Never borrow a horse from someone......

[Gingerbird]

OK pesimisstic title but.....

A lady at the yard lent us a horse for the sponsored ride last Sunday as my friends pony has tweaked something in her shoulder. Anyways all fine no problems except a couple of rears from this mare. As I said in my pic gallery post we walked all the way as the ground was hard and it was really really hot. Sponged and hosed them all off when we got back all three horses absolutely fine.

Thanked owner of the mare with bottle of wine etc as really kind of her to lend her horse and then.......

Yesterday evening I get to the yard and she's there waiting for me. Tells me her horse is lame on the offside hind and has bruises on her feet. Apparently an instructor that had been at the yaard on the Tuesday night had told her this was only possible if she had whacked a jump mega hard with both front feet and then left a back one behind! The bruises on the front feet are on the wall of the hoof and have obviously grown down the hoof. In my opinion they would have happened an absolute age ago by the mare whacking her coronets or some such area and the bruises that ensued have then slowly grown out down the hoof. Am I right in thinking this or have I missed something really obvious? I don't see how the wall of the hoof can be bruised in any other way???

Anyway owner insists these bruises weren't present on Friday, but we spotted them on the Saturday and the horse was perfectly sound and untroubled by them. They have to have been there for ages, don't they. They're not even the source of the lameness, thats at the back!

I did explain to the owner (who in all fairness doen't know her hoss from her elbow) that we did nothing but walk, the only fence the mare jumped was on very cushioned ground and actually the only reason that fence had been jumped is because the owner was standing there and insisted on it! Also explained she was perfectly sound when we got her home and also pointed out that although the mare had reared twice she had not slipped with her back end while doing so.

What really pee's me off is she is insinuating that we have deliberately done something to harm her horse and then not told her. She also has neglected to question a girl at the yard who exercises this horse regularly and has not respect for hard going etc - she galloped her on the previous Thurs and the ground her is appaulling hard.

I'm hurt by what she has said to me and the two ladies that were with me but wanted to amke sure I wasn't missing something obvious - Am I???

Sorry this is so long and if you got this far thank you and well done!

H

 

[Lucy_Ally]

God its a minefield isn't it? Have they had a vet out to diagnose why she is lame behind? Until they do that they can have no comeback on you anyway as it is all just hearsay. If the horse was sound when delivered back to her and she was present while you jumped the only jump, have you got witnesses to back this up? Unlesss she accepts your explanation it could all get a bit nasty I suspect, soon its going to end up like hiring a car where you document every scratch, lump or blemish before riding the horse!

 

[Gingerbird]

She reckons she's going to gove her a couple of days before she gets the vet, bet the only reason for that is that her husband is moaning about 'spending yet more on that horse'.

I didn't even ride the bl**dy mare, I was on my own horse. The owner was standing there while that one fence was jumped and there were 3 of us in the group. She saw us twice around the course and could have spotted us before we saw her so she knows we were walking!

Doesn't help that she is quite clueless about horses but takes any advice as a criticism so you're treading on eggshells!

i feel for the mare but am furious that shes blaming us for something we haven't done.

One good think is she collared my friend last night too and she was the one who rode the mare. Apparently without knowing it we independently told her exactly the same series of events and opinions! So we surely both can't be wrong and we didn't know the other had been questioned!

 

[sally2008]

Poor you, what a horrible situation to be in.

BTW the "bruises" on the mares feet could well be torn laminae as a result of undue stresses and strains caused by foot imbalance, such as long toes, rather than a percussive injury. She might not have considered that in her rush to accuse you of wrong-doing.

Hope you get it sorted out.

 

[Gingerbird]

There's a thought....

She is shod regularly by my farrier so I'd be suprised if he'd missed something or left her toes long but I suppose it happens????

She was quite 'trippy' or as I'd put it not particularly sure footed at times during the ride but certainly not lame.

 

[sally2008]

It happens quite often if the balance is not correct, even if the horse is regularly shod.

You can replicate the result for yourself - if you have a long (and unpainted) fingernail try pushing up the tip of the nail and you will see a white patch appear on the nail bed where the pressure pushes the blood out. A similar effect happens when a horses toes are left too long, the blood flow gets constricted and the laminae tear at the point of the flair, causing what looks like bruising.

 

[Gingerbird]

Makes sense - Thank you

 

[sally2008]

No problem. If you are allowed near the mare you could try checking - pick up the effected foot as though you were going to pick it out and run your fingertips down the wall from the coronet band - chances are you'll feel a straight section of wall close to the coronet band then it will flair out. If she's got distortion it is often easier to spot this way than visually. Might be worth checking your own horse too if you have the same farrier - prevention being better than cure!

 

[pottamus]

I would not worry, you have done nothing wrong, it is her word against yours...there is no comeback on you at all. It's a shame as it's a hard lesson to learn for you...but people can be evil so and so's.
I have found too in life that things like this back fire or someone you thought a friend turns against you at the drop of a hat.
Don't worry though and try to avoid her...I am sure it will blow over.

 

[PapaFrita]

My farrier has always told me that bruises on horse's feet show up weeks after the injury happened (not like on us) so it's rubbish for her to say that you caused them on the sponsored ride.
Why on earth hasn't she questioned the girl who rides her usually?? It's very unfortunate, not to mention unfair, that you should be blamed like this.

 

[Gingerbird]

Thank you everyone for your positive posts.

At least you have all put my mind at rest. Sally - will definitely have a feel of the feet and see whats what.

PF - It drives me insane - the girl that normally exercises her is awful and has already 'broken' 2 horses in the 2.5 years that I've known her, where as I (no doubt with a lot of luck thrown in0 have two horses aged 19 and 22 who have the cleanest legs your'll ever see and I can count on one hand how many times they have been lame (1 of them only twice in the 14 years I've had him)

thank you all.

 

[henryhorn]

hi, this description has puzzled me completely, are you saying the bruises are on the very outside of the hoof when you pick it up?
I think you might want to write a nice letter to this lady explaining you feel mortifies she thinks you may have abused her horse, and tell her how upset that makes you feel.
The ground is sufficiently hard at the moment for a horse to get sore from very little work, and as you say, the marks could well be ones growing out which I have seen before. The instructor is talking through her bum, horses get bruises from a variety of things, not just whacking jumps!
It's difficult when someone grabs you like that to be able to say what you think, so Try a letter, surly she will realise that had you done the damage, you wouldn't be so upfront about it.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Bruising to a hoof takes ages to show and as in all hoof injuries it gradually grows out & can take months. This injury must have occurred a long time ago. As for the 'Instructor' who pointed it out, I wouldn't bother employing him/her as they clearly don''t know squat, and have operated their mouth before their brain is in gear.
At the moment, as a vet hasn't been out to see the horse, no one knows what has caused the lameness on the hind leg. I would suggest you & your two friends steer clear from her until the vet has formed an opinion, assuming she bothers calling one out. She sounds like an ill informed idiot who is aportioning blame before she has the facts. Other's on your yard will probably be of the same opinion & she will alienate herself from every one there. I know it's annoying but don't worry too much...you've done nothing.