On loan for a week - sent back with advice to PTS or retire ?

shmoo said:
Sorry mis-read - a previous poster suggested I deal with my horse when she comes off the trailer and let someone else talk to loaner. I thought that was good advice as I do get bamboozled and will generally back down with more experienced people. My YO is much more experienced than me and also has no emotional standpoint.

I'm very emotional where my horses are concerned and very soft. I thought you said I couldnt look after my horse - sorry.

I will obviously be there and do as much as I can myself but I am a carpet - and I know it. She's no superhorse, nothing special at all but I'm very worried for her. I also know - or think I do - walking out up and down hills if possible for the first few weeks of coming back into work. I think she's been being ridden every morning and lunged every afternoon in a pessoa - which may be the problem and all muscular.

I'm just worried, not snappy - honest.
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If that's the case be thankful you have got her back in a week.

How old is the loaner.....six?
New toy, can play with it until it breaks.
 
If she's been in hardly any work for 18 months and ridden every day and lunged in a Pessoa every day as well, I'm not surprised something is hurting her somewhere :(
 
I think sometimes loaners and buyers have selective hearing and some definitely stick their fingers in their ears and go lah,lah,lah when you offer advice based on experience. Some expert on their yard will offer advice on feeding, riding, management and generally ignore everything you have stipulated because you know nothing.
I have had two come back off loan with no shoes even though it was stipulated in the contract that they must be shod at all times, both were pottery which magically disappeared when they were shod.
Best thing like everyone has let someone else deal with the loaner, and get the vet to have a look at her in a few days. Take a deep breath and chalk it up to experience and then I avoid all contact with them, I can not abide the aggravation.
 
We had a similar problem... sent a Happy Hacker out on loan. He was 100% bombproof in the heaviest traffic ( think police horse ) and was unbothered by even fire engines going past with blues and twos sounding. He went to someone who said she wanted a happy hacker to ride out 2 or 3 times a week.
THEN she tried jumping him and found he would jump a 5-bar gate. That was it .. she jumped him to excess and ruined him. He then came back as she couldn't manage him and had got him bolting even on quiet country roads. He was returned a different horse to the one we lent out and never returned to his original character..:(
 
Faracat said:
Something has happened. Try to get to the bottom of it and find out exactly what occurred.
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Yes agree with this. TBH it sounds like she was hammered on loan, contrary to your wishes, and personally I'd be incandescent/vapourising if anyone gave my horse Bute without my say-so.

Why don't you turn mare away for a bit and see how she is come the autumn? THEN you can make a decision. Not good to decide about important stuff if you're angry/sad, upset, or feeling pressured.
 
I wouldnt assume the loaner knows what she's talking about tbh. There's a lot of people that talk the talk and never walk the walk.

Get the mare back home and safe and make your own opinion as to wether there's anything wrong with her. It could all be complete bleeeeeeeep!!;)
 
Hi OP, really hope your horse was ok when you got her back tonight!
Did you find out what happened? :cool:
 
Sounds likely that this person decided they wanted a horse in a whirlwind not thinking it through and has decided they can't afford it/some other reason not to. I have known a couple of people buy or loan a horse, snap decision first one viewed, arrange to take it straight away and then decide they don't want a horse at all, which is mental and why couldn't they just think things through! From your description of how the loan came about I'd think this is far more likely than there being anything long term wrong with the horse, although she could simply be referring to some stiffness from being out of work, or a minor issue or even imagining the whole thing.

Hope there is nothing wrong!
 
So she got home, have to say I'm so happy to have her back. I'm not good enough to ride her really but hey... no one will be for a while now so...

I wasn't too happy about her having bute yesterday morning. She's never had any - or had the need to with me so it seemed really excessive to have two lots? It made me worry she wasn't going to feel this bad back and do something idiotic..

Got home, re-met her sister (adopted) and they all went out. I am at a grass livery - no stables. She immediately rolled, up onto her side twice, then right over, stood up shook like a dog and went off to reform her herd. I was worried about travelling a hurting horse, can't have been nice.

Loaner said shes really sore around her spine, dug her fingers into her wither, ran them down her back and Crystal did absolutely nothing, not even a flicker of an ear move.

Had a text at 7 and she was hooning around the field. The second bute ?

She is stiff this morning, didn't bother trying to move out of the way when grumpy draws warmblood pulled faces over which pile of hay was biggest. Just went and ate.

