The Ozzy Diaries

Jasmine2023 said:
The yard where Ozzy was going do not take horses without a Strangles test so I had to have it done. There was paper work to say he was negative but I am dubious it was even done. I cant imagine thrm paying out for sedation and he obviously wpuld have flipped if thry tried to take bloods. Paperwork can be faked. Seriously the lies that came out of thst mans mouth were many.
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Well, either it was faked or their vet did something to make Ozzy terrified of needles! I think that the strangles test most commonly used when horses are moved around is the blood test (am I right?) What surprises me is that they managed to get results back so quickly - is this usual?
Their vet (if the strangles test did happen) would have also probably used a stethoscope at some point. It does make you wonder what went on!

One thing we do know is that Ozzy was not there for very long at all as we know for a fact that he was in the auction on that particular Saturday. Jasmine, weren't you told he was with the dealer for weeks?
 
Nancykitt said:
Well, either it was faked or their vet did something to make Ozzy terrified of needles! I think that the strangles test most commonly used when horses are moved around is the blood test (am I right?) What surprises me is that they managed to get results back so quickly - is this usual?
Their vet (if the strangles test did happen) would have also probably used a stethoscope at some point. It does make you wonder what went on!

One thing we do know is that Ozzy was not there for very long at all as we know for a fact that he was in the auction on that particular Saturday. Jasmine, weren't you told he was with the dealer for weeks?
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Aye, the blood test is the most common form of strangles testing. Not always the most accurate, since you can get false positives, like if the horse was exposed to strangles in the past and still has some antibodies floating around but isn't actively habouring the bacteria, and it also misses actively infectious horses since it takes up to two weeks after exposure for the antibodies to appear, but the horse might still be an active case. The only accurate and reliable test is a gutteral pouch flush and PCR, but that's both expensive and invasive. They have to shove an endoscopy-type camera up their nose to look down the back of their throat. Costs about £400.

The bloods are like £50, and you can get the results in a couple days.
 
As above yes it's a blood test and only takes s few days to come back. And yes he told me he had Ozzy for 6 weeks which we know was a lie as he bought him at auction and put him on his Facebook page within 24 hours. I would dread to think what went on as I know the girl that works with him is banned from keeping horses for 10 years and is not averse to hitting horses with metal pipes when things don't go well with a horse.
 
Asking for a strangles blood test is quite common for yards now but it's normally paid for by the buyer and the buyer pays the vet directly and gets the results sent directly to them. If you, the customer have paid the vet directly then you should be able to phone the vet involved and ask if they did the test on your behalf and if there were any issues at the time. My vet will record issues like needle shy in the notes as it's a large practice and it helps if other staff are aware.

Otherwise, if you paid the dealer it's not difficult to change the horses name on a report. This can even happen with xrays if you haven't paid for them yourself directly with a vet of your own choice. There is no passport or microchip no. recorded at the time, often only the owners name and sometimes the stable name of the horse.
 
nutjob said:
Asking for a strangles blood test is quite common for yards now but it's normally paid for by the buyer and the buyer pays the vet directly and gets the results sent directly to them. If you, the customer have paid the vet directly then you should be able to phone the vet involved and ask if they did the test on your behalf and if there were any issues at the time. My vet will record issues like needle shy in the notes as it's a large practice and it helps if other staff are aware.

Otherwise, if you paid the dealer it's not difficult to change the horses name on a report. This can even happen with xrays if you haven't paid for them yourself directly with a vet of your own choice. There is no passport or microchip no. recorded at the time, often only the owners name and sometimes the stable name of the horse.
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I did pay the dealer and he was supposed to give to the vet but I didn't think much of it at the time. The report was on Vet headed paper but it still could have been faked or maybe the vet knows about it as this vet is said to do all of his passports and vet checks. I think I have the vets practice name if Nancy wants to talk to them but they may not be helpful.
 
Jasmine2023 said:
I did pay the dealer and he was supposed to give to the vet but I didn't think much of it at the time. The report was on Vet headed paper but it still could have been faked or maybe the vet knows about it as this vet is said to do all of his passports and vet checks. I think I have the vets practice name if Nancy wants to talk to them but they may not be helpful.
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I would expect that in this situation, even if the test was actually performed, the vet will not be helpful as their customer is the dealer and they will not release any info. to a random person contacting them.
 
August 21

MY first ride on Ozzy! (Well, not exactly...)

Ozzy has been doing well since the vet's visit last week and was surprisingly quick to forgive us.
Overall, he is becoming increasingly a little more trusting week by week.

However, the napping has got worse over the past fortnight. Generally, he plants just after the mounting block and won't move.
So today I said I'd get on him for the first time just to see if he was different for me.
Well, he wasn't - he was just the same. OH was riding AJ. Ozzy didn't care. It doesn't matter which horse we leave behind, Ozzy wants to stay with them rather than go out.
I decided to wait for a while with AJ in front of us. I would then ask him to move off. Nope, he wasn't having any of it.

