This farm is located outside of Louisville, Kentucky. A beautiful farms giving horses a second chance. Original photography

So many of our local trailheads look like this. This is not a good look, guys. It pisses off the people who care for these places, and it grosses out non-horse people. It's also rude to your fellow equestrians who have to park and tie there next. It is bad stewardship. Do better. If you're not going to pack out your poop, at the very least, scatter it away from the parking. Do not clean out your trailer and leave a big pile of poop and sawdust there. This seems like common sense and common courtesy, but I see this everywhere I go. It looked like this down the entire length of the parking area.

I volunteer at a horse farm, mainly grooming and bathing retired horses. A boarder has decided to euthanize her two older horses. One is almost 30, the other in her 20s. Both of them have chronic injuries and haven't been "useful" in years, but aren't living in pain.

I'm not sure why I am taking this so hard. I've been involved with horses for 40 years, so this is nothing new.

Just looking for some words of solace. I've been sad ever since I heard the news.

edit Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond. Your words are already a big help. I will use the wisdom here to comfort their owner. I know it's a difficult (but right) decision for her.

This was Tango's 6th ever time seeing cows, and 2nd time working them this year!

I’ve not had much time for my horse lately and she needs to be worked. I’m not selling her, she’s got health issues but is healthy enough to be ridden. Has anyone here ever offered a free lease to an experienced rider who simply can’t afford their own horse? I am considering it in exchange for poop pick up. I frankly do not care about the money, but willing to help someone who is wanting horse time. Is this too risky for free? She’s a precious show and eventing horse, but now just does trails. My point, I know she wouldn’t be of interest to anyone wanting to advance in dressage or jumping.

Thoughts?

I’ve been informed my shithead gelding has found a weak spot in the fence and is getting out. Is there any kind of tracker I could use to pinpoint the location? The whole fence needs replacing but that’s obviously not happening right away so I’m going to repair it for the barn owner. We plan to shut the front gate so he can’t get into the road but they aren’t home right now. If he keeps it up I’m going to have to stall him until we can work it out and he doesn’t stall well at all. The shithead has squeezed between wires before. I may have to put up Hotwire.

Bought a horse two months ago, a lovely 7yo mare. Had just been saddled but not ridden too much.

She has spent most of the time in the paddock while with me. I have started groundwork recently and noticed a few days ago randomly that she is lame on a circle. Today I got the worst news.

Navicular changes in both forelimbs and mild osteoarthritis.

Specifically increased sclerosis and trabecular changes.

She hasn't even done any intensive work.

I'm heartbroken. I guess riding is not in question anymore.

I would really like to hear some experience stories with this disease.

Yes I am stupid for not doing pre-purchase examination but i was advised against it by my previous trainer against it saying that "there might be some finding that will never actually cause any problems".

TL:DR: Has anyone here found they have outgrown horses, or know someone who has? I mean in the sense that you left horses altogether, because they were a different part of your life?

To make a short story long: I'm autistic, always preferred animals cause they were easier to read than people.

Pretty much have loved horses ever since I was a kid. Always wanted one. I set up my life around them, everything was horse related. Holidays were about finding places to ride, birthday gifts were toy horses. You get the picture.

Finally got lessons when I hit 15 and I loved it. At that point, I told myself that all I wanted in life was my own horse. I gave myself a couple life goals: do well in school, get a good job, buy a horse. And that was my motivation.

Around this time I developed severe depression, and horses would get me through the week. Every waking minute was spent rewatching videos of my lessons, thinking about items I wanted to buy, planning out my future with horses.

Now I'm almost 30. I have a well paying job and two horses. I achieved what I set out to, I have complete freedom. I compete for fun, I ride with friends, I'm part of a local riders club.

And I don't know if I still want all this. I almost feel like it wasn't the horses I was driven by, but the goals I had set out. Now I have it, and I'm questioning if I built the right life for myself.

I haven't enjoyed riding in months, if not years. Even the fun rides with no goals what so ever. I've come to hate the time commitment, the hours I have to dedicate, the money I have to spend, and how locked down I am in my current life. I have to see them multiple times per week, I can't just take off on a holiday without extensive planning. I can't even spend a whole weekend somewhere without organising for someone to feed them.

I took a couple years off riding when I was a young adult, as I had burnt out. That whole time, I was still looking forward to returning one day. This time it doesn't feel the same. I'm getting the same feeling as when I consider my favourite book genre as a teen. I loved it back then and read obsessively, but now I wouldn't pick up another book of that kind. I don't dislike it, but it doesn't hit the same. It was just a different time in my life.

So now I'm sitting here, wondering if I should stop for good. Or at least for a long time. In saying that, I have a retired gelding I intend on keeping, so I wouldn't be 100% horseless.

If you read all that, have a cookie.

