It's been a while ... dilemma

E

exracer superstar

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 January 2013
Messages
131
Visit site
Hi,

so its been a while, unfortunatly my mare had to be PTS last summer after a run of bad luck which started with a puncture wound in winter 12 and her hocks injected all was well then she tore her DDFT in the field after a long period of rehabilitation we started walk and trot work and were completely sound then one day i went to the yard and she was hopping lame still don't know what happened but she had completely tore it and the vet said there was nothing more we could do :( following a meltdown and selling all my stuff and 'never looking at a horse again' i have begun riding a friends horse again. The hubby broached the subject of getting another ... he misses it and the social side as much as me. Now heres the dilemma i just feel physically ill at the thought of something going wrong again because there was nothing i could do to prevent it in the first place short of 24/7 box rest for whatever comes next (which i would never do BTW) and the complete minefield of trying to find something sound and undodgy is daunting. I am utterly bored not having a horse although the extra money is enjoyable, this is the longest period i haven't rode in my life. So i guess my question is does anyone have any ideas how i can relieve my anxiety? i don't want this to stop me getting another i just aren;t sure what to do
 
I feel for you. No advice, apart form perhaps consider a share so the responsibility is not all yours or perhaps a loan. If you were buying perhaps get something entirely different to your old horse. If you do buy perhaps put the word out to your friends and wait and see if something come to you to save a whole load of stress - good luck whatever you do.
 
Sorry about your loss. :( You could try a full loan - That way if you decide you don't really want go back to owning a horse because of too much stress then you could send back to owner and not have to worry about selling or any money being wasted from owners being dishonest!
 
I had considered a loan but that worried more than owning one due to if something happened its not actually my horse and i'm not sure i could live with myself regardless of who may be to blame or even if no one were to blame. I think i will ask around and not rush into it but just browse and see whats about i'm in no hurry to find one ...
 
What about looking for a cob/native type? I know all horses can go wrong, but I seem to have had way less trouble with litlte cobby types. They just seem to be very tough!
 
Maybe start of slowly, share, loan then buy.

Do the usual vetting and tests with potential horse.
Yet worry will never go away but you can minimise risks and manage worries
 
I'm so sorry for your loss, but it goes with the territory I'm afraid :(. I've had to have a horse put down in each of the last three years. I keep two, sometimes three. I would agree about staying clear of thoroughbreds and highly bred warmbloods. IDxs and cobs have given me a lot fewer problems over the years. The shorter and thicker the legs, the less problem they seem to cause. I am hoping against hope to break the sequence in 2015!
 
i lost one of mine just over two years ago and even now thinking of when i had her PTS is gut wrenching - i can still bawl my eyes out (at home on my own). I had two though and honestly having another was the absolute best thing - focussing on her well being etc keot me focussed on soemthign positive. She's 21 and im very mindful of her age and how fragile they can be but she tells me every day she's fighting fit and planning on hanging around a good while longer! I would take some time to look around and find the right one - get a full vetting and go from there.
 
Thanks for everyones replys :) its so difficult isn't it, i am tending to look towards something more native my problem is i always seem to sit too small on anything less than 16 hands although i think it may just be my perception from being used to riding larger animals. I would love a welsh d or connemara but finding anything around 15.2 is a challenge, i will have a look at the cobs about too though, i think i will steer clear of another TB she was a gem but i need a change and a big change at that! If anyone has any ideas on where to look for a decent native/ cob type please share :) x
 
exracer superstar said:
Thanks for everyones replys :) its so difficult isn't it, i am tending to look towards something more native my problem is i always seem to sit too small on anything less than 16 hands although i think it may just be my perception from being used to riding larger animals. I would love a welsh d or connemara but finding anything around 15.2 is a challenge, i will have a look at the cobs about too though, i think i will steer clear of another TB she was a gem but i need a change and a big change at that! If anyone has any ideas on where to look for a decent native/ cob type please share :) x
Click to expand...

My Welshie is 15.1/15.2hh :) Welshies are pretty easy to find in that height.. Connemaras are not so easy! :) HorseQuest I find is probably the best for finding horses and reputable dealers! :)
 
I've got a 15.2hh welsh type. Hes actually clipped and trimmed as hes not typey enough and hes very typey as a LW show cob. But they are out there, especially if you look for a part bred :)
 
Just go for it. I'm sure every single one of us on here could post tales of woe. That's just horses for you, I'm afraid. Don't feel singled out or that you've been particularly unlucky. I am an ordinary rider who does BS/BD & from my horse history we have: spavins, in the wrong place to fuse/fix; headshaker & all-round maniac; pedal osteitis/15 lb tumour on ovary; splints; degenerative joint disease in front feet; very serious accident with barbed wire; fatal protein losing enteropathy (Catembi in avatar); EPSM/spavin/sarcoids (Adrian that I still have; post viral fatigue/ulcers (Trev that I still have).

