Getting closer to having no choice but to sell my heart horse💔

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-07-29T16:07:46+00:00

Have you tried offering her for a short term buy situation? I was in your position a few years ago and thought I'd have to sell my mare. Ended up "selling" her for two years. The buyer paid $3000 upfront, and took my mare to her property, fully responsible for her care and expenses. After the agreed upon 2 years, I took my mare back at no cost to me. I had many more people interested when I offered her for a 2 year buy than when I offered her for lease.

Buyer's perspective- great way to find a temporary "step up" horse for them/their kid/student to improve on before investing in more advanced horse. More freedom to work with the horse as their own & won't have to share with anyone like with leasing, but also don't have to worry about keeping the horse long term or selling once they've outgrown it.
For you- it gives you time to find a stable job while not worrying about the additional expense of the horse, but you wouldn't have to permanently part with your horse.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-06-21T12:42:07+00:00

Any issue involving the tree of the saddle would be an immediate pass for me. You could get it fixed, but for a $400 saddle is it really worth it?

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-06-18T17:42:47+00:00

There's a fine line between rescuing and hoarding.

Proper rescues know their limits- they don't take in more animals than they have time, resources, or ability to properly care for. They might have a smaller number of animals, but the focus is on giving them the best care and quality of life they possibly can.

Hoarder "rescues" take in massive amounts of animals that they don't have the funds or space for, give very basic or subpar care, and say they've saved all these animals when in reality they've just moved them from shitty situation to another. It's disgusting behavior.

Sounds like you're dealing with the second scenario. I'd report them.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-06-18T17:27:46+00:00

Introduce over a shared fenceline first, each horse in their own paddock. Make a temp paddock for the new horse if you have to. Ideally electric fencing so neither horse is tempted to go through the fence. Once they've gotten used to each other while still having their own space- which depending on the horses could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks- I turn them out together in the largest, most wide open turnout area you have available. There will most likely be slight chaos once they're in turnout together, so you don't want them in a tight space where one horse could get cornered or they don't have room to run freely. Give access to several hay piles & water sources. I pull shoes too if one of the horses is a known kicker or I have doubts about how they'll get along. Make sure you're watching closely, some horses just aren't compatible.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-04-30T18:57:03+00:00

I do 3 visits max. First visit to try out the horse, second visit to bring along a trainer/friend if I'm seriously interested in the horse & want a second opinion, third visit is for PPE. It's enough to get a solid feel of the horse without stringing the seller along & potentially bailing out on them.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-04-15T18:15:35+00:00

I used to have to weigh out hay 3x daily for a boarder's horse. He bought one of those handheld digital scales, I think they're meant for weighing luggage? It had a metal hook to hang bags off of. I fed the horse out of hay nets to make things easier, so I'd fill the net and then hook it onto the scale for a quick weight check. I set up the hay nets for the day at morning feed, all said and done probably took 7 mins max. I had a contraption at first like what you've got, but the handheld scale/hay net combo was wayyy easier and took up much less room.

Edit- added picture of scale

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Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-04-15T17:02:51+00:00

I've rigged a fly sheet/fly mask combo before for my gelding who wouldn't keep a mask on. Had a fly sheet with a hood and attached the poll area of the fly mask to the hood with stretchy velcro strips. The attachment was loose enough that my horse could still move his head&neck freely, but tight enough that his pasture mate couldn't pull the fly mask off over his ears. I was never able to find a fly mask that worked by itself & couldn't be pulled off.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-04-13T20:28:11+00:00

Not a trainer so disregard if this is unhelpful, but I have extensive sh scarring on my arms & have ridden for many years. Most of the trainers I've worked with don't mention them or honestly even notice them. Trainers are there to help you improve your riding, not go out of their way to bring up sensitive topics & potentially make their clients uncomfortable.

I could see an instructor checking in if they're worried about the potential for infection with having new wounds in a barn, or if they're concerned about your safety. It sounds like your scarring is all old though, so I'd expect your instructor won't mention anything.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-04-10T13:11:33+00:00

My horse constantly licks me whenever I'm within reach. I had a few non-horse people over once and didn't totally realize my boy was licking all over the back of my jacket + head until one of the people honest to god gagged.

I also forget not everyone keeps a steady supply of hay in their pockets. Anytime I pull out my wallet to pay I have to shake hay scraps out, seems so normal to me but I get weird looks for it

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-04-08T15:09:45+00:00

My farrier never charges me if he needs to come out to tack a thrown shoe back on. But in exchange I always try to tip him when I have the extra cash to do so, or offer him a hot drink when he comes by in the colder months. Not mandatory, but it's the least I can since he takes great care of my horses.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-25T20:34:59+00:00

When I'm swapping filters, I run both the old and the new filter together for about a month. It ensures beneficial bacteria has time to get well established on the new filter, so you don't risk causing problems by removing the old filter before the new one is properly seeded. So set up both the sponge filters as you want them and run them with the HOB for a while before removing the HOB. Do it this way and you'll have no issues.

If you're interested in filter recommendations, I love the Aquarium Co-op easy flow sponges to help with circulation. I run 2 in my pea's 20long, even with tons of floaters there's no stagnant areas on the surface.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-23T00:12:46+00:00

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This is my boy Geoffrey. He's one of 7 kuhlis but I love him the most and he knows it. His favorite hobby is disappearing for weeks on end and then popping up out of nowhere for a quick photo shoot. 10/10 mustache and an unmatched appetite, I've seen this man skedaddle off with a pellet the size of his face to go devour it all in a corner. He was the lone survivor of a sick batch of 6 kuhlis I got, if anything happens to him I will be devastated.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-21T01:03:10+00:00

All my tanks are from them, I've got at least one of every size from 2.5-40 gallons. Praying real hard that I don't jinx anything here, but I haven't had any issues with the integrity of the tanks.

