Gutted!!!

[Halfpass]

So i'll just start with a quick update. Haven't posted the latest info about the horse that i'm selling as I felt that it was tempting fate. Had 3 people all wanting him, 2 to do Riding club stuff and 1 for hacking. The 2 riding club type people wanted vetting and the hacker did not. Explained to all that the home is more important so I decided to go for the more experienced riding club lady. She rode him well popped a nice jump and was going to hack out today. Vetting was this afternoon and we were going to hack out afterwards.
After the lameness at the last vetting I decided to get a good friend who has worked with race horses recovering from injury to watch him trotted up last night. This done and he's perfectly sound so my hopes are raised a little though i'm still nervous. Vet turns up today and its the same one as last time!!!! The vetting seems to be going well. trotted up - no comments, lunged in school - no comments then requests to lung on hard surface. We do not have anywhere level enought to do this with out risks so I ask why and vet says he is still lame. He is then trotted up and lunged for me to see and i really could not see any lameness. Fair enough she has the expert eye but i have owned horses most of my life and would NEVER ride / sell a lame horse and I do not feel he is. So prospective buyer have again taken deposit and walked away. Where do I go now? Vet advised me to get my own vet out. I kind of feel like taking him off the market and just carry on with him and not try to fullfill my dream of getting a horse that I can BSJA. I'm sitting here crying I just do not know what to do. I love him so much and just want a lovely home for him where he can be enjoyed like I have enjoyed him, If money wasn't an issue the decision would be made but life is just not that easy is it? Any advice or any suggestions much appreciated as I'm stumpped.

 

[Nuttymanxmare]

Aww hunny Im soo sorry to hear things are not going well..

Can you not get your Vet out to check him thoroughly and then use him for the next vettting?

 

[Halfpass]

My vet won't vet him as he's feels its unethical which I can understand. This sounds awful but at the moment i'm not in a position financialy to pay to get the vet out if I don't think he's lame if that makes sense. Obviously if he was I would. Had my instructor ride him 2 days ago who is an advanced dressage rider and she didn't say he was lame in fact said he felt really good!!!!

 

[SummerStorm]

I'm so sorry it's not going well.

As a suggestion though, could you get your own vet out and ask for a 2* vetting done yourself? That way, you would know one way or the other about whther your horse really is lame or whether the other vet is 'remembering' the lameness and 'saw' it this time even though it wasn't there?

Just an idea and you could always try the other people who came to see him again...

Good luck xxx

 

[SummerStorm]

Sorry, you must have posted as I did mine.

How about say to the others that you will have him vetted by someone who isn't the same vet - it's not fair on you or anyone else if the same vet keeps saying no.

I'd try to ask the other potential owners to get a second opinion, or just get them to ask for a vet other than the one that keeps coming. Surely the surgery has more than one vet and if you specifically request that due to bad experiances with the other vet you would prefer some else...?

 

[Halfpass]

Had thought about contacting the other people but who in their right mind would buy a horse that had failed 2 vettings. I know I wouldn't. Lady that did not want the vetting has called me and I have explained to her what has happened. She is still interesed though not 100% sure and would like to wait till the kids go back to school then come to see him again for a hack. Its just never as easy as you think when you make a decision to sell is it?

 

[Vey]

Look, if it is some small thing, it will clear up over the winter, won't it? If he has just tweaked a muscle somewhere? So leave it for the winter, and try again in the spring. That will be plenty of time to buy the next 'dream horse'.

If it is not that, but something deep seated and serious, then it will perhaps show itself more clearly, and in a month or two you will know you you do have to get the vet and get it sorted.

Otherwise if you really ARE in a hurry, then it is a small price to get your vet out and get it looked at - it will most certainly cost less than keeping a horse over the winter.

 

[Halfpass]

Hmmmm this particular vet is a one man band. I think she has them convinced that he's not right. I really don't think she likes my horse as she just seems to run him down then when i said 'hey thats not on' she said that its her job to pick his faults. I can understand this but its not her thats buying him and who cares if he has a long gangly neck or a big head or a slight pigeon toe. If the buyers like him (and he's sound) surely thats all that matters eh!