Catembi absolutely broke my heart & altho I lost him in Feb 2007, I still can't always talk about him. I just cannot describe how awful it was to lose him. But I went onwards to the EPSM horse!

Horses go wrong more often than right, & for every Jenny (my mare that I had from a 3 yo to the age of 40) there is a Catembi. Just go for it & hope for the best. That's all any of us can do.

T x
 
Tbh owning a horse with the I would never put one through box rest mentality would just be really really stressful so if where you I would not get another .
 
I had my mare on box rest for a year when she needed it and turned out when the vet said she was ready, however she did the injury in the field in the first place and i said there was no way i could of eliminated the problem other than to have never turned her out or to stop the same thing happening never turn the next one out .. which i wouldn't do. I would however box rest when appropriate. I was just meaning if she had tore her DDFT doing XC you can eliminate the risk to a certain extent by not eventing etc etc
 
Firstly, I'm really sorry to hear of your situation. I was in a similiar position just over two years ago when I lost my mare to navicular, collateral ligament damage, and nurological issues. I sold all my stuff too and vowed to never get another again. I had 7 months off, and hated it/loved it at the same- I partied, went on holidays, but my life was so empty. Cut a long story short I found my new mare, well not so new anymore, I've had her just under two years now and haven't looked back since. I felt all those feelings too, I cried alot at first as I just wasn't sure I'd made the right decision. But she's my world and I love the bones off of her. I still cherish a special place for my late mare, and I miss her dearly, even now. But T has helped me keep the good memories, and forget the bad ones.

I promise those feelings you feel now won't last forever.

Best of luck in whatever you decide x
 
Hi there, check out the Dragon Driving website. A quick scan shows a few that might fit, but as an example, what about this one:

http://www.dragondriving.co.uk/horses.php?page=1&totalRows=1406


Shilo, 15.3hh Riding Mare - Updated
Shilo, 15.3hh Riding Mare Shilo, 15.3hh Riding Mare
Shilo is approx 15.3hh and still growing. Big stunning mare, 4 years old. Very laid back to handle. This beautiful, gentle mare is going to be a huge eyeful of cob once she's matured into her frame.
Hacking out nicely. Good attitude towards her job. Snaffle mouthed! Open to vet!
Passported & wormed. Can deliver anywhere UK.
Price: £1,200 Ono
Location: Doncaster
Contact: Sarah Bisby - T
Phone: 07584 666316
Email:Email Address

Good luck with your search....can definitely reccomend cobs...we have one and he is a fantastic personality and very easy boy....xxx
p.s. I dont know the horse in the advert, it's only a recommendation based on the type and size you need. xxx
 
Last edited:
I actually had a little cry reading your question OP. I lost my horse in February and it still really hurts, so I know how you feel. However, like you, I was bored without a horse, my life felt empty and I now have a lovely exracer on loan. He will never replace my mare, but he is special in his own way. Good luck with it. xx
 
catembi said:
Horses go wrong more often than right, & for every Jenny (my mare that I had from a 3 yo to the age of 40) there is a Catembi. Just go for it & hope for the best. That's all any of us can do.
Click to expand...

I think this is the best advice anyone can give you. I lost my mare very suddenly in May. Like yours, she was a Thoroughbred, and those lovely, long legs are, sadly, terribly fragile. My lovely Alice broke her right hind in the field. According to the vet it was an absolutely catastrophic fracture and there was nothing that could be done. I got Tudor a month later, and he helps, as much as anyone can. I still miss her, and I still have an absolute terror of anything happening to either him or my little Welsh, but I would still rather have them, knowing that one day I will lose them, than not have them at all.
 
I lost my lovely mare a year ago too. I can understand how you feel. I couldn't stand being without a horse so I got one 2 months later. I wrapped him in cotton wool so start with and I panicked over everything like if I left him out for the night he would get colic and die! However now I have had him nearly a year I am more relaxed. He has been lame and got cuts but I dealt with them. So time is a great healer take the plunge and buy a new horsey!!!! x
 
I ow of a 14.3/15hh ( needs a re measure ) connie mare reg and perfect 5 years old would go on to do amazing things , so they do exist :) what area are you in
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top