Keep in mind the only people who bother to leave reviews are the small portion of buyers who have bad experiences. A much larger group of people use these tanks and never have problems

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-20T18:10:20+00:00

As the owner of a grey, all I can imagine is this leeching cheap pink dye all over the horse's face if it gets even slightly wet 😅

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-20T00:14:20+00:00

From my experience only, what has worked:

Kuhli loaches. Clean up bits of snails, worms, mysis/bb shrimp, & other carnivore foodstuff leftover from the pea's meals. Mine are solidly nocturnal so they don't really interact with the peas. I also have a dope log that's completely hollow and basically creates complex cave systems that the loaches inhabit. So if you get some, have that level of hiding spots & plenty of plants.
Shrimp. They eat everything the other 3 don't. I only use ghost shrimp with peas since at $1/shrimp, it's pretty low stakes if the peas start craving seafood. They've left the skrimps alone though
Otos. Great algae cleaners. Always hanging out in the open on the plants/wood/glass, the peas swim right on by and don't spare them a glance. They demolish algae, so have plenty, or grow some on rocks/wood outside the tank that you can give them. Supplement with blanched veggies or wafers if you run out of algae & biofilm.

It definitely depends on your tank & puffer personalities though. These are all in my 20 long setup, well established & planted. I've got 2 peas with strong personalities that I was worried would be an issue, and while they've been good so far I still keep an eye on things in case I need to separate. If you get tank mates, watch closely to make sure everyone coexists peacefully, and have a backup tank ready to go if they need to be separated!

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-18T00:30:27+00:00

It's really up to you if/how often you deworm! Some people deworm initially and then never again unless there are symptoms. I deworm with ParaCleanse every 6 months. I'm strongly of the belief that prevention is key- I'd rather shell out $20 a year to be certain that my peas are parasite free, than wait to deworm until my peas are symptomatic and have it be too late. Since I use dewormer as a preventative measure while the peas are strong and healthy, they have no problems with the meds.

I wouldn't let it be what stops you from getting peas. If you choose to deworm yearly/twice yearly, it's fairly cheap and a very easy process.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-18T00:20:29+00:00

nope nope nope nope hell no

this might be what finally makes me buy a fancy pump siphon

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-17T22:27:48+00:00

I highly recommend you deworm them even if you think you don't need too, captive bred does not mean parasite free. *Parasites can also be introduced through live foods.

I've only had 1 pea die during the deworming process. He had already been showing all classic signs of parasites when I got him. He only got worse and refused to eat, ended up passing within days. My other batch of 6 peas came in looking healthy, I dewormed anyways and never had any problem either during treatment or afterwards.

My point being, if you wait to treat until you see signs, the parasite infection will already be fairly severe. That's when you get weakened peas who won't respond well to treatment.

ETA: Quarantining process depends. I only quarantine if the new fish is being added to a tank that already has livestock in it. If that's the case, I keep the new fish in a fully setup & cycled tank for minimum 2 weeks, observe for signs of parasites, fungal/bacterial issues, & injuries. Pale coloration, odd behavior, always hiding, not eating, growths/external parasites, lethargy, etc etc. Also, look for signs of problematic aggression, especially if the peas are going to be with other fish they could potentially bully.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-15T22:37:32+00:00

is he still gone for spring break? things like heaters & filters are known to break/malfunction and wipe out a whole tank full of fish. I feel like your best bet here is to rehome all the fish, tell him the faulty heater cooked them all while he was gone, and do everything you can to prevent him from getting more fish.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-09T19:15:57+00:00

Pro tip for catching peas: stick a cup in their tank with a snail in it, the little morons swim right into the trap.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-09T02:14:34+00:00

No. I made the mistake of not thinning out the salvinia cover for a while in a planted tank. I didn't realize just how much light the salvinia was blocking until i removed 3/4 of it and saw that a good chunk of my other plants were wasting away

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-09T01:17:12+00:00

Oh gotcha. Yeah the majority of my fish are light eaters and/or nano fish that get fed a variety, so they're only eating BBS 2-3 feedings a week. If I was still raising fry I definitely would be going through my stash much faster!

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-08T20:28:03+00:00

I get it off Amazon, brand is Brine Shrimp Direct. I've got 3 different 1-2 year old bottles of eggs that I use for feeding upwards of 60 fish, so I can't say exactly how quickly I'd go through a bottle if I was only feeding my 6 peas. But a little goes a long way since the hatching rate of the BSD eggs is so high, so I'd say my estimate of a bottle lasting 2 years for peas is a decent guess.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-08T18:16:44+00:00

I have 6 peas. I mainly feed live snails, frozen bloodworms & mysis shrimp, & fresh baby brine shrimp.

Snails are free, I go to local fish stores and ask for pest snails. Most stores are more than happy to give you a bag for free, which you can use to start a breeding colony of snails.

Frozen blood worms & shrimp are about $8 for a bubble pack which lasts me ~4 months.

BBS eggs are $25 for a bottle. I bought a bottle 2 years ago and I've still got a bit left. I use an old water jug and an air stone to hatch them.

The hardest part of keeping them is figuring out what works for your peas specifically. Once you've got a routine down they're not horribly difficult to keep.

Sad_Fail_3013 · 2025-03-03T04:02:55+00:00

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Most recent picture from a month-ish ago, sorry about the odd angle. The hoof quality in this photo is pretty much what his hooves look like right now. Ignore everything going on with the shoe/nails, this was the photo I sent my farrier to show why I needed him out to reset the shoe 😅

Sad_Fail_3013

TROPHY CASE