Adopting An Abused Arabian!!!!!!

[Ms. Trouble Maker]

Very best regards to you for doing this, and best wishes too.

There could be smaller Arabian genetic strains out there still -- what's "normal" now was not the case even 50 years ago (a SHORT time in the history of this breed!). OTOH, you could be right that the abuse included neglect and that could have held her growth down. Or maybe she was bred early and that could have stunted her as well.

I knew a purebred Arabian mare who was 15.2 hh and in perfect proportion. She spent the first half of her life, 17 years, with a breeder who was specifically devoted to making taller Arabians. Had minimal training, just enough to be entered in halter (model) classes. Whenever she was pregnant her body devoted itself absolutely to the foal, so that she became very thin during gestation and took, literally, a year to recover. Her first 6 foals were as large as expected. The 7th was small, so the breeder simply wrote her off at that point. Would have sold her for meat if my instructor and friend, HorseLady72, hadn't adopted her. The mare was smart and very non-dominant, and willing to work with people. After some very patient calm training on HorseLady's part, the mare spent the rest of her life as a school horse. (Initially the mare was puzzled, maybe even weirded out, by being introduced to bridle, saddle, and rider. But HorseLady72 is a gentle-and-firm Lead Mare, so things worked out well ).

I hope your mare has as good a home and outcome as that one did. Also that you have support from a veterinarian who has experience with abuse/neglect cases (and sadly I'd bet that most do).

No worries about being "too big" for her at your height. Arabians are very strong for their size and their ability to carry riders is real, not just legendary. Their backs are a little short, having 1 or 2 vertebrae fewer than most other breeds, and a shorter span is stronger.

Again, very best, and I'll follow you too.

BTW, your farm is AWESOME!

Thank you sooo much!! I will be seeing her nearly everyday since I work at the stable I'll be boarding her at! And I'll probably be spending more money in treats than anything else. lol She's sooo hard to catch because she probably thinks something bad is gonna happen...but when you give her a treat and then walk away she'll just stare at you with this confused look of "what just happened" lol It's kinda sad in a way, but it's also nice to know she still has some curiosity in her.

[Scythian]

You're welcome. If we could Give a Treat and Pat Horse/s in this game I'd spend many mouse clicks on that!

HorseLady72 and her daughters make horse treats from grains and fruits (cookie-like, but no refined sugar) . It takes time and effort to prepare them, but is likely to save money. Do you want the recipe?

BTW, HL is a former District Commissioner (leader) of a United States Pony Club chapter. 1972 is when she bought her first horse.

[QuesthavenFarms]

Congrats on your beautiful sweet mare. I bet your bond will be strong. It may take awhile but it worth it!

[Ms. Trouble Maker]

You're welcome. If we could Give a Treat and Pat Horse/s in this game I'd spend many mouse clicks on that!

HorseLady72 and her daughters make horse treats from grains and fruits (cookie-like, but no refined sugar) . It takes time and effort to prepare them, but is likely to save money. Do you want the recipe?

BTW, HL is a former District Commissioner (leader) of a United States Pony Club chapter. 1972 is when she bought her first horse.

Oooo really!? I would love that!

[Scythian]

Working on getting that recipe for you. Hope to have it by Saturday; all the folks involved here are busy.

Best wishes and virtual <Pat Horse> <Give a Treat>. <-- as close as we get to happy green grass horsey slobbers

[Scythian]

Hi again, thanks for being patient. HorseLady and I just discussed horse treats in depth. The recipe doesn't come from the Pony Club, it's one HL's family found on the Internet. So we came up with two sites:

http://www.savvyhorsewoman.com/2014/11/ ... cipes.html

This gives some ingredients to avoid as well as those that are safe.

http://hencam.com/henblog/2014/01/homem ... se-treats/

Some recommendations about how and when to give treats. And descriptions of what a horse's reaction may be -- some like them right away, others

If you Google "horse treat recipes" you'll find a lot more. Some of them are simply meant to dry out rather than bake. We think if you want a non-messy, round treat, baking would make it easier to handle and longer keeping. Another thing is you need to consider food sensitivities of the humans who will handle the treats, as well as the horses.

Hope this helps, and as always, best wishes and happy horse grins!

[Ms. Trouble Maker]

Hi again, thanks for being patient. HorseLady and I just discussed horse treats in depth. The recipe doesn't come from the Pony Club, it's one HL's family found on the Internet. So we came up with two sites:

http://www.savvyhorsewoman.com/2014/11/ ... cipes.html

This gives some ingredients to avoid as well as those that are safe.

http://hencam.com/henblog/2014/01/homem ... se-treats/

Some recommendations about how and when to give treats. And descriptions of what a horse's reaction may be -- some like them right away, others

If you Google "horse treat recipes" you'll find a lot more. Some of them are simply meant to dry out rather than bake. We think if you want a non-messy, round treat, baking would make it easier to handle and longer keeping. Another thing is you need to consider food sensitivities of the humans who will handle the treats, as well as the horses.

Hope this helps, and as always, best wishes and happy horse grins!

Thank you soo much!!! I get the little bugger on Monday!! I did see her today and she made some fairly good progress within 30 minutes! The first 10 minutes she wouldn't even let me touch her at all....I could walk her on lead rope, but could not pet her at all. lol Then after about 30 minutes I could rub the rope on her back, pet her back and hold her withers. But then as usual, all good things must come to an end...got dark out. I'll be posting more pics soon!

[Scythian]

Ahh ... that's hopeful. The more good memories she has, the easier it will be.

There's a plastic mitt that slides onto your hand and has little projections on each side -- it's meant to gently groom areas, like face and legs, where the bone is close under the skin. I think she might like that or at least find it less threatening than a conventional brush.

Will watch for more posts and pictures. Glad you like the treat info.

[QuesthavenFarms]

Thank you soo much!!! I get the little bugger on Monday!! I did see her today and she made some fairly good progress within 30 minutes! The first 10 minutes she wouldn't even let me touch her at all....I could walk her on lead rope, but could not pet her at all. lol Then after about 30 minutes I could rub the rope on her back, pet her back and hold her withers. But then as usual, all good things must come to an end...got dark out. I'll be posting more pics soon!

[Ms. Trouble Maker]

Well I picked her up...and I was worried because it was at 9:00pm! lol so it was dark, there were 3 other horses in the trailer, but it was a nice well lit trailer!
She was very vocal the whole time walking, I had to do repeated circles to keep her under control, and she did really well! I thought she's freak getting in....but no, she nearly pushed me over to get in the trailer!!! lol