KingCharles
Well-Known Member
I am after some advice as to what to do for the best.
I took Charles on at the end of september, he was to be on long term/permanant loan. I had placed an advert on project horses looking for a project. I made it compleatly clear that i woudl consider anything, as long as they where sound and up to work once fit. Charles' owners contacted me. He was considered a project becasue of his aggresive behaviour on the ground. At the age of 17 he had pretty much had this attitude since a youngster. I spent a logn time thinking about Charels before took him on. I had a few other offers, but he really grabbed me as being a real project. In the sense that no one else really wanted him, and that i would be his last home potentially before he went to rainbow bridge.
I was told under saddlehe was a star, and the owner hacked him out for hours at a time and never had a problem. To be honest if he had been quirky under saddle as well it wouldl not of bothered me too much. I was told that the only problem they had, had with him since the 2 years of ownership was that he went footie when his shoes where removed. He was fine as long as he wore shoes. Being a 16.2hh id x tb that had worn shoes all his life, i was not concerned by this. I was told that if i had any concerns about hisi soundess , then to try him at my yard for a month and see if he was ok. If he was not ok they would take him back. It sounds horrible, but i could not risk the possibility of being stuck with an unsound older horse with tempermental problems. Especially as i would be keeping him at a livery yard. I have 3 children, my eldest has cerebral palsy and i am her full time carer, my second eldest is 18 months and may have autism, and my youngest is 6 months. So obviously the horse is my special time away , and myself and my OH had planned finaces carefully so that i could continue with horses.
Charles had been out of work for 3 months, i was told that simply it was due to lack of time. The day they delivered him i was shocked as he was in very poor condition. His feet where a terrible mess. His passport showed he had not been vaccinated in the 2 years they had owned him, It has showed that prior to them buying him , he was vaccinated. There was a split second in my mind when i wondered what the hell i was doing. The owner gave me a few photos of charles and told me that he dosnt work in an outline, that she had teven had lessons to try and get him to work roudn but he would not. They signed the contract, as did i. They dropped his belongings in a heap on the floro and then drove off. The first thign i set about doing was to get hsi feet sorted out, his heels where badly collpased. I also gave him a good worming, and had my vet otu to see him. I set about building his weight up, slowly and carefully. Once he was feet where sorted and he had started to settle, i set about getting his fit again. I basically took him back to basics, long renied him, lunged him, then gradually hacked him out in walk, then added trot. I managed to get him working in an outline pretty much from the word go. The saddle he had came with, did not fit him, I know his owner had ridden him in this for the 2 years she had him. I also changed his bit to somethign milder and ligther in the mouth. Over time he became a different horse. He started to musclle up, his paces became more elastic, and he went from looking old and dull, to young and full of presence again. His owners came and visited him, and they where tottaly amazed at the transformation. His temperment did nto really im prove with peopel he didint know, bu ti foudn he started to trust me, and it got to a point where i could do anything with him on the ground. Over the time i had him, i found out that i had not been told the whole truth about charles. Only small things, but i found out the reason he was out of work befor ei took him on was becasue he had reared up with his owner and sacred her. I also found more photos of her riding him and he looked very uncomfortabel in the photos, going everywhere hollow his with ears back and teeth bared. A flash was being used to keep his mouth clamped shut. However you could see he was unhappy.
