Very concerned - new horse - please advise

[TheBlackMoth]

I bought my daughter a new horse about a month ago. Within a week he was lame - no swelling, no heat just limping badly. We put him on box rest for two weeks on the advice of the yard owner. At the end, last Sunday, he was fine. On Tuesday, he lost a shoe - it wasn't loose - so don't know why he lost it. Today he is lame again.

I have the farrier coming on Monday. I don't know what to do. I am not horsey myself - it's the children. We were so lucky with our first buy - a pony I bought over a year ago - she has been so fantastic. Should I ring the dealer I bought her from? Should I ring the vet and ask him to get the blood from the vetting tested? Or should I wait and see what the farrier says?

I am so worried about this. I am concerned that I have made a major mistake buying this horse. He is an ex race horse.

 

[Agent XXX999]

Did you have a vetting?

i personally would put it in a field for a week and then see - there is no reason for it to be on box rest. And i would ef. contact the dealer

 

[TheBlackMoth]

Yes - had a five star vetting which he passed. There was nothing pointed out on the form.

 

[frannieuk]

Sorry to hear about the problems with this horse - if I were you I would get the vet out asap to do some exploration, first find out what is causing the lameness and then see about the prognosis. Hope you manage to get him sorted, and do let us know how it goes, got my fingers crossed for you

 

[dunc_n_toby]

could just be foot sore, I'd wait until the farrier has been.

 

[Agent XXX999]

In that case I would say that you have no comeback with the dealer. I woudl def. say that you should turn him out and let him come right. Box rest is good in some circumstances but for unexplained lameness a field is better as the horse would tend to walk it off and get the ciculation going.

 

[BBs]

It could be a number of things, but I would ask for the bloods to be tested anyway!
Possible bruised foot, which could have been brewing for a while.
It wouldnt be an absess as I would have thought that heat etc would have shown by now.
It could be possible that the horse wasnt long shod before you bought him and that the farrier could have put the shoe on too tight or that the horse (being a TB could have rubbish feet - as they usually do) could be nail bound - i.e bit like you and i buying a pair of new shoes and needing to break them in.

If the shoe has fallen off or been pulled off - not difficult in this muddy weather, so again a TB do have pretty rubbish feet and if any of my TBs ive had in the past pull a shoe go very footy.

I would leave the horse in, keep the foot clean - even tub it, as it wont hurt if there is a touch of bruising there and wait for the farrier to arrive and see what he says.

 

[TheBlackMoth]

Someone suggested that he might have been on painkillers to stop him looking lame when we bought him and that if we had the blood tested we would find out. Is this possible?

 

[brighteyes]

That's right. Painkillers, sedatives and any other drugs being used to mask conditions present at the time of the vetting should show. Bloods usually taken only in 5 stage vettings.

 

[TheBlackMoth]

Yes - we had a five stage vetting.

 

[Chex]

I would get the bloods tested too, even if its not related, at least you'll know you've not been conned. It could be anything, and probably just bad luck. Hope everything works out ok, nothing worse than problems with a new horse!

 

[TheBlackMoth]

You know this is the hardest thing for me. I am usually quite competent at what I do. But I am doing the horsey thing for my girls. Not that I don't love horses - but I am not at all informed.

My girls, 16 and 14 have been horse mad since they were babies and I have always tried to facilitate this for them. I made them wait for years and years and years before I bought them a pony.

My oldest was getting too big on the pony so I took the decision to buy her a horse - she begged and begged and begged and she's such a good helpful and willing girl.

Now she's devastated and I really feel out of my depth. I said before - we were so lucky with the pony - she's been fantastic.

 

[merlinsquest]

Dont lose heart, you sound very dedicated, its not all about who knows the most.... its who cares the most.

Get the bloods done and then you know if he is a crock, if thats ok then you have just been unlucky.... I have been around horses for the last 30 years and decided to indulge my daughters about 5 years ago... now I think myself fairly competent but still managed to buy a sec A as their first pony who was diagnosed 6 weeks later with a terminal heart defect!!! And his replacement went badly lame the day after delivery with a massive abcess in the hoof... the latest aquisition (2 and a half years ago for myself) has just been diagnosed with severe arthritis in the fetlock...... he also passed a 5 stage vetting with flying colours.... so dont beat yourself up... horses are horses and even if they're not broke when you get them, you are very lucky if they dont break sometime.

Good luck, I hope you get to the bottom of his problems soon.

 

[merlinsquest]

BTW he might just have very sensitive soles, is the terrain very different from where he came from???

 

[TheBlackMoth]

He was still racing up to August this year. Poor soul was a very unsuccessful racer - I have seen videos of some of his races - he starts of right at the front stays there for half the race and ends up at the back.

Then he was at a stable with had concrete floors. Now he is out for about eight hours a day in a big field with about eight other horses - including our pony - where the ground is quite soft. It's Manchester so it's always raining. And in at night with a big bed - which he makes a complete mess of.

 

[Tierra]

Nuala dont panic too much. Until you've had an opinion from a vet it could be anything. Horses are excellent at managing to do the strangest things to themselves.

