Welcome, Hermosa

[j1ffy]

I've just been catching up on this thread and have nothing helpful to add other than I'm so sorry for you that it's turned out so tricky I hope the yard staff stop being childish and remember that you're still a paying livery.

She'll settle in just fine and it sounds like you're already doing plenty of groundwork with her to build her confidence. Like CC, my PREs are all absolutely lovely to handle, certainly not hot! They've all gone through phases of being a bit stubborn to load - nothing nasty, just stubbornly standing with their feet at the bottom of the ramp - but patience and waiting it out has always worked with a rope halter in the lorry in case of emergencies. My last PRE was very easy to load unless we were at a venue with grass in sight on a sunny day, in which case he'd prefer to stay put

Best of luck, hopefully once the sun comes out and you're enjoying Hermosa in the summer months this will all be forgotten.

 

[tristar]

congrats, ifind my iberians come off the lorry very carefully, as if they like to know where their feet are safely and unload in slow motion, and i hope they stay like that,! in fact when the first one came the transporter had to push him off in the end it took ages to unload

also we have just moved and settling in has been a long process for whatever reason

best of luck with her

 

[tristar]

If that woman already had a horse, my filly would be there. But she said, "I might buy one next month..... I might buy one in a few months....I don't want to guarantee anything." Yeah, no.

Took an hour to load her. She's not a dramatic horse or very hot (apparently missed the memo that PREs are supposed to be hot). She glued her feet to the ground. She is not very responsive to pressure at her hind end and ignored it rather than moved forward or did anything else. Teaching her those (ground) driving aids is going to have to be a thing at some point. Some horses wil naturally move off from pressure at their flank, but she doesn't give a damn. However, she loaded willingly, without force or coercion, when a Lickit was provided, and she followed that into the lorry. I guess everyone has their price.

On my way back to Gypsum's yard, I took a wrong turn and ended up on another back road. Passed a house with maybe half a dozen stables and some grassy paddocks divided by electric fences and a few horses in the paddocks. Dammit, I thought. Another door I didn't knock on.

one of ,mine did that when moving two weeks ago, i got a transporter to do the job, he was brill, the horse just rooted, so i asked everyone to stand back,and he did all sniffing of the ramp stuff, then i put his foot on the ramp, more sniffing then carrots, for temptation, then just stood there while he thought about it, then in the end he walked on sweet as a nut, but i swear no amount of force would have got him on, so just like hermosa really

 

[tristar]

Just feel so bummed. I had been so looking forward to having the mare at this yard, because the liveries and facilities are really good, and my yard friends are so supportive. But even with an older horse, I don't know how to safely introduce it to their herds now, given that neither management nor staff have at any point enabled a systematic, safe (or as safe as possible) protocol for doing so, or suggested that there even is one.

not surprised you feel bummed, priority is the horses safety not just intro but you need peace of mind daily, start looking upwards aim higher hope something better turns up soon

 

[tristar]

I agree with this. It’s just delaying a re run of what happened the first time, unless the introductions can be managed better.

The yard is failing in its duty of care by throwing newbies out into an established herd and letting them get on with it.

i think its illegal from a a health and safety point of view, totally against all the good standards of horse management well i think its just cruel, i`ve seen horses kicked and legs broken etc, a nice companion she can settle with is what you need, and come on don`t let the face book lot put off get on everywhere till something turns up that takes the stress away for you and risk for the horse. x

 

[tristar]

Could you not move both to the private set up you found and just put them in fields next to each other?

i do this with my stallion but he has 2 fences between, but at night can socialize and groom over a stable door

 

[palo1]

Mine is very gentle to handle and generally calm. OH and I have gone hiking and taken him (in hand) because he's so easy to lead and is sort of like walking a dog, happy to be out and about, just follows along.

Under saddle with actual work...welllll, that's when the heat is turned up ? but I never feel in danger or that he's out of control or something like that.

So she might not have missed the memo ?

I think, although the situation feels bad at the moment @Caol Ita, you should take heart that you have got a lovely young horse and one of the very best things is that as a traditional 'working' breed, she will probably be both resilient and keen to work with you and establish a partnership. In my experience, those true working breeds- the best kind of arabs, well managed natives , PREs, Criollos, even TBs have a superb attitude when they are handled correctly. (I am not dissing other breeds at all - I just have a love of and more understanding of the traditional types of working horses) You both have time to get things sorted long before you need to ask her to engage the 'heat' of her heart! Her working heritage will help her and you and you will find things settle down. I certainly hope you find things easier soon.

 

[Caol Ila]

I mean, out of the two of us, the filly seems to be handling it all better. But the bar is low.

 

[Caol Ila]

I hope she's resilient. Even after a week (and no turnout) at the yard we had to leave, she was developing confidence and trust. Now she is a lot warier and more sceptical of humans, especially me. I just feel depressed by it all.

 

[holeymoley]

Is there no way you can stable her at the place you bought her from?

 

[Caol Ila]

Yeah, that's an option. But I don't think I should move her again this quickly, especially as she is bonding with the yard's nanny mare. I'm just working on handling her feet, which has never been done except during the vetting, and her toes are far too long. Like starting to curl long. Not ideal. So, there's that.

