Fed up with broken horses. Want to pack it in...

dressagelove

dressagelove

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Two of my horses are now worryingly broken. Third is only 20months and a way off being ridden!

*sigh* so fed up, almost want to pack it all in, sell everything and get an indoor hobby :(
Remind me again, is it worth all the heartache?
 
I've often thought about giving up and getting a goldfish. I have a broken one too. I honestly wish I could just be more 'business-like' about it and PTS and move on but mine is a pet really and so I can't/won't. I'm honestly of the opinion that horses aren't actually meant to be ridden. Can't think of many I've known that haven't got something wrong with them. Proper little ray of sunshine aren't I <exits stage left>
 
sorry folks but i think once you've started a horse fixation you can't swap to goldfish of indoor hobbies ;) for one thing they wouldn't give you that unique aroma of leather and horse w**
 
Sadly I think horses are similar to a drug addiction, we do an amazing amount of work for that one amazing feeling xc round or that one wonderful canter in the sunshine or that lovely low whicker in the morning etc etc.

All the pain is worth that one high!!

The cost, time and emotional energy we put in clearly aren't logical
 
Flicker51 said:
sorry folks but i think once you've started a horse fixation you can't swap to goldfish of indoor hobbies ;) for one thing they wouldn't give you that unique aroma of leather and horse w**
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with 2 'broken' ones and nothing else to ride i think i could quite easily swap for a gold fish!......if they get a disease or die...thats it, cant fix them :) so much easier......
hobby....id taking up snooker...plenty of money :) ...rather than draining all my money!

roll on SUMMER! then i can look back and think ' why would i want to give this up' :)
 
I'm reminded of the old saying ' who told you life was going to be easy?' and with horses and riding it certainly is never easy. I'm sorry to hear that you have got damaged horses - your photos in your sig look like you are far from a happy hacker! Surely, if you jack it all in, you would miss the adrenalin rush of competing; I have lost 4 in a row - damaged by others and not me - and was so traumatised by the last one that I decided not to continue. But those days that dawn bright and crisp still brought the yearning to be out on a horse. I haven't found anything that replaces that feeling - other things can occupy your time but somehow horses and riding get under the skin and nothing gives you the same pay back. If you really feel you've had enough then tell yourself that you're taking a sebatical and see how you feel in 6 months without the horsey committment. You can always go back to it.
 
Dressagelove - you may feel like this now but after reading the words at the bottom of your signature I know you will never ever give it up. xxx
 
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I feel your pain
No 1 is retired to hacking, no 2 iy totally broken at 7 and no 3 is off to be scoped for ulcers in the next week or 2.

My children will be offered hamsters or nothing!
 
We have a mantra, which is chanted when pi$$ed wet through, frozen silly and working like idiots at mending fences etc.etc etc. it is "This is our hobby, we do it for pleasure" :D It makes us laugh anyway :D
 
PoppyAnderson said:
I honestly wish I could just be more 'business-like' about it and PTS and move on
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This is where you need to get yourself to, OP. If you've done all you can and your horses won't come right, you've got to harden up and move on to something hopeful. Trying to patch up truly knackered horses is totally soul destroying.

ETA, unless your horses are only temporarily broken, in which case its par for the course, deal with it and you'll be back in action eventually, enjoying yourself and wondering where the time went.
 
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TandD said:
with 2 'broken' ones and nothing else to ride i think i could quite easily swap for a gold fish!......if they get a disease or die...thats it, cant fix them :) so much easier......
hobby....id taking up snooker...plenty of money :) ...rather than draining all my money!

roll on SUMMER! then i can look back and think ' why would i want to give this up' :)
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This, its always easy to fixate on the negatives but with horses the positives (although they can be few and far between I know) way outweigh the negatives!
 
I felt exactly the same a few weeks ago.... and its good to have a moan and a groan... but if you chopped my head off i would have "I cannot live without horses" like rock inside me.

Where in the world are you.... I have 4 you can ride if you want !