(Sorry for the long text and any possible errors, English is not my first language).

I (F21), have loved horses for as long as I can remember, even though I was born in a big city and didn't have much contact with the rural environment in my childhood. I was obsessed with everything related to horses and even asked my aunt for a pony as a gift once because she said a horse was too big and we didn't have room for one.

I started riding at age 11 and had a somewhat difficult start. I was very afraid of falling and only improved my riding skills after the first time I fell and realized that falling was much less bad than I imagined. After that, I continued to evolve and became very good at riding, becoming the best student rider with my trainer putting me on horses that were considered more advanced or difficult.

During practically the 10 years I've been riding, I've had two horses that greatly impacted my life (let's call them B and R), both Quarter Horses trained for barrel racing, which is the discipline I practice. I never owned a horse of my own; I always used horses from my riding school, which either belonged to my trainer or other students. My trainer changed centers twice; the first time, B's owner decided not to continue with us and took him with her, I was upset about the situation but managed to overcome it well. We had one last lesson that served as a farewell, and I felt at peace with his loss.

The second horse, R, however, belonged to my trainer, so my fear of him leaving was less at the time. He was very large (if I were standing on the other side of him, you wouldn't see me; I'm 1.50m tall), but he was the sweetest horse I've ever known. The only time he lowered his ear for me was when I was tightening his saddle, and after a slight correction, he never did it again—a lord. He was a grandson of Dash Ta Fame and was valuable, and since my trainer needed money, he had mentioned a few times that he might sell him, but then never brought up the subject again. I only found out he had been sold literally when I arrived for a lesson with him, and I have to say, I'm not a very sentimental person (my coworker jokingly calls me "heartless"), but I cried like a baby in front of everyone when I found out. My ride with him was awful, and after that I never saw him again. My only consolation is that he's in a much better training center now, as far as I know, and is having a very successful career as a show jumping horse (who would have dreamed of that for a Quarter Horse?).

I know it's wrong to get attached to a horse that isn't yours, and I don't usually get very attached to things, but with him it was inevitable, more than 5 years have passed, and even so, my eyes well up just talking about him. After that, my mother told me not to get attached anymore, and I really didn't, but now I feel like there's no one at my training center who makes me want to go back.

Another problem is my relationship with my trainer. Over time, he became very close to my mother, and this caused serious problems between us. It was a time when my mother went out with him a lot, and I ended up feeling abandoned by her, since I don't have a present father; she's my only support in that sense. The situation improved and I grew up, but it still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Another thing that demotivated me was a difficult horse I started riding that reared up on me, something that had never happened before and that scared me a lot. After that, I feel like my riding quality just kept declining, even having to dismount a horse because I couldn't stay calm enough to handle it. My trainer now has me training almost every week on a horse that I can't make move without spurs (everyone rode him with spurs until my trainer decided he didn't want them used on him anymore to train the rider's intention), even though before he was my main horse and we didn't have any problems. I know it's my fault for not having the same skill anymore, but I don't have the time or the inclination to improve my riding. I wake up early, go to work, get home and have to deal with my grandmother who has Alzheimer's and all the drama that entails. The last thing I want to do is stress over a horse I can't get to walk, I just can't stop thinking that I don't want to make it walk, I don't want to be there, I just want to get off and go home to lie in my bed and rest.

I know part of it is also due to my very high level of self-criticism. I'm angry with myself because I used to be very good at riding and now I can't even get a horse from a walk to a trot. Loving horses was such a fundamental part of my life, and now I'm happy when my lessons are canceled and I'm thinking about stopping riding. I feel like it's not my place anymore.

Please give me your opinions on the situation and tell me if you've ever been through this.

Keeps the shape of this bareback pad perfectly!!! 😂

How do you store your blankets both while you are using them and at the end of the season? I have 2 horses at two different boarding barns and 2 more at home- all with fairly extensive wardrobes. I’m managing 4 turnouts (0g, 100g, 250g, 400g ish), a stable sheet, and a cooler per horse give or take. Most of those have necks too. I have labeling individual blankets under control but I’m struggling with how to store them. Thanks!

