I've ruined my horse

[Nativelover]

Some of you may remember recent threads over trying to find somewhere suitable both long term or short term for my horse whilst I had my baby.
Well I thought I had things figured out having found grass livery where he would be checked daily if I couldn't get to him.
He's been there 8 weeks now, YO and other liveries are great.
But a week ago I found him gravely ill, under vets treatment he's getting better but yesterday he's become lame.
I'm so upset with myself, I honestly thought a native pony could handle living out. And it felt like the best solution for all of us, he hates being kept in. Something that's been enforced on us through terrible yards ive been on round here.
I've always had pride in how well I've kept him looking, always gleaming and he's never been ill in the 7 years I've had him.
He's done top level showing with me and has served me very well, I feel like I've really let him down.
He was over weight when I moved him. But still shiny and well kept. I thought a winter out would do him good, have some freedom and a break.
He now looks like a knackered old wreck, and now he's lame. Could it be that his hardiness has gone due to the way I've been forced to keep him?
Or have I been completely negligent by turning him away???

 

[be positive]

You say he is gravely ill but not what is wrong with him, if it is a nasty virus or similar that could have happened even if he lived in, the lameness may be an abscess which will have possibly pulled his condition down further, there is no reason to think turning him out is the only cause of whatever he has picked up, don't beat yourself up about it as long as he was getting all he needed, grass, hay and shelter, then he should have been fine and you are probably just unlucky that he has picked up something that made him unwell.

I think most horses can be turned away there is nothing negligent about doing so if the livery provided for his needs, hope he is feeling better soon and you can move on.

 

[CrazyMare]

I agree with Be Positive. Try not to beat yourself up.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Stop, don't beat yourself up. Of course he is going to look 'rough' if out in wooly coat and is not rugged for showing and has been gravely ill in the last week. (what with?)
Yes, he's going to be a scruff, that goes with being out!

Has he dropped loads of weight then? Or just show condition?

What is the lameness? Accidental injury? Abscess? Muscle, ligament or other?

 

[Kezzabell2]

I agree with be positive! and my first thought on the lameness was, are you sure its not an abscess?

these things probably would have happened anyway, you just feel worse because you've moved him and lots of things have changed! it will be okay!!

 

[Abacus]

It's really unlikely that living out has done him damage in itself. You don't say why he was ill and then lame, but unless of course it was caused by something in the field (weeds, etc) it's probably not the being out all the time that has harmed him. Every horse is different but out of my 5, the two in the best condition by a long way are the ones that live out, and I believe others will say the same - so you did what you thought was the right thing for him. For whatever reason it hasn't worked out as you hoped but it was a reasonable decision to make in the circumstances.

Don't beat yourself up, just focus on the issues in front of you. Lame and ill with what? Hope he is feeling better soon. x

 

[Nativelover]

Sorry everyone I should've explained properly.
He's had/has a virus, vet can't find anything else wrong nor a reason why. Says its just one of those things, like we pick up a cold.
The lameness is yet to be diagnosed, she's seeing him this pm.
He's also got scabby legs, likely from mud rash. I'm lucky in the fact that he's now on full livery and have a great YO who is dealing with the vet and administering the meds.
I can't help feeling terrible about how he is now.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Don't be daft. I've just bought a show jumper and turned him out 24/7. He's probably never lived out since he was a foal if even then, and has lived a pampered life his whole 10 years and he is completely fine. There's no way you've caused this and if he was going to be ill from a virus it wouldn't matter where he was.

 

[ester]

I took frank home thinking it was better for his leg he then promptly got a really bad case of photosensitisation on his nose in October! Best guess on that is virus affecting his liver too as that is still not happy and lots of brain racking to think of stuff he might have eaten over the last 11 years. Stuff just happens sometimes.

 

[southerncomfort]

Sorry to be a bore but has he been tested for cushings? A virus plus scabby skin etc. sounds alarm bells for me.

The fact that all this happened when he'd been turned away is very probably just a huge coincidence.

 

[FestiveFuzz]

Honestly don't blame yourself! I'm sure the virus and subsequent lameness are just a coincidence.

 

[PorkChop]

Please don't be so hard on yourself.

As the owner of several " Ye Shall Wan't For Nothing" horses, I can report back that they still try and self harm/get ill/break/cost me a lot of money!

 

[mytwofriends]

I'm going to echo everyone else. A virus could be picked up anywhere, as could lameness. You're just linking these things with turning away, which is understandable, but unnecessary.

My little late horse met his demise by bitten by an adder in the field when he lived out 24/7. He was also kicked and suffered a stress fracture a few years prior, but that was at a different yard where ironically he spent most of his time stabled.

Different places, different scenarios. Horses just have the ability to worry us however they're kept.

 

[smellsofhorse]

Stop, don't beat yourself up. Of course he is going to look 'rough' if out in wooly coat and is not rugged for showing and has been gravely ill in the last week. (what with?)
Yes, he's going to be a scruff, that goes with being out!