I am so fed up as my leg is knackered and i just cant be with mine :(
 
I know just how you feel, I have trained 2 young horses up, one to advanced medium and lost him to colic at 6 and the other the medium then lost him when he paralysed himself in the field. Decided to then get myself a PSG boy as I couldn't face training another up and he damaged his tendon so badly after 3 weeks of having him! I had to have him PTS 3 years later as the leg never recovered and he came in crippled from the field. I now have another young horse, I really don't know why I keep doing it!!!
 
thanks so much for all your replies :) its lovely having people who know I feel to talk to, I stable alone, and it doesn't help with the support :(

Flame, you are probably right, but I have never put a horse down in my life, and can't imagine having to go through it!

I can't imagine giving it up, but sometimes it seems like the wisest decision!
 
ester said:
what's wrong with titch DL?
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Faracat said:
:( Has your horse been diagnosed with DSLD/ESPA then?
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You guys are sweet for noticing my posts :)

Ester, I suspect titch has got suspensory issue in hind legs. I posted on the DSLD yahoo group Faracat and all responses so far recommend getting ultrasounds done on hind legs as it looks like it may be.

Other TB has ddft tear and a torn hamstring :( At least I have a gorgeous KWPN baby who is a pleasure. Knowing my luck, something will strike him down as well!
 
I am sorry to hear about the 'broken ones'. Wishing them a speedy recovery. I have a 4yo Warmblood mare, bred to show jump. I am trying to sell her without much luck. I do not want to drop her price any more as she is already too cheap. She is stood here doing nothing so let me know if you want something to occupy your time until yours recover?
 
Dressagelove I spend a lot of my time feeling the way you do now. I bought my TB in April 2010. A few weeks later she had sinus/tooth problems which resulted in over 3 months in hospital. She was nearly PTS as the infections weren't diagnosed until very late on and it got very complicated. She came home after 3 months looking like a neglect case. This was in Sept 2010 and she had to go back to hospital in the December to have a check up and her false tooth removed (yes you read correctly - a false tooth!). When I took her back to the hospital I asked if they would have a look at her fetlock at the back as it was swollen and it turned out that she had to have another operation to remove a bone chip in her fetlock - another three week stay in hospital. After rehabbing her from all that, she went lame again and after numerous scans at hospital, it turned out that she had spavin, PSLD and navicular, as well as arthritis in the fetlock where the bone chip had been removed. I did the barefoot rehab which was going superbly until she got an abscess in about Sept/Oct last year - we only found out it was an abscess two days ago when it burst - she was due to go to Leahurst next week for an MRI, but hopefully this abscess will be the end of it. I had sort of made up my mind that if the MRI scan had showed something bad, then I would have her PTS, and that I would sell my other sellable pony and give up horses completely. I know how you feel exactly, but then I try and think what I would do if I didn't have the horses to do, and how I would fill my time. Yes, I could go to the gym and go out walking and cycling, but it's not the same - you don't get that relationship with any of those hobbies that you get with a horse. Admittedly I think I would enjoy the odd lie-in, but that would get boring too. Keep on and see how you feel in three months. If you still feel the same, then that's the time to reconsider, but don't do anything in a rush that you might live to regret.
 
ttt said:
I am sorry to hear about the 'broken ones'. Wishing them a speedy recovery. I have a 4yo Warmblood mare, bred to show jump. I am trying to sell her without much luck. I do not want to drop her price any more as she is already too cheap. She is stood here doing nothing so let me know if you want something to occupy your time until yours recover?
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Thank you, thats very sweet of you :) Think wiltshire is a bit far though, and I am busy enough caring for 3 demics! lol. thanks though :)

