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 Regular
Posts: 63
Location: At A Barrel Race! | I am going to go get my first yearling in a couple weeks! Hopefully all goes well! 
I just have a few questions... when you guys buy a yearling, do you get them vetted? This yearling is 5 hours away and I have never bought a yearling before. I hear your not suppose to do flexions because they are young, and I hear that sometimes x-rays don't help.
I'm basically talking about getting his heart rate, breathing, eyes, nasal cavity, etc. checked. Is that something I should have done?
*Also*
Is there anything particular I should feed this guy? Owners say he's very healthy. Some people I know just give their yearlings hay, some foal pellets, and a mineral block and call it good, while others go over the top feeding their yearlings specific stuff.
I just want to do this right, and not cause any problems. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you! |
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  Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
  
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | Personally, I wouldn't vet a yearling unless I saw something concerning when I looked him over. If you're having him shipped, sight unseen, then I would probably ask for a vet to look him over for me.
As for feeding, you don't want them to grow too fast. I use a 14% Nutrena feed called Triumph and am pleased with the results. A good quality hay or alfalfa too. Everyone one here has a different feeding program. I just try to watch their weight. They go through growth spurts and sometimes look really ugly. I just try to maintain that balance and have a healthy looking colt. |
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Regular
Posts: 63
Location: At A Barrel Race! | LRQHS - 2014-08-15 11:54 AM
Personally, I wouldn't vet a yearling unless I saw something concerning when I looked him over. If you're having him shipped, sight unseen, then I would probably ask for a vet to look him over for me.
As for feeding, you don't want them to grow too fast. I use a 14% Nutrena feed called Triumph and am pleased with the results. A good quality hay or alfalfa too. Everyone one here has a different feeding program. I just try to watch their weight. They go through growth spurts and sometimes look really ugly. I just try to maintain that balance and have a healthy looking colt.
I think that is what I am going to do. My barrel horses get regular check ups that are coming up, and I will probably bring him along to one of those when I get him home.
I was looking at the Nutrena feed! How much do you usually feed them? (And do you feed them twice a day?)
Thank you! :) |
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Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | Yes, definitely feed twice a day. Mine are currently on 2 large scoopers of feed twice a day.
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Regular
Posts: 63
Location: At A Barrel Race! | LRQHS - 2014-08-15 12:05 PM
Yes, definitely feed twice a day. Mine are currently on 2 large scoopers of feed twice a day.
Alright! I will check into that Triumph feed more. Thank you so much! |
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Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | Rodeo_Queen_21 - 2014-08-15 12:09 PM LRQHS - 2014-08-15 12:05 PM Yes, definitely feed twice a day. Mine are currently on 2 large scoopers of feed twice a day.
Alright! I will check into that Triumph feed more. Thank you so much!
You're very welcome :) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 928
Location: Northern CA | From here on out I will have xrays done of front feet on EVERY horse I buy. Bought a 2 year old last winter, was told the same thing, don't worry about vetting them that young. Wrong!!! She had remodeling on her coffin bones and a huge hole in her navicular bone. Very aggrivating situation. |
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Expert
Posts: 3300
| i xray everything feet hocks stifles knees i dont want a yearling that has ocd spurs or juvinal arthritis and or navicular changes
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | Get major xrays.
I love Ultium Growth for feed. Expensive stuff but I feed half recommended amount and give good quality hay or pasture mostly. Like LRQHS said, be really careful to watch they are not growing too fast. Be prepared for them to have a hay belly and look a little bit awkward if out on pasture (you have to sale 'fit' one in a stall and usually on alfalfa to keep them looking like they do at the big sales like Heritage).
My yearling also got all the regular vaccinations, worming, check feet stuff done. I wasn't buying but just keeping mine. |
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Regular
Posts: 63
Location: At A Barrel Race! | For getting x-rays done, do you call a vet that would be up in that area to do the x-rays before I buy? Or have my vet come with me? (Keep in mind this is 5 hours away)
Or even just x-ray when I bring home? I've never had x-rays done before, on a full grown horse or a young one, so I have no clue what I need to do in that area. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 928
Location: Northern CA | I would go with a reputable vet in the area you are buying from. I would NOT bring a horse home and then have xrays, that came back to bite me in the butt. |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | After my 3yr old and his mystery lameness, I will vet anything I plan to ride/compete on in the future. |
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Expert
Posts: 3300
| oija - 2014-08-16 12:52 PM
Get major xrays.
