Mini 'rescue'

[Carly Rae]

Hi! (I am sorry I post so much in this forum, please let me know if I am annoying you all with all my questions, but your answers are extremely helpful!)

So, I was thinking having my own mini 'Rescue' home type thing (I am not sure what to call it) as a 'home' thing in my spare time. What I mean is like I want to be able to take in neglected minis and work with them get them back to a good health (If underweight ect) and then put them in loving homes.

I have taken in 3 neglected minis (I know thats not much) but they were not abused, or underfed, they had a huge paddock which was probably paradise for them but they had never been loved or handled. I re homed 2. When we got the 3 minis they were all colts, their names are, Elliot, Steve and Kevin all of which I got to name

Elliot got re homed to 2 young girls who LOVE him which made me over the moon to see him go to that family and Steve lives about a 10 minute walk from me, he went to a lady who spoils him and he is for her grandchildren. and Kevin I kept all for myself, I just couldn't bring myself to sell him he is such a beautiful boy. All 3 colts are so beautiful and I really wish I could have kept them but I would have had to many boys

They had such great natures and colours.

But I'd love to be able to do this one day when I get my own property and a good job and If I am going good with money ect which will be a while. I have only had 8 years of experience with horses and If I were to do this I would probably look into doing some equine studies. I know this sort of thing wont be cheap but I don't want to have a HUGE farm.

I'd also like to help people with there minis/small ponies who have behavioural issues and I MAY be able to help them teach the horse 'manners' and 'obedience' I don't know, just a thought.

Sorry for all the writing!!

So yeah, I think a mini 'rescue' home thing would be great for me (If I can afford it AND study equine) Because I love minis and helping them and I love making people happy.

Please If you think this is a bad idea or unrealistic please let me know! Or if it is achievable does anyone have any pointers or tips?

Thank you!

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Its never unrealistic to want to rescue animals, but it is never a profitable venture nor should it be. You have the right line of thinking by studying and working, and the rescue (and your therapy thing you want to do too) as sidelines/hobbies. If you want to work with equines though, again be aware there is not much money in it and you will need a lot of money for rescues. 99% of home rescues don't get help and very sparse donations that never cover any of the actual costs. It is the medical and food bills that are the worst, esp if you get a mare and foal and they have a bad start (vet bills can run into thousands)

Is there any rescues near to you you can volunteer at now to get some experience for when you do your equine studies?

 

[Carly Rae]

Thanks for the reply.

I was trying to avoid setting my career with equines for the reason you just stated and that its better to keep horses as a hobby not a career but I still want to help horses in any way I can, Is there much money in the agricultural industry or animal grooming or should I try base my career off animals?

I just looked for some rescues nearby and I found one On Facebook and they are 2 hours from me, or there is RSPCA animal shelter, or the vets about 15 minutes away from me and they are pretty much an Equine vet.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Your career should be something you want to do and can do. If you want to work with animals, do. If not then find something you like the sound of. Dog grooming is much like hairdressing. You can make money at it but generally you have to work long hours and it's very physically demanding. I think if you wanted to do work with horses you could go down the dentist/physio/nutritionist routes as they are quite well paid and flexible hours.

 

[Carly Rae]

I like the sound of an Equine Physiotherapist, I looked it up and it sounds really good and good pay and flexible hours like you said, It also says you need to be good at science and I am weak in science but I am going for Senior Biology next year anyway. I can also pick, Physics(Never doing physics ever again) Chemistry and Science core, and Science 21. I am not sure if i'll need any of those types of science?

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Biology is more desirable really. It is all to do with nerves and muscles which biology will give you a good grounding in. Be prepared to train as a human physio first

 

[Carly Rae]

Awesome, I was looking forward to Biology as well. I don't mind training as a human physio first but will I need to get work as a human physiotherapist or once I am finished training I can look into training as an equine physiotherapist?

Also I was also advised not to go any where near equine as my career (by someone on a forum) because I am a really easily offended person and sometimes the slightest thing said puts me down but once I get a job and get out into the real world I hope to toughen up.

Since I wanted to be a stable hand everyone was like 'No, dont go down that path, its not for you.' or 'Just keep horses as your hobby' A lot of people advised that because of little pay and long hours and sometimes a fair bit of criticism as I have been told, someone once told me they were a stable hand and they hated it there was a load of criticism and it wasn't a friendly industry but that could have also been just where she was working and from her POV.

If I was to be a Physiotherapist is it like being a stable hand or anything or is it a different path that still involves horses and would it be better, and Is it a friendly industry (I know that every industry will have its pros and cons) I really like the sound of this path, thanks so much for suggesting it! (Sorry if I ask questions that you are unsure of)

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

Yup, you do really need a tough skin for any kind of work with animals. I went to school to manage a dairy farm, it was astonishing as to just how many kids dropped out. It's not aall just petting calves.

My job requires a lot. I'm not proud of it but I've shot a ton of cows (I have the certs to do it legally). I've seen a lot of really graphic stuff (femur breaks, arterial bleeding, leg bones sticking through skin, etc). It happens, and with a large volume of animals in your life it will happen more. For example if something happens only 1% of the time, I see it roughly 1x a month on my cows, I have 1200. If you don't think you could stomach such things, try to avoid a career with them. Taking care of animals is far from fun a lot of days, and some it's just plain depressing, I had the grades and pre reqs to be a vet, but I chose to not do it, because I couldn't possibly handle the stupid of some owners, and having animals that were dealt bad hands. With my current job I get to give them all a good life and avoid calling the vet!

