Horse dumped then rescued

[gotkiger]

I need advice and quickly. I just learned about an hour ago that there is a horse that was dumped on or near a family members Dairy about 20 min from me. Evidently it has been there for a while as it was eating the tops off of the wheat. The wheat has been cut and the horse is still there. From what I have heard you can get about 50 feet from it before it runs away. I will be going in the morning to bring it hay and see what condition it is in and see if there is any water for it. It is basically running wild. Do any of you have any suggestions on how to catch it? Thanks

[kigercat]

Might try the Judas horse approach if you have a trusty gentle one you can lead out there and see if that will bring in the horse to follow to a smaller area where you can then catch it. I used that approach when I had to move Chika when the flood threatened...she didn't lead yet and wouldn't leave her stall to go down the aisle-way to the trailer to move her...used another horse planted it's but in the stall door then had Kim flag (short crop with strings tied to it) behind her and as soon as she headed towards the door led the horse down the aisle with Chika in hot pursuit. Being herd animals it may help draw the dumped horse in.

[gotkiger]

Thank you that was another thought but the only horse I havE access to is my Dollie and I'm not sure about the temperament of the dumped horse. When I go check on it i will try to see if it would be safe for me to even get close with Dollie. Thank you. My other problem is trying to get it through a gate and then into a trailer. I'm hoping once it is in the corral that it remembers something of its former life and that humans are good.

[DianneC]

A buddy horse is the strongest, if that isn't possible approach with a bucket of grain, spill some on the ground and retreat. Repeat several times moving to where you want it. hold out a halter and reward with a handful of grain for standing still, retreat and repeat until it lets you touch it. Keep walking away...

[gotkiger]

Thank you

[gotkiger]

He has been captured. I am calling him Arturo. He is a black qtr gelding I would say late teens or early twenties. He was really easy to catch. All I did was bring out a flake of hay and shownt to him and scratch at it and he walked calmly right up to me and took a big ole bite. I it my hands on him and the. The halter came easily and he led like a champ. he has a bad back foot and a gnarled up other back leg but he moves well without a limp in all three gates. I will post pictures later after I get them off of my phone. He looked healthy and just in need of groceries. I will know more of his fate tomorrow when my brother in law gets home and decides what he wants me to do with him. So for now he is chilling with some heifers. Thank you all for your help. There might be a second red horse out there as well but it hasn't Ben seem in a week so we shall see. This boy was running free for a month and a half. I will update you all later on this poor old guy.

[zhiaral]

Glad to hear you got him in!

[fantasykiger]

Glad you were able to come to his rescue, I look forward to pics'.

[kigerfan]

poor fellow, glad you were able to catch him and bring him to safety

[gotkiger]

Ok possible good news. We might know who the owner is but have to track them down. I haven't been able tk get to a computer to upload pictures so hopefully I will get to that tomorrow

[gotkiger]

Here are the pictures finally He has a brand low on his right hip It looks like a UF with a upside down arch underneath it

[DianneC]

You did a great thing! That place looks awful, is it an informal dump or something? nothing to eat, that's for sure. So why didn't this guy go looking for his horse? You think he dumped them there? He's not getting him back I hope.

[gotkiger]

He was on the little dirt and gravel road when i found him but he had been roaming all over through fields and probably vineyards and orchards for a month and a half. There were no real fences keeping him in. Where he was was just a bunch of unowned and unmanaged land behind a neighborhood of trailer homes that were probably used more for dog and Rooster (it wont let me put the real word here, lol) fighting and drug sales and marijuana growing than anything legal. Not exactly where I wanted to be but I couldn't leave him. There was nothing to eat anywhere. He was eating the wheat when it was there but not since it was cut. I am not sure whether this guy broke free or if he was let go. He does have a rope tied around his neck (not tight), but not something that should be there in the first place. So he could have been tied to a tree or post in a field where he could eat and then somehow broke the rope and ran off. I couldn't tell you what happened for sure


As far as the horse going back. I am not sure. They think they know who the owner is and are trying to track them down. But I hope they don't. However the sad part is is that I don't think he is ride-able. His back ankle is so swollen it has caused his foot to grow oddly to compensate. And it has obviously been like that for a long time. He had no problem running on it but I wouldnt want to put more than a small child, if that, on him. If the SPCA comes in i think they might try to put him down. I am at my limit and cant' take in another, even just as a pasture ornament, and most of the rescues around here are not accepting horses due to financial reasons. So what to do... I just dont know

[fantasykiger]

Wow..that one seriously black horse. Sure is an opposite to Dollie. I do hope he has a happy ending to all this chaos. It is so tuff, when something like this occurs.

[gotkiger]

I think I am going to beg for him to be a pasture ornament if a responsible owner can't be found and I will just put him in with Frodo. I'm not sure I have to ask/beg first