So we have this routine now where one of us rides AJ or Snoopy and the other leads Ozzy down the lane to the road. He is then ridden back home.

I've had horses that nap before but Ozzy is a little different. With others, there has been a clear indication of discomfort or unhappiness. None of this with Ozzy. He is so happy to be groomed and tacked up. He stands beautifully at the mounting block. He feels incredibly calm and chilled.
Even when he is mounted at the bench near the loch before being ridden back, he is calm and compliant.
When he is being ridden back, he moves really nicely. The lane is quite gravelly and probably a little more uncomfortable than the road, but he doesn't look particularly sore or uneven/hesitant. He looks calm and happy with not the slightest sign of anxiety. He doesn't do anything silly or spooky at all. He'll go in front or behind, no problem.

He just doesn't want to move off from the mounting block at home!

What we haven't done is pony club kicks or using the whip forcefully. I would prefer not to resort to this approach.
For now, we're just going to persevere and keep things positive - but if anyone has any strategies we've not yet tried, I'd be very interested!
 
I wonder if it could be a general apprehension around being ridden, rather than pain-related if he isn't showing any signs of pain? More of a freeze state?

As it sounds like he has had a rough start in life, maybe he's had some bad experiences under the saddle and is a bit worried.

It sounds like you're doing a fabulous job at building his confidence - slow and steady wins the race!
 
Miss_Millie said:
I wonder if it could be a general apprehension around being ridden, rather than pain-related if he isn't showing any signs of pain? More of a freeze state?

As it sounds like he has had a rough start in life, maybe he's had some bad experiences under the saddle and is a bit worried.

It sounds like you're doing a fabulous job at building his confidence - slow and steady wins the race!
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It's possible - to be honest, I suppose anything's possible! When he was first ridden by OH he was absolutely fine and happy to move off. The only thing I can see is that he doesn't like to leave whichever horse is in the field. But we're going to have to get him over that!

When he took two steps from the mounting block today I gave him lots of praise and I was hopeful that he'd carry on going! But no...and then Snoopy came along, stuck his head over the fence and that was it, until I got off to lead him.

When i was waiting/asking/waiting/asking, he literally looked like he was nodding off at one point!
 
stangs said:
I strongly suspect that he's shutting down, not nodding off. Tense muzzle, ears facing back, not interested in the world, eyes half open or blinking a lot.
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He seemed to 'wake up' quite suddenly when I asked him to move.
Bottom lip looked quite wobbly throughout, though.

If he is indeed shutting down, it's quite worrying as this is new behaviour.
As a general rule, Ozzy will not hesitate to tell you if he is unhappy with something - as we have seen over the past 7 weeks.
 
nikicb said:
Could you work out a way of taking all three out together for a while? Ride and lead or have someone else ride the other horse. Just to see whether there is any difference.
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I did think of this - it would be a handful to lead AJ and Snoopy together but it might be worth a go. Sadly, it's not easy to find someone to come and ride the third horse.

It sort of makes sense that he is more reluctant to leave the other two now he is much more attached to them. But I'm not sure.
 
Nancykitt said:
I did think of this - it would be a handful to lead AJ and Snoopy together but it might be worth a go. Sadly, it's not easy to find someone to come and ride the third horse.

It sort of makes sense that he is more reluctant to leave the other two now he is slightly more attached to them. But I'm not sure.
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It might just flick a switch in his brain if you could do it a few times. Will he leave the other two in hand on his own, even just 10m down the lane? Or in hand with one of the others. I think you are just going to have to keep pushing for a tiny bit of progress each time, even if he will just step away from the mounting block and not go anywhere the first couple of times. Could you move the mounting block a bit further away? Just throwing things out there. You are doing a great job trying to understand him.
 
nikicb said:
It might just flick a switch in his brain if you could do it a few times. Will he leave the other two in hand on his own, even just 10m down the lane? Or in hand with one of the others. I think you are just going to have to keep pushing for a tiny bit of progress each time, even if he will just step away from the mounting block and not go anywhere the first couple of times. Could you move the mounting block a bit further away? Just throwing things out there. You are doing a great job trying to understand him.
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Thank you so much!
Yes, there's no rush - and when we get back, we always have a post-ride chat and list the positives. There were lots from today.
He came to the fence to have his headcollar put on.
So happy to be groomed and tacked up. So well-behaved at the mounting block.
After I'd dismounted, he walked on when asked (being led).
Walked nicely down the lane (being led) and was very good with the traffic on the main road through the village.
Led nicely to the bench and stood like a rock for OH to get on. Moved off nicely when asked. Stopped again when asked.
Went in front of AJ, alongside him and behind.
Did not spook at a group of barking dachsies in a garden - or the flapping tent behind them. Had a little look, didn't stop walking, carried on.
Very happy to be sponged down with the citronella wash after being untacked (this is a big thing, he HATED the sponge at first!)

