General rant about poor horse management!

[Acolyte]

Following on from Kick Ons comments about the coloured cob owner - my turn for a rant!

I rode at a friends yard yesterday and have now sworn I will never go there again. The first horse which I had been asked to ride was a lovely chestnut TB which had been chucked out in a field and ignored - it had mud fever, had rubbed its tail until it was raw, cribbed for England cos it was so bored, etc etc. Owner is going through a messy divorce (which IS hard, I know) so has no time - so put it out on loan! Or get the livery yard owner to look after it for you! Or a friend - or something!

The owner didn't appear with any tack for that one in the end so rode a gorgeous Welsh sect C 4 year old mare, who is being totally RUINED by being ridden by a teenage girl who has no idea. She gallops it everywhere and is incredibly unbalanced riding it so it behaves like a maniac, owner is aware but too lazy to do anything about it. I asked about buying it just to get it away from there, they want £2,000 for it when it is TOTALLY green and only just broken - and they only paid £800 for it!

People should go and get themselves a flipping computer game if they are going to treat horses like that....

Rant over now

 

[JAK]

I know, I know...........I just try not to look anymore, that way it doesn't depress me too much!

We have horses at our place that are in completely the wrong size tack/rugs/bit, ruined temperaments due to owners' spoiling them totally, utterly rubbish riding which is never improved upon & a few that are just pretty much 'forgotten'!

We just do our best for ours, which is all you can do really - you can't help or save everything, can you?

 

[alicep]

when i went to uk to look at a horse, i couldnt believe my eyes... bear in mind theres 3 of us on my yard and we all dote on our babies but this gorgeous little 14.2 only 5 was shown to me. i was looking for something little to jump and have fun with. but they brought it out tacked up and i swear the saddle was flat on its back so i refused to get on it -i didnt want to hurt it! the pony wasnt even in poor condition, although had no manners. but the YO said that his tack had been fitted and blah de blah... yeah right.

 

[Vicki1986]

things like this make me sad, so many bad horse owners around. i think half the problem is no one says anything to them so they think how they are carrying on is acceptable. but if you do say something you are "interefering" or a busy body or bitching etc

 

[kick_On]

here here.....
normally i would NEVER get involved but i was soo pi$sed off with cruelity i had to say something, but woman was completely switched off and still thinks her management is ok WHICH is it NOT and if i see with another horse i will defo be reporting her to RSPCA and get them to keep and eye on her

 

[bellaM]

Oh my god I could write an essay!!!!
I have seen several riding schools that go to buy horses and don't even notice major faults including one with lami in all 4 feet, thinking that they can ride a horse with lami, one with horrendous conformation to the point it would just break, yards where horses are ridden in the 'only saddle we have' happened to be a rather round little pony ridden in a jumping saddle fitted to a thoroughbred, I think its a shame the RSPCA can't prosecute people for badly fitting tack and also poor dental care. Oh and horses ridden/lunged to the point they don't have a dry hair on them and are going really hollow, and the point is???!!! my god I could go on!!!!

 

[seansheep]

seems a lot these days are to do with the loss of riding schools as well

people cannot now as easily get their 'horse fix' by going riding 2 or 3 times a week (too expensive - round me up to 45 quid per hour) or doing some weekend helping and getting some free rides/tuition, or even just escorting hacks as 'free riding'

all the litigation and H&S legislation and 'no working kids' legislation has put a stop to that

so what is left - queue to be able to ride at an ever diminishing number of riding schools ? or buy a horse/pony and have no idea how to look after it (but DIY is the cheapest option so chosen by a lot of new horse owners on a budget) or merely chuck it out in a field

if these people are lucky they'll meet some of the posters on here and get 'free' help and advice (or should I say if their horses are lucky ?!) but that doesn't always happen and as stated - horses suffer

 

[Acolyte]

Oooh, yes, that is something else I haven't ranted about - all the ponies are ridden in saddles which just happen to be the nearest one lying around, rather than anything which is vaguely fitted to them! I totally agree, people should be prosecuted - why do they think ignorance is an excuse?!!!

I know you are right JAK, I'm not usually such a crusader and just try and do my absolute best for my own horse and help others as much as I can, but for some reason it really got to me yesterday. Tried to get my mum and my sister to invest in the sect C pony, but they declined!

 

[Capriole]

a girl stabled her horse on the yard im at and she seemed to expect anyone else to feed/water/turn out etc her poor pony, even at weekend...but she never said she was/wasnt coming up so you didnt really know if it had been fed.
the last straw for me was when id had a really busy saturday with my own lot and then did hers too because she hadnt been up, she turned up at 3pm and said she'd been at the pub beer garden all day!
i told her i wouldnt do a thing for her again, i used to give the poor creature water and hay but as far as she knew the pony wasnt getting fed but she still didint come up regularly.
sorry if thats a bit gibberish-y

 

[tabithakat64]

There are people like that at most yards, we have several that dump their horses in the field and leave them without coming up for weeks to check on them, when mine are living out they get checked, fly sprayed and have their feet picked at least once a day even if I'm not riding.
Theres this old horse with sweet itch thats not treated and arthritis, the vet said the owner can start riding it (it's been off work all winter) so she's been taking it out galloping.
Another girl went on holiday and left her horse for a week without asking anyone to check on it, it was hoping lame as she hadn't picked it's feet out for a month and it had 3 absesses when I noticed it was lame I rang the owner on holiday and said I was getting the vet, it's cost her over £300 in vet bills and has been on box rest for a month, maybe she'll pick his feet out from now on? Usually I do try not to get involved though.
There are several people who gallop everywhere then whinge that their horses are uncontrollable which really annoys me, because it's their fault the horses are like that.
Unfortunately the YO doesn't care as long as rent is paid and horses aren't damaging things.