I love Ultium Growth for feed. Expensive stuff but I feed half recommended amount and give good quality hay or pasture mostly. Like LRQHS said, be really careful to watch they are not growing too fast. Be prepared for them to have a hay belly and look a little bit awkward if out on pasture (you have to sale 'fit' one in a stall and usually on alfalfa to keep them looking like they do at the big sales like Heritage).
My yearling also got all the regular vaccinations, worming, check feet stuff done. I wasn't buying but just keeping mine.
Not true my yearling is not sale fit and does not have a hay belly and does not look gangly |
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Regular
Posts: 63
Location: At A Barrel Race! | halter_ego - 2014-08-15 4:11 PM
I would go with a reputable vet in the area you are buying from. I would NOT bring a horse home and then have xrays, that came back to bite me in the butt.
Well I talked to the vets and no one will drive the 5 hours with me to come see the horse. Guess I'll have to take my chances and x-ray when I get back.  |
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Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | aqhabarrelchic1 - 2014-08-15 5:39 PM
oija - 2014-08-16 12:52 PM
Get major xrays.
I love Ultium Growth for feed. Expensive stuff but I feed half recommended amount and give good quality hay or pasture mostly. Like LRQHS said, be really careful to watch they are not growing too fast. Be prepared for them to have a hay belly and look a little bit awkward if out on pasture (you have to sale 'fit' one in a stall and usually on alfalfa to keep them looking like they do at the big sales like Heritage).
My yearling also got all the regular vaccinations, worming, check feet stuff done. I wasn't buying but just keeping mine.
Not true my yearling is not sale fit and does not have a hay belly and does not look gangly
Some are much worse than others. Mine hardly had one at all because I pulled her up at night to a dry lot. You just see many that are that way and it doesn't mean they won't turn out just fine. I've noticed the ones that are taller tend to be a bit ganglier. Our 16.1 hh gelding was 15.2 as a yearling and gangly. Never any epiphysitis, just grew that way. Gorgeous horse now. Super broad. My shorter two year old never looked gangly but got a hay belly if I left her out to pasture at night. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1229
Location: Royal J Performance Horses, AZ | Rodeo_Queen_21 - 2014-08-15 6:32 PM
halter_ego - 2014-08-15 4:11 PM
I would go with a reputable vet in the area you are buying from. I would NOT bring a horse home and then have xrays, that came back to bite me in the butt.
Well I talked to the vets and no one will drive the 5 hours with me to come see the horse. Guess I'll have to take my chances and x-ray when I get back.
I have done this with several horses I have purchased. Look the yearling over see if you see anything visual, take pictures, ETC before loaded, and write up a contract that says you have X amount of days to get a vet check done and should the vet find anything that would warrant a horse "not passing a vet check" Then you can return the horse and receive a full refund no questions asked.
Now I will say this. I have never had any of these contracts notarized. BUT i got very lucky. IMO if i were you have their signature and yours notarized at time of signing. SO if anything should go awry that document actually means something in court.
a contract with no notarization means as much as toilet paper you wipe your behind with in the legal system. |
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 The Color Specialist
Posts: 7530
Location: Washington. (The DRY side.) | And good luck to you if you decide to try what the poster above suggested. :) As a seller, there is NO WAY I would agree to that. People are more than welcome to have them vet checked from one end to the other, BEFORE they leave my place. But if you leave here with the horse, it is YOURS. |
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Regular
Posts: 63
Location: At A Barrel Race! | I think what I am going to do is just bring the horse home, and have him x-rayed when I get back. I've purchased a horse from these people before and he was PERFECT. Absolutely nothing wrong. These people are also very trustworthy.
Maybe it's not the smartest choice, but none of my vets from around here are willing to go up with me. And I rather not get a vet from around there that I do not trust and could give me false information.
If something is wrong, yeah, I'll probably regret not getting him vetted.
I've had multiple people message me saying not to vet, and gave me some signs to look for if there should be anything serious wrong. I'll just stick with that for now. I am also bringing one of my friends that have bought multiple yearlings along with me just as back up.
Thank you everyone for all your helpful comments! |
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Expert
Posts: 3300
| They might be trustworthy but unless they have X-ray vision they can't see OCD or bone spurs sorry... Any vet can take an xray and send it to yours to look at them |
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Regular
Posts: 63
Location: At A Barrel Race! | aqhabarrelchic1 - 2014-08-16 11:14 PM
They might be trustworthy but unless they have X-ray vision they can't see OCD or bone spurs sorry... Any vet can take an xray and send it to yours to look at them
I know. I guess I'm just taking a risk most people wouldn't dare to take.
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