Destined not to compete?!

[huskydamage]

Seems everything is conspiring against me with my horse. I bought her 3 years ago with a view to do endurance. Ive entered so many rides only to withdraw due to her being injured, me not getting time off work, rides being cancelled due to bad weather and then the dreaded covid! My horse now has a 3 year old first season card with no rides on it. Finally entered one and 2 days before cancelled today due to weather! Is life telling me not to do endurance with this horse?! ? Maybe next season I am abducted by aliens..

Wondering if anyone else has any best laid plans/competition fails to cheer me up?
Did you have a disaster start but manage to actually compete your horse in the end?

 

[catembi]

Oh gosh, don't get me started on this... The very short version - I was competing every w'end BD/BS only Novice/1 m 15 but that was a lot for me! My horse got very sick & died in 2007. Since then, I have had a v expensive ISH iwth top breeding who turned out to have EPSM, an ex-racer who had KS & ulcers, got divorced twice (different people!),lost my transport, moved house, ISH with shiver that I couldn't stay on as she was spooky, v v lovely QH who was going to be my horse of a lifetime but who has EPSM type 1 and 2 (n/p1, p/p4, px/px) and I am now riding a 12hh New Forest companion pony. I have just had a new arena built & a new stable block, & was hoping to start competing the NF, then I wrenched my ankle v v badly chasing after one of the dogs & 6 weeks on can only just get my foot in a stirrup. I have been riding with no stirrups for 6 weeks. So I have transport, a lovely arena, not currently divorcing anyone, have enough money for lessons & competing & I have a 12hh companion pony to ride & a b*gg*red ankle! Sometimes I think the wold hates me.

 

[Flame_]

Seems everything is conspiring against me with my horse. I bought her 3 years ago with a view to do endurance. Ive entered so many rides only to withdraw due to her being injured, me not getting time off work, rides being cancelled due to bad weather and then the dreaded covid! My horse now has a 3 year old first season card with no rides on it. Finally entered one and 2 days before cancelled today due to weather! Is life telling me not to do endurance with this horse?! ? Maybe next season I am abducted by aliens..

Wondering if anyone else has any best laid plans/competition fails to cheer me up?
Did you have a disaster start but manage to actually compete your horse in the end?

Haha, story of my life too!
Not compete, but after four years preparation (really two years fighting each other then two years bimbling about while not being entirely convinced we could trust each other), then a summer of waiting for covid to f off (still waiting), a foot abscess (horse) causing first withdrawal, then a sprained hand (me) causing second withdrawal, my horse and I managed a 15k pleasure ride last weekend!

Horse now has a new splint and is resting from working life and my expectations again for however long that takes but I still feel like I am the luckiest person in the universe

 

[criso]

Oh yes. Sorted out my horse's (bay tb v2.0) various issues over the best part of a year and just when bringing him back into work managed to badly injure my knee dismounting. Cue most of another year getting diagnosed and waiting for an op then my rehab.

Had a pretty good 18 months bringing him on and starting getting him out.

Then last year beginning of the season he (and the rest of the yard) had raised liver enzymes so while it didn't mean not riding, didn't want to put him under the strain of competing, then towards the end work was quiet and I was economising.

Never mind 2020's another year I thought. Still come August things have started up and I entered a local dressage comp I could hack to. On the day while washing his legs, he puled back on the rope, panicked and sat down suddenly and somehow managed to bang his eye. He' been off the best part of a month and now coming back. I'm looking at some Combined Training on the 17th Oct but who knows if we'll get there or if competitions stop again.

And that's without even mentioning the previous sicknote tb.

 

[ycbm]

I bought a 2 year old with impeccable breeding to train and event, hoping finally to have dressage scores that would allow me to win out eventing now and then. I let him grow and started to teach him to jump at 4 and he flat refused to be taught. I sold him as a dressage horse. Meanwhile, the 4 year old GP show jumper bred I bought who was already jumping, but not competitively, agreed to show jump on certain days only and broke my shoulder cross country training. I never got him past fence 5 on a cross country. I decided to go for dressage instead as by then I was too worried about more broken bones to do cross country. Just as he was learning 3 time tempis, his fourth neck vertebra fell to bits and the fact he was born a wobbler became painfully apparent. I took on a very well bred foot rehab show jumper who was delivered to me before the owner admitted it was hacked in a Market Harborough. In short, the horse was a dangerous nutter who jumped big fences which didn't exist, and also, literally, turned itself upside down in a horse box so we had to call the fire brigade, so I PTS when the owner would not have it back. I bought a GP bred dressage warmblood of 4. I got a few cracking scores before the horse started to buck, spook and rear in a test environment, investigations showing he had kissing spines. He was operated on but never got back to competition because he started to smash his head and then got fits and was PTS.

That all happened in the space of a few years! At that point, I gave up any idea of seriously competing ever again and decided to buy cheap horses and enjoy them at home and little local stuff, which I've done ever since.

Only I now find myself six years later with a mongrel bought out of a field at two who at five is quite possibly the most talented and trainable horse I've ever owned .........

