OMG I'm shocked, but do they have a point?

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barkinghorse

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It has been suggested to me on a number of occasions by various people, that due to me having had 11 vet claims on William in 29 mths for self inflicted injuries that maybe i should call time on him and have him shot!!
I have owned him for nearly 3 yrs (he's 8 in May) and have never been able to get going with him due to him being so accident prone. his stable is safe and secure, with no sharp edges and padded around the walls and door, he has stable wraps on and over reach boots, but still injures himself.
In the field i have tried leaving him naked and also tried wrapping him from head to toe but still he injures himself. The vets have advised not to turn him out at all, but that seems pointless as at the end of the day, he is a horse and still injures himself in the stable.
I was totally shocked the first time someone suggested putting him down and feel upset that this has been mentioned again today.
This has never entered my head as an option, am i missing something? am i too close to the situation to see whats right? and are these people the sensible ones?
I feel sad and very upset that maybe i am doing wrong by him.
You're imput would help me to straighten things out in my head.
Jo
 
Not to go through them all, but they include 2 head injuries, 4 serious leg injuries, 2 chest injuries and various stitching to neck and body and legs. Oh and stitches to face and lips
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No they dont have a point! Horses are horses & sods law means you get an accident prone one!

If its any reassurance, my pony had 7 (not quite so impressive) insurance claims due to self-inflicted injury, between the ages of 3 & 8, however he has since grown out of it and he's had 3 (*crosses everything*) vet free years!
 
Thanks Jemayni, I am hoping that he will eventually grow out of it, He's very backward for his age, about 5 max in his head, but sometimes you can't see the woods for the trees and you start to wonder if they have a point.
Jo
 
im in the same situation as you so i know how you feel.
i bought my horse last september and had him for 8 weeks on the most run down farm you could imagine, he never had any injuries.
i moved him to a modern yard with all the latest mod cons and hes been injured ever since. his first vet bill totalled £1500 and his latest i've not recieved yet but with sunday call out and sadation to put the stitches in im guessing at around £200.
the yo and my sister keep going on at me that if he was theres they'd have him shot they've even nicknamed him fray bentos (sp) this thought has never entered my head and i can't honestly believe that so called horse people can ever say anything like this.
it gets me so angry though that they don't even give there horses proper care as in injections and worming programmes they think its a waste of money. im so glad i do, i see it as i bought him and must do everything within my power to provide him a healthy happy life.
they say things like well hes on box rest again your paying for him and hes doing nothing he just takes and takes (like its his fault hes been attacked in the field) they don't seem to grasp theres more to owning a horse than riding, i love the way he lights up when i drive on to the yard, the way he picks up his feet when i ask him so i can brush underneath them without making him move round his box while i skip out. we have a very strong bond and its getting better and better every single day. i truely love my horse and just him being a part of my life makes it truely worthwhile.
 
Tell them to mind their own flaming business!
Its frustrating the way these horses go out and seem hell bent on self harm but you sound seriously unlucky.

I would start to query what kind of yard he's on. Different yards make horses behave differently, very little to do with the management they just dont seem to suit the individual.

Eg my old mare could not stand being left out alone on one yard yet didnt mind being stuck indoors all winter with mud fever. I moved her when the YO got divorced and it reversed completely you could leave her totally by herself when the other horse went out and she didnt give a toss. I'm convinced it was purely down to how the yard/fields were laid out and the amount she could see from her stable etc.
 
As custardsmum has just mentioned, I would have a really good think and look at your yard. Are there too many horses? Is it too busy? Does your horses seem uneasy or stressed at all?. Would a field, with shelter and just an old companion make a difference....

I moved yards 2 years ago, thankfully my two weren't accident prone although the pony was suseptable (sp) to colic. I didn't expect to see a difference (I was moving for other reasons) but they were soo much more chilled out at the new place its just them a paddock and stables.

As for the other people...........its your horse, your money it is none of their business.
 
Bl88dy hell, NO! They do not have a point.

You're prob going through a bad patch.

I had a year of injuries with Finni - he spent more time off work than in work LOL!

He got over it and has **touching wooden surface** been fine ever since.... well apart from a cut on his hock, tearing his chin open and...

Well nothing serious anyway
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XX
 
I can see both sides to this, but owning a horse is supposed to be a pleasure, so do you find yourself dreading going to the yard to find out what he's managed to do to himself that day? I would find myself worrying about it all the time and it would get me down! Theres no pleasure in that! Its all fine if you have the time and money. Also i'd hate to see my horse with injuries all the time,and feel helpless about it, and also think about how the horse feels.. prob like crap. I suppose you have had his eyes and everything else internal, checked to see why he might be doing this, or like someone else said, find another yard.. my horse hated one yard we were at and she was a total stress head, but then i moved her and she's a different horse now.
 
I agree with custardsmum.

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Can you get some cheap wall/floor mats for the stable?

Also is there electric fencing? I have one who was accident prone and although you couldnt cross all the ts and dot all the eyes this made a huge difference. If you can keep them off the fencing it goes a long way! If he is being picked on in a field you need to find another field. Maybe put him in with one mare. it might be that he is challenging another gelding. Two dominant geldings is a nightmare even when there are no mares involved. With mine I find life much easier if I have only one gelding in with mares or the geldings go out together. I have one very dominant gelding and cant have another boy until he goes because he is so aggressive to other geldings. Maybe there is one of these in your field! And your boy is challenging him!!

I would spend a long time, possibly three or four hours, watching the field dynamics. Try to work out where the problem. Is it your horse or is it another horse? There is no blame to be laid as horses are horses but you may find you have to move yards.

Good luck..
 
