I don’t post much here-just read-because there’s many more years experience and knowledge here than I possess. (Background: Raised around horses in rural MT, with last exposure some 25 years ago, with the adults handling horse care. Now, at almost 2 years with miniatures, I’m the adult making the care decisions.) So, I probably don’t know squat but I can offer you a viewpoint from a newbie.
I’ve been rereading this thread and another thread of yours, Rockysticksfeatherfarm. Sometimes some “horse people” can be daunting to beginners… in some cases, it appears to be sort of an elitism, as though new people can’t or shouldn’t. Based on some advice, no one new would ever get started in this field. So if you can manage to birth a daughter (I’m assuming you did) or raise chickens or etc. etc., you can do pretty much anything. Ignore the naysayers and use this forum or any other forum as a place to get ideas. Then research as best you can, throw in some common sense and make your own decisions. You might make mistakes but hopefully you’ll learn from them.
RE: Drainage (and fencing)
I haven’t been blessed with an escapee (yet) but I imagine it’s pretty nerve-wracking. Quite frankly, I would table any drainage problems for now and focus on fencing issues. In my opinion, both problems have the potential to be frightfully expensive.
I can explain our short term solution and our longer term plan for drainage. A prior owner installed rain gutters without addressing drainage and also dumped several dump truck loads of rocks around our barn. The rocks are 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Every time I watched little hooves slippy-sliding on big wet rocks I would twitch; every time the rain poured out of the rain gutters and made lakes, I would twitch. We scooped up all the rocks in a pile. (“We” means husband, of course.) Then he (I mean we) installed downspouts and dug downward-sloping trenches about 4 foot deep, down to the sand layer, extending out 20 to 30 feet depending on location. The 2-3 inch rocks went in the bottom of the trenches, followed by layers of progressively smaller rocks, ending with sand and then sandy loam into which I planted pasture mix. It helps, but we still have drainage problems due to large amount of rainfall here. That sucked up the summer, so next year we plan to scoop out large areas in front of all the stall exits and do the same thing on a larger scale. Incidentally, he also built a “horsey porch” in front of/over one stall exit. It’s a wonderfully sturdy affair, about 16 foot long and 8 foot wide. It’s pretty much useless at keeping the ground dry, but our goobs love the 6x6 posts for rump rubbing. We were lucky on this project, regarding expenses since we used materials we had on-hand.
I can’t proffer any advice on fencing since I’m still in the learning phase. When I think of fencing, all I can think of is huge dollar signs. We have what seems like miles and miles and miles of white wood fencing (I think it might be called post and rail) on the property perimeter and cross-fenced and then cross-fenced some more. It was probably built early 90s and has not fared well in our rainy climate. I’ve progressed to the point of buying a post hole digger (whenever “we” do something, it seems like “I” have to pony up new equipment.) Right now, that project is relegated to the category of “I” have to figure this out before “we” do anything further. I won’t even bother you with the aborted paint-the-fence project.
RE: Advice to geld ASAP
We have a little stallion that (as long as I own him) is probably going to go to his grave with all his parts intact. He’s not registered (sin #1, probably.) He has procreated under our care (sin #2, now I’m one of those evil backyard breeders.) But in the first few months of ownership, I received so many well-meaning declarations that I should geld him, that just the mention of gelding sends me into a tizzy now. (Not on this forum, by the way.) But I also received some well-reasoned advice (again, not on this forum) from people I respect, regarding the pros and cons. At this point, I choose to not geld. Is this a correct decision? Who knows? Time will tell.
RE: Companion Animals
Since I decided not to geld our stallion I’ve been wrestling with this one for awhile now. Right now he is housed separately. He can be near his “herd,” separated by fence at two locations outdoors, and his stall is katty-korner to the stall of the mare and foal, so he can hear them and smell them. It works for now.
I’ve read suggestions here regarding companion animals. I didn’t like goats when I was a child. Just to check, I sought out a neighbor’s goat; they take him for walks on a leash. No offense to anyone, but I still don’t much like goats. So, big goob is not getting a goat for company. Before having miniature horses, I was in love with the idea of miniature donkeys. (…with a couple reservations, such as remembering a donkey across the way that used to bray like a rooster in the morning and wondering if that cute, squeaky bray wouldn’t annoy me after awhile.) I researched donkeys for abit and don’t remember much except vaguely that donkeys can be prone to a disease that is not good for horses. That’s all I remember and it could be hugely wrong; perhaps someone else can comment.
I wonder about dogs. All three of our horses seem very fascinated with passing dogs. I’ve watched a coyote walk through the pasture not twenty feet from the horses, and they ignored it. But if a dog passes on the street, the horses are all over the fence. I can’t count how many dogs have been zapped on the electric we strung on our wooden fence when they tried to play with the horses. I know, “the internet” says horses are herd animals and a dog won’t do, but I still wonder. What if you put a larger size, young dog or puppy full time with a horse? Would they bond? Would the dog provide protection, like with sheep herding type dogs?
I think the bottom line is that you need to decide if you can afford a companion horse both in the time it takes to care for a second animal and the potential money you’ll have to spend on feed, farrier, vet, etc. Your current guy isn’t going to perish immediately without companionship.
I could regale you with ten billion other things I’ve experienced/learned in less than two years, but I’ve yakked too long here so I’ll shut up now. And wish you a sincere Good Luck; a year or two from now, you’ll look back and wonder how you dealt with it all.
my boy escaped when I first got him. He was paniked and ran out the gate and ran onto the road. My parents got him and, thank goodness I wasn't there for it, I was on the house with my friends eating cookies. Glad to know you got him back safely. I have a family friend who once sold her horse to a couple. Everything was going smoothly until when they got out to unload Jack (I think it was Jack) the ramp was open and there wasn't a horse inside. The ramp opened on the highway and we got out and was in the middle of the highway, cars dodging him. He was fine after someone caught him. But, I can't imagine, never mind, don't want to.
