forelegs
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I am looking for advice on what to do with my horse - this may be long and rambling I will try to keep it brief.
I have owned him for 4 years and we evented at a low level. Last summer, I got a job and subsequently moved out of my family home, making the decision to sell him (he is 10 and would make a great fun RC allrounder/low level eventer and is a really easy horse to do in all ways).
He was sent to a yard I have been on previously on sales livery. Unfortunately, when he was there he went lame - not hopping by any means but certainly not 'right' - I have seen videos although I have not seen or ridden him personally, but I trust the YOs opinion completely. There was no obvious swelling, heat or reason for this lameness and it was very intermittent - perfectly sound one day and unlevel the next. In an attempt to avoid hefty vet bills if possible, and with the winter approaching, we decided to give him the winter off to 'be a horse' and see if he came right. He has been cared for perfectly by a lovely lady over the winter but he has been stabled overnight for the duration as he got so stressed and lost so much weight when we tried to winter him out.
In the last month, she has slowly reintroduced him to work. We had the vet check his soundness before he was exercised again and he was given the all clear. We were hoping to sell him this summer once he had regained fitness. However she has now told me that he has become inconsistent again. I am yet to speak to her in detail about what this means and what we can do, and I will explore every avenue including vets etc. to try and get him sound.
However, thinking the worst, if he is not able to withstand ridden work I do not know what to do. I am very lucky and my parents have helped me to finance his keep, and they are now keen to reduce this ongoing cost. I cannot afford to keep him myself and would be worried about unforeseen vets bills etc. However, I will not sell a horse that I don't believe is 100% sound or would not stand up to ridden work. I adore the horse and want to do what's best by him. Does anyone have any suggestions of next steps? I have agonised over retirement livery, loan as a companion and even PTS as options if he does not come right, but obviously each comes with its own pitfalls.
Any help would be much appreciated, I really want to do what is best by the horse and secure him a safe future.
I am looking for advice on what to do with my horse - this may be long and rambling I will try to keep it brief.
I have owned him for 4 years and we evented at a low level. Last summer, I got a job and subsequently moved out of my family home, making the decision to sell him (he is 10 and would make a great fun RC allrounder/low level eventer and is a really easy horse to do in all ways).
He was sent to a yard I have been on previously on sales livery. Unfortunately, when he was there he went lame - not hopping by any means but certainly not 'right' - I have seen videos although I have not seen or ridden him personally, but I trust the YOs opinion completely. There was no obvious swelling, heat or reason for this lameness and it was very intermittent - perfectly sound one day and unlevel the next. In an attempt to avoid hefty vet bills if possible, and with the winter approaching, we decided to give him the winter off to 'be a horse' and see if he came right. He has been cared for perfectly by a lovely lady over the winter but he has been stabled overnight for the duration as he got so stressed and lost so much weight when we tried to winter him out.
In the last month, she has slowly reintroduced him to work. We had the vet check his soundness before he was exercised again and he was given the all clear. We were hoping to sell him this summer once he had regained fitness. However she has now told me that he has become inconsistent again. I am yet to speak to her in detail about what this means and what we can do, and I will explore every avenue including vets etc. to try and get him sound.
However, thinking the worst, if he is not able to withstand ridden work I do not know what to do. I am very lucky and my parents have helped me to finance his keep, and they are now keen to reduce this ongoing cost. I cannot afford to keep him myself and would be worried about unforeseen vets bills etc. However, I will not sell a horse that I don't believe is 100% sound or would not stand up to ridden work. I adore the horse and want to do what's best by him. Does anyone have any suggestions of next steps? I have agonised over retirement livery, loan as a companion and even PTS as options if he does not come right, but obviously each comes with its own pitfalls.
Any help would be much appreciated, I really want to do what is best by the horse and secure him a safe future.
