Queenbee
Well-Known Member
Fantasy world: I can't quote but yes I agree, people should think long and hard before taking on a rescue or welfare case, but actually this is the case with ANY horse and as some have said we do not have the luxury of a crystal ball! Just because we sometimes fail to turn a horse around it is not always because we are lacking in ability, sometimes it is.
My story now (as brief as I can) as a background I will tell you that I had taken on 5 horses prior to this that had issues, my first was a pony at the age of 13 I was very lucky to have the support of a large yard and about 6 instructors based at the yard, when he arrived he had a cut up mouth, spur cuts on his side, and reared on the lunge when he saw the whip, this was just the start, with love and perseverence he came through. Later in life I took on ebony, not a welfare case, never beaten, but one hell of a challenge, took me a couple of years to sort her out, 3 beaten neglected ponies of one of the most horrible dealers... All three came around with love and gentleness, one cob who is owned by a forum member, again beaten and treated badly by a gypsy who is notorious, took ages with some of her quirks. I then got offered a welsh cob x appy, many methods had failed her, she'd been to lots of nh clinics, she was unridable, and having seen her under saddle we nicknamed her the killer! On the ground she was great to handle, a bit nervy though and her flight instinct was strong as was her fight, she was aggressive to other horses, my mare being the only one who could put her in her place, in the school she would shake from head to toe, gallop around, sweat till it was running off her. I worked at first on the ground, and then we worked on the school, it became a safer 'fun' and calm place, she had all her checks done, and despite a history of muscle wastage she had the all clear, we started lightly, little 15 min hacks with no pressure, it was always like sitting on something that was a cross between a coiled spring and a ice sculpture that could fracture and smash at any point, but she would try so very hard, and eventually calmed. We then put her in the school, no aggression had been displayed, all nerves gone from that environment, over a few days tack was introduced and then a friend was going to get on her so I could stay with her head and talk her through it. We were going to do 10 mins max in walk and a few strides of trot (she had begun cantering on hacks by this point). I have never stood next to a bomb when it explodes but I figure it's the same thing!!! The first sign was that saliva started running from her mouth then the first tack was to literally turn her head, bare her teeth and try and rip her rider off her back by the leg!!! We continued, our only intention from that point was to get her to calm, walk two strides, stand, have a pat and then get off, the age old end on a good note!!! We did not want this mare to believe she could scare someone off her back. Whilst trying to rip her rider off she then reared (head still) twisted around!!! Came down and bucked so bleeding high! Rider sat it out, she stood shocked, I think that her tactic hadn't worked, she kind of shocked herself out of it for a minute, we said 'right, all we will do is ask her to stand her calm for about 10 secs stroke her, talk nicely and then get off, all we were looking for was SOMETHING!!! Some evidence of willingness, again, I have seen a horse walk backwards but this one ran! Straight for the fence, reared and spun trying to throw the rider onto the fence. I have never had such a sinking feeling watching this horse it really felt like there was nothing in her worth saving, she was a sweetie and great to handle, but even if I fixed her to ride I could not sell her on to be ridden having seen what I saw that day. Both the rider and I have many years experience, we popped the girl into the field, and promptly shared a load of vodka and thrashed out my options, I was supposed to be 'last chance saloon' for this one but she was beyond us. I had at that point two choices, not at all my style but she challenged eveyway of thinking that I had, choice one, shoot her. Choice 2 pay for two weeks at a braking yard, with someone I respect, but also someone who would win a fight with her if anyone could, he was an old school tough man. It was not an approach I'd ever had to consider but there was so much anger in this mare, I didn't know what to do. After 2 weeks we would have assessed any progress and considered if continuation was worth it. But I still thought about what I had witnessed, and doubted whether I could guarantee that she would remain rideable for someone in the future. I made the decision to pts. There is a lovely young girl at my yard, she has an older friend with her own land and stables, who begged me to let her have the mare, I really struggled with this, but I knew the woman, she would have kept madam for all her life as a field ornament if that's what it came to. She had absolutely fallen for her, she also did a lot of parelli, and whilst I did not, I knew the basics and enough to spot that this mare had done lots too. The woman would have played the games with her, and loved her. The absolute hardest decision I made, But I sold her to the woman for a pound, the bill of sale including a full disclosure and a recxomendation that she should not be ridden or bred from in my opinion. Much has happened with this mare since I sold her, she went to a show and bolted down the main road, she was luckily safe and the owner admits it was a huge wake up call as to the severity of her issues (that was about 3yrs ago). She is now loving xc, hacking, weekly lessons, parelli clinics, her field with her companion, and her new family. It came to light that her first owner hated her, she was a really sharp youngster, she fell through a conservatory in that home, whilst she did parelli, she was also thrown into many other nh clinics, all with different approaches. Poor girl just fell apart. I am so lucky it turned out well for her and glad that I didn't pts, but most of all I am glad that I knew the woman who took her on, believe me, she would not have gone to anyone else, she would have died that week and I would not have second guessed my decision for without the woman it would have been the right one.
