"What if" questions before buying a horse

[coblets]

I’m a massive worrier/prefer being prepared for everything. So, as part of starting to look for a horse, I’ve been making a list of “what if” questions to answer and to help prepare myself for horse ownership. Would appreciate if others could help add to this list based off their own experiences as I'm sure there's lots I haven't even thought of.

e.g. What if horse gets an abscess
What if horse develops laminitis
What if horse has PSSM

Any issue, no matter its size, goes really, and hopefully this could be useful for someone else too.

 

[CMcC]

Sorry, I just don’t see the point of this. Why make a list of everything that could go wrong, seems a very negative approach to life. You are just feeding your anxiety.
Make sure you have a safe environment for horse (field, yard stable etc), you understand nutrition needs, have a good vet, a good farrier, some knowledgable back up (YO or friends who can help).
A large bank balance and a bottle of gin will also help.

 

[coblets]

Sorry, I just don’t see the point of this. Why make a list of everything that could go wrong, seems a very negative approach to life. You are just feeding your anxiety.
Make sure you have a safe environment for horse (field, yard stable etc), you understand nutrition needs, have a good vet, a good farrier, some knowledgable back up (YO or friends who can help).
A large bank balance and a bottle of gin will also help.

Fair enough. For me, I get very anxious anyway, so having a list where I’ve already got basic instructions in case of emergency helps a lot.

 

[Ownedby4horses]

Ok, first thing you need to do is to focus upon your anxiety and worries. You CANNOT be prepared for every eventuality in life and all you will do is to make yourself ill.

Try to change your mindset, to be one of learning and put those learning resources there ready for if you need to refer to them, I.e. books etc. This is a brilliant book to have on your book shelf if you’re wanting to learn more: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Equine-Veterinary-Manual/dp/0715332783

Don’t forget that with horses, we are always learning. I’ve had horses over 40 years and I am obsessed with learning and yet I’m still learning. What I’m trying to say, is you just can’t be prepared. You’ll only know how to deal with something, when you are faced with that problem.

Don’t forget that a big part of horse ownership, is setting yourself up for success, that isn’t about having an enormous list of everything that can go wrong, it is, choosing a good yard with knowledgeable people, having a great vet, having a good farrier/trimmer. These are the people you will learn from and expand your knowledge.

 

[tallyho!]

There’s a high chance of horses developing all of those.. together.
Just make sure you’re prepared and don’t think too much.

 

[Ownedby4horses]

Fair enough. For me, I get very anxious anyway, so having a list where I’ve already got basic instructions in case of emergency helps a lot.

Your “list” , if you feel happier to have one, should only ever be a mental list, I.e. an injury - refer to the vet, call for advice or call out if it is a deep injury or near to a joint, hoof problems, call your farrier/trimmer for advice, riding problems, call your trainer/get your trainer out.

you need to stop your current train of thought. Have a look online at positive mental attitude self help, at the moment you appear to be stuck in a negative place. You really can turn this around and stop worrying (I’m speaking from experience as I used to worry excessively about everything).

 

[scats]

If you want to create a list of ‘what ifs’ for horses, you’ll need a very long page.... and after looking at it, if you had any sense, you’d never buy one!

Perhaps turn it into a list of who you will have to support you if things go wrong? Farrier, vet, yard, a good friend with lots of experience etc.

 

[Trouper]

I think @Ownedby4horses has summed it up perfectly.

The only think I would add is to remember to come back to the Forum with any specific worries. People on here have seen most things at one time or another and are a ready source of advice - even in the small hours!!!!

 

[EllenJay]

The answers to all your current "what it's" is call a vet. Basically, rule of thumb, if the horse is seriously injured or ill, call a vet. Minor injury, treat as you would yourself. Schooling/riding issues, speak to your instructor. Tack fitting, instructor also good for advice, and they will advise if you need a professional saddle fitter.

 

[SpotsandBays]

There’s just too many what ifs. Too many variables. Ones you wouldn’t think could happen but do!
Just make sure you’ve:
Got yourself a basic first aid kit, got an instructor or a really knowledgable mate to lean on if you’re not sure, and a good team to call (farrier, vet etc).