If you think you want to rescue, start now! And see some of the extreme cases. I've rescued a bunch, and now I go very far out of my way to buy completely untouched animals, because I'm tired of fixing other peoples screw ups.

I have a dog, who any sane person would've just had put down. I got him when he was supposedly 8 mos old. He was petrified of everything, and I couldn't so much as leave to use the bathroom without him FREAKING. I don't just mean crying a little, I mean bawling, ripping the house apart etc. Every bad habit a dog could have he had. He is super high energy, plus an extreme anxiety case, plus dumb as a fence post. His only savings grace was that he is very very submissive. It took shock collars (2 at times) and a few 'come to Jesus meetings' for him to understand we don't play like that here. 1 yr later, he's a decent dog, but he'll always be quirky. Oh, and he's a great guard dog - cause he eats sketchy people!

This is the time in your life to figure all that out. Shadow as many people as you can, take various classes just for the heck of it. That's how I picked up cows, the classes and cow sense came naturally to me.

 

[Carly Rae]

Thanks for that,

I really do like the sound of Equine Physio and I am willing to try it out next year when I can get a course in Physiotherapy. I told my mum (she didn't like the sound of a stable hand for me) But her reaction to a physiotherapist was really positive and she is going to help me as much as she can

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Physio is nothing like a stable hand. You would just have your clients and you go to them, work the horse or whatever needs done and go to the next client. You do need tough skin though. There may be a horse that the owner says does this, you look at it and it's very clear that it's the owners fault (bad fitting saddles, bridles etc) so a good general knowledge of tack and how it fits is necessary. You'll also need to know how a horse moves properly to ascertain if it is moving wrong because of a body problem (or if it is something a vet can only deal with)

You'll work very close with vets - most people won't have a physio out until the vet says to so the vet may be the one calling you (kind of like a referal) and many physios won't look at a horse until a vet has seen it and told owner that it needs physio and isn't lame from some other scource

 

[Carly Rae]

Thats good, I think once I get out into the 'real world' I will gain better social skills and be able to talk to people comfortably. I have grown up out west in a town with a population of 30 people and a school of 6 students so everyone knew everyone and it was so easy, But I have moved from a school with 6 students to a school with 2,000 students so it was a huge change and I guess I just need to build confidence (I moved from out west 8 years ago and my social skills have improved) to talk to people and not be shy about it.

I understand that I will have to gain a lot of knowledge, but I am willing to try my hardest. Would it help to get work experience with the vet 15 minutes away from me that is mainly for equines? I think they could help me or they may have an equine physiotherapist that they could put me onto and they could maybe let me watch or give me work experience?

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Never hurts to ask

 

[Max's Mom]

If you have time to volunteer or job shadow the vet, I think you will learn a lot, not just about the career aspect but also about what it is like to work with lots of different horse owners. Job shadowing and doing volunteer work in any of the areas you're interested in should prove worthwhile as you make your plans for the future. You will learn what you enjoy and don't like, and get a valuable insight into what the job is "really" like. Plus, it will help you to build experience that might led to a job in the future.

People who work with animals for a living work really hard and usually don't earn a lot. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't consider it. And any job will have good aspects and hard aspects- and most jobs will expose you to criticism and difficult people. Ultimately, you should follow your interests. There is no right or wrong job. I think (speaking as a mother of teenagers) that your job right now is to learn, grow, and take advantage of whatever opportunities are before you.

It sounds like you are adjusting to a big change in your school situation! That's going to take time, but I encourage you to find a school club or group or team to join. You'll gain some friends and self-confidence, and also get more opportunities to feel comfortable in various social situations. You don't need to have your whole life figured out yet... just continue to follow your interests and gain confidence. Also, challenge yourself in school, even with subjects that you don't think you are very good at, because that will serve as a foundation for any post-secondary education you pursue.

Asking lots of questions is a good thing! I sense that you're going to do some really awesome things in your future!

 

[Carly Rae]

I want to try get work experience (I think it is the same as job shadowing) The vet that is close to me works mainly with equines, and they may give me work experience at their clinic. They seem really nice there, our friends bought in their 28' mini Pickles to that clinic, and they thought she was a dog at first but they were really nice and helpful.

I have lived in this town where I am now which has 110,000 people (from the town with 30 people) for 8 years now which is when I got my first horse! But I have only been in this school with 2000 people since the very start of high school which was 3 years ago and I have really good friends now and a pretty large group, they are all like a family to me. When I first got to that school I wouldn't talk to anyone at all not even my teachers, but now I am in grade 10 Ill talk to just about anyone and I have made a fair few new friends which come to sit with my group at lunch sometimes. So I have Improved my social skills in school, But I still sometimes get shy outside of school, just depending on the person who I am talking to, one time out shopping I had a nice chat to a shop worker that I didnt know but another time I was so shy.

I just need to get out of the house more. My sister (shes 21) takes me out sometimes she is like 'Carly, all you ever do is stay at home and socialise with your horses! Come meet some people.' She takes me out to places to meet her friends and work friends (she works in real estate) She knows how I felt as she was like me too but she has been through so many different jobs its so easy for her to talk to new people, she always says 'It gets easier' and she also told me 'Once you get your first job, its like starting at a new school. You know no one and you will be nervous, but you have to try make yourself fit in and talk to people.' My sister is like my role model, and she is the one who suggested youth work and therapy with minis, also grooming, vet nurse ect, I told her about Equine physiotherapy, and she is willing to help me.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Get out showing. It is very social. I have more friends now through horses than i ever did before.