Hey i have really been debating buying a pmu horse..I even kinda have one picked out...but my busband is a little ify about it and dosent think its a good idea...can i get some input about the whoe process and just reading some of the discussions..it sounds like it would be an alright bet ...thanx

Unless you're really experienced with horses, it is risky. Please read my other entries. I would definitely NOT recommend adopting through Serenity Acres. Becky and Larry who run it, are GOOD people, they transport the horses well, and have very big hearts. BUT , the rancher they work with has over 700 horses, they pasture breed, receive little or no care or handling. He USED to be PMU, but now he is a puppy mill,just for horses. These foals are his cash crop to fund his rodeoing.If they don't sell, they stay out in the pastures to breed, or go to the sale barn. The first horse we got from him was horribly lame, and had to be euthanized 2 wks after we got her. It was heartbreaking, and very expensive. She was described as a " guaranteed sound riding horse".The replacement we got was a yearling , and on arrival he had a huge abscess on his hock that drained a cup and a half of pus, he was a "2" on the malnutrition scale of 1-10, he had ringworm, horrible intestinal worms, and his front hooves had been lopped off unevenly, while his back hooves were 2 inches overgrown with a split in one halfway through the hoof.He is healthy now, and we love him dearly, but would never go this route again. We have 3 other horses and a miniature donkey who were all adopted from private individuals who could not keep them. Being involved with, and leaving our name and phone number with our local horse rescue and Humane Society brought them into our lives. They are healthy, sound, and well trained, and a complete joy. I hope you find the horse of your heart , whatever route he/she arrives by. Good luck and and God bless !

I agree that if this would be your first horse and you don't have experience in handling a semi-wild horse, going the PMU route isn't for you. You would be better off getting a well-trained horse that ended up at a rescue.

On the other hand, I have had a wonderful experience with adopting my colt, Cody. I'm in CA and got him from United Pegasus and they represented him well, of course they were located about 45 min. from me so I got to actually go see him and choose him. They've been happy to hear of his progress and do a wonderful job with the horses.

Good luck, which ever you choose. My hubby loves Cody and he's not really a horse person!

iv had and been around horses most of my life. Im actually training my warmblood right now. So i do know for the most part what im doing but i do also have a lot of people to help me if needed. Cody is a beautiful horse to iv read ur messages and they people that do have them sound like there very impressed with them thanks for the advice!!

Thanks for your compliment on my Cody

Sounds like you'd be perfect to adopt a PMU baby. Goodluck to you!

where do you have one picked out? I have been around horses all my life and picked my girl off the unitedpegasus.com website and she came straight from Canada. I know of several people who have done exactly what I did and I will tell you some of their experiences. First some of the issues I have heard about and experienced myself. A friend's colt had a hernia that required surgery. My filly has a very small .5cm hole (smaller than the width of a pencil) in the abdominal wall, which my vet had decided was plenty small and will not cause any hernia issues. I check it about once a month for any changes, no changes over the past year. Another friend got a filly and at age 3 came down with ESPM, but she was a first time horse owner and the filly's environment changed. It took some testing and so on, but after 6 months with proper feed and normal care with a lot of turnout she has not had any further issues and is under saddle. Pretty much all the foals/horses come in with a heavy parasite load. My filly was skin and bones with a big worm belly, a cough and runny eyes. Not all the horses come in looking quite as bad as she did, but they do not have any vet care other than a negative coggins, which I consider a plus under the circumstances. Another person who adopted several years ago got a foal with pneumonia, but he got well with proper vet care. These are first hand situations from close friends. Recently I heard third hand that one came with a hip problem, but that also has been healed.

