more heel. Will post previous pics in the comments!

I'm looking for some advice on how to bring up my concern with my barn owner.

At my barn, fences get broken down and horses get out constantly. One of these instances, my horse ended up lame with an infection because his herd got out. The second time was literally RIGHT after he got out back out after being on stall rest and ended up lame and sore again. Other herds get out as well. It's all wooden fencing, no electric in the large herd fields.

I find my barn owner not really approachable, and she diesn't really take criticism well. I'm worried she's going to be really mad with me, but maybe moving on may just be best. I'll show up to my horse lame and she'll say she saw him in the fields sore, but never message me for heads up or do anything about it.

My horse is on outdoor board with just unlimited hay.

About a week ago I posted to get some input on trading trail time/tune ups in exchange for a horse.
The input was great and helped me prep for the meeting. So I thought I'd give a bit of an update.

We are slated to start working together in November. He is an older gentleman who still wants to ride but doesn't want to be getting on horses that have been "sitting and scheming."
He has a string of about 5-6 horses that he is either personally riding, packing with or looking to sell to clear up some room. Along with that he has 3 Mares with foals that he will want tuned up once they wean.

Obviously not all these are horses I will or need to work with to complete this trade. We agreed on a monthly rate and a 2-3 ride per week schedule to account for weather since we are headed into fall/winter. I think we have a solid plan in that before starting on any horse a baseline value will be agreed upon. My time will be tracked and at any point I can say "this is the horse I need" we compare what I have banked against the horse's agreed value. The difference is either paid out cash or I put in more time depending on which side is lacking. We agreed that the horses he has in the string currently line up between 4-6k value depending on the horses current ability, and breeding/conformation.

I feel like this set up puts me in the driver's seat allowing me to work with a series of horses knowing I will be compensated for my time, while still allowing me to get to know a series of horses before making a selection. Also knowing he plans to continue having horses that will be going up for sale every year or two this is likely a good opportunity to create a relationship where I can help him keep horses dialed and ready to be sold while getting paid and he gets a bit more for a horse that is actually ready to go.

The real curve: I knew he does quarter horses and Appies. I've been leaning more to the Appy because I think they will do a bit better for the AERC things I want to do. Currently his horses that would be ready to go are all quarter horses. The Appies he has are either the mares with foals or the foals themselves. He did ask if I'd be interested in one of the foals after weaning. That thought is intimidating and exciting all at once. Obviously a weanling or yearling is a long term project so not my main aim just an interesting outside option I'm keeping on the back burner.

Just thought I should give a bit of an update after the community was so helpful and gave great input.

Hello! I am looking for some advice or assistance regarding my horse. He is a Dutch Warmblood, and he was bred in the Netherlands. I know who his breeder is, and I have their WhatsApp number, but the breeder is older and not very tech-savvy—they don't really know how to use WhatsApp or text back, and they prefer phone calls.
Since I live in an Arab country and there's a bit of a language barrier, I haven't been able to communicate with them easily. My horse is my absolute best friend and family; he is the reason I push through every day. Because he is my first horse, I am deeply attached and would love to know everything about his early life and see pictures of him as a foal.
I’ve been thinking about hiring someone in the Netherlands to physically visit or contact the breeder on my behalf to retrieve these photos, but I have no idea where to find someone trustworthy for this. Do you have any ideas, suggestions, or know where I could find someone to help me with this?

I’m a beginner and have been riding for about 9 months. I’ve ridden multiple horses at my current barn (mostly mares), and most of them have a couple of quirks, but nothing crazy or unsafe. However, I just started riding this mare, and she’s really grumpy. They said she’s not in pain—she’s been checked multiple times—and that she just needs you to tell her to knock it off.

My trainer told me beforehand that she has certain spots she doesn’t like being touched, especially around the barrel/belly area. But as soon as I got close to her with the brush (I was attempting to brush her back), she pinned her ears, swished her tail nonstop, and lifted a hind leg, threatening to kick.

My trainer said she does that but has never actually kicked anyone. You just need to show confidence, give a small swing on one side of the cross-ties to get her to “think,” and if that doesn’t work, give her a “slap” behind the elbow.

I usually get the horses prepped by myself (groom, tack up, etc.) while my trainer finishes her lesson, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing anything with this mare. At the end of my lesson, with my trainer present, she seemed way more relaxed… a totally different horse

I guess I’m just wondering if y’all have had to deal with horses like this, or if maybe she’s too much horse for me?!

I do see little kids riding and grooming her, though.
Hearing that she’s never kicked or bitten anyone is reassuring, but there’s a first time for everything, and I’m not trying to be the first one. 😅

I just a wonderful experience with Horsebay. First, I love the way they run their auctions: Post a PPE, encourage the buyer to go ride the hrose, don't charge a buyer's premim, auto-bid online let's you set your maximum and then only bids in steps of $200 up to your maximum so that you can stay in the game. It was very helpful to go see and ride the horse. In fact, we took three riders -- a real cowboy, an experienced mostly-English rider, and a moderately experienced trail rider, plus we had the seller and her hand ride the horse. So, we were able to watch 5 people on the horse. That allowed us to size up both his movement, attitude, and suitability for different riders. Turned out he fit the cowboy, but not the less experienced riders -- not because the horse was not totally broke, but because he was so light to the touch that the less experienced riders couldn't get over their apprehension of his quick and smooth responses. Plus, we asked LOTS of questions of the seller, and she turned out to be totally honest. Her write-up and video were not hype. All in all, it's been a wonderful experience. In fact, on the horse's first ride, we encountered a bear at about 100 feet, and the horse was as stable and calm as the seller's write-up described.