So other than the initial planting, I can't fault him!
 
If he will be lead away from the mounting block could you try -
Leading him to it,
Standing still,
Verbal command, “Walk On”,
Lead him off the yard for a hack in company with your other horse.

Then introduce you getting on with OH leading him, hoping he has processed the verbal command.

Good luck, I think you’re doing brilliantly.
 
SaddlePsych'D said:
I can't get over how lucky this little horse (pony? I don't know his height) is.
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We haven't had him properly measured but he's a little bit bigger than AJ, so maybe 14.3.
He has quite a small head and an impressive rear end, so good hallmarks of a cob!
 
Nancykitt said:
He just doesn't want to move off from the mounting block at home!

What we haven't done is pony club kicks or using the whip forcefully. I would prefer not to resort to this approach.
For now, we're just going to persevere and keep things positive - but if anyone has any strategies we've not yet tried, I'd be very interested!
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All of mine are taught to back up, in-hand, very well. I had one mare who didn't want to leave the yard gate, and I got her over it by leaving backwards 🤣

Once she'd got over herself, we could resume leaving facing forward but for a couple of weeks, backwards we went.
 
druid said:
Could the person riding the other horse try leading Ozzy for a period, while you ride?
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We’ve just been talking about this! Will try it out tomorrow…
LadyGascoyne said:
All of mine are taught to back up, in-hand, very well. I had one mare who didn't want to leave the yard gate, and I got her over it by leaving backwards 🤣

Once she'd got over herself, we could resume leaving facing forward but for a couple of weeks, backwards we went.
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Another possible option as he does back up very nicely in his groundwork!
 
Appreciate the standing still at a block is the ideal, but would mounting while he was walking be an option? Maybe need to get creative DIY wise with a block that you can easily get up onto as he walks past it, or if he's safe enough, someone giving you a parade ring style leg up? Might just avoid the feet sticking situ.
 
teapot said:
Appreciate the standing still at a block is the ideal, but would mounting while he was walking be an option? Maybe need to get creative DIY wise with a block that you can easily get up onto as he walks past it, or if he's safe enough, someone giving you a parade ring style leg up? Might just avoid the feet sticking situ.
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OH made an excellent mounting block a few weeks ago - it would certainly be possible. But personally I can’t get on a moving horse so it would have to be OH!
 
Nancykitt said:
It's possible - to be honest, I suppose anything's possible! When he was first ridden by OH he was absolutely fine and happy to move off. The only thing I can see is that he doesn't like to leave whichever horse is in the field. But we're going to have to get him over that!

When he took two steps from the mounting block today I gave him lots of praise and I was hopeful that he'd carry on going! But no...and then Snoopy came along, stuck his head over the fence and that was it, until I got off to lead him.

When i was waiting/asking/waiting/asking, he literally looked like he was nodding off at one point!
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I would try leading up to the mounting block, don't get on but whilst he is standing there put long reins on. Then drive him on for your ride. You will be able to study him more if you are on the ground. I would be prepared to really send him on if he doesn't want to go, your comments suggest he would just rather stay at home with his mate so I would be using a lot of growling and swearing or whatever to send him on. I would have a schooling whip and slap it hard against my boot to get the message home.

another thing I've done if the horse doesn't want to go is to turn him round and go backwards. After a few strides turn round and offer the chance to go forwards if not then backwards it is. My haflinger used to be keen on stopping and refusing to move. He loved testing people. We did the backwards thing and he eventually got the message.

it sounds like when he first came he was more nervous and concerned but now he has got his feet under the table and is quite happy to stay with his friend and is asking what you are going to do about it.
 
paddy555 said:
I would try leading up to the mounting block, don't get on but whilst he is standing there put long reins on. Then drive him on for your ride. You will be able to study him more if you are on the ground. I would be prepared to really send him on if he doesn't want to go, your comments suggest he would just rather stay at home with his mate so I would be using a lot of growling and swearing or whatever to send him on. I would have a schooling whip and slap it hard against my boot to get the message home.

another thing I've done if the horse doesn't want to go is to turn him round and go backwards. After a few strides turn round and offer the chance to go forwards if not then backwards it is. My haflinger used to be keen on stopping and refusing to move. He loved testing people. We did the backwards thing and he eventually got the message.

it sounds like when he first came he was more nervous and concerned but now he has got his feet under the table and is quite happy to stay with his friend and is asking what you are going to do about it.
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It sounds exactly like your final paragraph!
 
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