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Thread III: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1311311/posts |
Posted on 04/26/2004 12:06:41 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Free Republic has a lot of horse people that have found each other on other threads…. And since we all like to talk horses, how about a thread where it is not off-topic, but is THE topic?
A few of us thought it would be interesting and informative to have a chat thread where we can share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. We may not ~always~ have a lot of activity, but when we do, it will be fun. I will put a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!
I will also develop a ping list for horse threads that are of interest. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.
I am hoping this thread will be a fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.
Sorry to hear that.... That's a pretty close encounter!
Speaking of coyotes.
My Farrier told me something interesting yesterday. He shoes for a man that lives on this same range of hills (we call them mountains:) as I do. He had a horse come up one day with some bad cuts and gashes on both hips. The vet said it looked like a cougar attack.
He called someone, game warden I guess and reported it. The game warden said that 15 cougars had been released in this area to control the deer population.
This past year I've heard of several neighbors that have seen cougar, so I guess it's true. I think it odd tho, that they would do that and not tell the people that live around here. I think the chances of a "people" attack is slim, but still......
Becky
Yeah - stuff like that usually makes the news.
Haven't you got any hunters there?
I gotta get ready to go, but the cougar thing sounds really strange.... I've heard of cougar releases to protect and spread the cougar population itself, or to move cougars from bad spots to better ones... but if it is a deer management motive, the right answer is expanded deer hunting, usually. You aren't far enough from town to be a good cougar release area, I wouldn't think.
We live on the edge of a range of hills that are open country, there's kind of a swath that runs betweens towns. I've always figured that's why we don't get much hunters, the houses are spread around and hard to know where there at, and this open land is used by alot of riders, horse, 4 wheelers, and dirt bikers. I know the deer population has increased since we've been here. I see them all the time now. I'd say we're safer with cougars then people hunting:)
Becky
Heh - OK - Fair enough!
Chris also said that the guy who had the horse hurt told the warden that if he saw a cougar he was going to shoot it. The warden told him fine but he'd be arrested for it, they were protected. They are transmitters implanted in them. I would still think you could shoot it tho if it wasn't on your property. How would anyone know who shot it.
The warden told the guy a story of someone that shot a cougar took it home to and was skinning it when the wardens showed up and arrested him, something like a $50,000 fine. He didn't know there was a transmitter in it.
You suppose all this is true or urban legend:)???
Becky
Sounds like urban legend. I don't think there are implanted transmitters that would have enough power or range to track the cats with it. That takes an antenna, like the radio collars they put on animals, and those would be seen.
The implant chips for pets only give a reading when you run the reader right over them. If there is a trackable implant, I don't know about it.
Horse question.
The deal I have worked out with the owner of Trash involved her providing feed and hay. She didn't want to change his feed. I don't think she really knows what I feed, because she keeps saying she doesnt' want him on sweet feed because he gets loony.
She feeds him nothing but hay and crimped oats. LOTS of oats. 2 1/2 gallon bucket full twice a day now. At first he was only getting that once a day. But since he is getting rode more she increased it.
The horse is pretty thin in my opinion. She also said the other night that she knows there is no nutritional value in oats???? Will oats put weight on a horse?? Will feeding nothing but this stuff keep him healthy??? He kind of worries me the way he looks. He's shiny, but like I say, thin, and no sparkle in his eye, know what I mean:)??
I don't think she realizes that what I feed is low protein and wouldn't make him loony, but I think? is alot more nutritionally sound?? I don't know much about just plain oats.
Becky
That's kind of what I thought. Sounded far fetched to me.
Becky
I love animals so don't take this wrong but if it was my animal or my safety in danger I would shoot.
Plain oats does not have a lot of nutrition in it. You're right on this.... I'm late, more later!
I'd probably shoot it too. But I don't think horses up by houses will be in danger. These were horses out in pasture. The whole story could be just a story. The only reason I think it might be true, is this past year there suddenly was several reports of people seeing them around here. As soon as the cougar spotted the people tho they took off. I would actually like to see one:) I think it's neat seeing wild animals in the wild, even coyotes, I just don't want them killing my chickens.
Becky
I also think that with him being rode more he'd be less likely to get loony even if he was given sweet feed??? Is all she ever does do to the fact that she works 24/7 practically, (self employed home health care), was work barrels on him, nothing else. With his breeding he would have a tendency to be hyper, throughbred/Quarter. Anyway, he just worries me. Getting rode the way I do I wonder if his energy level is going to really drop, then she's going to have problems with him running at all???
Becky
Well someone has brought in a wilderness mustang, probabaly cut late. I think I'm seeing real herding. This stuff with Okie and Nino rough and rowdy but childs play. This horse extremely aggressive. The other horses stay away. He acts like he is going to charge the fence to the mares and monday we had Okie in the round pen about 6 feet from the gelding pasture. This mustang was acting crazy. He didn't like Okie in there. He kept running up to the fence and not really neighing but a high neighing scream and jumping around and charging. Okie answered once and we checked him but you could tell he was nervous. He would keep looking over. We really had concerns the mustang was going to try to go thru the hot wire. I hope he settles down.
That makes sense. Sounds like you've got it worked out, though, so that's good!
Not hoarse. Just a little frog in my throat. ;o)
Do you have any recent pictures of him? How close is he to full-grown?
Yeah horse shoes do conduct electricity. It doesn't make them an automatic lightening rod, but it's like anything else. Don't leave them in the field during a storm.
My question is, if she knows that oats don't have much nutritional value, then why does she feed just oats? How much hay does this horse get? Does he get any supplements? What do you feed?
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