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All about horses in northern B.C. Issue # 103: November 27, 2001 Published each Tuesday by Kristi McCrindle, editor, Grassy Plains, BC What to do, what to do? I recently received a very good offer on my filly, Karisma. She is an extremely well bred filly and has fantastic colouring which makes her even more valuable. We have looked at the monetary considerations - travel costs to the border, shipping costs from the border to her end destination, export fees (border crossing fees, Coggins and health exams), and subtracted them from the purchase price. We've worked out the exchange rate from Canadian to American dollars. Things so far look good. But there is still one answer missing. Do I WANT to sell this filly? It's a question I haven't answered yet. I don?t need to sell her, though she is worth more now than any other horse I've ever sold. So how do I make the decision to keep her, or to let her go? Remember a few weeks back, I talked about goals? Well, it's back to my goals I am turning to find my answer. My goal up until now has been to rein - competitively - in BC and Alberta. I reached that goal this past show season with Raime - all the more sweet as he is a grade horse with no reason besides heart to do what he did. Now it is time for me to stop and assess my goals again. I have done some thinking, and my goals have not changed - my main goals is still to be competitive in the reining arena in BC and Alberta, and also possibly to go to Oklahoma for the big NRHA show there - to watch if not to show! To that end, I need a horse to show. We've decided that Tori may not make it in the show pen as she is a bit hot - she worries too much about going fast and doesn?t pay as close of attention as she should to my cues. This is primarily due to the way she was trained, which differs from the way I ride - it is sometimes hard for a horse to adjust to a new program. However, she is well bred and can raise some fantastic babies! photo courtesy Chris Hassell Karisma is even more talented physically than her mom, plus we'll have the advantage of her being trained on the program we use. So if all goes well (there are always risks in raising a young horse) we should end up with a very good chance of being competitive. I don't need my filly to go out and win a reining futurity (class for three year old reiners) in order to go where I want to go - so what if it takes me a few years to get her there? If I was able to achieve my goal on Raime, I should be able to do it on Kari. And so, I guess my decision has been made. Funny how much easier that becomes when you lay it out in black and white, based on your goals! Till next week, seriously consider your goals and desires - and keep those thinking caps on and keep sending me suggestions for future columns! ~ Kristi :) email to editor: kristi@hiway16.com Photo Show for horse photos Horse articles (word search: horse) Check our Horse Trailer Sharing Page or... add your listing if you wish to share your horse trailer ride Join us for a discussion about everything to do with horses on Horse Talk Your opportunity to meet horse enthusiasts across northern B.C

	Past articles are all available in the
Emergency! Part 4 Transporting and other plans		Buying a Horse Trailer, summary
In the worst case scenarios, make sure you know who in your neighbourhood has a tractor or backhoe that can be used to move your horse if your horse can't move himself. We actually slung a young Belgian into the back of a stock trailer using a tractor one winter - he went down in the field for reasons still unknown and couldn't get up under his own power. For two weeks, we lifted him with the tractor each morning, and he wandered around inside the arena all day. Then at night, he'd lie down again and couldn't get up on his own. On the 14th day, he got up on his own, then from the 16th day on, he was able to rise without difficulty. If we had not had the tractor there, he would have died (horses can't lie in one spot too long as their weight compresses too much crucial tissue such as the lungs). With lifting a horse in mind, you may want to keep old cinches handy, especially the thick fleecy ones. Even if they are crusty with dirt and sweat and you no longer use them on your saddles, they can be very helpful in lifting a horse out of a bad situation. Also keep on hand plenty of rope, preferably soft cotton rope that isn't as likely to cause rope burns, but any type of rope can come in handy. Also - and this is extremely important! - if you board other people's horses, get from them (in writing, preferably) what they wish to do in case of emergency. Not all emergencies can be treated and in those cases you must know what the owner's wishes are - especially if you are unable to reach them when time is of the essence! Situations must be handled differently if the horse in question is insured. Insurance companies have different levels of policies, and they may insist on being contacted before they spend their money. For instance, you find an insured horse in the field, broken leg dangling, horse in obvious pain. With some companies, you may not euthanize the horse until the insurance company has been notified or you may forfeit your insurance money. Some may take the word of a licensed veterinarian after the fact, but you'd best be reading your policy wording carefully before this situation happens! And with those thoughts in mind, we move next week into the next part of this series - the end of the line.	Northern B.C. Horse is brought to you courtesy of our advertisers including: Burns Lake Building Supplies Griffin Enterprises Hoskins Ford Northern Horse Supply Ridennoure Paint Horses The Tack Store Thanks to our advertisers for making this all possible... ...for information about advertising, email jim@hiway16.com Western, English, Penning or Trail riding, all equine sports have a voice on Northern B.C. Horse If you are new to Northern B.C. Horse, check out all the previous issues on the Archive page. Kristi is building a great knowledge base about horses, with the emphasis on our area of the world.	If the trailer has partitions, consider if they are suited to your needs - while all the way to the floor partitions in a straight haul trailer means horses can't get their legs entangled, it also reduces the floor space on which the horse can balance himself. Some horses are uncomfortable in that type of situation and may become scramblers (horses that move constantly in the trailer, usually side to side - a scrambler can be diagnosed by the hoof marks on the sides of the walls). It is also beneficial if the trailer you purchase has removable dividers - very handy if you are hauling a mare and foal or an injured horse that will be on the floor. The removable divider also comes in handy if you have to haul a horse that has never been backed out of a straight haul trailer before! Another area we often don't think about is the roof space. If your chosen trailer is equipped with a roof rack and ladder, think about whether or not you will use this feature. While it can be handy on long distance hauls to store hay overhead, you still have to get the hay bales up there! Also they are exposed to weather up there and if it is raining... well, you get the picture! I know that I never once used the roof rack on my old 4-horse trailer, but usually I had space inside the trailer if I needed hay hauled. You'll also need to check the welds and attachments for the roof rack and ladder if the trailer has them. Safety first! Last but not least, consider having a reputable automotive shop go over the horse trailer front to back before your purchase it. It may cost a bit, but better that than buying a trailer that needs far more repairs than met your eye, or worse yet, having an accident you didn't foresee due to a problem with the trailer. There are many different options in horse trailers, and each of them has been devised for a certain reason, so the idea now is to make sure that your needs are being met. If you are finding yourself overwhelmed and confused, try sitting down with pen and paper and detailing what your needs are and whether or not the trailers you are looking at meet those needs. I hope we've covered enough in this series to give you a good start when you head out to purchase a horse trailer - or if it is time to go and give your trailer the old once-over! Happy horse trailer hunting!
	If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com

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