As time progressed and as he became fitter, i noticed charles seemed to be uncomfortable. I had by no means beeing asking a lot from him. In fact with the bad weather his work load had been light. He started to buck when going into canter and grinding his teeth. His teeth where checked and i had a new saddle for him.He also bucked on the lunge in canter. I did nto feel for one second it was his playing up. So i contacted my vet who recommended i have the physio out to assess him. A lady called fiona johnstone. However it was of everyones view that what ever was going on with his back, had obviosuly been there prior to me taking him on. I decided to do a bit of investigation work. Managed to track down one of his old owners to ask iff he had ever had an accident. However i found out nothing. In fact i was told he was always a pleasure to ride. Realising that what was going on was possibly something old, and that my insurance would not cover it, i found my self wondering what to do next. I contacted his owner and asked if they would pass on hsi vet detaiils to my vet to see what work he had, whilst with them. To see if it would shed light on what was going on now. They declined! So i made it clear that i was goign to struggle with the payment for the physio. I asked them if they would contribute, they also declined. I spoke at length with the owners then and told them basically. That i had put a lot of money into charles, and the physio woudl also potentially cost a lot more money. At the end of the day, charles was not my horse, and as far as i was concered the problem was pre exsisting. before i took him on. They did not deny there was obviously something not right when they had him. They did not wish to have charles back , and made it clear that if he went back to him, they woudl nto be able to afford him. That the chances of fiding anyoen else who wanted his where very slim. So they woudl have him PTS. I todl them i was prepared to give him a chance with the physio. However not whilst i was not his owner. There was nothing to say that i woudl spend all th emoney getting him right and they would come and take him away from me. I told the owner that if the prognosis was not good, i would give him the summer with love and care then let him go peicefully, and i woudl be there with him to make sure it was done. The owners said they would get back to me. Tottaly irrelivent to the situation, but i found out i was pregnant again, however made the decision i woudl keep charles, evenm if it meant finaces where a bit tighter. The owners know this. They got back in contact with me over the weekend, and they have told me they will sell charles to me for 500, they also want me to send back his tack so they can sell them on. They told me that this low price si a good price becasue they have lost a lotofmoney on him. They also want the money by the end of the month, and they dont want to see him again. I am to send his tack to them. I am not goign to be able to raise the 500 that quickly, as well as having to pay for the physio. All my savings have been used to fund new items he needed. I have been todl if i dont want him, they will have him PTS. So i am his last chance. People are telling me that i am being taken as a mug. Basically being asked to pay 500 pounds for a horse that has issues, that is older and is a poor doer. Especially as i have put so much money into sorting him out already and will no doubt have to spend a lot more. I want go give him a chance, and we have such a bond. Do you think the owners are being reasonable? Im just trying to do right by the horse.
I took Charles on at the end of september, he was to be on long term/permanant loan. I had placed an advert on project horses looking for a project. I made it compleatly clear that i woudl consider anything, as long as they where sound and up to work once fit. Charles' owners contacted me. He was considered a project becasue of his aggresive behaviour on the ground. At the age of 17 he had pretty much had this attitude since a youngster. I spent a logn time thinking about Charels before took him on. I had a few other offers, but he really grabbed me as being a real project. In the sense that no one else really wanted him, and that i would be his last home potentially before he went to rainbow bridge.
I was told under saddlehe was a star, and the owner hacked him out for hours at a time and never had a problem. To be honest if he had been quirky under saddle as well it wouldl not of bothered me too much. I was told that the only problem they had, had with him since the 2 years of ownership was that he went footie when his shoes where removed. He was fine as long as he wore shoes. Being a 16.2hh id x tb that had worn shoes all his life, i was not concerned by this. I was told that if i had any concerns about hisi soundess , then to try him at my yard for a month and see if he was ok. If he was not ok they would take him back. It sounds horrible, but i could not risk the possibility of being stuck with an unsound older horse with tempermental problems. Especially as i would be keeping him at a livery yard. I have 3 children, my eldest has cerebral palsy and i am her full time carer, my second eldest is 18 months and may have autism, and my youngest is 6 months. So obviously the horse is my special time away , and myself and my OH had planned finaces carefully so that i could continue with horses.
