I think I must've done something terrible in a previous life!

[EternalVetBills]

It's a well known joke on my yard that I 'break' horses. I obviously don't as I am extremely contentious about workload, physio, farrier, vet, ect. However, the fact remains that I seem to have nothing but bad luck with my horses.

I sadly had my old mare put to sleep last Friday, and Mum very kindly agreed to let me take over her pony. Mum has had this pony for 10 years, since he was a yearling, I can count on one hand the amount of non routine vet visits he's had in the last 10 year. None of which are to do with lameness.

I have done a grand total of 4 days of work with him, just in walk as he's a driving pony and I haven't driven for years.

I am currently sat waiting for a vet as he is now on 3 legs . He's gone very lame very quickly, so I'm hoping it's just an abscess as he was okay Wednesday evening and only slightly off yesterday. But honestly, my mum has had him all this time, I take over for less than a week and we get this?!

Not point to this other than a vent. Is anyone else cursed with the bad luck gene?

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Oh no!! Fingers crossed it is a abscess!

I'm the same person as you but on my yard. 2 out of 4 I've owned put to sleep before the age of 11.. 3rd a happy hack due to lameness issues and the 4th (current horse) turned away for 6 months due to having 101 things wrong with her at 6. She will get put to sleep next year if she isn't right.

I think those like us that are very contentious about everything, get more problems because we notice it. Other horses at my yard I watch get ridden, clearly unhappy, not right.. but owners push and push labelling them 'naughty' rather than investigate.

Have to say, I'm not sure if I'll get another.

 

[catembi]

Yes, same here. New expensive well bred 4 yo has ulcers and ks. The latest in a long line of many that I have broken. The one before was a TB who had a variation of wobblers. Etc etc etc. I read everything I can about management, spare no expense, get all niggles investigated and yet here I am waiting for horse hospital’s opinion on a way forward. In the meantime I am riding my old ex racer who prefers to stay in walk and who keeps getting dragged out of retirement when I have broken my main horse and I am doing groundwork and having brief sit-ons on my Shetland. Yay, sidelined yet again.

 

[JGC]

Aw, that's me too! Lost my first mare at 19 from a heart attack, my next horse at 14 in a field accident (where he was spending a year at grass for various lameness problems) and now I have two 17-year-old retirees.

I am seriously questioning if I should get another ever again!

Much sympathy to you - hopefully an abcess, there's been loads at our yard, even horses that have never had them before.

 

[JGC]

I should add, however, that given the number of people riding obviously lame or unhappy horses, I think that even if I do jinx mine, at least they get the best care while they're with me.

 

[Nocturnal]

I do think a lot of it comes down to noticing issues that others don’t. Makes you wonder what percentage of horses really do stay sound in work.

 

[Wizpop]

It's a well known joke on my yard that I 'break' horses. I obviously don't as I am extremely contentious about workload, physio, farrier, vet, ect. However, the fact remains that I seem to have nothing but bad luck with my horses.

I sadly had my old mare put to sleep last Friday, and Mum very kindly agreed to let me take over her pony. Mum has had this pony for 10 years, since he was a yearling, I can count on one hand the amount of non routine vet visits he's had in the last 10 year. None of which are to do with lameness.

I have done a grand total of 4 days of work with him, just in walk as he's a driving pony and I haven't driven for years.

I am currently sat waiting for a vet as he is now on 3 legs . He's gone very lame very quickly, so I'm hoping it's just an abscess as he was okay Wednesday evening and only slightly off yesterday. But honestly, my mum has had him all this time, I take over for less than a week and we get this?!

Not point to this other than a vent. Is anyone else cursed with the bad luck gene?

Nothing to add except to say that I could have written this myself! I really don’t know what the answer is- do hope your pony gets sorted soon and it’s nothing serious.

 

[scats]

I hope everything is ok.
I break horses too In my defence, I have had some weird and wonderful horse conditions thrown at me that aren’t very common (one of my horses was the only recorded horse in the world with her condition… that sort of rare!) so I think it’s either just bad luck or fate throwing these horses at me so I’ll fix them or do the right thing! I’m also hyper aware of lameness, so I pick up on it when many people would just continue to ride them.

I am hyper aware of everything in life. I have a strange sixth sense with even the dogs I groom and have picked up something isn’t right and then found out they’ve got tumours or cancer (that’s happened three times this year alone!).

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Yes, same here. New expensive well bred 4 yo has ulcers and ks. The latest in a long line of many that I have broken. The one before was a TB who had a variation of wobblers. Etc etc etc. I read everything I can about management, spare no expense, get all niggles investigated and yet here I am waiting for horse hospital’s opinion on a way forward. In the meantime I am riding my old ex racer who prefers to stay in walk and who keeps getting dragged out of retirement when I have broken my main horse and I am doing groundwork and having brief sit-ons on my Shetland. Yay, sidelined yet again.

I am really sorry to hear this, I often think about how you are getting on with her.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I hope everything is ok.
I break horses too In my defence, I have had some weird and wonderful horse conditions thrown at me that aren’t very common (one of my horses was the only recorded horse in the world with her condition… that sort of rare!) so I think it’s either just bad luck or fate throwing these horses at me so I’ll fix them or do the right thing! I’m also hyper aware of lameness, so I pick up on it when many people would just continue to ride them.

I am hyper aware of everything in life. I have a strange sixth sense with even the dogs I groom and have picked up something isn’t right and then found out they’ve got tumours or cancer (that’s happened three times this year alone!).

Interesting about you being hyper aware, I feel a bit like this with all animals. Our Labrador I didn't think was right and she had cancer. My gelding, similar thing, pushed for a second vet opinion and he had a deformity in his neck. I just get this 'feeling' about things. I did wonder if it was almost a bit autistic.

 

[Wizpop]

I know I sometimes ‘overthink’ but I seem quick to pick up on things being NQR with horses. I have had one horse after another with problems- have to say I have cared for and done the best for all of them.
I’d love another horse but so doubting my own judgement now that it has totally knocked my confidence to even look for one.

 

[Burnttoast]

I do think a lot of it comes down to noticing issues that others don’t. Makes you wonder what percentage of horses really do stay sound in work.

According to a study done by Sue Dyson a while back, of 60 horses considered sound by their owners "73% were found to be suffering with low-grade lameness on one or more legs, 47% had gait abnormalities in canter, and 47% had ill-fitting saddles". So the answer is probably not many.

 

[Nocturnal]

According to a study done by Sue Dyson a while back, of 60 horses considered sound by their owners "73% were found to be suffering with low-grade lameness on one or more legs, 47% had gait abnormalities in canter, and 47% had ill-fitting saddles". So the answer is probably not many.

Makes for grim reading

 

[Burnttoast]

Makes for grim reading

Yes it does I'm quite happy not be a rider anymore as it removes a lot of the ethical difficulties from horse-keeping!

 

[EternalVetBills]

Thank you all, I'm glad I'm not alone! Vet has been and we think it's an abscess. No pus yet, but vet pretty confident. We're to keep poulticing over the weekend and if no improvement by Monday then we will x-ray.

I completely echo what everyone is saying re noticing things that others just don't. The amount of times Ive told someone that something was up with one of mine and they've responded, "oh he/she is fine, he/she is sounder than (insert some poor depressed looking animal here), and I ride him" Some of the things other horses on my yard put up with! They really are such kind creatures.