Sorry i have to disagree with this!

Just because a horse lives out it doesnt meant it will look rough!


Op, not your fault, just one of those things.

I wish him a speedy recovery.

 

[Nativelover]

Thank you all for your kind words. Struggling with perspective of the situation which I'm trying to blame on hormones!!
Vet isn't concerned about him, his lameness is just a pulled ligament and he was 2/10 lame in trot ( much more lame when I saw him, flaming thing is making a fool of me!!) she has recommended cold therapy, box rest and more danilon.
Hopefully he will be recovered to full health in a couple of weeks.

 

[rachk89]

Agreed with others, dont worry about it. Its a hard thing to do I know, I panic over the slightest change in my horse (currently worrying as to why he looks depressed, but I think I'm either just being neurotic again, he just hates winter or the pony in the field that is being a terror is causing him to feel down). Was exactly the same as you when he got cellulitis, but there wasnt anything I could have done about it. He's not had it since either so it seems like it was just one of those freak things.

 

[pippixox]

Thank you all for your kind words. Struggling with perspective of the situation which I'm trying to blame on hormones!!
Vet isn't concerned about him, his lameness is just a pulled ligament and he was 2/10 lame in trot ( much more lame when I saw him, flaming thing is making a fool of me!!) she has recommended cold therapy, box rest and more danilon.
Hopefully he will be recovered to full health in a couple of weeks.

honestly I know how you feel- I now have a 3 month old baby boy & I have 4 horses. They are living out all winter for the first time, with hay and big feeds and water. Yes they are always waiting for breakfast and I feel 'mean' but have to remind myself this is the most natural way or them to live and they are happy out as long as they have food. they were desperate to go out after the 1 night i brought them in due to torrential rain. I was bringing them in for the day for some hay- an over 10 minute walk with baby in sling & realized I was over doing it and there was no harm in hay in the field instead.

back in june (7 months pregnant and working 50 hour plus weeks still) my old boy had a brain cyst and head swelled up- nose bleeding and could not see out of one eye. found him lying down in the field, not wanting to get up for breakfast. he had strong anti-biotics and pain killers but staid out. this was partly due to me being heavily pregnant, but actually mostly because we though he was going to have to get PTS soon and knew he would be happiest out with his mates. Luckily, he slowly improved and is still alive, just we a lump on his head. very strange! .....

horses always have crap timing! but if in doubt they are happier out.... I did box rest for a tendon for him a few years ago but although he was fine (ex-racer, used to be stabled a lot) I sometimes think he would of been better turned away. I know numerous people whose horses have done a ligament or tendon and been turned away successfully- I would seriously consider it. He can have painkillers in a feed in the field.

 

[Luci07]

I had the opposite. I bought a mare who had just had her foal taken off her. She spent the first month living out (no box) albeit being fed and starting her work programme. She came in in January looking scruffy but well covered. Then came down with every blinking virus and cough. Cue weight and further muscle loss and must be the only horse to drop weight coming in. Various blood tests, ended up on propell and came good. The vet said that it was the change in yard and new horses on a weakened system which had caused it.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Sorry i have to disagree with this!

Just because a horse lives out it doesnt meant it will look rough!

What I meant was that he's going to look very hairy and grubby, unless he is rugged up/clipped. Both my natives look quite 'rough' at present as has yak coat and isn't sleek and tidy. Big one isn't rugged at present either as temps right up and only has a bib clip, so she is a grubby moo at present.
OP has a native, if they are out for the winter not working, then usually are left to 'be' natives.
If you are used to seeing them clean & tidy with a lot less coat, then they will look very different at present

OP, I hope things improve for him soon

 

[alice1234]

Honestly I doubt it will be because he's been living out. He will look a bit ragged from living out but this is natural and nothing a clip and a very good groom can't solve! The virus probably would have come on anyway. Last winter I had a medium/light weight cob out ruggless 24/7 (what his owners said they had always done) and he was very hairy and muddy but very healthy.

 

[SO1]

I would not expect a fat native pony on decent grass who is not being ridden to go from being overweight and in show condition to being a knackered old wreck in 8 weeks as it has been very mild this winter. I presume that he has been worm counted and tested for tape worm as well as the only time my native pony who was living out lost a lot of weight was when he got tape worm.

My concern would be that he might not be being checked properly as you found him in such a state and unless it had all happened overnight one would expect the person checking him to realise he was not well and then inform you. Native ponies normally winter out very easily but like any horse can get a virus or become lame.

It is really hard to rely on someone else to check him and there is always going to be a risk that they will miss something. I don't think living out is the problem in this case though it is just making sure you find the right place in terms of making sure that whoever checks him does it properly. I am sure he will bounce back quickly native ponies tend to put on weight easily. It is not your fault just bad luck.