Stuck. I don't know what to do next?

Loubidy

Loubidy

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Not sure what the quickest way to sum this up without boring you all.

I have a 15.2hh 7y/o Connemara gelding, he was bought for amateur level Eventing, have had him for three years. He has always been a bit lazy but could generally get him round 80/90 courses. However he has pretty much become dead to the leg (my fault I know). Last weekend we went to a hunter trial 90cm and he was stopping a lot and just being quite nappy. Today I took him to ingliston for arena Eventing and got eliminated after two stops at jump 9 and a stop at 13. The stops are him being nappy and the amount of kicking and encouragement I have to give him left me absolutely knackered.

Now I admit I'm not an amazing rider but I'm not a novice either, I know I've been to kind with him and not been hard on him when I should have been which has added to this problem.

It's coming in to winter and I recently moved nearly 300 miles for a new job so at the moment don't know a lot of people and need to move to a cheaper yard. On top of this before I moved a blood test showed Danny has high GGT levels so his liver hasn't been functioning fully - diet has been changed to help with this.

Do I:
Turn him away for a few months
Send him away for schooling (something I was planning on doing in spring before next season but would do now if it seems a good idea)
Just continue what I'm doing and try and get more lessons (once I find a cheaper yard and can afford more)


Feeling so dissappointed by all of this as I absolutely love my horse, he's like my child but I feel like I'm letting him down. He is very much capeable of more. He will happily jump grids of 1m but out competing it's like he won't move.
 
Has he been retested since his diet was changed? How long is it since his diet was changed?

Tbh, on the face of it, you are not being fair to him by expecting him to function properly when he is not well enough to do so, he is trying to tell you that he can't perform at the level you want him to.
Of course it may be that you know that he is now 100% healthy and so he should be able to do what you are asking, in which case, I would look at his fitness level.
If his liver function is still not right, turn him away until it is.
 
As above his liver may still require support and not be functioning properly, a recent move may have set back his recovery so until you know he is 100% he has good reason to be lacking in enthusiasm at competitions, I would give him a break and then start building him up gradually next spring with an emphasis on the flat work, if he is not reacting to your legs properly he may well switch off even more at a show, some get sharper others go flat, if he has been feeling unwell for some time that will contribute to how he is going as it will have affected his confidence generally.
 
I agree with the above I would turn him away for a while to try and let him recover before any more riding, he may be feeling very lethargic and competing must really take it out of him.
 
Ok, you set yourself up to fail. He went out weekend 1 and stopped lots.You should have then taken him out schooling and made hiim confident and forward over little jumps so that when you went out to compete he was confident. You didn't really give him a chance to be improved. There are many reasons he may be lethargic - if its just out competing its likely that he's losing confidence. Go down to 70 cm and make it easy and fun for him.
 
I'd personally either totally turn him away or stick to light work (ie gentle hacking, inhand work etc) until you know you've got the liver issue fully sorted. Would then maybe start bringing him back into work steadily and find yourself an instructor who has ideas on how to improve his fitness and responsiveness beyond "just use more leg" who you can work with to get him more responsive and balanced and you not having to work so hard. From what you say he's always been a bit this way inclined but it could be that the issues with his liver have tipped him over the edge. It may be that at that stage that yes he might benefit from someone more experienced doing some schooling / taking him around a few courses to improve his confidence but from what you say I'd explore other avenues first. Would also drop him down a height when you do get back out competing so that you can have a few confidence building runs before you push him again.
 
I wouldn't send him away until you know his liver issues are resolved, it's simply not fair on him, get him fit and well and then look at your options, he's going to find the schooling stressful if he isn't on top form. A new yard and a new routine after the move may have unsettled him too so I would give him time to find his feet so to speak and reevaluate in the spring.
 
Turn him away or give him only the lightest of work until he has a clean bill of health again.
Having had liver problems myself years ago and remembering the lethargy, utter exhaustion doing day to day activities and general all round malaise, I sympathise with the poor boy.
 
UPDATE

Okay so had two brilliant riding lessons on the 8th and 10th of October where he was reasonably forward (felt like more schooling issue).
Had the vet to take bloods on the 9th of October.
Vet phoned with results on the 11th of October - his liver is now all good!! Woo hoo and only minorly low protein (due to liver rectifying diet)

Went to a hunter trial on the 14th, I changed my entry from 90cm to 75cm, had two stops where the ground was soft - he's always been funny about soft ground, makes him freak out a little? Otherwise went okay.

Sunday 15th October he moved yard to a field at someones house which is for sale (so might get turfed off at short notice) but it is lovely standing hay out with two mares who have decided they do in fact like him. I have said he is on holiday for 8 weeks, then will bring him slowly back into work over Christmas (will be taking him home to Orkney for two weeks so lots of lovely hacking) and now looking at February to send him off for schooling, just to decide who to!
 
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