 

[Halfpass]

Your right i'm not in a hurry and he was lame 2 weeks ago and its better now so it can't be that deep routed surely. Vet said that a mild problem would not still be visible 2 weeks on so I feel that maybe she has told buyers that she feels it is a deep routed problem. My problem is I don't think he is lame. Maybe i'll give him some chill out time in the field till the 24/7 turnout stops and go from there. Do I keep him advertised though!!?? Oh the dilemas i swear horses are worse than children!!!

 

[PapaFrita]

Same vet again, eh?... I hate to sound cynical but if she's failed the horse once I think she'd be rather disinclined to pass it the second time. Any chance you could video horsey for us to have a look (not that I'm an expert, but several HHOers are!)
I had a vet once come and see one of my horses and he did flexion tests over and over because he said she 'wasn't right' but couldn't get her to limp at all. I didn't like him at all! He also clobbered her one for fidgetting!!

 

[Halfpass]

I'll try the video thingy tomorrow when I lunge him not sure how to post it though have only just worked out piccies.

 

[SummerStorm]

Try posting the vieo on somewhere like Youtube or photobucket and then link from there...

I'm so, so sorry that it hasn't worked out for you but if the worst comes to the worst, could you keep him in light work over the winter to keep him ticking over and then try selling him again in the spring? Don't worry about your dream horse yet as there's always another one out there when you can take one on.

xxx

 

[Halfpass]

Ok so not in a hurry to buy a new horse and have honestly not even started looking. So have chatted to OH and think that i'll keep him advertised and carry on being honest with any potential purchasers prior to them trying him out they can then judge for themselves. I do not think my horse is lame so would be quite prepared for him to be vetted by a different vet. Next dilema, have stressage comp booked for sat was taking OH horse as thought mine would be gone but now would like to take mine. Shall I or not? Do i go with what I think - NOT LAME or with what vet thinks - LAME? trotted him up again just now with friends and none of us can see it!!!!????

 

[SummerStorm]

take him - he's your horse and at the end of the day, if you can't see he's lame and he seems fine in himself then I don't see a problem at all.

At worst, if you get there and he is lame you won't have to compete and you can go home and it won't be a problem. If he's sound, you can point out to any prospective purchasers that he did well in a dressage test only a few days before...

good luck and please to let us know how it goes

 

[lizstuguinness]

if a vet is in doubt he will fail the vetting.... simple. we live in a compensation society. the vet does not wish to be sued.
also if the horse is not "lame" just uneven then it is still classed as lameness and thus fail.

i had a horse fail the flexion because he went sound in 3 strides on one hind but took 7 strides on the other. not lame as such but unlevel and thus not "sound".

if this is the case with yur horse, you wont be able to see this "lameness" and will only show under vetting conditions.

ask the vet why the horse is lame, whats causinf it and how to treat it. when you have these answers you can asses the situation futher.

its quiet amazing but there are lots of people who cant recognise lamness in the hinds, and can be so faint is very hard to spot.
one horse i had jumped a foxhunter lame, i couldnt see it ! and only knew somethig was wrong when he dragged a leg over the lastfence. didnt have it down but from that tiny observation i knew something was up. contacted vet who comfirmed lamness, but no-one else could see it!

 

[henryhorn]

Our dutch x gelding won a dressage class on the Saturday and came 2nd in the other class so two judges thought he was sound.. On the wednesday our own ver lunged him on our very stony car park and he was lame.
He failed him and the buyer ran for the hills. We could see he was lame ourselves after that so we turned him away for a few months and just had foot trims, after quite a long time we changed farriers, and the new farrier pointed out evidence of an old abscess that must have been very deep.
Touch wood he has been back in work a few months and is definitely sound unless lunged on the car park. As a comparison we lunged other horses on there and guess what they all go lame on it as it's limestone sharp pieces...
I would first get your farrier to check for a possible infection, then get him vetted by another vet, just a basic soundness vetting, and flatly refuse as we will in future to have the horse lunged on hard rough ground.
If you an post a video clip do it and a few people can see if they can see any lameness. It may be this female vet is a bit picky and that could be all that's up with him..