Horsehead
Well-Known Member
What better way to spend the couple of hours i thought, before i head to the doctors for the all over rash i've aquired (lovely piece of imagery for you there) than to finally sit at my computer and tell you all about my 2 weeks with my horsey!!
So, last saturday I got to the yard with just enough time to get the stable ready, it didn't take as long as we all thought for her to travel from the near enough midlands all the way down to Essex. Me and my mum had dropped all my stuff off at my room first, and so were pushing a wheelbarrow of feed and tools, and pulling a suitase with the rest down from my room to the yard (my horse is at uni with me, just so that makes a little more sense!) the perils of not currently driving.
Anyway, I made her bed with just enough time to direct them to the yard, and as they came through the car park she let out a huge whinny. They dropped the ramp, and contrary to the horse I had seen 6 weeks previously, off stepped a dull looking little thing. Can I at this point just say that I don't think she was genuinely neglected out of nastiness, i'd say it was just lack of knowledge really or something along those lines, cos I feel that in theory she was well looked after, I just think that as a Thoroughbred her needs may not have been met.
So we pop her in her stable and she's understandably pacing around. She was really quite ribby, her coat was very dull and her feet noticeably over grown. The girl said to me she thought the shoes would last another month, I just smiled politely as i stared at the clenches well risen. I got given tack and rugs with her to (I paid relatively nominal amount for them) 99% of the stuff was there, but nothing i felt was working having a paddy over. I gave her a treat and she immediatly calmed down. She does this really cute thing where her top lip twitches as she sniffs your hand for treats, like a dog.
When they left, I knew it was just me and her. For the night I just gave her what she was used to which was a handful of chaff and some carrots, just so she could settle in. The next day the new meal plan would be slowly introduced.
On her second day she went out into the field and was a star, and when i came to get her in later, she came right to me, I knew i'd made the right decision on buying her, because previous owner said she would sometimes be a bugger to catch! I know it was only the first day but i thought it was a good sign. Subsequently she has come to me every time i've brought her in, and a friend went to get her in for me one of the days, and she was being difficult to catch, the next day she came right to me. I don't bribe her with food either as i don't want her to get into that habit, so it makes me feel special to know she comes to me perhaps because she knows it's me? I lunged her on the monday and it was her first time in an indoor as far as I was aware, and she was a star, rode her in the indoor the next day, again a star. She has a field buddy who i'm good friends with now (we're the two newies on the yard, i'm very shy, she's outgoing, it's like one of those friendships haha) so we hack and ride together quite a lot, my girl is very much at the beginning of her training, where as her friend is more advanced, so it's nice to have a horse like that to ride with. I've hacked her out a couple of times too and she is such a diamond, you can feel she wants to go (being TB) but she'll wait for you, dances on the spot a little, but wont put a foot out of place until told to go, and even then she holds this amazing round canter which you could just sit to all day long.
One of her shoes was loose aswell, so i didn't wanna do anything with her, she practically lives in over reach boots cos she over tracks by about a hoof and a half! So i wanted to wait for Mr Farrier to see her too, when he did come I told him what previous owner said to me about the feet, he was like, looks like she hasn't been shod in a year! I got all foour done, because ya know, TB feet and all, and she kicked, bit his bum, and reared up on him, but lovely Mr farrier still did a cracking job on her feet, i'm going to have her seen again in 4 weeks i'd say, at least to begin with. I took photos of her feet before and after so will post pics when i get round to doing that.
Today I took her out to the field to have a look at the x-country, I wasn't fussed if she jumped anything or not, I just thought it would be nice to have a look, i'd been told she's done XC and SJ in the home previous to the girl i bought her off, but being 5, and from the apparent level of her schooling, I'm basically starting all over again. She went out with her friend, who was going to give her a lead over something, but i think she was all abit WHAT DO i DO!!? So we put a small branch thing on the ground, and she took a lead over it in walk... little did I know she was going to catapult herself over it!!!!! We walked over it again no bother, but she jumped it a couple more time MASSIVE, I couldn't tell where she was taking off aswell so I did keep getting left behind, much to my annoyance at myself, but I borrowed my friends bitless bridle so i couldn't catch her mouth, so i think all my initial jump training will be bitless, honestly that is the first time i've ridden bitless and she was a dream, big field, 100% brakes, 100% stoppable, and it eliminates the mouth socking aswell because my pony has SCOPE! of which i am soooooooo happy about, I should have guessed when i attempted pole work with her, and she stepped over the first one and jumped the following 3... but i was so hungover that day that that's another story all together! The friend I ride with is bitless, the one i borrowed the bridle off, and honestly her horse works so well in it, it is definitly something i would recommend giving a go if you can, cos the bridles aren't cheap, so i'm borrowing till i've bought my own.
I've also got the vet out to do her teeth, and I was told she was done, but I think i'll just do things my way so I can keep my own records ya'know.
So OMG have I gone on and on, if you've been bothered to read this then you are amazing!!!! I will post photos, unfortunatly I didn't get any of the day she arrived, I only got some after a week, where she already looked so much better (I am told by many others) but you can still see her ribs etc (I know she's TB but coming into winter i'd rather bulk her up but I think previous owner didn't want to buy feed, but that's just speculation on my part). She also came with quite nasty rainscald on her flanks, but that's all cleared up now, and she gets covered from head to toe basically when she goes out, because i don't wanna not put her out while i still can.
