.. because things are tough for our business, and I just can't afford to keep two. I should probably have done this last year.
He is a lovely horse : 14 years old, a 15.2 ex-racer French Arab, beautiful, gentle and polite. He is very stiff in the hips and would not pass any kind of lameness test, but it gets neither worse nor better and is helped by being ridden - hacking out a couple of times a week is ideal for him. He is a delightful hack, calm and responsive, but he is extremely sensitive to his rider and once a year or so will remember he is an Arab racehorse, so he is not suitable for a novice. I picture a middle aged lady who has ridden for a long time but now wants a lovely gentle classy hack to amble about on.
He is a reserved, quiet horse, bottom of the pecking order, very good with others, easy to do (except that he finds it hard to stand on his stiffest leg for trimming and needs regular rests). He is barefoot, with good hard round Arab feet, but is no trouble to shoe.
His difficulties are that he will behave like an idiot if he is left alone, that he windsucks after hard food or if he is stressed, and that he can't be stabled. If he is stabled he gets very stressed, weaves and windsucks continually. The lady who brought him to the UK found him standing in a small, filthy box where he had apparently been for more than a week: he is too sensitive to forget. He has to live out (though he could live in a barn environment, with company and room to roam, and I am sure he would be fine in a yard where he could wander out of his stable - he is incredibly respectful of fences and boundaries of all kinds and would never dream of burglary).In winter he needs ad lib hay and a good rug to prevent rain scald. That's all - he has not needed the vet in 4 years., though he loves his chiropractor visits and presents his stiff hip for attention at once.
I have put out the word locally but am not sure what else to try. I thought of Horses4Homes - a friend suggests I leave it until March. Does anyone have any other ideas, or suggestions?
I am sad
He is a lovely horse : 14 years old, a 15.2 ex-racer French Arab, beautiful, gentle and polite. He is very stiff in the hips and would not pass any kind of lameness test, but it gets neither worse nor better and is helped by being ridden - hacking out a couple of times a week is ideal for him. He is a delightful hack, calm and responsive, but he is extremely sensitive to his rider and once a year or so will remember he is an Arab racehorse, so he is not suitable for a novice. I picture a middle aged lady who has ridden for a long time but now wants a lovely gentle classy hack to amble about on.
He is a reserved, quiet horse, bottom of the pecking order, very good with others, easy to do (except that he finds it hard to stand on his stiffest leg for trimming and needs regular rests). He is barefoot, with good hard round Arab feet, but is no trouble to shoe.
His difficulties are that he will behave like an idiot if he is left alone, that he windsucks after hard food or if he is stressed, and that he can't be stabled. If he is stabled he gets very stressed, weaves and windsucks continually. The lady who brought him to the UK found him standing in a small, filthy box where he had apparently been for more than a week: he is too sensitive to forget. He has to live out (though he could live in a barn environment, with company and room to roam, and I am sure he would be fine in a yard where he could wander out of his stable - he is incredibly respectful of fences and boundaries of all kinds and would never dream of burglary).In winter he needs ad lib hay and a good rug to prevent rain scald. That's all - he has not needed the vet in 4 years., though he loves his chiropractor visits and presents his stiff hip for attention at once.
I have put out the word locally but am not sure what else to try. I thought of Horses4Homes - a friend suggests I leave it until March. Does anyone have any other ideas, or suggestions?
I am sad