Just devastated :(

FestiveFuzz

FestiveFuzz

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 January 2008
Messages
4,586
Visit site
I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I'm hoping to gain from this post, but I just needed to put this out somewhere.

My beautiful, lovely little baby horse has just been scanned by the vet who confirmed she has a tendon conformation that has resulted in DDFT in both hinds. He described it as a one in a million thing that wouldn't have flagged on a vetting. Prognosis is not good. Even if we operate she'll only ever be a happy hack, not the AM dressage mare I'd been aiming to bring on.

I'm absolutely devastated. She's the sweetest horse I've ever met and I was so looking forward to our future together. I've only owned her a month. I have no idea what to do, although right now crying seems like my best option until I can muster up my game face to pop to the yard to give her some cuddles.

Sorry for such a pitiful post, I'm just absolutely gutted right now.
 
Oh my goodness, how absolutely awful, sending you a massive hug xx

Take your time to make the right decision for you both.
 
She came in slightly off this morning with heat and swelling, which we put down to her hooning about in the field. Vet was coming to the yard anyway so YO asked him to take a look whilst he was there.

Just stunned at the moment how it's gone from us thinking she'd just tweaked herself to her potentially being a field ornament at 5 :(
 
SusieT said:
Oh dear that is heartbreaking - is she insured?
Click to expand...

Yes thankfully but sadly not for LOU, all the more annoying as I was just saying to my OH last week I might add it to my policy given how much she cost to buy.

She's currently on 3 months box rest with a rescan in a month. So I'm just going to take it one step at a time for now.
 
I know how you feel. My first homebred, which I spent a lot of time choosing a stallion, and a fair bit of money, everything I hoped for until at two he got a sarcoid. Now he is fit and healthy, but I was so sad, even though to him nothing had changed. Give it time, its part of a grieving process.
 
So it could possibly be an injury and the odd conformation hasn't caused it, at this stage? If she's gone lame and it's without a doubt due to the conformation within a month, I would be wondering about the seller.
 
oh dear re LOU :( in that case I'd be making sure your vet makes use of every possible therapy that may be useful to maximise your insurance money and the best chance of getting a useable horse so you can recoup something. she's young, time and rest may help
 
I'm so sorry to hear this. Fingers tightly crossed for you that she comes right, I know you put a lot of time and energy into your search so I will keep hoping for a positive outcome. x
 
FfionWinnie said:
So it could possibly be an injury and the odd conformation hasn't caused it, at this stage? If she's gone lame and it's without a doubt due to the conformation within a month, I would be wondering about the seller.
Click to expand...

This. How did she get to 5yr old without an issue if its an inherent conformation problem?

Either way, fingers crossed you can resolve it, it must have been an awful shock :(
 
I am so sorry this has happened to you. We were both looking at the same time, I watched your search with interest. I was so happy when you found a horse you were happy with.

I have fingers and toes crossed that there *may* be a *fault* but that your horse is indeed suffering from hooli-ing round the field, and will settle with time.

(((((Hugs)))))
 
Thanks all. Have spoken to the vet at length now and in his words she has the worst possible tear in the worst possible place, with the other leg showing signs of mineralisation and wear, so much so that he feels it's only a matter of time until we face the same problem as the left leg (incidentally it's her fronts not her backs as I thought I'd heard when speaking with my YO over the phone).

More concerning is how she's got so much damage given how little mileage she has. I'm now questioning whether there was another reason for her having been turned away so soon after breaking last summer, but right now all my energy is being put into making sure I do right by Pops.

She's currently in a lot of pain, which we're giving medication for and will be rescanned next week before any decisions are made.

It just breaks my heart to see her this way. Especially when just last week we were planning her first competition.
 
Last edited:
So sorry to read this. I haven't read the rest of the post but maybe look at barefoot rehab has helped a lot of DDFT injuries.
 
I remember there was a delay in you picking her up. Was that your end or their end? Was it a dealer or private seller? You still have rights if it was a private seller and they knew. If you are a BHS gold member phone them up and speak to an adviser and however much you don't want to face this now, I would suggest you must if you are going to take it up with the seller, right away.
 
Oh sweetie. I'm so sorry.

My first horse was four and just backed when I got her. I lost her a year later as both hind suspensories were so bad. She was with Sue Dyson at the AMT and Sue couldn't believe how bad they were for a horse that was so young and had done so little. Sometimes things just go wrong and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Hugest hugs.
 