Charles had been out of work for 3 months, i was told that simply it was due to lack of time. The day they delivered him i was shocked as he was in very poor condition. His feet where a terrible mess. His passport showed he had not been vaccinated in the 2 years they had owned him, It has showed that prior to them buying him , he was vaccinated. There was a split second in my mind when i wondered what the hell i was doing. The owner gave me a few photos of charles and told me that he dosnt work in an outline, that she had teven had lessons to try and get him to work roudn but he would not. They signed the contract, as did i. They dropped his belongings in a heap on the floro and then drove off. The first thign i set about doing was to get hsi feet sorted out, his heels where badly collpased. I also gave him a good worming, and had my vet otu to see him. I set about building his weight up, slowly and carefully. Once he was feet where sorted and he had started to settle, i set about getting his fit again. I basically took him back to basics, long renied him, lunged him, then gradually hacked him out in walk, then added trot. I managed to get him working in an outline pretty much from the word go. The saddle he had came with, did not fit him, I know his owner had ridden him in this for the 2 years she had him. I also changed his bit to somethign milder and ligther in the mouth. Over time he became a different horse. He started to musclle up, his paces became more elastic, and he went from looking old and dull, to young and full of presence again. His owners came and visited him, and they where tottaly amazed at the transformation. His temperment did nto really im prove with peopel he didint know, bu ti foudn he started to trust me, and it got to a point where i could do anything with him on the ground. Over the time i had him, i found out that i had not been told the whole truth about charles. Only small things, but i found out the reason he was out of work befor ei took him on was becasue he had reared up with his owner and sacred her. I also found more photos of her riding him and he looked very uncomfortabel in the photos, going everywhere hollow his with ears back and teeth bared. A flash was being used to keep his mouth clamped shut. However you could see he was unhappy.
As time progressed and as he became fitter, i noticed charles seemed to be uncomfortable. I had by no means beeing asking a lot from him. In fact with the bad weather his work load had been light. He started to buck when going into canter and grinding his teeth. His teeth where checked and i had a new saddle for him.He also bucked on the lunge in canter. I did nto feel for one second it was his playing up. So i contacted my vet who recommended i have the physio out to assess him. A lady called fiona johnstone. However it was of everyones view that what ever was going on with his back, had obviosuly been there prior to me taking him on. I decided to do a bit of investigation work. Managed to track down one of his old owners to ask iff he had ever had an accident. However i found out nothing. In fact i was told he was always a pleasure to ride. Realising that what was going on was possibly something old, and that my insurance would not cover it, i found my self wondering what to do next. I contacted his owner and asked if they would pass on hsi vet detaiils to my vet to see what work he had, whilst with them. To see if it would shed light on what was going on now. They declined! So i made it clear that i was goign to struggle with the payment for the physio. I asked them if they would contribute, they also declined. I spoke at length with the owners then and told them basically. That i had put a lot of money into charles, and the physio woudl also potentially cost a lot more money. At the end of the day, charles was not my horse, and as far as i was concered the problem was pre exsisting. before i took him on. They did not deny there was obviously something not right when they had him. They did not wish to have charles back , and made it clear that if he went back to him, they woudl nto be able to afford him. That the chances of fiding anyoen else who wanted his where very slim. So they woudl have him PTS. I todl them i was prepared to give him a chance with the physio. However not whilst i was not his owner. There was nothing to say that i woudl spend all th emoney getting him right and they would come and take him away from me. I told the owner that if the prognosis was not good, i would give him the summer with love and care then let him go peicefully, and i woudl be there with him to make sure it was done. The owners said they would get back to me. Tottaly irrelivent to the situation, but i found out i was pregnant again, however made the decision i woudl keep charles, evenm if it meant finaces where a bit tighter. The owners know this. They got back in contact with me over the weekend, and they have told me they will sell charles to me for 500, they also want me to send back his tack so they can sell them on. They told me that this low price si a good price becasue they have lost a lotofmoney on him. They also want the money by the end of the month, and they dont want to see him again. I am to send his tack to them. I am not goign to be able to raise the 500 that quickly, as well as having to pay for the physio. All my savings have been used to fund new items he needed. I have been todl if i dont want him, they will have him PTS. So i am his last chance. People are telling me that i am being taken as a mug. Basically being asked to pay 500 pounds for a horse that has issues, that is older and is a poor doer. Especially as i have put so much money into sorting him out already and will no doubt have to spend a lot more. I want go give him a chance, and we have such a bond. Do you think the owners are being reasonable? Im just trying to do right by the horse.
