Amirah
Well-Known Member
Keira, you hacked him out alone, past feral ponies and fast cars and hornets. You were not ineffective at all, don't do yourself down. There are plenty of horses that won't hack out alone.
The horse has hives and has been fed on Alfalfa - which can blow plenty of horses minds. This has happened all AFTER the horse had been in the UK for a few weeks. I have said in previous posts that the horse need a month in the field on nothing but grass with a bit of hay if required THEN reassessed. I just cant understand why this approach is so difficult to understand or implement? If another pro rides it and it still rears then you can go own the Vet route if required. One of my horse is a sweet and kind chap but he completely lost his shit when i fed Calm & Condition, he literally could not contain himself. So i took him off it, gave it a few days and guess what? I had my lovely horse back.
Yes the OP may never want to ride it again but if the horse comes good it can be resold.
I'm sorry but the fact that the OP wont acknowledge the posts asking about how the pro rode the horse only makes me think that something went wrong, now OP has a horse that has been labelled dangerous. And none of it's really her fault.
Thank you so much everyone for your replies. I appreciate all your time reading and responding - I really do.
In answer to the question about the pro, he was certainly more stern/firm than myself but I was way too soft and ineffective (especially at first, although I gained a lot of confidence after a few weeks.) He was never ever rough though. Never used a switch. Just a stern tone of voice when Prince was napping.
In terms of getting a second opinion from another pro (and I’m so grateful to the people who have kindly sent details of people they recommend) I feel that I would rather get a full medical work up done FIRST so that if there is a problem medically it can be addressed as soon as possible. If he were to get the all clear medically, I would then want to visit another pro for behavioural advice. What I do know medically so far is that his teeth are good, his hooves are good, his heart and eyes are good, the vet did flexion tests with his legs and watched him trot from behind. He is not cold backed. So that leaves me left to explore the possibility of harder to spot issues (needing scans/xrays etc) such as ulcers, spinal problems etc..
Am I going to do this?? Guys, I just don’t know. I honestly am lost. I will however make my mind up very very soon, I can’t keep going around in circles - it’s no good for me or Prince.
What I can say is that I value everyone’s input very much - many of you have spent such a long time reading and replying. I’m sorry if I haven’t replied to you personally with my thanks yet.
I will let everyone know the outcome of this as abs when things happen and new things are discovered. I’m still awaiting a call from the vet with the second microchip number.
Thanks again to everyone who has stuck around to lend their advice and support x
We weren't all going to agree, but all have an opinion. We have collectively dug into our experiences and come up with various memories of things that sent our horses temporarily crackers, ranging from egotistical males to the wrong food. Some think return, some think try to find the cause and some think that she's got little chance of a refund.
None of us know how much spare cash, if any, OP has got, her emotions towards Prince or how she would feel if she never saw him again.
She's even had an incredibly generous offer of free bed and board for him on here.
It's easy to have principles when you can afford them like some of us can, it wouldn't matter to me if one of mine was completely useless as they're at home, and I'm not that fussed about riding anyway unless my daughter drags me out (I am very fair weather, like the Queen ☺).
The important thing is that whatever she decides none of us judge her.[/QUOTE
So now it appears that some People think the OP should keep the horse and throw bucketloads of money at it in the hope that something will show up giving reason for the recent behaviour, which can then (hopefully) be ‘fixed’ by throwing even more money at the horse by getting another ‘Pro’ to do some work with the horse?
or am I mistaken?
as ycbm said previously, this horse is a money pit, anyone with a bit of experience can see that. And whilst a lot of us would throw money at him in the hopes that he can be of some use at some point in the future, I think a lot of you are forgetting that Keira ISN’T an experienced owner, and she bought a horse that both her and her daughter can enjoy and ride.
Quite clearly this is not Princ, not at the present time at least. And Keira has admitted that she won’t feel comfortable getting back on him again after his previous rearing, can’t say I blame her tbh.
horses are meant to be fun. Yes they do cause quite a bit of stress and worry every now and again, but this is well beyond that and is now causing problems in Keira’s personal life ?
if she can get a refund and return the horse, surely that’s the best course of action for her and her family
I can’t actually find the words to thank you for your incredible offer and kindness. This means more to me then I could express xNo worries Keira - I'm just playing it forward. There are a lot of really experienced and knowledgable people on this forum and I'm pretty sure that many of us have found ourselves in a bit of a shit situation with a horse when you doubt your own judgement and reach out for advice which is why this forum exists. If you decide to do any investigations can I recommend you contact Endels and ask for a call back from Hani. She is an extremely experienced and pragmatic equine vet and will give you sound advice on what, if any, further investigations she feels would benefit you and Prince given your circumstances. I wish you all the luck in resolving your dilema and my offer still stands when your pre-paid livery ends.Just as a by-the-way my current job mainly involves taking non-payers to the small claims court and then instructing sherifs to reclaim unpaid debts so if you need any advice on this let me know. Its more simple then you would think although possibly the Irish element might be more complex. Best wishes with whatever you decide to do.
something niggles me about this story. This has gone from a horse who was "very easy, gentle and respectful to ride" her words to this in the space of only a couple of weeks. He was hacking out amongst semi feral ponies and cars calmly. Her daughter was riding him in the field.
If he is a confirmed rearer why didn't he just rear then?
If he had reared, napped and misbehaved from the beginning then no problem, something was badly wrong before he even came.
Oh my goodness!!!!!! This is so amazing to hear!!!! I can’t tell you how excited this makes me feel! Thank you for telling me this xxActually, riding with MS is a good idea with the right horse. The main reason that my good friend is still able to walk (she has MS) is because she rides almost everyday. So I think riding would be a great physical and mental therapy for you.
I've been through some shit and I totally get waiting to seize the moment while you can. Or trying to treat yourself a bit because life is short. I've also been screwed over by dishonest sketchy people. It sucks. You will be able to move past this. It's a bump in the road.
?If I wasn't so far away you and your daughter could come and ride mine, but there might be someone here that's nearer that could offer the same
Thank you ? xxSo sorry Keira - really. x
Thank you xxKeira
I haven't responded to this thread so far simply because I don't know what advice to give. But having just read your last post, I just want to say that whatever you decide to do, you won't get any judgement from me nor I suspect from anyone else here.
You need to take care of yourself first and foremost.
The timing is bang on for a bute loading wearing off.
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The timing is bang on for a bute loading wearing off.
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I once had a horse who " tied up" or appeared to. Turned out he had had a rotational fall at some point in his life and had horrific arthritic changes in his neck/shoulder this led to a trapping of nerves that created a huge dangerous reaction. He was only 11 but I sadly lost him as he was too dangerous, he was in such pain he was not even able to be a field ornament.fair point he may have been buted and I wondered about that but I have used a lot of bute over the years (a lot of older horses) and never managed to go for anything like that long without topping it up. Perhaps something else was used. If he had been mine I would have put him straight onto a bute trial at the first sign of pain reluctance to try and establish if he had. It would sadly be too late to try that now.
I don't doubt he came with problems I am just not sure what problem. I did think when K first posted about tying him up and saying he was a 16 yo had hunted and had had a hard life thinking this might not have been a good idea and wondering if the next post was going to be the horse was so stiff, unsound behind etc etc and he was going to need treatment.
I will def look into this! Sounds very sensible xxIt definitely sounds like a large gin and tonic kinda day! I can't remember if this has already been asked, but are you a BHS member? It might be worth having a chat with their legal team if you are (or joining as a member if not) just so you know where you stand from a legal perspective, especially if your husband is going to push for Prince to be returned.