FfionWinnie said:
I remember there was a delay in you picking her up. Was that your end or their end? Was it a dealer or private seller? You still have rights if it was a private seller and they knew. If you are a BHS gold member phone them up and speak to an adviser and however much you don't want to face this now, I would suggest you must if you are going to take it up with the seller, right away.
Click to expand...

Delay was my end due to the vet messing up the vetting and claiming she was so bad on the lunge that he deemed she was unsafe/too dangerous to see ridden. I went up that weekend to see her lunged myself and then my YO went up separately to view her so tried to cover all bases before committing to buy.

Seller had only bought her the month before, she wasn't even advertised when we viewed her as he'd planned to bring her on before selling...we only got a look in as my YO knows him. YO is currently trying to get more details from the breeder to see if there were any issues when breaking but I honestly think this is just pure bad luck rather than there being someone to point the finger at.
 
MrsMozart said:
Oh sweetie. I'm so sorry.

My first horse was four and just backed when I got her. I lost her a year later as both hind suspensories were so bad. She was with Sue Dyson at the AMT and Sue couldn't believe how bad they were for a horse that was so young and had done so little. Sometimes things just go wrong and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Hugest hugs.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I just feel so utterly broken right now. She's the sweetest little mare, it just doesn't seem fair.
 
Perhaps your insurance would fund her going to Rockley when the time is right. Really worth speaking to them to see if they think it would respond to their protocols I think. If it's a conformation fault then I really believe BF is the best way to achieve long term soundness.

I know exactly how you feel and you have my every sympathy (my dream horse dropped dead after I had had her 6 months and her replacement was diagnosed with a potentially career ending muscle myopathy after 5 weeks). Your dreams are shattered by the news but there are still options and things might not be as bad as they first appear. Everything crossed for you.
 
Last edited:
FestiveFuzz said:
Delay was my end due to the vet messing up the vetting and claiming she was so bad on the lunge that he deemed she was unsafe/too dangerous to see ridden. I went up that weekend to see her lunged myself and then my YO went up separately to view her so tried to cover all bases before committing to buy.

Seller had only bought her the month before, she wasn't even advertised when we viewed her as he'd planned to bring her on before selling...we only got a look in as my YO knows him. YO is currently trying to get more details from the breeder to see if there were any issues when breaking but I honestly think this is just pure bad luck rather than there being someone to point the finger at.
Click to expand...

So was the vetting completed satisfactorily another day?

I guess by conformation flaw the vet that is now treating her can see long toe, low weak heel issues which can be addressed, I would certainly look at sending a 5 year old to Rockley, your insurance may not pay out if you do pts without trying everything so it would be worth seeing if they will finance Rockley sooner rather than leaving it until everything else has been tried, the success rate is far higher than traditional routes.

On a personal note you must feel absolutely gutted, after all the looking to find such a lovely mare and have this happen before you even started to enjoy your time with her, life is so unfair sometimes.
 
be positive said:
So was the vetting completed satisfactorily another day?

I guess by conformation flaw the vet that is now treating her can see long toe, low weak heel issues which can be addressed, I would certainly look at sending a 5 year old to Rockley, your insurance may not pay out if you do pts without trying everything so it would be worth seeing if they will finance Rockley sooner rather than leaving it until everything else has been tried, the success rate is far higher than traditional routes.

On a personal note you must feel absolutely gutted, after all the looking to find such a lovely mare and have this happen before you even started to enjoy your time with her, life is so unfair sometimes.
Click to expand...

It sounds foolish now, but given she'd passed the vetting albeit without being ridden I didn't bother getting them to come back out. Then again she was and has been completely sound up until today and my vet said unless something had prompted us to ask for an ultrasound there would have been no way of knowing the damage so I guess I could have still been in this position anyway.

I'll speak with YO, vet and insurance and see where they stand on Rockley, as you're right she is long in the toe with a low heel, but this was put down to her having never been shod before she came to us. If BF gives her a chance then I'm willing to try...at least until the insurance runs out.

And yes, I literally don't know what to do with myself right now. Two days ago I was out hacking her and thanking my lucky stars that I'd found such a wonderful little mare and now just thinking about her makes my heart hurt. It's really not fair, but I'll do whatever is right by her. Just hate seeing her in pain :(
 
ester said:
whereabouts it the ddft damaged?
Click to expand...

Good question and one I should really know the answer to but this whole afternoon has gone by in a blur and coupled with a cracking headache I'm pulling a blank. Will check with the vet tomorrow.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top