Sharing - highs and lows

S

Steorra

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 June 2010
Messages
732
Location
Cambs
Visit site
I've been sharing a horse for about 2 months - she is gorgeous and I love her to bits. Before I found her I was seriously wondering if I should give up on riding after a really frustrating year. From the first time I got on her I felt we really clicked - she's beautifully schooled and a lovely character, sharp and inquisitive, just my type! The yard is great and I get on with her owner very well.

Now for the bad stuff! She had spent 6 months off with a tendon sheath injury, ending not long before I started sharing her - owner was very straight with me about it, said she was trotting up sound, had the all clear from the vet, and was being slowly brought back into work. Vet thought she would be fine and owner said that if she went lame and I didn't want to continue at any point she would understand.

Horse went lame about 5 weeks ago and hasn't been right since. Vets advice has been followed to the letter, she was quite a lot better after a week off but not 100%, and was lame again last time I rode. I'm not really sure how long to keep going with this. I don't want to abandon horse or owner the moment things get tough, but I do want to ride, and I'm worried she won't stand up to ridden work ever.

Any thoughts on the situation or experiences of this type of injury would be hugely appreciated. A hug wouldn't go amiss either - I'm gutted that she isn't right.
 
Rubbish news, hope she comes right, you sound like a dream sharer most would've ran to the hills at any sign of trouble (in my experience anyway) the owner will understand you want to ride.
 
what a nightmare for you and owner.

owner will understand that you aren't likely to want to share a horse that can't be ridden and ATEOTD you need to do what's right for you, which may well be to move on and look for another horse.

Whereabouts are you?
 
well if I was the owner, i would be saying to you that because of her not being sound and ridden then I wouldn't be expecting your financial contribution. I would offer you the option of still visiting etc and if you wanted to give me the odd day off by mucking out etc then that would be lovely :D
I suppose it depends on the prognosis. If you were to totally bail out now and she came sound in a few weeks then i certainly wouldn't be wanting you back.
 
What has the vet said about the current episode of lameness? My share has been lame a lot, and combined with the snow and ice for months over christmas i have had very long periods of not riding, or only light road work. It's different with me because it wasn't anything serious but i still felt peed off that i was paying to go and muck out 3x a week for a horse i couldn't ride. But i guess that's part of life with horses isn't it? Maybe ask if you can just help her out and go to see the horse a couple of times a week until you know what's happening? Then you can maybe spend the money on some lessons or hacking out from a riding school? As above, if you walk away and then she comes right, i know i would be dubious of having you back if i was her owner. Then again there's plenty of other horses for share at the minute, although it could take a while to find the right one.
 
Maletto - there is a lot of truth in what you say. Although I love spending time around horses I share primarily because I want to ride. I have a retired horse who I can spend as much time as I like grooming, fussing and playing with. To be quite honest if that's all I can do I'd rather spend the time with my own horse.

Don't get me wrong I'm happy to do the grooming and fussing and stable jobs for my share horse too - but I'd like to ride as well.

Chestnuttymare - thanks for your comments. The vet keeps making positive noises but seems to have no suggestions beyond 'walk her in straight lines and see how things go'. Well I've done a total of 8 weeks walking in straight lines (owner slightly more), she's been more or less lame for 5 of those, and though how bad she is varies from week to week there has been no consistent improvement. I think that only time will tell whether she comes right or not - but how long do I wait?

I am tempted - and please let me know if this sounds reasonable or not - to give the agreed four weeks notice now. That would mean a further 4 weeks of visiting and making a financial contribution. I could say to the owner that if she comes sound within that time then I'd be delighted to continue if she'll have me, but that if there is no improvement in 4 weeks I'll have to call it a day. As Chestnuttymare says I'd be miserable if I suddenly bailed and she was sound a week later, and I wouldn't do it to the owner anyway, but I feel I need to set a deadline.

Am I being fair? I feel bad because I know the money I pay comes in very useful to the owner, and this lovely horse deserves the best chance we can give her. But I'm starting to think she'll only be a field ornament and I've already got my own one of those.
 
Last edited:
Somethingorother - I totally agree that things like this are all part of life with horses - and if it was an abcess, or mud fever, or a flooded arena, or icy ground that was stopping me from riding then I'd crack on with the mucking out and wait for it to pass. My worry is that the horse will be continually in and out of very light work but never completely right.

Hopefully the vet will have something helpful to say this week...
 
Bless you, I think you sound like a lovely sharer and you are not being unreasonable at all. I think you would be right to give your 4 weeks notice and if there are improvements in that time then fantastic and if not you have been more than fair

Also, from what you've said about previous injury and current onset of lameness, it doesn't seem likely that she will miraculously come sound :(

Hope it works out for you
 
Last edited:
If you want to ride and she's a reasonable person I'm sure she will understand.

I have a sharer for my horse but I don't ask for money as I think it really complicates things so she effectively mucks out for rides. However my horse hasnt been ridden since July and last week had surgery for kissing spine, but she still comes to help me once or twice a week to be around him and other horses, and isn't too fussed about missing riding.

The only thing I would do is ensure you have something or somewhere else to ride as sometimes it is nice just to hang out at a nice yard and be around horses, don't miss out on that. And you shouldn't be financially contributing whilst you can't ride - the horse is not your responsibility on that respect.

Hope you find a good solution Xx
 
Unfortunately that's horses for you... sounds like the mare could do with a prolonged period of rest.

A friend of mind had a mare which lascerated it's tendon - vet told her to pts but they just turned her out and she came sound but it took about a year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top