Once again op x you did do the right thing x
And to those 3 that made crass and inappropriate comments on here. Absolute shame on you!! I only hope that someone does not offer such insensitive words of naive and narrow minded, ill timed and ill judged words of wisdom to you when you lose your horses
My story now (as brief as I can) as a background I will tell you that I had taken on 5 horses prior to this that had issues, my first was a pony at the age of 13 I was very lucky to have the support of a large yard and about 6 instructors based at the yard, when he arrived he had a cut up mouth, spur cuts on his side, and reared on the lunge when he saw the whip, this was just the start, with love and perseverence he came through. Later in life I took on ebony, not a welfare case, never beaten, but one hell of a challenge, took me a couple of years to sort her out, 3 beaten neglected ponies of one of the most horrible dealers... All three came around with love and gentleness, one cob who is owned by a forum member, again beaten and treated badly by a gypsy who is notorious, took ages with some of her quirks. I then got offered a welsh cob x appy, many methods had failed her, she'd been to lots of nh clinics, she was unridable, and having seen her under saddle we nicknamed her the killer! On the ground she was great to handle, a bit nervy though and her flight instinct was strong as was her fight, she was aggressive to other horses, my mare being the only one who could put her in her place, in the school she would shake from head to toe, gallop around, sweat till it was running off her. I worked at first on the ground, and then we worked on the school, it became a safer 'fun' and calm place, she had all her checks done, and despite a history of muscle wastage she had the all clear, we started lightly, little 15 min hacks with no pressure, it was always like sitting on something that was a cross between a coiled spring and a ice sculpture that could fracture and smash at any point, but she would try so very hard, and eventually calmed. We then put her in the school, no aggression had been displayed, all nerves gone from that environment, over a few days tack was introduced and then a friend was going to get on her so I could stay with her head and talk her through it. We were going to do 10 mins max in walk and a few strides of trot (she had begun cantering on hacks by this point). I have never stood next to a bomb when it explodes but I figure it's the same thing!!! The first sign was that saliva started running from her mouth then the first tack was to literally turn her head, bare her teeth and try and rip her rider off her back by the leg!!! We continued, our only intention from that point was to get her to calm, walk two strides, stand, have a pat and then get off, the age old end on a good note!!! We did not want this mare to believe she could scare someone off her back. Whilst trying to rip her rider off she then reared (head still) twisted around!!! Came down and bucked so bleeding high! Rider sat it out, she stood shocked, I think that her tactic hadn't worked, she kind of shocked herself out of it for a minute, we said 'right, all we will do is ask her to stand her calm for about 10 secs stroke her, talk nicely and then get off, all we were looking for was SOMETHING!!! Some evidence of willingness, again, I have seen a horse walk backwards but this one ran! Straight for the fence, reared and spun trying to throw the rider onto the fence. I have never had such a sinking feeling watching this horse it really felt like there was nothing in her worth saving, she was a sweetie and great to handle, but even if I fixed her to ride I could not sell her on to be ridden having seen what I saw that day. Both the rider and I have many years experience, we popped the girl into the field, and promptly shared a load of vodka and thrashed out my options, I was supposed to be 'last chance saloon' for this one but she was beyond us. I had at that point two choices, not at all my style but she challenged eveyway of thinking that I had, choice one, shoot her. Choice 2 pay for two weeks at a braking yard, with someone I respect, but also someone who would win a fight with her if anyone could, he was an old school tough man. It was not an approach I'd ever had to consider but there was so much anger in this mare, I didn't know what to do. After 2 weeks we would have assessed any progress and considered if continuation was worth it. But I still thought about what I had witnessed, and doubted whether I could guarantee that she would remain rideable for someone in the future. I made the decision to pts. There is a lovely young girl at my yard, she has an older friend with her own land and stables, who begged me to let her have the mare, I really struggled with this, but I knew the woman, she would have kept madam for all her life as a field ornament if that's what it came to. She had absolutely fallen for her, she also did a lot of parelli, and whilst I did not, I knew the basics and enough to spot that this mare had done lots too. The woman would have played the games with her, and loved her. The absolute hardest decision I made, But I sold her to the woman for a pound, the bill of sale including a full disclosure and a recxomendation that she should not be ridden or bred from in my opinion. Much has happened with this mare since I sold her, she went to a show and bolted down the main road, she was luckily safe and the owner admits it was a huge wake up call as to the severity of her issues (that was about 3yrs ago). She is now loving xc, hacking, weekly lessons, parelli clinics, her field with her companion, and her new family. It came to light that her first owner hated her, she was a really sharp youngster, she fell through a conservatory in that home, whilst she did parelli, she was also thrown into many other nh clinics, all with different approaches. Poor girl just fell apart. I am so lucky it turned out well for her and glad that I didn't pts, but most of all I am glad that I knew the woman who took her on, believe me, she would not have gone to anyone else, she would have died that week and I would not have second guessed my decision for without the woman it would have been the right one.
Once again op x you did do the right thing x
And to those 3 that made crass and inappropriate comments on here. Absolute shame on you!! I only hope that someone does not offer such insensitive words of naive and narrow minded, ill timed and ill judged words of wisdom to you when you lose your horses
) raise eyebrows because he is led with a rope over his nose and all gates are kept shut while he is on the yard. What they forget or don't know (and how would they? On that yard nobody else was allowed handle him - I even had to put in writing that if he had an accident in the field that he was to be left in there until the vet or I arrived because that was just the type of situation that could cause him to flip and somebody would be hurt) is just how much of a liability he can be.