It just depends on what you feel you can handle mentally and monetarily. I was ready for my Halloween surprise whether she was in top shape or the worst case scenario and had to be euthanized. Even though I thought I was prepared for all events I still shed a few private tears when the delivery truck was running late, because I did not know if my filly was ok or not. I was volunteering to unload and care for the 30 new arrivals. lol, when Velvet jumped off the trailer she was nothing at all what I expected on first glance. She was dark instead of light as in the picture (it was just her stage of roaning), she was way bigger than I thought I had picked and skinny as a rail with stocking up that blew my mind. I felt so bad for her, but it all just took time and care. You have to be ready and willing to take a chance, but I do not know anyone of the PMU owners around here that would trade their PMU in for another. My girl, Velvet is a doll and a cow. lol She is a big girl, but way more gentle than my first colt (not PMU). Not all the foals were so easy, but I was able to halter her pretty quickly. She does have flat soles, which the farrier is gradually carving out as much as he can, although they will always be somewhat flat, but normally she has never gone lame except fresh after a deep carving and running on rocky ground. Now we are less aggressive with it and she is fine. This is my take on it, but I am completely in love with my Velvet.

So you have to think it through and decide it is worth the risk or not. For me there is no question, although when she came off the truck she smelled so bad that I did wonder what I got myself into, lol and I have been around horse forever! btw...the stink went away after a month of brushing and fresh air.

Hi, Alisha.

I've had my PMU filly for about a year now, and honestly, it's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. That being said -- it can be INCREDIBLY difficult at times. My filly was a year and a half old when I adopted her last December, and she was completely untouchable until May -- and that's with solid, several hours a day, every day work with her doing all the recommend natural horsemanship sort of things. There was definitely some sort of abuse/trauma in her past that had to be overcome before she could trust people again... She's an absolutely doll now, though. Still fairly leery of new people, but she's incredibly rock-solid for a two-year-old and a very fast learner. She saddles, lounges great, is getting fairly decent at ground driving, and she's very loving towards me and super personable. I just love her!

Surprisingly, my filly, Freya, was in very good condition when I got her. Maybe 50 lbs. or so underweight -- but pretty darn good on the whole, aside from front feet that were quite long. I adopted her via Serenity Acres, though I think my Freya came from a different farm than Inirish's horses. Larry and Becky, who run Serenity Acres, work with I think two or three different ranches, so I think there are some quality differences both in terms of breeding and health care practices between the ranches. So, I would not necessarily rule out Serenity Acres; I'd work with them again -- depending on which ranch the horse came from.

Ideally, it's nice to be able to see and evaluate your new horse in person, so if you're close by to any of the rescues or can travel to them, I'd definitely recommend that. I have heard great things across the board about United Pegasus, too, and many of the horses they have at their California locations already have had some training/handling, if that's something you're interested in. If you are like me and are wanting to take the plunge and start an unhandled, semi-wild horse, my best advice is to avoid having too many expectations at first... Things likely won't always go as you've envisioned. Generally-speaking, younger horses are easier to start from scratch than older horses are, too, so it might be a good call to get a yearling or younger, but then it'll be a few years longer before they're ready to ride.

Good luck! And if you do decide to get a PMU horse and are ever in need of advice, these message boards are a great resource

Kristin

hey,
well I was looking at one on the united site and one in the serenity acers..but when i went back the other day they were both gone ..so theres one more that i am kind of looking at..and im glad that i know that not all of the horses are as sound and health as they say. Im a bit of an disadvantage as far as going to look at them because they are all in north dakoda and the one that was at united im not sure where she was from in canada,,,but i must say iv been doing a lot of research and i figured that alberta would have lots of the closed farms since its such a farming province..and once again i am very greatful for everyones input!!!

Cody looks a lot like my first horse he was a big clevland bay..hes very beautiful!!

Hi Alishahicks,
I'm aware of several 2008 PMU weanlings in temporary homes in various parts of the U.S. They are getting initial care and training but still need homes. Perhaps you could visit before you decide whether to adopt? The foals are in AZ, FL, PA, WY and TN. Feel free to send me private email.
Karen salukifan2@yahoo.com