So I don't know. She isn't lame but I guess bad backs don't leave you looking lame. ??

Loaner - well... She was there long enough to chuck horsey off the trailer, dump all my stuff and fairly ran as soon as YO pulled in (running late & Crystal got back early). Said I could keep the set of shes she had put on her, and vanished.

I did ask if anthing specific happened on the ride she said no. Said she was naughty the other day when they went up to the polo field to have a jolly. Just obviously not up to work and needed a quiet life. Said to get her scanned, that it would show hot & cold spots and honestly took off.

So I am no further forward, I have a very stiff horse, physio out at 2.30 today and i'll have an idea then.

Thanks to all for listening.x.
 
See what the physio says. :)

Lots and lots of *vibes* that it's nothing serious.

Oh and if she comes back into work, why don't you get some lessons (on a different horse maybe?) to get your riding up to scratch so that you can enjoy your lovely mare?
 
Glad she is home, let's hope you can sort the problem without too much diffulty. Seems strange she wanted to drop off and run so quickly, do hope it is just too much work too quickly.
 
Glad she is home with you and settling into her life.

I envy the loaner, with that amazing ability to diagnose holt and cold spots on spines and lord knows what else and give a prognosis that PTS is the only answer on the basis of a week with a horse. Why do Vets bother with expensive equipment when they can just ask her to come take a look.

Good luck with your mare, I am sure the physio/vets will be a lot more scietific and give you a better idea of her issues
 
Sounds like another very good reason not to loan to anyone to me.
I am pleased she is home and hope she settles soon and is fit and well after a bit of rest

Only done it three times and it has been a disaster every time first was a little pony that took a year to get sound when it came back lame
second one was a super jumping pony doing 100cm classes with ease came back running out and dumping the kids by running through her shoulder
Third was the worst to be honest and by a well meaning know it all took a sensitive youngster and the next day had four shoes on her, had her teeth done, took her out hacking and then had a "back person" who said she had a bad back. the poor pony's head must have been spinning and she still hacked out happily. She was asked to keep her slim and healthy in about 4 weeks she had gained about 100kgs
Next came the cancer scare she was supposed to have ovarian cancer, spent a week at a vets hospital where they could find nothing to note and declared her fit and healthy with slight tenderness along the ham strings. She brought her back as soon as she was off the lorries she did extended trot down the field doing airs above the ground and squealing with delight
So no more loans or lvtb for me you pay your money and have it vetted or dont bother coming
 
My other is on permanent loan to me.. I am naive I know, I sort of expected all other loaners to be like me. :(

She just didn't seem a bad person, and I don't think she is ?? I would have had her back without any drama though. Just being told she wasn't suitable would have been enough for me. I didn't need it proving in any way.

Uh oh, here comes the boss...
 
You get good and bad loaners, I've had both over the years. You can't tar all loaners with the same brush. I wouldn't loan nowadays unless they were staying fairly local and I could see them regularly (at shows etc) without being too interfering.
 
So, she had been rubbed smooth massaged and realigned. McTimoney, so all in one.

She is very tense, her right side was worked on first, very sore around the saddle area only/mostly. She visibly relaxed those muscles being worked on, particulary across her dorsi and intercostals and round chest and girth, oh and shoulders. (scuse spelling and names ??) Then came to her left side which was much worse. Very very sore and knotted. She was a good girl but you could see she was in pain. T worked on her for around 1.5 hrs, during that went all over her spine and pretty much everywhere she could.

Crystal displayed little to no interest when her withers/spine was being done, but is exceedingly sore around saddle and rib area. From this, the opinion was, albeit stating she wasn't a vet and doesn't have x-ray vision, she thinks its muscular not skeletal and Crystal has been 'hammered'. Crystal has taken it and taken it and done everything she could up to the point where the pain from overwork has been so great she had nothing more to give and was calling it a day herself. As we all know most commonly expressed by bad behaviour.

T's coming back on Monday to see if theres been any improvement over the week or if any tightening is happening anywhere else, she'll get another full body massage and workover, then we'll leave it again for a couple of weeks and begin walking out, up and down hills, in hand at first to accompany my daughter, then eventually under saddle.

