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taking care of my horse

ild
On June 8th I bought two horses for my daughters.

A little about the 2 horses I bought, neither one has ever been handled.  

1)The stud a bad cut on his leg when they delivered him. The man said he did it when loading him. not a big deal I took care of it with meds.
2) The stud is now coughing a little with a  runnig nose. Gave him anti B's
3)The stud now has a cloudy eye. I can't see anything in it, I cleaned it with an eye wash. but don't know what else to do since I can't afford to have the vet come out, it would just make me sick if he became blind. What else can I do?

Ild
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Avatar universal
Coul be moon blindness or caterax is it misty? Im not being rude but why get a horse if u cant pay for the care?
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Avatar universal
p.s.   I am not saying that you or your family should not be around horses at all, but I suggest that the absolute best place to start is, not with ownership, but by spending time at a facililty where there is some training/instruction about horses, to get hands-on knowledge  by someone with lots of experience.....
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Avatar universal
I agree with the above posts......owning horses is a HUGE commitment, and that is for those who already have experience and the money and wherewithall to take care of all that entails.  Horses are not like dogs, that you can get when they are young and they become part of the family...at least not for children!!!!!

Here is a rundown of the basics of horse ownership:
-basic knowledge of horse health, behavior, and needs
-adequate housing, cleaned daily, with access to clean water, forage, and other nutritional needs, as determined by you and your veterinarian
-adequate and safe turn-out, in conditions that are healthy, with access to fresh water and with optional shelter
-basic vaccinations twice yearly, given by  a veterinarian as determined by his recommendations for your particular area of the country and xposure risks
-teeth need to be floated twice per year, this is  especially true of young horses, otherwise their teeth will wear in such a way that that cannot eat properly, and can lead to all sorts of problems including starvation
-regular de-worming, schedule as determined by your vet for your particular situation
-feet need to be seen by a farrier every 6 weeks to have proper trimming and shoes if necessary

As you can see, even on just this short list, there is a lot to consider and make allowances for...and believe me, there is MUCH more.  Horses are not only time consuming, but expensive to keep!

Horses are unpredictable animals by nature.  Even I, as an experienced adult, have been injured by the unpredictable behavior of even a "well-mannered" horse!  I would not let your children around such young horses without any training, or having been handled before, in particular the stud colt.

My suggestion would be this:  Please think over carefully your situation and review what I have written above.  If you decide that in the best interest of both horses, and your children and family, that you cannot keep these horses (best idea), please let me know, as there are particular "right" ways to find new homes for these horses (the guy who sold them to you did it the "wrong" way), so that they don't end up in a home where they are  neglected or are sent to auction and sold to the killer-buyers to be slaughtered for "gourmet" meals in other countries.  Please let me know ....I have many resources that would come to your aid.......

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Avatar universal
I meant also to mention that owning a stud is a whole different game from owning a riding horse, fraught with trouble and danger.  Horse dealers come in all stripes, but to sell an inexperienced owner with children a stud unaccustomed to being handled should be a crime.  You only hope the crime won't be manslaughter.

I'm afraid this seller has taken advantage of you.  You may ask, but you will not get a refund.  My advice--you won't like it, but later you will wish you had taken it--is to give these horses away as quickly as you possibly can and reconcile yourself to the loss of money as an investment in your children's safety and health.
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Avatar universal
It is not really my business, and I don't feel good about intruding, but this may be (no exaggeration) a matter of life or death.  I think BTS1022, who is an expert, will back me up on this.

You don't say how old your daughters are, or their background with horses.  Unless they are very experienced, they could be in substantial danger around horses that have never been handled.

The purchase price of a horse is the cheapest part.  The cost of owning a horse you can't use is the same as the cost of owning an excellent experienced saddle horse.

Horses are big, and don't have to mean any harm to do a lot of damage.  No matter how cheaply they were bought, they are not worth it if one of your kids is hurt.
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Avatar universal
lld-

Did he have a cloudy eye before he had gotten sick? What breed is he, as some specific breeds such as appaloosa's have a tendancy to go blind (moon blindness). Is there discharge coming from his eye? You did good cleaning his eye out with an eye wash, hopefully the eye was was made for horses, the best thing to use is saline.

It sounds like he may be going blind in that eye, or has been blind in it for a while. I would suggest trying to find a way to have your vet come out. It isn't very wise to purchase animals when you cannot afford to properly care for them, thats including medical care.
Helpful - 0

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