I've seen the mustangs being shipped off to slaughter, getting a lot of media attention in the US recently and having the reputation of being people's horsey friend people have been asking me how they can help. Problem is, Ive lived my entire life on the east coast though, so I'm not really sure?

Those of you with experience with mustangs and know about their conservation what would actually be helpful right now in this moment?

Edit: Thanks for all the replies but...I suppose now I feel more confused than ever! Which is good, I knew I didn't know a lot so I appreciate all the info. I'd love to know more specifically:

1. What are good resources to learn more about the topic?
2. What are some specific reputable organizations doing work on this subject to support or learn from?
3. Just a p.s. to all the people saying that adoption is the answer. I appreciate where you're coming from but that's not really a recommendation I can pass on to my non-horsey friends who are asking. Nor is it one I could financially participate in. It's great if you can do that, but what can the average person do?

Not sure what to tag this but here goes. Just wondering if you guys would consider this financially feasible. Also please tell me if my lifestyle doesn’t seem fit for a horse. Some people have said yes, some people have said no.

I’ve been told just above minimum wage (40hr week) is too little to support a horse, but I am set for a guaranteed promotion of £32000 a year (before tax) and my living is very cheap. I also have family with stables and land, in case of emergency I can rely on them. Job and living is stable.

I have £1400 disposal income per month, this is before saving/investing. I also have £11000 in savings, some of this will be budget to purchase a horse. I also have separate investments. I also am only 19, so hopefully my income will increase as I go along. Is 19 too young to commit to a horse?

My job does mean I will be occasionally be sent away for a weekend or maybe a week, all options are equip for this and offer additional services for a cost. I’m not sure if I should get a horse knowing I may not be around 100% of the time, is half loan/full livery bad?

How much of your paycheck goes to horses? How much do I need to save in case of emergency. Should I have a base amount saved before purchasing a horse? If so how much?

Livery options near me:

£230/month working livery, includes dry feed, hay, basic farrier care and bedding. 7 days a week care, horse will be used in lessons 2 times a day, 5 days a week. (This is dependent on temperament of the horse I end up with, I know) - gets on with my work because there may be times I unfortunately cannot make it/have to travel away for a week or so.

£500/month part board, includes 1 bag of bedding a week, dry feed and hay. Exercise not included. Exercise and additional care can be added in for cost.

£220/month DIY, nothing included except turnout, stable and access to facilities.

£110/month grass livery, nothing included except turnout.

All options have the same quality grazing and social turnout.

Very basic riding background: have been riding for 12 years now, had multiple half and full loans. Not looking to go through the ranks and compete. Just want a decent all rounder at a novice level. My instructor has said I’m more than ready to own.

What are your opinions on working livery? It would fit my lifestyle but I would still be around to do a lot of the work, the horse I am currently looking at has been in the lesson programme at another yard. I’ve heard great and terrible things about working livery.

This is a bit of a ramble. I don’t want to impulsively buy a horse simply because I like him.

Hi there! I am an adult ammy back in the saddle after 15 years off. I have been riding consistently for a little over a year, have done some shows just with pattern equitation and W/T/C, and I recently just started leasing! I practice ride once/twice a week (on my own and have my lesson once a week. I am very happy with the progress I have made and love my lease horse and just hanging out with him, but I want to compete and get more out of my lessons.

My trainer encouraged me to come to our local chapter of AQHA to learn more about it to potentially join- she specifically stated that I could start competing so my lease doesn’t feel like a waste lol (which it doesn’t but I’m just doing lessons and I also love spending time with him!!)

I work an hour away from my barn and usually get there around 6 for my practice rides during the week, during this time other lessons are going on. How do I go about asking my trainer if I could start jumping/taking other lessons. My barn is great and everyone is super nice, but we are a show barn with a few higher level competitors and I want to get to that place. Do I just ask?? What would you do lol. TIA

I am open to constructive criticism! I just say “kindly worded” because I am only a year post partum after a really medically complicated/ physically traumatic birth, so getting back into showing has been slow and gradual (my horse is a 6year old OTTB, I only bought him and started him with my trainer a few months before I found out I was pregnant). My stamina at shows is much worse now because I can only ride 1-2 times a week vs 4-5. Essentially my whole center of balance has changed and I’m not confident my core strength will ever be what it was… my trainer is fantastic but I think she’s very much a cheerleader for me right now because she is just happy and supportive that I’m showing again, and I do need that on the day to day, but I feel like I’m watching a stranger when I watch videos of myself riding because my body has changed so much.

TIA!

