Recent content by Widgeon

PS Mine used to take off (fast and at the drop of a hat) in a sweaty panic and was very hard to pull up. I once rode him into a pile of old mattresses (home renovations by the YO!) to stop him. A lot of people might have described that as bolting but he wasn't - he did retain some self...

I did the same, although my horse was nine and I did try him (twice) hacking, which was what I needed him to do. Despite that everything unravelled after a couple of weeks at home. I believe he hadn't been properly backed, so re-backing by a professional helped, but he was still unpredictable...

Absolutely this! Whatever you choose, it's not wrong. You've obviously already poured a huge amount of care and money into this horse. No one could doubt that you've done as much as possible to help her. Not everything can be fixed, or even maintained.

Personally I wouldn't be worried by no quarantine or strangles testing, but I would want to feel that the YO and other liveries were aware of the risks, vigilant in keeping an eye out for worrying signs, and had some sort of sensible policy for if something was thought to be ill. For me, the...

So is she field sound and nice to handle on the regular dose of Bute? If so I'd be happy to keep her going as IMO there's nothing wrong in keeping a wonky horse comfortably retired on Bute. Personally I would probably only do that if you felt there was a decent chance of both you and her getting...

Andrea Hicks saddles are supposed to be good for natives, and for big shoulders. People who have them seem to really rate them (they don't come up second hand all that much) so maybe worth seeing if there's a fitter in your area? I only know this because I also have a big shouldered horse who...

I did do this for a few months and it worked fine - then I put a nice big fluffy clean bed in one day (rather than just taking out the worst, topping up and mixing together) and the little twerp ate so much overnight he colicked. Older horse was fine, he does eat straw but he regulates himself...

Yes - mine only liked the most rigid base (tree equivalent). Couldn't say why but he clearly went better in that than the more flexible ones.

I was quite shocked by this though. That's terribly sad. I suppose I was being naive to think that people who acquire horses via charities might be a bit more conscientious than most - clearly that is not the case.

Why exactly? I agree that the situation is very sad (too many badly bred horses, abuse of horses, responsible horse keeping is so expensive that generosity is becoming out of reach for most people) but I don't think any of the comments here are particularly sad. They're just a reflection of the...

Ooh, there's a brown one on there too for £550! https://www.vinted.co.uk/items/7470327919-ghost-veneto-piccolo-treeless-saddle?referrer=catalog I would never have thought of looking at Vinted for saddles.

I only ever buy online (distance selling) if the seller is ok with using PayPal Goods & Services - that gives a lot more protection if something is "off". How far away is the seller? If I can't collect in person I always do a detailed web stalk of them - check their social media photos line up...

To be fair to the first two, they sound useful. A kind safe solo hack is worth a lot! But I know what you mean - they're limited in what they can do, even if they do that one thing very well.

Sadly not for a total freeloader! Something that could be a companion and gentle hack for a little girl would be good, but they only seem to have ponies that are crocked in some way, mentally or physically (I did check their website - there's nothing suitable). I don't know anyone who could...

This is a very relevant question 😆 It occurred to me after reading a couple of other responses that I am not "highly" paid! But as I have enough money for the horses, enough to live and save a bit (plus a good work/life balance) I've never looked for more. Having thought about it a bit (and...