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Horses Doing Stupid Stuff?

K

kwebb

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 21, 2006
Messages
112
Location
Texas
How do you horse owners keep your horses from doing stupid things?

Last week I was unhitching a trailer (jacking it up, disconnecting the lights, chains, bulldog hitch, etc.) for about 3 minutes and when I came back around to get in the pickup one of the horses was eating the paint off my hood...tore it up good. I just spent $500 or whatever on painting a hood because of a damned horse worth $250.

I should point out that these are my mother-in-law's horses and are worthless. She doesn't work them and won't sell them, so I just pasture and feed them and try to just keep them from tearing things up. They're spoiled and all they think humans are for is feeding them apple treats and irritating--because that's what they know.

Everytime I look around they're breaking into the calf creep feeder from the top, reaching in the bed of my pickup and eating a damned leather glove or something, or some other foolishness. I've had cattle a long time and no horses for a while now. Cows may be dumber or whatever, but they're not like my four year old atleast just seeing what they can screw up next. It seems like these things are trying to get shot or give me a stroke.

I would love to change my attitude about them, but on a place as small as mine and having cattle like I have, I have no use for them whatsoever. I go out, yell or honk for the cattle to come, and they come in a half hour or less no matter what.

Any ideas on making them leave me and my stuff alone without killing them? I thought they would founder a couple of weeks ago after they tore open the top of a creep feeder and ate 100 pounds of NFL--a real sweet calf feed with all kinds of stuff in it--but they didn't somehow. I was so mad at the time I wouldn't have cared--although I wouldn't want them to die that way at all as I have seen it before. I know if that had been a $3000 buggy horse or something it would be dead as a hammer.

I was forced to ride horses everyday growing up and just got sick of them because of that. Plus, several friends and acquaintances have been injured by them over the years, so when I had kids I just quit messing with them. Horses have to be ridden lots to be any good and I don't have time for that right now.

I just need a truce with them. I am setting up a small pasture for them but it also seems like they eat twice what a cow does and I'll have to have them in areas where I am some of the time to keep them from destroying that little pasture.

I imagine you are going to tell me that's how spoiled horses are and to either get rid of them or figure out ways to keep them out of my stuff. I would like help to figure out ways to do that.

Thanks!
 
Been there and done that. Got rid of the horses.
Just tell her what you told us and that they have to go.
 
We had one years ago that seemed to love his reflection on a clean shiny vehicle, or maybe it was hate.....not sure on that one, but the key word in that sentence is "had" He wasn't a bad horse, but he was one that would NOT leave nothin alone, if Mr Lilly was out workin on somethin, he'd haul the tools off that he had laid out usin. He'd scraped paint off the hood and fenders of my MIL's truck. Did it to the fenders of the new horse trailer. Opened ice chests of construction workers that were buildin MIL's house and ate all their sacklunches (day after day) So....he's no longer here. Sold him. Was a great cow horse. But not worth the offtime damage.
 
Have you thought about giving her the bill for damages? Does she pay you to keep them? Unless you're really a horse lover, more and more ranches all the time are discovering how well things can run without any horses, and have gone to the many different brands and configurations of ATV's available. None of the stores around here even sell tack anymore.
 
There's a french doctor looking for horses just like that ..........


Dr...............



Ballard!!!!


Better hurry; he might not be buying for much longer! :wink:
 
Cal said:
Have you thought about giving her the bill for damages? Does she pay you to keep them? Unless you're really a horse lover, more and more ranches all the time are discovering how well things can run without any horses, and have gone to the many different brands and configurations of ATV's available. None of the stores around here even sell tack anymore.
Click to expand...

Cal has it. A bill for damages PLUS your time correcting damage.
A bill in black and white (or red) brings things into focus real fast unless the person is loaded and self-absorbed.
 
I sure feel fer ya....Bored horses are a problem...A neighbor has way to many horses that she keeps in a small pasture, and she set up a teather ball in the center of the pasture. The pole is tall enuff that they can't "impaled" themselves on it, and so that the ball on the rope won't get wrapped around their heads...and those darn fool horses actually play with that thing all the time. I'm sure it's hard to talk to your mother in law about them, and still keep peace...but maybe for the good of the horses and your sanity, you can find a way to talk her into selling them...good luck!
 
If you explain to her that they are lucky to be alive after getting into the grain I bet you get her attention. Elaborate on what a painful way that grain overload is to die, and also how terrible it is for a horse that survives and is foundered for the rest of it's life.

If they are broke, and safe to ride, maybe there are some local kids who'd put some miles on them. That's what they really need.
 
I agree with Kato. If there is any way to get them a job to do that would help a bunch. If your Mom-in-law isn't up to taking care of the situation give them away to someone else who can use them. Trust me,the ponys will be happier being used then being bored.

This is just the kind of problem we're going to have without the Horse Slaughter. Sorry to say but it's true.
 

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