Very tearful day :'(

C

CM.

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So I finally get a mare that as soppy as it sounds, I've fell head over heels for her since having her back in February.
She has raced 4 times, finishing due to being too slow. 2 years off and came back into work as a 5 yo just before Christmas.

I purchased her just after Christmas and she passed a 2 stage vetting. She has not been a saint but for some reason we just click so any issues, she instantly looks to me for help and we have just gone up and up in progress.

Schooling I noticed she was trying hard but something was just not quite right. She was sound up until last week and I noticed she was dragging her near hind toe.

Vet out today and she is now going in for lameness testing, it is very bad and he thinks it could be early arthritis or something to do with hocks/fetlock rather than tendons/ligaments...

He said it might be limiting to my intentions with her which was hunting, BD, BSJA and ROR classes.

I am so worried as she is my only horse that I can ride atm and I really had hopes of her going far. Tried to hold back the tears but it's so hard to think I haven't even started properly with her yet and there's already a chance as a 6yo she will just be low level general purpose and hacking horse.

If the worst case is there is no treatment to help her in what I want to do, I (before knowing how attached I would get) I would have said I would like to sell her to a long term home with a nice owner that wants to just hack and tootle around... But I would hate to see her passed on and obviously now when push comes to shove, I won't be able to part with her.

At the end of the day, the second we buy a horse, it's our responsibility. I want to do the best by her but it's just so heart-breaking to go through. Never had a horse go lame or have anything like this :'(

Bit of a pointless post really but I needed an upset ramble and some optimistic words please. Thanks for reading so far.
 
I'm so sorry CM, It's awful when you love a horse and all is not well, no matter how long you've had them.

Would she be a good happy hacker? Could you settle for that? If not, you could put her on loan and so she is still your responsibility to a degree and you can oversee how she is managed?

It's disappointing that she can't do what you aspired to but I'm sure you could have a fun time together nonetheless :-)
 
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Flipping heck there's a lot of bad news on here at the moment. I know you're worrying but it is possible your horse will come right and do everything you want to do so try not to be too down about things. Even if it turns out she isn't going to be a competition horse maybe you could get a local loaner for her so you can still see her but ride something else? There'll be a solution one way or another and it may well not come to that. Chin up.
 
Long story short but my ex racer passed a 5 stage vetting in september and was then diagnosed with bone spavins/ arthritis in both hocks beginning of Feb this year. Poor boy is only 6. Just like you I was gutted and tearful when I found out.
He also had secondary back pain which resulted in 6 weeks rest
Have just started riding him again and am so excited. He feels great. It's taken time but I finally feel I am going to get the best out of him. I am hoping to do a bit of everything with him( ROR, low level dressage/showjumping) and Vet feels this will be possible.
Like you I felt i had hardly got started with him but now onwards and upwards, so try and stay positive.
 
Try and stay positive, you do not know what you are dealing with yet. Almost all of the 17 horses on our yard have had 'something' whether its arthritis, OCD, tendons etc. A couple of the ex racers have arthritis and are still kept hunting fit and enjoy life!

It is upsetting, I went through lameness invesitgations with my mare at 10yo having had her 6mths....I kept her and haven't regretted it.

Good luck..let us know how you get on.
 
For what its worth my mare drags toe, stiff behind more noticable when picking feet up for farrier....lots of oil and msm and tbh altho i now shes not going to be a super eventer shes going strong jumping 1.20 sj and can jump xcountry for ever so hey yes shes getting stiff behind but its not the end of the world and i keep tryijng to suplement etc, if she got to stage that she needed bute to do it id stop but she loves her job and altho she takes a little bit longer to warm up once shes warmed up shes like a six year old lol...so having not gone thru the threads...dont be too dissheartened that they not all perfect...my mare still out works and out runs the youngest fitest ones...shes just a bit more maintenaince...but shes worth it lol x
 
Thanks ever so much everyone. I guess I'm expecting the worst as it's been such a setback. But in reality, she may well and truly be able to go on fine. Just thankful I didn't take advice when the farrier said she 'may have just tweaked something bolting around in the field' as the vet said this is rarely/never the case when a horse drags a toe. Fingers crossed though
 
Try and be positive.

But obviously if the news is particularly bad you would need to consider very, very carefully about whether you can actually pass her on. She certainly would have no monetary value.
 
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