Holly Hocks said:
Dressagelove I spend a lot of my time feeling the way you do now. I bought my TB in April 2010. A few weeks later she had sinus/tooth problems which resulted in over 3 months in hospital. She was nearly PTS as the infections weren't diagnosed until very late on and it got very complicated. She came home after 3 months looking like a neglect case. This was in Sept 2010 and she had to go back to hospital in the December to have a check up and her false tooth removed (yes you read correctly - a false tooth!). When I took her back to the hospital I asked if they would have a look at her fetlock at the back as it was swollen and it turned out that she had to have another operation to remove a bone chip in her fetlock - another three week stay in hospital. After rehabbing her from all that, she went lame again and after numerous scans at hospital, it turned out that she had spavin, PSLD and navicular, as well as arthritis in the fetlock where the bone chip had been removed. I did the barefoot rehab which was going superbly until she got an abscess in about Sept/Oct last year - we only found out it was an abscess two days ago when it burst - she was due to go to Leahurst next week for an MRI, but hopefully this abscess will be the end of it. I had sort of made up my mind that if the MRI scan had showed something bad, then I would have her PTS, and that I would sell my other sellable pony and give up horses completely. I know how you feel exactly, but then I try and think what I would do if I didn't have the horses to do, and how I would fill my time. Yes, I could go to the gym and go out walking and cycling, but it's not the same - you don't get that relationship with any of those hobbies that you get with a horse. Admittedly I think I would enjoy the odd lie-in, but that would get boring too. Keep on and see how you feel in three months. If you still feel the same, then that's the time to reconsider, but don't do anything in a rush that you might live to regret.
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Thank you hollyhocks, they are wise words. I know I just need to keep on going and it will work out in one way or the other in the end, its just so disheartening. We were just getting cracking with our competing, finally moved up to elementary which is where Ive been dying to get for so long, and now he may need retiring! who knows. Its just knowing what to do, its so hard. Tomorrow is another day.
I definitely couldn't do with just cycling or running (I hate running!!) lol. Defo going to re-think having thoroughbreds though and maybe get a cobby thing next which is less liable to break!?
 
Now you say it I had seen a post on here or phoenix, bummer poor lad.

I think I've been (touches wood fervently) very lucky with Frank as he's come right so well with his shoes off at his age. As for doing anything else.. its nice sometimes and giving him a break at the time really worked with studies but gosh I do miss not seeing him everyday (he is under careful mother care while I am in wilts) and feel most lost having had to forgo this weekends trip back due to snow!

baby bubblewrap in case?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rvqNM5ghQ4

eta frank's a cobby thing but Mum's anglo been no trouble really either! (finds some more wood)
 
It really does make you think is it all worth it when they go wrong ( see prognosis of neck injury in Vet posts), I had 2 last summer I mare I bought from Kent dealer who was umrideable and the other my mare who has a neck injury. I kept seeing people going hacking and jumping and was depressed. I am now about to buy a ISH gelding who is gorgeous and my mare is going back to the vets in March. I am hoping for a good summer this year.:D:D:D
 
Hang on a minute - You've seen a pic of hyper-extension of his fetlocks and gone onto self diagnose him via the internet into retirement?

Titch it still sound and competing isn't he?
 
I know the feeling, all mine are going wrong this winter.
1, all 6 had nasty virus snotty nose flu type thing
2, mare gos down with serious rash following virus
3, foal has got lice
4, barefoot tb has foot abcess
5, barefoot tb now has mud fever
6, barefoot tb now has bad muscles after messing about in field wreaking his new Rambo duo = very upset mum

iv had enough as well roll on spring.
Stick in there girl x
 
Yep, know how you feel. I have two retired lads and 'one hanger on', 3 horses and I can't ride any of them. Big lad has had a recurrent abcess and now has mud fever, thankfully his squitty bum has cleared up. Little lad is at the moment ok, but this time last year I thought I was going to have to put him to sleep.

Thankfully my wonderful YO has given me the ride of her mare to let me do some riding club stuff, helps keep me sane.
 
Don't talk to me about broken horses. I really have had enough to. Over the last four years I have had three horses put down.

No 1. She was 17 when I got her and had had a hard life, she was pts 3 years latter, that was far enough.

No 2. I had him 18 months, went very lame had xrays worst fetlocks my vet had seen in a horse still be ridden. Pts.

No 3. Had him 2 weeks and he started to break, ended up being pts, 2 1/2, years later. PSD.

No 4. Who I got in May, a 5 year old cob, 12 inch of bone, 15.1, short coupled, very sturdy looking. Came back from Cambridge vet school on Friday
having been there for a week. He was 3/5 lame, 4/5 lame after flexion, body
scan etc, he has an old trauma injury to his sacroiliac on both sides, that has
been remodelling itself, he has got to have eight weeks box rest, he is having
two lots of PRP , followed by steroid injection, and a very long slow rehab. This
sort of injury is usually seen in the athletic types, not a laid back cob. It
probably happened when he was in Ireland as a youngster.

The vet was very happy with him being bf, as I was concerned they might not approve but far from it.

So he is going to take a year to come right, if all goes to plan. It feels like there is someone up above who finds these horses for me to look after for a short while, a lot of heartache and money and then, they have to be pts.
 
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