Get your vet out and see what they say but try not to worry yourself so much.

Edited as I just noticed it was your YO who advised box rest not your vet (was asking what the diagnosis on the original lameness was).

Anyway, keep us posted.

 

[TheBlackMoth]

Sorry no - did not get out the vet for orginal lameness. Took yard owners advice as did not want to panic. He looked fine was just limping heavily on his right rear leg. There was no heat and no swelling. She suggested putting him on box rest which we did. He was really getting ok after a week or so but my daughter did not want to put him back in the field till she could stay and watch him for a while, so he went back out on the Saturday.

I am trying not to panic - just Jenny was so upset today and the farrier couldn't come out till Monday. He is as a lot of people have said probably just footsore from only having one shoe (he is only shod on front feet). I will see what the farrier says on Monday.

ETS - Thank you so much everyone for all your support and advice.

 

[Happytohack]

[ QUOTE ]
He looked fine was just limping heavily on his right rear leg.

[/ QUOTE ]

Get the vet out asap and mention that bloods were taken at the pre purchase vetting and ask for them to be tested. It is either extreme bad luck that he went lame so quickly, or it is suspicious.

 

[Natalie_H]

I do hope it's nothing serious. If it's any consolation, my Mum and I have both re-homed ex-racers. Within her first six months with him, he escaped over a fence, tangled his legs up in wire thereby lacerating them, punctured an artery in his leg (6 weeks box rest) and had a puncture wound in the sole of his hoof. Mine went lame within two days of getting him by kicking a fence, then went lame after losing a shoe (rubbsih thoroughbred hooves - totally foot sore without shoes), then ran into a concreted in oakwood downpost, snapped it in half & rammed the gate attachment 5 inches into his shoulder whist doing it. This has been interspersed by recurrent bouts of urticaria. So......what I am saying (not very well!) is that this settling in period (or unsettling in period!) was the same for both of our horses - quite traumatic. Both were straight off the track & very young, & I don't think it is unusual to have these trials & tribulations when you first get a horse. The important thing is that both are great now!!!!

 

[seabiscuit]

May I ask what his racing name is?

 

[TheBlackMoth]

Oh Natalie_H - you (or your horses) have really been through the wars. I'm glad it worked out for you - hope it does for me too! He's a lovely boy so nice natured and affectionate and it's such a shame he is having such a bad start.

Jaylen - I think I will see what the farrier says and ring the vet who did the vetting and ask his advice as well.

Thanks again everyone. This forum is invaluable to people like me who are trying to manage horses for teenagers. They are fully capable of providing day to day care but I think they are too young to have total responsibility no matter how much they 'know'.

 

[TheBlackMoth]

It's Destino - he was born in 1999.

 

[TheBlackMoth]

Destino - stable name Mr Biggles - He is a lovely boy.

 

[Natalie_H]

Same year as both of ours!!! Where did you get the video of him from?

We did go through the the wars with ours. Mum's horse is so unbelievably chilled now. Instructor always recommends him as a great horse for a novice! Mine is rather more tricky, but totally worth the agro!

 

[TheBlackMoth]

Someone put up a post yesterday for a racing site to see a video of a new horse.

It was www.attheraces.com I clicked form and typed his name in. It brought up the videos of any races they had for him. There were four for him.

 

[Natalie_H]

Great - Thanks! He looks lovely by the way!

 

[seabiscuit]

Haha yes that was me that put up the racing site name!

Your boy looks gorgeous- I hope that he comes right for you. I would get the vet out next week- rather than beat about the bush and wait for him to come right....

He only did one race in 17 months last year which could be, or could not be, an indicator that he had an significant injury of some sort.....I see that he was trained by Harvey Smith is that who you bought him from? You could give them a call and see if he had any injuries last year?

 

[GTs]

Some horses just get these type of things when they move to a new home and take a couple weeks a month to settle in - I have seen it happen many times.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Sorry to hear this tale of woe but I agree with the other posters. You've got the farrier coming out on Monday. He will look at the feet & he'll be able to tell you if there's an absess or not. If he can't find anything then move onto the vet & get him out to check the horse over. Depending what he finds then you can decide if you want the blood checked from the original vetting, be guided by what the vet says on this. When the farrier or vet comes try & have the yard owner there with you. He will know the relevent questions to ask & will be able to ensure that you know & understand the full situation.

It's very difficult to deal with this type of thing when you have limited experience that's why I say have your yard owner with you if you can.

Good Luck, I'm sure it'll be alright in the end.

 

[henryhorn]

Firstly don't panic, it doesn't mean you have been sold a dud if the horse goes lame, sadly horses are far more prone to lameness than ponies.
With no heat or swelling this usually means there is some infection building in the foot, so you need to get your farrier to look, if the horse seems in a lot of pain, either ask him to come sooner or phone your vet.
Losing the shoe is probably just a co-incidence.
The fact he came sound again is good and it may be something small you haven't found, but it will need investigating with first the farrier then your vet.
if nothing showed up over two weeks in his leg it's most likely his foot, fingers' crossed the farrier finds the problem for you!