I still went on after i'd almost finished... but I shall finish this part by saying I love her to pieces, I know some people have iffy first few weeks, and i was getting nervous reading other peoples reports, but she calls to me in the morning, and i couldn't imagine loving anything more than I love her!!
xxxx
So, last saturday I got to the yard with just enough time to get the stable ready, it didn't take as long as we all thought for her to travel from the near enough midlands all the way down to Essex. Me and my mum had dropped all my stuff off at my room first, and so were pushing a wheelbarrow of feed and tools, and pulling a suitase with the rest down from my room to the yard (my horse is at uni with me, just so that makes a little more sense!) the perils of not currently driving.
Anyway, I made her bed with just enough time to direct them to the yard, and as they came through the car park she let out a huge whinny. They dropped the ramp, and contrary to the horse I had seen 6 weeks previously, off stepped a dull looking little thing. Can I at this point just say that I don't think she was genuinely neglected out of nastiness, i'd say it was just lack of knowledge really or something along those lines, cos I feel that in theory she was well looked after, I just think that as a Thoroughbred her needs may not have been met.
So we pop her in her stable and she's understandably pacing around. She was really quite ribby, her coat was very dull and her feet noticeably over grown. The girl said to me she thought the shoes would last another month, I just smiled politely as i stared at the clenches well risen. I got given tack and rugs with her to (I paid relatively nominal amount for them) 99% of the stuff was there, but nothing i felt was working having a paddy over. I gave her a treat and she immediatly calmed down. She does this really cute thing where her top lip twitches as she sniffs your hand for treats, like a dog.
When they left, I knew it was just me and her. For the night I just gave her what she was used to which was a handful of chaff and some carrots, just so she could settle in. The next day the new meal plan would be slowly introduced.
On her second day she went out into the field and was a star, and when i came to get her in later, she came right to me, I knew i'd made the right decision on buying her, because previous owner said she would sometimes be a bugger to catch! I know it was only the first day but i thought it was a good sign. Subsequently she has come to me every time i've brought her in, and a friend went to get her in for me one of the days, and she was being difficult to catch, the next day she came right to me. I don't bribe her with food either as i don't want her to get into that habit, so it makes me feel special to know she comes to me perhaps because she knows it's me? I lunged her on the monday and it was her first time in an indoor as far as I was aware, and she was a star, rode her in the indoor the next day, again a star. She has a field buddy who i'm good friends with now (we're the two newies on the yard, i'm very shy, she's outgoing, it's like one of those friendships haha) so we hack and ride together quite a lot, my girl is very much at the beginning of her training, where as her friend is more advanced, so it's nice to have a horse like that to ride with. I've hacked her out a couple of times too and she is such a diamond, you can feel she wants to go (being TB) but she'll wait for you, dances on the spot a little, but wont put a foot out of place until told to go, and even then she holds this amazing round canter which you could just sit to all day long.
One of her shoes was loose aswell, so i didn't wanna do anything with her, she practically lives in over reach boots cos she over tracks by about a hoof and a half! So i wanted to wait for Mr Farrier to see her too, when he did come I told him what previous owner said to me about the feet, he was like, looks like she hasn't been shod in a year! I got all foour done, because ya know, TB feet and all, and she kicked, bit his bum, and reared up on him, but lovely Mr farrier still did a cracking job on her feet, i'm going to have her seen again in 4 weeks i'd say, at least to begin with. I took photos of her feet before and after so will post pics when i get round to doing that.
Today I took her out to the field to have a look at the x-country, I wasn't fussed if she jumped anything or not, I just thought it would be nice to have a look, i'd been told she's done XC and SJ in the home previous to the girl i bought her off, but being 5, and from the apparent level of her schooling, I'm basically starting all over again. She went out with her friend, who was going to give her a lead over something, but i think she was all abit WHAT DO i DO!!? So we put a small branch thing on the ground, and she took a lead over it in walk... little did I know she was going to catapult herself over it!!!!! We walked over it again no bother, but she jumped it a couple more time MASSIVE, I couldn't tell where she was taking off aswell so I did keep getting left behind, much to my annoyance at myself, but I borrowed my friends bitless bridle so i couldn't catch her mouth, so i think all my initial jump training will be bitless, honestly that is the first time i've ridden bitless and she was a dream, big field, 100% brakes, 100% stoppable, and it eliminates the mouth socking aswell because my pony has SCOPE! of which i am soooooooo happy about, I should have guessed when i attempted pole work with her, and she stepped over the first one and jumped the following 3... but i was so hungover that day that that's another story all together! The friend I ride with is bitless, the one i borrowed the bridle off, and honestly her horse works so well in it, it is definitly something i would recommend giving a go if you can, cos the bridles aren't cheap, so i'm borrowing till i've bought my own.
I've also got the vet out to do her teeth, and I was told she was done, but I think i'll just do things my way so I can keep my own records ya'know.
So OMG have I gone on and on, if you've been bothered to read this then you are amazing!!!! I will post photos, unfortunatly I didn't get any of the day she arrived, I only got some after a week, where she already looked so much better (I am told by many others) but you can still see her ribs etc (I know she's TB but coming into winter i'd rather bulk her up but I think previous owner didn't want to buy feed, but that's just speculation on my part). She also came with quite nasty rainscald on her flanks, but that's all cleared up now, and she gets covered from head to toe basically when she goes out, because i don't wanna not put her out while i still can.
I still went on after i'd almost finished... but I shall finish this part by saying I love her to pieces, I know some people have iffy first few weeks, and i was getting nervous reading other peoples reports, but she calls to me in the morning, and i couldn't imagine loving anything more than I love her!!
xxxx
