spoiling horses?

[Silver1]

hi,
I'm HOPING I can get a horse fairly soon, and I'm making a list of all of the things I'll not only need, but LIKE.

So, what would make a horse REALLY happy? What does it need/want?

after working with Missy so long, I got a good idea of the basics, but what about EXTRA'S?

[Georgie B]

I think, along with water, feed and turnout (and at the moment warm rugs), that the most important thing you can give your horse is your time ...

[Summer_88]

Hay , water and a small amount of grain is plenty...Too many lil' treats will make a horse
or pony mouthy.Mouthy is where everytime you walk up to your horse it will look for treats and may begin to nip....Also be sure to stick to a plan with the hay,grain,and water beacuse u can founder
a pony or horse easily.....Good luck!!And have fun!!

[Summer_88]

opps...I almost forgot , love is better than treats so give it plenty of love and maybe put a ball in the pen so it can play if you can't be with it....
Make sure to show him how to use the ball , play with him.....Have lots a FUN!!

[Silver1]

er....I don't feed horses treats...the last treat I gave a horse was a carrot to Sarah 3 months ago...

what I meant was halters that are the most comfortable to the horse, or what would be neat to try on a horse to make it happier? I just want my horse (when that may be) to be the happiest it can.

If that means singing Praise Canon at 3 AM, hand me the sheet music!! Lol!

Anyway...I think it might be safe to add that I live in california, and the coldest it has ever been here in Simi Valley is maybe 30 the time it snowed 15 years ago, and it was 35 the time we had frozen rain last year...

[Silver1]

Originally posted by Summer_88
opps...I almost forgot , love is better than treats so give it plenty of love and maybe put a ball in the pen so it can play if you can't be with it....
Make sure to show him how to use the ball , play with him.....Have lots a FUN!!

I didn't see the ball idea, thats a good one...

[CarolineR]

An airy Stable, good quality food, a comfortable bed at night, routine, turnout and lots and lots of it, a field friend for him to pair bond with.

Your respect for him will lead him to respect you. Try not to impose human attributes on your horse, he will not talk to you!!!!

Your life long committment to him and his well being.

Understanding when things go wrong, never hit him or be violent in any way towards him. Learn as much as you can about handling from the ground before purchasing, owning a horse, is 80% handling and ground work and caring for him with only 20% in the saddle. unless you pay someone else to do all the donkey work, and if so it is unlikely that you will bond with your horse initially and this will take a long time to come through.

Think of his basic needs first, not yours, and provide them.

[floppy]

well seeign as halters arent left on horses 24/7 buy what you can afford..i always wanted to have a leather halter for my horse when i get it but now i have changed my mind and gone for some cheapers one..i just bougth 2 halters last one...one thats adjustable on the nose and cheek as a good one that cost me a reasonable price and another one that was cheap and basic so it can get as drity as it likes :D
my cousin also gave me a rope halter that is nifty and cheap. But i wouldnt recommend buying a halter until you know what horse breed, or hros ein general you are going to get. becaus ei am gettign an icelandic i asked the lady roudn the orner what size halters all her 25 horses wear and went and bought that size..and if it happens to be too big it will fit my friends horse.

but defiantely food, water and love and as much freedom as possible is what keeps a captive animal happy :)

[Summer_88]

Halter wise.....I use the snap halters , so do alot of people I know.They are easier to put on the horse for one..and if your horse ever gets in truble for some reason and you need to un-snap
the halter it's alot easier then standing there while your horse is caught or something tring to un-buckle the lil' thing and all that..So I recomend snap halters...Also, you already may know this but, hay nets can be very usefull in saving hay rather then putting on the ground...It will aso tone- up the horses neck if you have a horse with a fat neck....lol j-k....There is a quite helpful section on this site that tells how to tie hay nets and things like that if u don't know....

Have Fun!!

-Summer

[Silver1]

Caroline:
I used to work with this wonderful horse named Missy (she hurt her leg and I haven't seen her in 2 months and I probably won't be able to visit the ranch anymore.) I only used (or carried) a whip once, and that was to please my trainer, unfortunantly, I had no idea where to put it...because I don't really ride, and I accidently touched her shoulder with it and...well never mind.

I didn't think of in airy stable, I had pasture board in mind, with about 10 other horses, and the pasture is...huge...15 to 20 acres....

Missy was a great horse, but I was frustrated because I couldn't keep her from hurting her foot, I wasn't even there, and she just about cut it completly off. I do NOT want that to happen to a horse that is actually mine, or any horse for that matter.

and horses CAN talk...pinned ears= not happy, relaxed ears, head down etc.= relaxed, lip stuck out maybe twisting its head around= scratch that spot some more....

and I hate riding...at least I don't like it as much as I like caring for the horse

what kind of food is "good" Jean explained hay to me, so I know how to inspect hay, but I'm not sure about oats etc.

Floppy: thanks for your info on halters...I don't think I want a rope halter, besides the fact that I'm ALWAYS afraid they are going to fall apart, they seem to severe, so an ordinary web halter? All the horses at our ranch used those...I like blue :D

ok ok, but seriously, of all the well fitting bridles, which is the most comfortable to a horse? Or is it another "each horse is different" thing?

as for "snaps" I learned how to very quickly unbuckle a horses halter...its easy, you grab the flap poking out, pull it taught, and push the buckle forward, and it snaps off in 2 seconds.

but *awe* that sounds better, will it unsnap at the wrong moment? Where could I look at one? There aren't any 'round these parts that i know of...

I was thinking of buying this thing called a horse "Grazer" its this feed thing that pushes hay up through bars to prevent bolting...any opinions?

Thanks everyone for the responses, all the advice is really wonderful! And it makes me feel good to know that I have tons of experianced people to back me up if I get confused..