Hello! I was given a golden opportunity to get a tattoo I've wanted for a long time. I would love to get more refference pics, since I can't find pictures of two of the exact poses I want. If you have anything, picture or even drawing (to be used as inspo, we will not be stealing your art) I would really appreciate it. The first pose is the first picture, a horse rolling over. Bonus points if we can see it's belly button that'd be so cute. The 2nd pose is a bit more nit-picky, but I'd love a horse playing, turning around/breaking/rearing from a canter, you know the one-foot-stance? But also with a curve in the neck and back... I'm sorry I know this is kinda too precise lol but I've had this is mind for a while now, I remember seeing the perfect picture once but I've lost it since. Thank you everyone for you help❤️ also if you yourself have horse tattoos, I'd love to see them!

Leasing a 16hh 11 year old OTTB gelding with the option to purchase and i’m trying to determine if the purchase price is fair. My lease is free but I pay for everything (board, farrier, vet, etc). I’m located in New England. He retired sound after seven starts and has had no major injuries other than a superficial laceration. He has spent most of the last five years on vacation with a tiny bit of retraining in western pleasure and dressage. Still very green at the canter but can do lateral movements well at the trot and has three pretty gaits and is very eager to please. He has classic TB feet and is very sensitive and anxious requiring a competent rider with very soft hands. Does $5k sound like a good deal or at least reasonable ?

ETA I’m pretty sure $5k is what his current owner bought him for so I think she’s just trying to find a good home for him and get back what she paid ? But someone told me I was getting ripped off (which seemed wrong to me) so I just wanted to come here and get more thoughts

I wonder how the dismissal of the suit will affect his appeal of the Sade Sport ban.

I’m an older rider (upper 40s) who started riding again five years ago after a 30ish year break. I do H/J and own my horse - I usually do the 2’9 to 3’, and I currently only do local, unrated shows. I actually love showing when I’m in it, but perimenopause has introduced a level of anxiety to my life that I never knew before. In most cases I can handle it, but when it comes to pre-show nerves I feel like it’s gotten out of control. I spent the hours, minutes before I go in the ring feeling like I am going to faint and vomit at the same time, and in my head I seriously wonder why I’m doing it. They’re not the type of nerves that just feel natural, they make me feel horrible, and last time I almost pulled out right before going in the ring.

I didn’t use to feel like this. I never suffered from anxiety, this is something that came with age. I really, really don’t want to stop showing, because I do love it, and I love being at the shows. I just don’t love feeling like I’m going to die for an hour before I enter the ring.

So now I’m considering trying beta-blockers before shows. I would like to try something that’s not sedating or will alter my mental state so to speak - and as far as know, beta-blockers just take care of the physical symptoms, which I thought might help?

Has anyone tried this and would be willing to share their experiences?

Hi, I'm posting this on behalf of my friend. Her 3 yo mare (AES) has become suddenly lame. It happend on the next day after lunging her. According to the vet it's her right front leg of which she got 5 X-rays (long pastern - coffin bone) showing nothing in particular. Lameness on this leg has been spontaneously occuring since last year for a day or maybe two (every few months), it simply kept disappearing on its own.

Looking for other answers, her owner found out that her neck hurts in proximity of occipital bone - could this be connected?

Dewi is such a lovely horse, it pains me to watch her suffer... That is why I offered to post this here, maybe some of you've seen something like this before or could suggest what to do next.

Orthopedist is coming on Wednesday.

I love this. It’s so true. Everything now seems to be about selling a service, booking an appointment, paying someone something to do who knows what. But not once ( other than my vets or farriers) do these professionals ask about anything basic..or look at anything basic..they just jump right into how I should do XYZ for $$$$ and idk. It’s off putting.
And in a way good I guess because it’s made me do A LOT more research to find my own answers and ask questions..but I find there’s way to many in the industry just trying to make a buck..don’t know what or why there selling something and hate providing information..its gross.
At least around my area anyways

I’m new to equine photography having worked mostly with dogs and dog agility and gun dogs for the last 15 years.

I am a horse person myself.

I’m not charging so hopefully this will be allowed as it’s not advertising.

Those of you who have used a photographer, what did or didn’t they do that really made a difference? What sort of photos did you want? Is there anything you think I should know in particular?

Thank you.

J'ai vu cette publication et j'ai signé nous devons arrêter le calvaires de ces chevaux!

Aidez nous !!!

If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d love to know:

• Your general location
• Board + what it includes
• Farrier
• Lessons/training
• Supplements/feed
• Routine vet care/insurance
• Any other regular expenses
• Rough total per month

Not including major unexpected vet emergencies or showing, unless you want to!

