Sent my pony out on loan, hes coming back a month later with Lami!!

alexy1000

alexy1000

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Im annoyed and upset and want to rant. Im 32 and 6 months pregnant and so I sent my Welsh sec A out on loan, obviously I dont ride him, I thought I was doing the right thing giving him the opportunity to be ridden and enjoyed. Then I got a phone call yesterday from the woman whos got him saying she was very disappointed I hadnt mentioned he was prone to Laminitis. HE ISNT, Hes never been ill in his life, Ive had him since he was 3, hes never had Laminitis. So hes gone dead lame and some farrier has told her that hes got rings in his feet that show he's definately had lami in the past, and Im sorry but hes talking nonsence. Why would he get it so wrong. Obviously he may very well have lami now, its spring and hes on a new yard. So hes coming back tonight, she says she got him on Danilon for the pain, Im dreading what arrives back in this box, he was healthy and fine a month ago. Im so upset with myself, I feel like Ive let my pony down.
 
You have my sympathy, it does happen though, we had a pony on loan which had never had laminitis, 3 wks later (in december) it went down with it which was gutting. We have had horses for years and had never had a problem before. We didn't return it until it became sound (6wks box rest) and it hasn't had it since. You haven't let your pony down, you can't tell what is around the corner and it doesn't mean your loaners did anything particularly wrong, although i agree it is galling when people don't believe you. I hope he soon makes a full recovery.
 
I had the same sort of thing, many years ago. Put my small pony out on loan to a friend. I knew the yard and got told that pony had gone down with laminitis. I had had him years and never had it once.

Seems odd to return your pony though because of laminitis. Surely it would be better for the pony to get better where he is. Do they not want him now. Its hardly the ponies fault.

You havent let him down at all. At least they have told you and he is on his way home to 'mum'. Hope pony makes a complete and swift recovery.
 
What does your contract say about who is responsible for vets bills/what happens if injured, etc?

unfortunately thats why i hate loaning, too many people can 'break' the horse one way or another by their riding/management and then send the horse back. If i had a pound for every time i heard 'hes only on loan so... im not getting a saddle that fits/im not getting the vet/im not buying a new rug...' i'd be loaded!

TBH though, hes better off at home than with someone with such a disposable attitude. At least you will give him the care he needs
 
It does sadly happen - but at least you were told! My horse was out on loan for about 5 years, we were visiting every 6 months or so (plus a vet check every August) and every time she seemed fine.

However, her loaners decided to give her up, and it was only when we got her to her new home that the farrier noticed tell tale horizontal growth lines in all 4 of her feet, and to cut a long story short she had suffered a bout of lami about 3 months earlier, resulting in 5 degree rotation in all 4 feet.

I find it very hard to believe that her loaners didn't notice as she'd have been in quite some pain. In fact, it's rather horrifying to think they didn't notice. One thing's for sure - they didn't tell us, or ask us to pay any vet bills, which we always did when she was on loan. I hate to think that she was suffering and it went untreated/unnoticed.

On the upside, she's now completely sound and me and her have been re-united. It's a shame really, because other than that we've only had good experiences with the few people who have loaned her. Ultimately though with laminitis, we've got to accept that all our horses are at risk, especially the ponies and good-doers!
 
Thanks everyone, when she rang me she said she couldnt afford to pay for a pony she couldnt use etc etc and laminitic treatments are expensive, I keep him imsured myself when hes on loan and its at their discretion if they want to insure him to, I think its safe to 'assume' they wont. That way Im always covered and I dont mind paying the £20 odd pounds a month compared with the Thousands it could cost if something went wrong. Id rather have him home and although it was a risk transporting him I asked for him back straight away, you cant guarantee that somebody will devote the time needed can you.
Hes only 10 years old and has never been ill in his life

I just find the farrier thing saying hes had lami in the past really annoying when I know for definate that he hasnt, it makes me look like a liar.
 
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I totally empathise. I loaned my girl out to a bhs approved riding school and she came back to me with appalling feet and rotation, I have a picture of her feet and its disgusting, they were still using her round the cross country course too! Its so awful when this happens as the damage is irreparable, I have had a couple of bad years trying to keep her sound *touch wood* now we are, for the time being at least. You have not let your pony down, he is coming home to you now and you will give him the best care, its a shame when you are heavily pregnant to have all this stress, I hope he makes a good recovery from his acute attack.
 
I just find the farrier thing saying hes had lami in the past really annoying when I know for definate that he hasnt, it makes me look like a liar.
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These are event rings in the feet, and are often, but not always, associated wiht a bout of low grade laminitis, or full blown, they leave rings. It may be that the episode was sub clinical so you may not have noticed.

But the farrier is right - the event rings in the feet could mean a bout of LGL in the last 6 months. Multiple rings means the horse had had a number of events that have compromised it.
 
