Rehab required for my mare involved in RTA - recommendations

S

Samc1502

New User
Joined
9 October 2015
Messages
7
Visit site
Hi

Sorry I'm new and cant seem to open up a new thread under Rehab.

We were involved in an accident in September, the woman driving the horse box went under a 9ft bridge in a 11ft horse box. My mare was in the back. It took the roof off the living compartment (trapping me and my daughter inside) and some of the trailer part where my pony was.

Since then she has been very different. She is hard to catch, more headshy than she ever was, less trusting of everyone and has just become very difficult. I cant even load her on a box now, she just rears and squeals. Shes had physio on her neck and back which has worked.

I think I probably need to send her somewhere for rehab for her Psychological problems. We are in Manchester.

I am pretty desperate now and would appreciate any recommendations for somewhere. Money isnt an issue, I'll just claiming it back off the insurance.

Thanks in advance.
 
Firstly how awful and I'm glad that you, daughter and pony are alive and well.

Have you thought about getting an RA out? They are generally very skilled in dealing with horses with issues. There is a list of them on the IHDG forum.

I'd think that someone like that would be worth a try as they will come out and work with you - that way your pony will learn to trust you again if you are involved, the thing that would worry me about sending her away would be that she might revert when she comes home.

I don't want to be the voice of doom but sometimes after something as traumatic as that she may always have an issue with loading and may never be 100% as she was again but September wasn't long ago and if you get help now she may come right.

I do wish you all the very best with her.
 
Hi

Thanks for your response.

I'm a bit of a novice so could you expand on what an RA is please?

I'll then look into that.

Thanks also for your kind words.

I'm being realistic in that I know she might never been the same, it genuinely sounded and felt like a bomb going off when we hit the bridge. I'm just hoping someone might be able to help us with her and she was amazing before, just these little things with being unable to catch and more head shy than before.

x
 
Gosh OP, where did this accident occur? I hope you find the professional help for your pony needs. For the time being though, I would start with leading her through progressively narrower but unroofed spaces at first. My own mare was terribly headshy when I first got her, one of her ears was totally out of bounds except for tacking up, but given the dealers yard where she came from, I would imagine ear twitches would be normal. It took a lot of patience and time but in the end she would let me pull the ear in all directions, blow raspberries in it and scissor the hair flat ( I gave up trying to clip it so don't know if that would have improved eventually). If she got upset about anything though, her old fears would briefly reappear. When she had to have a head x-ray at Leahurst she got very distressed about having the panels around her head. I think mares are more sensitive and less forgiving than geldings unfortunately. The problem is how firm do you risk being with genuinely frightened horses? I really hope you get this sorted out - I would think about using a poll guard for her when you do get her going again as she is quite likely to go up if she is upset.
 
Samc1502 said:
Hi

Thanks for your response.

I'm a bit of a novice so could you expand on what an RA is please?

I'll then look into that.

Thanks also for your kind words.

I'm being realistic in that I know she might never been the same, it genuinely sounded and felt like a bomb going off when we hit the bridge. I'm just hoping someone might be able to help us with her and she was amazing before, just these little things with being unable to catch and more head shy than before.

x
Click to expand...

Hi, an RA is a Recommended Associate and will have trained with Kelly Marks/Monty Roberts and should be well versed in dealing with problems. They should be able to come out, help you, help your pony but more importantly give you the tools and the confidence to help your pony through this. If you have a look here:

http://ihdg.proboards.com/ I've just noticed though that there isn't currently an RA for the North West but someone on there should know who the nearest one is.

Whereabouts in Manchester are you because there may be a few other people that I can recommend who would be able to come to you depending on where you are (I'm Manchester area ish)
 
It happened outside Dunham Massey park, the low bridge there. I have never been able to clip her or pull mane, she just doesnt like you doing anything like that. But I'm now struggling to get a headcollar on her, even in the stable. Catching her is a real nightmare, I've had to resort to leaving a field safety headcollar on her but this is rubbing the hair off her neck. I cant even get a headcollar on her once I've caught her in the field, so having to take her back to the stable with the field safety headcollar on which isnt ideal.

I've tried to load her once since the accident, this is when she just reared constantly and squealed. We are supposed to be going to NWC on 17th and at the moment I cant see her loading at all. My daughter is going to be so disappointed if we cant get here there.
 
I've just noticed though that there isn't currently an RA for the North West but someone on there should know who the nearest one is.

Whereabouts in Manchester are you because there may be a few other people that I can recommend who would be able to come to you depending on where you are (I'm Manchester area ish)



Thanks for your reply. I'm in Carrington, M31, near the Trafford Centre.
x
 
It might be worth giving this man a call

http://www.dalmatiancarriages.co.uk/

We sent our stallion to him a few years ago to be broken to harness and he is very knowledgeable and does deal with horses with 'issues', he's in Prestbury (Macclesfield) so not a million miles away and I'm sure he'd come out to do an assessment.

If you tell him that Tracey with Daegan passed on his details he may remember me - Daegan didn't really like being on the road and kept lying down in the traces - he was so kind and patient with him and I would recommend him. It's worth a phone call at least. If you explain to him (John) what has happened and the fact that you currently can't bring pony to him because she won't load then I'm fairly sure he would come to you for an assessment.
 
I remember seeing photos of the accident scene, it looked horrific and it seemed unbelievable that your horse survived.

Getting the right person to help you on the ground with your horse should help you enormously. Sorry, no suggestions of who to use, though. I think that your target of having her travelling again by the 17th is unfortunately rather ambitious, as it is not just the travelling that she needs help with.

All the best with getting her back on track.
 
Samc1502 said:
It happened outside Dunham Massey park, the low bridge there. I have never been able to clip her or pull mane, she just doesnt like you doing anything like that. But I'm now struggling to get a headcollar on her, even in the stable. Catching her is a real nightmare, I've had to resort to leaving a field safety headcollar on her but this is rubbing the hair off her neck. I cant even get a headcollar on her once I've caught her in the field, so having to take her back to the stable with the field safety headcollar on which isnt ideal.

I've tried to load her once since the accident, this is when she just reared constantly and squealed. We are supposed to be going to NWC on 17th and at the moment I cant see her loading at all. My daughter is going to be so disappointed if we cant get here there.
Click to expand...

TBH I would cancel NWC as I think it would be too much too soon for the pony whilst she is as upset as she is and you could end up with a trauma situation if you 'force' her to load - what would happen if you then couldn't get her back on the box to come home?

I personally at the moment wouldn't even be attempting to load her while she's not even happy to have a headcollar on, I'd be concentrating on regaining her trust and getting her settled which could take some months.
 
I know the way things are I think I am going to have to cancel. My daughter is going to be so upset, but pony comes first.

Thanks for your help.
 
Both his numbers are on here

http://www.dalmatiancarriages.co.uk/

He is very good from my experience in dealing with him - as I said in my post above he may remember me (Tracey with Daegan) his website is mainly about carriage driving but I know that he does do horses with problems as well.
 
I think the idea of getting someone out to work with you at home is a very good idea. Hopefully the man that Madlady has recommended will help, or at least know someone who would be able to. It sounds like you need to work a lot on building up your mare's confidence in general, but also in you. It sounds like your relationship has taken a bit of a battering after the accident (not surprising really) and I bet your confidence could do with some work too. In this respect, I think it would be much better to find someone who will work with you and your horse. I really hope you find someone and wish you the best of luck. I think there IS light at the end of this tunnel though, so don't let it get you down :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top