Recent content by icj00495

Hi all, I went to pull my horses mane today, starting at the base, and he was incredibly sore. When I managed to get close enough to have a look, I noticed that all the skin at the root of his mane is very flakey, although not dry if that makes sense. It seems to be where his rug has rubbed...

Ah my apologies, I have been slightly less attentive what with my mountain of work!

Oh I almost forgot about the countless cups of tea...and the occasional wine/vodka when things just arent going very well (I feel a lot of these will be drunk when he leaves for his holiday in a field this weekend).

Thats what I thought...there are always so many negative posts about yard managers being incapable etc, and I dont think it is particularly fair when you think about how much they do. Without mine I am not sure where me and Neddy would be at the moment :)

I just wanted to share a story about my fantastic yard manager to show that not all of them are uninterested, stingy bitchy types! I moved my horse to my current livery as soon as I bought him 8 months ago. Firstly he got a virus which mimicked strangles, cue yard on lockdown. Every morning...

Luckily for you, you had the benefit of knowing what was wrong with yours. This is a complete mystery and as I just said a period of rest made him stiffen up, where as the odd gentle hack kept him ticking over nicely and happy. To rest him in the stable would be to sedate him every day, which...

This was something I wanted to try, and vet said if I wanted to then go ahead but she wasnt convinced it would do him a huge amount of good as a month off on grass only seemed to make it worse, it seems gentle exercise keeps him ticking over nicely and stops him stiffening up (another reason why...

What a brilliant idea, this didnt even cross my mind! Thanks :) Believe me I do not want to get rid, if I did I would have sold him or had him put down a while ago as everyone told me I should. But I sit somewhere in the middle of the "horses are just animals" and "horses should be forever...

That was my suspicion, RE his size as a companion. As for the other issue, I spent a month, and would do the same again, light hacking him to ensure he is happy doing this and it does not cause any further issues/lameness, so I know what he is capable of. Thankyou, another glimmer of hope...

Ah a glimmer of hope! Yes he is rather lanky I have to admit, but he is a gentle giant who knows his job, you dont notice the height once your up there! I am just so worried that if I did decide to put him out on full loan, that it would all go pear shaped, the loaner wont manage his leg...

Thankyou I appreciate that :) I just always got the impression that a companion was a little pony who could inhale air and put on weight, not a lanky 17hh beast who needs special food in the winter to keep him from being a skinny rake! He adores fuss and attention, if he was about 5 hands...

I dont hack because I am very strange and prefer stressage and schooling :p I have a friend who hacks for me once a week to break things up a bit (when he was in full work!). He hacks like an absolute dream, bombproof, first or last etc. I would go for a sharer, but with the risk of sounding...

Perfect to handle and loved by everyone on the yard, but without substantial hard feed and hay throughout winter he really drops weight, and I would have thought someone looking for a companion would want a good doer?

Sorry I didnt make that bit very clear! Vet is happy that he could be very happy as a light hack, but anything over that will mean the issue needs to be found and treated in one way or another. The lameness occurs when he is in proper work, otherwise it is just swollen. For example, if I hack...

As a newby I am helping some of you might be able to help and give a bit of advice/encouragement. I have had my horse for about a year and he has spent most of this time lame with an issue in his hind fetlock. What this issue is we do not know, but it swells up and causes him to go lame. We...