On Monday we'll see if she needs to see the vet, and what if anything else would need to be done. At the moment though, based on what she found felt and how Crystal responded she very much doubts there is any lasting damage, or any reason Crystal can not eventually be a perfectly good RC horse again. I have been warned that even a week of this treatment may make her saddle shy though. Loaner didn't take my saddle as had her own, it probably didn't fit.

I am gutted. I put in the contract, and the letter that accompanied the contract that she hasn't been worked in 18 months, that when you tried her was the most work she'd done in a year but still this from experienced people.

Nothing a good rest and a good massage won't cure hopefully, i'll know more with time. Even though I am a loaner myself, I'd never ever be a loanee again unless it was on the same yard under my nose.

Thanks to everyone who listened. Much appreciated, I am now going to find a large glass of wine and take a swim in it! :o
 
Glad it sounds like nothing sinister, just too much work (for 18 months off) in a saddle that wasn't fitted to her (difficult to imagine they had time to get saddler out in week 1 or that they just had a saddle kicking around that fitted her !!)

I'm bringing mine back into work after just 7 months off and I've decided I won't lunge at all for a good few weeks as it'll be to tough on unused muscles (let along in a pessoa) - walking only in straight lines for a good while.
 
I am getting a picture of a neurotic sociopath who loaned a mare with special requirements in a matter of moments - took said mare away, ignored every condition laid down about gentling back into work - rode her to distraction and fell out of love even quicker than the fleeting try out!

My daughter's second pony was put on loan, he was strong but steady as a rock and fit, he'd taught quite a few young ladies the ways of ponies. I had quite a queue forming for the loan but resisted all suggestions of him moving - I told all potential loaners, I want to keep an eye on him and more importantly: you! I watched three girls ride on three separate occassions each, field, school and out with me. The best of the bunch was a lovely youngster whose parents were not at all Horsey and she planned to pay with her own money she earnt working on a checkout - fantastic, I thought - real commitment! In fact, her money came no where near the cost but it was great to see yet another girl schoolmastered. When that girl moved on to horses, I found another in exactly the same way and this time also formed a friendship with the mum and dad who decided to immerse themselves too - this was great fun because neither had done anything before - the antics of the mum often reminded me of Margo from "The Good Life!"
 
When I put on loan one of my beloved horses first thing can they tack up. If they have no idea goodbye. Saddles go in the correct place that's before they get onboard. Glad she is ok xx
 
OP sorry to read of your trials here... really hope your mare gets better quickly. Sounds to me like ill fitting saddle and too much work. Unfortunately a week of that will probably take a few months to undo but hopefully it is do-able. Another sober reminder of why loaning is not the easy option!
 
Glad this has got a happy ending.

I loaned my boy out two years ago: NEVER ever again. The numpty girl that had him let his sweet itch get really bad so that he rubbed himself raw (completely disregarded what was in the loan agreement); plus only five weeks into the agreement, decided that she couldn't afford the whole thing anymore so could I have him back please!!!

Which meant we had to immediately fix up another space for him at home (luckily I've got my own place or I'd have been really stuck). Then the YO at the livery place where he was started to get @ssy (and who could blame him actually) coz the stoopid numpty girl hadn't paid a penny in livery since the day my boy arrived:(

Anyway, I'd never loan anything out again. I've got a friend's mare on loan at the moment, and that's working out OK, which shows it CAN work out allright if everyone understands what is required and thinks about the horse first second third and last, not treating them like some machine which because it doesn't actually belong to them, can be treated how they please and then chuck it back at the owner for them to sort.

Anyhow OP I'm SO glad this has worked out for you.

Give the mare time, I'm sure she'll come good again for you. Good luck.
 
I reckon the reason loaner scuttled off pdq was that your mare had bucked her off and she didn't want anyone spotting the bruises.
Ther verdict from the physio sounds promising. Good luck to you both!
 
Glad news from the physio sounds promising and fingers crossed your girly will come right! It upsets me that so many loans turn our like this. I had my horse on loan initially as his owners weren't sure if they wanted to sell him. It was supposed to be for a year after 4 months they asked me to buy him as they could see how happy we were together and they significantly reduced the price so I could afford him that quickly. If it hadn't been for them offering him on loan I probably would have given up riding after a couple of very bad experiences with horses I had owned and lost a lot of money on. There are probably loads of people out there in a similar position to the one I was in and they are missing out on the opportunity to find a perfect partner because of so many stories like your's OP. I never realised there was quite so many people capable of cruelty to animals it is a sad world :(
 
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