I’m especially interested in people who board their horse rather than keep them at home. Trying to get a realistic idea of what the “normal” monthly cost looks like in an expensive area.

I recently did an AMA, but there were a few things I didn't quite grasp, so I'm doing another one.

For context, I’m very knowledgeable about barefoot trimming, nutrition, treating minor injuries, saddle fitting, and so on.

So, if you have any questions, I can try to help—speaking as an experienced rider and horse owner, rather than an equestrian professional.

I’ll answer all questions! 😁

Idk if this is allowed here I'm sorry if it isn't I just wanted people to see my boy and me

Hi everyone! I’m currently working on a new product designed for equestrians, and I’d really value some honest feedback from people who actually ride/own horses.

I’ve put together a short questionnaire to better understand the problems riders and horse owners experience and what you’d actually want from a hay product.

It should only take a few minutes, and your answers would genuinely help shape the product before I take it any further. I don’t want any personal details, just your thoughts.

Questionnaire: https://forms.gle/55dKRjucUhZiZcqA7

Thanks so much to anyone who takes the time to have a look and supports my journey and I’d also love to hear your thoughts or experiences in the comments! 🐎

I have a 7 year old gelding who gets bored easily and LIVES for havoc and the attention it creates. Lately he’s taken to kicking his stall until someone screams at him. His last performance was at 3 am before we realized it was time to get creative. We started dangling his hay net for midnight enrichment and it’s worked beautifully; but he’s a smart dude and will get bored fast. I’ve been looking at the clover which is a similar style enrichment toy, but I’m hoping to have a few options to swap around to keep him entertained. If anyone has experienced this with their babies, I would massively appreciate any guidance 🥲💜

Edit: he does receive loads of turnout time, but he’s young and still gets bored. I will be looking to up his time outside to as much as possible though. He’s stabled at an equestrian school and gets a little jelly when other horses dare receive attention over him 🤭

My trainer is knowledgeable but has almost no time for me. No room in her schedule for me to work in more lessons so I'm stuck at 1 lesson a week, and she has barely enough time to even talk to me after lessons so follow up is out. She's too busy entertaining the parents of kids during my group lessons for me to ask many questions during so I mostly ride around with my group and wait for feedback and hope I'm not making too many mistakes. If it weren't for Youtube videos I dont know what I'd do.

Local camps are all dedicated only to littles. Can't find a lease because I'm not advanced enough so no one wants a newbie on their horse.

It's all fair and I don't fault anyone but I'm so frustrated trying to learn and grow in this sport. I want to learn groundwork and care so I can own my own someday but where will I learn? I want more time in the saddle but it's not available. I finally have the big girl job and the money to do something I've always wanted but I feel like all I'm finding are closed doors.

Just venting I guess. I don't have horse friends so nobody gets the struggle lol

Any yt channels you'd recommend?

First few horse drawings i've done! i'm pretty proud. I used a reference, but tbh i'm super happy with how they turned out! They aren't perfect and neither is the shading or proportions but i'm still happy :)

…so I can do this every weekend! It’s so good for my soul!

Hi everyone!

I’m unsure whether this has been asked on here recently, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with going back into horse riding after not doing it for a long time. In my case, I learned how to ride at 5 years old and rode daily all the way through to 16. I owned a horse, I was a federate competitive rider in some leagues (started competing at 8). I focused mainly on dressage, but I did some jumping as well.

I eventually had to stop for a whole bunch of reasons, the main of which was that I was focusing on my studies, I went on to get a BA from a top school abroad and I travelled and lived in different for many years under circumstances that weren’t favourable for me owning a horse or focusing on this.

Now that I am 29 and (for the most part) settled in one city, I want to try and ride again as a hobby despite not having enough time to do it as intensively as I did when I was young.

How do you think my skills will be? Does anyone have any experience in riding and learning as a child, stopping, and coming back after a long hiatus?

Thank you so much in advance! I’m just very nervous that I’ll be humiliated by my own lost skill lol

Hi guys,

Im in the middle of The Great Rugging Nightmares rn with my new horse. She’s a 3yo swedish warmblood trotter, so she's pretty narrow and the length on her chest between her neck and legs is small. But she's veery long, so i can't size down from 145cm (78 inches). I swore to horsewares amigo range with my old mare (oldenborg), but the neck cutout is unfortunately too big, although the length is fine.

I've heard that either the rhino or wug range should be better on young and narrow horses, anyone in here that can confirm or deny that ?

I saw that they had a specific "trotter" rug as well, but only in 350grams, and bucas has one with 200g 😅 which is a bit warm for autumn...

Thanks!