After a year of standing in the field....

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Hemirjtm

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Ok so long story which most of you will probably all ready know most of!!!

We bought a mare, Rhapsody, knowing that she had a bad back but were lead to believe that she could be ridden after seeing the osteopath a few times. My mum fell in love with her and new she had to come home the first time we went to see her... If we bought her to save her from the meat man then that doesn't matter, she is an absolute sweet-heart and you can't fault her (apart from her bad back)... I rode her once before christmas 2005, she was fine in walk and trot but then bucked me off in canter. We then got the osteopath out and i got back on a day or so after he had been...took her out for a walk and she was fine, but a few more days went by and the next time i got on her she bucked me off a couple of strides afterwards. We then had the osteopath out again to re-assess her...this time my mum got on her and she was fine, walked out for 30mins as advised by the osteopath. Then a few days later i got on and didn't have a chance to swing my leg over the saddle, i was off and she kicked me flying, i had a nasty bruise(sp) on my leg that took almost a month to go.

We then left it at that, gave her a LONG time off. just the occasional long reining session or a lunge, which she seemed to enjoy.

This year, when the weather over here started to get better, we decided it was time to try and re-gain her confidence with everything. So we started off by putting a bridle on and walking her round it that for 10/15 mins. We then put the saddle and no bridle on for the same amount of time (i know this sounds silly but it was if she was scared of everything
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)....Then one day my mum had her in a headcollar and asked me to lean accross her back, just to see how she would react...didn't flinch (i know i was scared but i didn't show it...the last time i had 'been' on her was getting kicked) mum walked her on a few paces then stopped and i got off. We then gave her a break and a little time to think about everything... over the past few days we have been doing more and more with her...putting her bridle and saddle on together, lunging her with them on..etc but not for a long period of time.

Mum decided Dee was ready this morning for everything to be put together...the rider included. Mum wanted to get on her first as she is her horse. Dad was standing the otherside of the mounting block, i was standing in front of her. As mum put her foot in the stirrup it was if Dee was saying she was ready to be ridden she took everything in her stride and after a year of doing nothing she accepted a rider...all be it of 2 mins but she didn't buck, no one was holding her so if she had of wanted to buck she could have done...

Mum was in tears after she had gotton off...i was nearly in tears aswell as we have waited a long time for that moment.......

Tomorrow i'm going to get on and were going to try walking a few steps, with my mum leading and my dad by my side (just in case something happens...)

I know this was a little long and im sorry but i didn't know how many of you actually knew the whole story
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thansk for reading this
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Well done and I really do hope all continues to go well for you. I know exactly how your mum feels, my horse had a kissing spine op just over a year ago and of course, no matter what, you never know if they will ever come through something like that 100%. Anyway, after several months of waiting and hard work, came the day for me to sit back on. He was amazing, never put a foot wrong, it must have been the best day of my life with tears of joy streaming down my face, shouting to everyone in the yard "look at me". That is how your mum felt today. Please do be careful and take it very slowly. You have been very patient and are obviously well deserving, lovely people to have taken this horse on and to have given her a chance. I do wish you, again, the best of luck and do keep us informed how it goes.
 
The best equine vet for backs that I have come across - and I've seen plenty - is chris colles at avonvale. I hope all goes well for you.
 
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Please do be careful and take it very slowly. You have been very patient and are obviously well deserving, lovely people to have taken this horse on and to have given her a chance. I do wish you, again, the best of luck and do keep us informed how it goes.

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We are taking it carefully...we want her to be happy, and for her to feel safe. We don't know about her past but she could well have been beaten considering what some of the french are like with their horse
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She has her little signs of when she wants to do something and whan she doesn't...you just have to know how to read her
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thank you...my mum has just read what you wrote and had tears in her eyes, they really touched her.

xXxLxXx
 
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