 

[Michen]

Yep. Bought an ex racer who was crippled and had to PTS after 8 months. Then bought a mare who had a huge rearing issue, had to take owner to court to get money back. Then had a wonderful horse on loan and a year of pure fun and was about to buy him when he got kicked in the field, coliced and then broke his leg standing up from surgery. Then bought an unseen Connie who spent a year being lame For part of it and incredibly sharp and tricky the rest. Then had a brilliant year competing before he got an injury out hunting (home for life whatever he can/can’t do) Cue another unseen Connie whose now hunting but no doubt something will happen to him too at some point.

What I’ve learned is I don’t give a damn about the competing as long as my horse is alive, happy and I get to kiss his velvet muzzle every day.

 

[Marigold4]

Yep. Bought a yearling and patiently watched him grow up. Won lots of prizes in hand. So excited as he reached 4. Backed him myself and he was looking very promising. Hoping to do our first intro dressage test soon. Now lame. Waiting for vet to investigate but thinking the worst. Just sold the connie who could go anywhere and do anything. 13.2 companion pony might be rideable in time but won't travel - smashed up my lorry. Hoping I might grow to like grooming them as it seems unlikely I will ride again. Not got the appetite to start with another, so yes, doomed not to compete.

 

[Red-1]

I had many, many years of fuss free horse ownership, eventing from 1998 onwards. I did sometimes sell, if my ambition exceeded the horse's ability, but always seemed to find another brilliant one whose ambitions and ability were spot on.

Then, in 2014, I had the opportunity to retire early (late 40s) and just do a fun part time job (mornings only, term time) so I could concentrate on my horses and eventing. Aim with that horse was what is now CCI***.

Small field injury (neighbour's dog got into the field) meant a rest, whereupon he sagged and became a wobbler, and that is where my luck ran out.

I had a few disasters, over the next 4 years!

I have done nothing since 2014 (despite always having at least 1 horse), although, to be fair since 2018 I have had a lovely sports horse but, because I have been over stressed at mum being ill, I haven't been in the right place to ride her. Well, I rode her but only did a few unaffiliated dressage (she usually won) and hacking.

This summer, I decided to sell her as mum's situation looks ongoing, plus prices are high. I have bought a furry companion, who is just off box rest for lami, old, EMS, copd, doesn't travel and isn't great in big traffic. He suits me as I am, there is no pressure to ride. In fact, he isn't fit to do so just yet other than a poodle round. He is a furry fool, very friendly and he is making me smile. I think the lack of pressure helps, especially as he didn't cost much to buy (although I'm sure his keep will soon add up ).

 

[Trouper]

I could add to this list but it would not really add much to the gaiety of nations. Sometimes I think the Gods don't really like horses and take it out on those of us who do.

 

[oldie48]

This is how I feel ATM but trying to live in the moment a bit more rather than have plans and really trying to find some pleasure in something every single day, however small and however insignificant (tbh not always succeeding). We don't have control over our lives and learning to suck up the crap and keep going is a very useful life skill but one we'd all prefer not to have to learn!

 

[JulesRules]

Oh this is totally our Team Quest Team.

We've had stolen tack, blown lorry floors, ulcers, hooves caught in haynet, broken trailer partitions, lost passports, operations in Newmarket and more in the past 2 years.

We've ended up riding each other's horses just to get a team out and my poor mare was literally dragged in out the field as a last minute sub earlier this year with my other horse having to do 2 team tests just to get some points on the board.

We are changing our team colours next year as we've decided the lime green must be bad luck!

 

[Lots of Gift Bags]

I could add to this list but it would not really add much to the gaiety of nations. Sometimes I think the Gods don't really like horses and take it out on those of us who do.

Me too. Although I think the Gods probably do love horses and think it's hilarious to watch us struggle.

 

[huskydamage]

Glad I'm not alone! Don't get me wrong my horses are lovely and I'm lucky to have them, (I thank my lucky stars everyday that my elderly pony is still going!) it was just a bit depressing when I realised the 'first season' card is 3 years old and the only GER I ever dared to actually write on it will now be scribbled off because there's always a last minute storm/pandemic/second coming of jesus if I've entered ??

 

[atropa]

Yep that's just horses though.
Horse 1 bought 5 years ago to jump, had 6 months out of her before a terrible run of multiple colic, laminitis, PSD and navicular. Pretty much 3 years off before we started hacking and competing in online dressage this year. Had past 2 months off due to abscess, insect bites over her girth area, illness and work on my own part.
Horse 2 bought to take over from horse 1, diagnosed 9 months later with spinal arthritis and unlevel pelvis. Despite this, have had a good time low level SJ, dressage, XC and endurance on her, but currently on loan as I can't afford to run three atm so no riding of her for the past year.
Horse 3 is a sturdy native type. Owned two years. Completed one in hand show and one endurance ride. Has been mysteriously intermittently lame for almost a year now and I can barely get her out for a hack without a meltdown.
Great days but it's just horse life.