WIP made some really good points. I'm too stove up anymore to do my own trimming and I never was better than average at setting shoes, so I use a farrier that's really good. Of course SoCal where I live is big horse country- to the point that our local watering hole has a rodeo arena in front and a saloon in back, hence the name "The Wild West Arena and Saloon". I also use a horse dentist to float my ponies' teeth. He is much better than any vet. I do as much of my own diagnosing as I can, but I rely on the vet for my 5-ways and West Nile vaccinations and rabies, but I worm them myself.
Like WIP said, they are big animals that can injure you if you aren't paying attention. I agree that it's worth the money to get a horse with a good foundation. If you have a friend that can help select the free horses, like your jockey friend then you are one step ahead of the game.
As to what is wrong with east of the Mississippi, well nothing really except for the humidity. It's just not my preferred habitat; I like the west more with the mountains, deserts and plains and........low humidity. It really affects my sinuses.
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