Or could just be dietary related rings rather than lami rings....owner's had him since he was 3 and he's never had it itsays :)

Either way I'm so sorry for your little lad :(

Regardless of whether he's ever had it or not, He's a Welsh A....grade 1 most at risk really so should have been treated like a laminitic anyway! As they say- prevention is better than cure. Pure bloody ignorance them letting him get to start with....it's not that much of an effort to limit his intake or put a grazing muzzle on it!!

Sorry sore subject. I would be giving the loanee hell I really would...how long till the next pony they get comes down with it?!

I really hope he gets better asap. Laminitis is a horrid disease and in *most* cases completely preventable.
Get him back, nurse him and I hope he makes a full recovery.
 
Well he came back yesterday, not crippled but definately not right bless him.
We went and got the LPS supplement stuff yesterday, magnesium and garlic, Im going to mix that in with a tiny bit of chaff (non molassed). MY farrier is coming on Thursday so will check him then and we'll see how he gets on.
He seems well in himself, not too down and walked out of his stable without a struggle so Im hoping its been caught right at the beginning and a few weeks of rest and good diet will be all he needs.
I felt his feet and there was no heat.

Any tips are appreciated though.
 
I feel sorry for you and your pony but atleats you are there to care for him.


We can be so fussy when selling or loaning a g=horse and think we have found the perfect home but you just done know.

I sold a horse to what i thought was the perfect home after a couple of months they said they couldnt cope.

I could have said tough its not my problem he is your horse now but as i care where he ends up i agreed to have him back. (the horse had done nothing wrong)
 
alexy1000, we had the same problem here. loaned our pony out for first time ever to wee lad just down the road, hed ner had lami. in his life- being a hardy welshie he lived out on poor grazing with his mum( now gone-bless her,) month or so later he has laminitis, we have battled ever since keeping him sound. like you i feel guilty that we have let him down and am still furious at these ignorant folk who take no advice and let him graze on rich,lush grass, which hes never had in his life! this was all 18 months ago and we still have probs with him from time to time. never again will we loan anything out.
 
He's had good loan homes in the past but it just seems that its down to luck, they said they were experienced but obviously not. Hes not your average fatty either, hes a proper competition pony whos competed in dressage and equitation and is kept fit and healthy so Im so annoyed this has happened.
I just hope he can recover, poor little bugger's stuck in for weeks now in this lovely weather.
 
One of mine came back from loan TWICE with lami (well actually the second time round, I had actually SOLD her but she clearly couldnt cope with the womans grass / routine so I took her back). The first time round, she had NEVER had laminitis (we'd had her from a 3yo, then she was 16 or 17yrs old) so I was SO peed off when I was told by the loaner she'd got it. It was then a year long struggle for us to get her free of it as even the tiniest thing would set her off. She's now a lot better and I can control it but either way, I worked my butt off to make sure she'd never had it in the 13 / 14 years we'd had her to that point and then someone else lets her get it!
 
same as us!! our poor lad is now 20, never had it in his life, kept our 2 boys happy in their youger days then thanks to someone else he gets the dreaded lami!! we asked/told them time and time again to take him in off the bloody grass but no!! makes me still seethe thinking about it-
 
I know, but when you work them and keep them fit and healthy you pretty much think your doing everything to avoid it.
I know theres the concussive type etc, but she'd just let him eat too much spring grass.
 
No, the farrier said it was within 3 months, he was at home with me the last 3 months and it was winter, he simply couldnt have had it, he left me sound and was sound throughout.
 
TGM said:
So if he has been out on loan in the past, then it could be possible that he has had very mild bouts of laminitis without you knowing about it, and the farrier could actually be right.
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Also the stress of moving homes could be an indicating factor with Laminitis - little welsh ponies are so prone to this condition - keeping it fit and in work really doesn't mean you keep it at bay I'm afraid :(
Kate x
 
Yep, loaning can be a tad contentious. I loaned my boy to a "friend" last year and when he was with me he had slight to moderate sweet itch - controlled by a rug and a bit of management; and when he came back at the end of the summer his sweet itch was awful, he was all raw and had rubbed all round his face and eyes, he looked like a cruelty case and I couldn't ride him anywhere in public coz I was worried of getting reported to the RSPCA. This was an experienced person not a novice and I think she just let him go out without his boett hoody on, and this made him rub himself. I wouldn't let him out on loan again, ever.
 
I would strongly recoomend that you get your vet out immediately to check your pony out and see if he can establish what caused the Laminitis and what the treatment should be. Laminitis should always be treated as a medical emergency as it can result in rotation or dropping of the pedal bone. A farrier may identify that a horse has or has had laminitis but should most certainly not prescribe any treatment for it - this is the job of a vet.
 
LL suffers. In his case sugars and stress are the triggers.

Pad the feet. Give a deep (8"-10") shavings bed covering the entire floor of the stable. Soak day hay all night, and night hay all day. Have such hay ad lib (LL lost a ton of weight on three months box rest). No carrots, Polos, etc.. Bute to break the pain cycle (obvioulsy your vet will sort that bit). Don't take him out of the stable.

Fingers crossed hun.
 
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