I do not think they have apoint at all!

Is there a pattern to how he is managing to get himself in such a pickle? Is he having accidents in one spot? i.e. field or stable?

I would have a look at the environment he is in and see if there are any glaring danger spots
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My instructor had a horse like this. But she was as bad herself. In fact we always knew when hossie was sound because thats when she was injured. Don't think anyone ever suggested having her put down though.
 
My instructor had one like this - he eventually had it 'whispered to' and it turns out he was whatever the horse equivalent of dyspraxic or dyslexic. Anyway, bottom line - clumsy. I am also pretty sure he grew out of it! Make what you will of the whispering......

We have a pony who always has a gouge above one eye. He has been moved from stable to stable and in four different bedroom has still done it.
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I have changed yards 3 times and have returned to the original yard as this one is the safest.
This last injury was done in a field with only one old pony and him in it, and he was out for 1hr 45 mins when he damaged himself.
All the horses get on very well, the fields are large and as safe as you will find.
His injuries are caused by him, one of his leg ones was done by him putting his leg on the second rung of a post and rail fence for no apparent reason, he was in a field with lush grass but grazing is secondry to mischief!
Jo
 
Unfortunately some horses are dangerprone daphnes - I have had one - she spent the first three years of her life with me from 5 - 8 with wound powder, staples or something wrapped up somewhere - she was a walking disaster.

She did grow out of it - her mum was the same - very clumsy, no sense of personal space and tripped over her own feet.

You then get the other types - and I have also had these which never had an injury to the day they died.

I know two other people with these types - I have suggested they buy shares in the practice!

Never thought about pts - just gritted my teeth and got on with it.

Is it worth having him really checked out to make sure there are no problems with his vision, balance etc just for your own peace of mind?

Hope he grows out of it in time.
 
He is young and clearly more than a bit clumsy
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But to put him down?
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Sorry that is crazy. You just to have to manage him the best you can and hope as he gets older and wiser he learns to keep himself out of trouble. Some of the clumsiest and uncoordinated children go on to be great athletes
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kids are accident prone but does mean youd have them shot!.

Ok so hes is very accident prone but hes your babay and you love him.

Ive know people shoot problem horses that id just love to spend time with and help them. Its such a shame some people think like that.
 
If he deals with his injuries well and takes it in his stride and you are happy to deal with him then,,,,,,,Carry on doing what you are doing. He may well grow out of it.

My boy was always hurting himself (Mildly) as a youngster. It took him a while to grow in to himself.

Now he is no problem.
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Are you sure they were not saying this tongue in cheek? Doesn't sound like the sort of thing that people would say and mean.....

I've heard loads of people say things like this - they are always joking, but if your people are being serious then perhaps you should ask them why they are saying this?
 
haven't read all the posts but can I ask if you've ever had your boys eyes checked?

Ty is pretty accident prone but he's blind in one eye so that's his excuse! Whenever i move yards he always gets loads of knocks until he gets comfortable with the size of his stable etc!

Don't agree with him being shot though.....
 
I know the feeling, my filly is now 8 and after owning her since 2 has done loads of silly things. The good thing is that as she is growing older, she is getting better.

I even thought she may be a bit deaf or blind, it gets to you after a while.

I have found now the best way is to keep turning out, if the injuries are not too bad, turn the horse out, they only go potty after box rest and it makes this type of horse worse.

I really feel for you, I have at least one injury per month from my mare, just silly little scrapes now, nothing serious, I am sure your horse will grow out of it.
 
they do not have a point at all. I'm the most accident prone person in the world but I don't think i should be shot!
Flash is really accident prone, he literally comes in nearly every day with a new injury and I do worry about him, but that's just horses, they are silly! Hopefully you are just going through a bad patch and things will settle *fingers crossed for you!*
 
No, it's not tongue in cheek, if it were it wouldn't bother me.
They say it because in their world a horse is not a pet and should be put down if it can't do the job it was bred or purchased for.
In my world, if i take on any animal it then becomes my responsibilty to provide good care to that animal untill such time it is kinder to put it down.
Of cause i would love to be out riding him everyday, but i also enjoy caring for him and i believe there will come a time when he grows out of this phase. These people feel i should have him shot because that is what THEY would do
Jo
 
I haven't read the whole thread, but I have had a horse that I put down because all he did was have injury after self inflicted injury
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Got to the point we just couldn't do well for him, whatever we did made no difference and in the end he became a liability
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Has the vet said if there could be any medical reason for him hurting himself, or has he suggested further tests? I'd have a word with your vet just to get their view on it all. I think having him shot's a bit extreme!! Good on you for persevering and at least getting him the best treatment when he needs it.
 
Dozziesmummy made a good point about watching your horse. You can learn so much just by watching them especially while the weather is nice. Get a good book and a packed lunch and just observe from a distance.

Another thought was that my old mare was a lot less prone to injury after she went barefoot - she knocked herself a lot less.

Finally somebody who I used to respect once had the nerve to call my horse a 'spastic' (no offence meant to anybody who has this condition) and told me to sell him as I was 'throwing good money after bad'. Well he's doing very nicely at affiliated dressage now thankyou very much and even has some points, I'm glad I persisted with him so tell them to MTOFB!!
 
It's funny you should mention about watching him,
Yesterday my vet came down and we put him out and watched him together.
She said he seems a very socialable (sp) chap and definately the Watcher of the field. He went and checked all the mares and then played and groomed with the geldings. After that he eat a little and when a couple of the mares lay down he went and stood over them.
Later in the afternoom when i went back, he had become bored and was "playing" with the electric fencing, so i brought him in.
No cuts though, which was a bonus.
Jo
 
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