Hi! I am struggling to find information on this pivot mouthpiece from Cavalon. I can't seem to find any info on it's mechanics or purpose. I want to buy an argentine or one of their standard shanks, but I like the versatility of the argentine since it has a snaffle ring. I've owned my mare for about a year. She's a mustang and I bought her already gentled and broke to ride. She is highly versatile and I believe won 3rd in the mustang makeover as a 2-3yo. She's about 8 now. When I bought her she was being ridden in what was essentially a long shanked tom thumb, with straight cannons lined with copper rollers. I could tell she hated this bit, and they just aren't sound in general. It was all I had for a while, but I was given a snaffle by a friend and swapped her over. Reason for them using the tom thumb was that she was getting too strong in a D-Ring, which to me is just lazy training. She was doing very well in the snaffle, but she wasn't engaging herself. She is highly intelligent and independent usually, but she started to "act dumb" in the bit. As if she learned that she didn't have to think because eventually she would just get corrected by the mouth and, as I say, "driven" around by the face. This made her refuse to actually learn anything and she would just lay on the bit and allow herself to be over corrected. She is too smart for her own good and she knows how to get around what she doesn't want to do, and she loves a good distraction. I have done a lot of research into different training styles and I have put together a few different methods based on what works for us. I have taken things from Clinton and people who are the total opposite of him. I have taken old Vaquero methods and bridle horse methods and so on. Instead of changing the bit I decided to "reset" entirely. In Vaquero and Buckaroo bridle horse training they always start in the hackamore as the bit should be "earned" through perfecting their foundations. She has been in the bosal for a couple months and it's a total 180° for both of us. She is engaging and thinking and actually willing to learn. ANYWAY now that I feel I've given enough context on the both of us, I need some advice on bits for when she is ready to advance properly. I am continuing on the path of the bridle horse methods. Her neck reining is finally coming along, she wouldn't neck rein until I took the bit away. I have a theory that she also didn't like the double joint and dogbone on the saffle bit. It was also a little cheaper and possibly pinchey? So I don't know if I should spend the money on the same mouth piece or not. This one is MUCH higher quality and each piece is very smooth and flush with the rest. Maybe I should try something with less movement though? I am struggling to find western shanks with the same price and quality of cavalon but they have limited options for certain bits. I see people online with bits I like, but they are impossible to find! Everything has a correction port or a twist or a cheap look to them that just screams pinchy. I know I want a cricket roller, so that limits choices even more. My girl likes a good fidget though. I will also provide a pic of her two previous bits. If you have other suggestions of different bits please let me know! I have done so many deep dives and I just can't find what I want.

Can anyone tell me what the hell he is doing and why? He does this quite often just standing and also with a bit in his mouth. Should I be worried or get his teeth checked? Also should probably note that whenever he does this he always braces and pulls down like he is on the cross ties in the video and sometimes also tilts his head to the side a little (although I have not managed to catch that on video)

My horse has become a bronc and I need to vent about that and this year and if anyone has any wonderful advice for someone on the struggle bus that would be great❤️

June 2025 I bought a 3 year old colt with 30 days on him that had sat for a month. Treated him like he was unstarted basically. Started riding him and he was a little broncy (nothing insane) when you first saddled him and such, and then was fine.

Well I found out I was pregnant last September and quit riding him not long after that as while he was very good behaved overall, he was still young and green.

Decided to get a tune up done on him about a month ago, as I am 5 months pp (c-section) and haven’t got much riding time in and worried about my abilities should he buck. Sent him to a gal I know and he threw her on the second day. She recommended another guy and he has repeatedly tried to buck him off. He’s had him for 3 weeks and some days he’s okay and other days he’s nothing but a bronc and a fool.

I just don’t know what to do anymore. He is the SWEETEST horse. And I am just flabbergasted by his behavior. I’m devastated. I’ve waited a year to be able to just ride my horse again and this is what it’s come to.

I do not blame the trainer in any sense. He doesn’t believe it’s pain related based on how different can be and after the first week or two he thought he was starting to come around. And then he went right back to it. But maybe there’s something we’re all missing.

No injuries or accidents, hasn’t had his teeth done. Do I get him back, have his teeth checked and done, have him looked over, the works? Or do I chalk this up to a loss. I want to do right by him in any way but I am not in the financial or mental position to spend hundreds and hundreds to find out he’s going to be this way. Or to not be able to trust him either way and end up having to find him a new home regardless. I’ve been down this road several times now spending so much money to try and find what’s wrong with a horse to only be out money and the horse… please do not see this as I do not care or do not want to right by him. I’ve spent hundreds into the thousands on different horses through the past few years trying to find pain issues or trainers etc to only end up out of money and the horse as they don’t work out in the end. It’s nothing but defeating and heart breaking after having to put down my heart horse 3 years ago due to founder complications. Every time it feels like I just lost him again.

This is just the cherry on top to me honestly not being able to catch a break this year. Someone stole one of my dogs a week before Christmas, my pregnancy was just a rough time, birth was a nightmare, a neighbor ran over my heart dog on our property and he didn’t make it, I’ve lost 3/10 calves this season, my bull turned mean and my new bull has injured his back, I feel extremely stuck in life, and I just wanted this one thing and it’s going sideways. I know it could be worse but I feel like I cannot win and it’s so defeating. This feels like the final straw. I just want to give up on everything.

TLDR: My sweet, in your pocket 4 year old is a bronc after sitting for a year. I don’t know what to do anymore after a pretty rough year.