 

[Caol Ila]

Groundwork is coming along, and she is getting better at lifting her front feet and tying like an old veteran. So that's good. However, I am flapping about turnout. Currently, she's out in a pen with nanny mare for a couple hours per day, and otherwise in her stall. I was under the impression that this would be a fairly temporary situation, and they would be in a field soon. Besides, it wasn't like I had a lot of choice. But one of the lassies who works there today indicated that it could be "months," because YO's husband is a farmer, and he dictates field usage and prioritizes the cattle. I will try to get a better sense of things next time I see the YO, but while H is coping, I don't think it's ideal for a youngster to be in this much. I want her sound when she's 20. Will she survive a few weeks/months? Should I be flapping?

 

[laura_nash]

But one of the lassies who works there today indicated that it could be "months," because YO's husband is a farmer, and he dictates field usage and prioritizes the cattle. I will try to get a better sense of things next time I see the YO, but while H is coping, I don't think it's ideal for a youngster to be in this much. I want her sound when she's 20. Will she survive a few weeks/months? Should I be flapping?

Whilst its not ideal I wouldn't panic too much over a few weeks as a one-off given the alternative options are not ideal either (it can't really be months, surely). Hopefully you can find a better solution for next winter.

My main worry would be if YO's husband is a farmer and prioritizes the cattle then what are the fields like? If they are a sea of well-fertilised rye grass that would not be ideal for a PRE that can't be in hard work due to her age.

 

[Caol Ila]

Oh, yeah. Next winter she will not be there.

When I looked at the yard, the YO pointed to one of the (many) fields and said that her husband didn't fertilize that one, and that's where she would go. The field in question currently has some sheep on it.

 

[DressageCob]

Oh, yeah. Next winter she will not be there.

When I looked at the yard, the YO pointed to one of the (many) fields and said that her husband didn't fertilize that one, and that's where she would go. The field in question currently has some sheep on it.

That's no bad thing. At least the sheep will keep the grass down before the horses go on it. And it sounds like the YO has given it some thought. I hope she can get her husband to let you have that field ?

 

[Caol Ila]

I had said that PREs can't be on rich fields, hence the chat about that one. I would just like her to be on it.

I'll keep documenting stuff here. Maybe I will be able to start a sequel to the Dressage Curmudgeon blog some day. But I don't think I will be as funny.

 

[Caol Ila]

Hermosa was a bit rattled and spooky about the world after her first hot date with the farrier for a trim, but she was fine the next day, and we went on our longest walk yet. Ideally, I would have had more time to work on getting her feet handled, but her front feet were pretty damned desperate (she's never been trimmed nor been taught to even lift her feet until I bought her) so it just had to be done. They are okay now, so I can take a bit of time to make the next visit easier.

Cows, on the other hand, are not a thing. This will make hacking easy.

Gypsum was three-legged lame today. Vet is coming out around 2000 hours tonight.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I hope that Gypsum is OK and it is just an abscess that is quickly resolved.

I'm very impressed with Hermosa and the cows. What a star.

 

[Jeni the dragon]

I hope things go OK with Gypsum and the vet tonight.

 

[holeymoley]

Hopefully it’s just an abscess. Perfect conditions for it at the moment.

 

[Caol Ila]

Vet thinks Gypsum has tweaked something in her fetlock in the slimy conditions. She's on box rest and (more) Danilon until she is less lame. Had the same issue on the other hind leg a couple months ago. We need dry and warm conditions, which is not what the West of Scotland is known for. It doesn't help that we can no longer use the barn driveway to get to her turnout field and also the main road into Mugdock, but rather we have to use the WWI trench of a gallop, because yard management have banned us from riding or leading horses on the newly paved barn driveway because the horses will, allegedly, damage the new asphalt. My arse. Don't get me fkucking started.

 

[spookypony]

All the best for Gypsum!

 

[Caol Ila]

Hermosa stopped following me around the arena for long enough to take a proper side-on photo. This has been harder than you think.

She's very bum high and fuzzy at the moment, going for more of a yak look than a majestic PRE look.

 

[shortstuff99]

Ahhh she is beautiful!

 

[Caol Ila]

Ahhh she is beautiful!

I hope so. When buying a horse in the fugly two-year old stage, I feel like you're trusting your gut and what you think you can see.

 

[shortstuff99]

I hope so. When buying a horse in the fugly two-year old stage, I feel like you're trusting your gut and what you think you can see.

Here is my PRE for 1.5 to 2.5 years old ?

 

[Caol Ila]

Your horse at 2.5 looks a bit more mature than mine. Her birthday is the end of June, so she's not exactly a spring foal.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

.

 

[Inda]

Thus is my PRE, 1 1/2, 21/2, 31/2 and 4 1/2. She went through a phase of a face only her mother could love ?

 

[Caol Ila]

I am feeling really sad about Gypsum tonight. She is less lame than she was a few days ago, but the weakness and deterioration in her hind end is undeniable. I am hoping she will have this summer, but I don't know. I feel like I'm in the last rounds of a losing fight.

I hope this filly wasn't a stupid life choice, and that she wlll mature into something beautiful. Her temperament is impressive, so there's that.