 

[MissTyc]

Trust me, not only would the list be terrifyingly long, but it would be like a challenge to your new horse to do something that is not on the list. Front shoe impaled in shoulder rather than on foot? TICK. Skin disorder that comes out of nowhere, drags on for 8 months, then goes away again TICK. Kick and bite marks on a horse turned out all alone ... YUP. etc etc etc ... You can't predict everything and you certainly can't control it.

I love the idea of a support list to make you feel better - a good relationship with your trainer, vet, farrier, saddle fitter ... Get recommendations for all of the above.

 

[ahml100]

As above, support lists are great. If allowed why don’t you put a small white board on your stable door with ICE numbers. Such as yours, vet and farrier. That way you have peace of mind that even if you are not there, the right people will be called.

As for preparing for what ifs, you can put a horse in the safest environment and it will still find a way to injure themselves!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Make sure you have a good 1st Aid kit, the numbers of emergency vet/farrier/friend to hand. Check fencing daily, even on a livery yard, don't accept carelessness on your livery yard, eg. there should always be a gate between horses and the road, unless someone is actually going through it. Don't be paranoid but do be vigilant to minimise the dangers of accidents. Have you considered doing a Horse-owners' training course?

 

[I'm Dun]

you can avoid PSSM by testing before buying, or educating yourself on signs and symptoms so you can recognise warning signs. I havent tested my new purchase, but only because I know his history and he has shown no signs. If I hadnt known that I would have tested.

 

[Flamenco]

I've found the "what ifs" are a sign I'm already worrying. If I keep thinking about them they seem bigger and bigger and this causes anxiety. Worrying builds an imaginary problem in my mind which I can't solve because it doesn't really exist!

What helps me stop worrying is paying someone to help (vet, farrier, instuctor) which means they are responsible for solving it so I can stop thinking about it.

Also when I think "what if" ask myself the opposite "what if he gets lami?" "what if he's the soundest horse I've ever known?"

Life is far more enjoyable when you look for positives. Its hard to retrain your brain if you've done it all your life though!

Good luck!

 

[scruffyponies]

You are being way too specific, OP. Look at it like a risk assessment.
Purchase risk: select an unsuitable horse, Mitigation: Take along expert friend
Financial risk: Identify what insurance you want
Horse's care and health: have you got a suitable vet? If it's your first horse, who is around to advise and help?
Contingency plans for loss of grazing, ill health etc.

Be practical, and take sensible steps to be prepared... use your worry productively. Things will go wrong, (things you can't possibly anticipate), but most of them will fall into 4 of 5 categories, where having plans in place will help.

 

[Cutgrass]

I’m a massive worrier/prefer being prepared for everything. So, as part of starting to look for a horse, I’ve been making a list of “what if” questions to answer and to help prepare myself for horse ownership. Would appreciate if others could help add to this list based off their own experiences as I'm sure there's lots I haven't even thought of.

e.g. What if horse gets an abscess
What if horse develops laminitis
What if horse has PSSM

Any issue, no matter its size, goes really, and hopefully this could be useful for someone else too.

Basic instructions in case of an emergency is fine but these aren't emergency questions you've listed and if you get answers now, treatments and approaches may have changed by the time you get your horse. By all means take an equine first aid or health course, and as others have said make sure you've got a good support list, but you're only feeding your anxiety by going through everything that could possibly go wrong in advance. Focus on brushing up on how to keep a horse healthy mentally and physically so that there's less likelihood of them developing something like lammi. That would be a much more productive use of your time.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Turn your what ifs into "if this -then that" statements.
So rather than thinking what if the horse cuts its leg, think "if the horse cuts its leg , I will clean it with water to assess and if necessary ask for yard owner's advice/call the vet on how to treat".
I'm a fellow anxiety sufferer , this is a common CBT technique to deal with those anxious thoughts.

 

[DabDab]

What if you buy a horse and actually really like it?

What if you hit the first challenge with new horse and know exactly what to do?

What if you go to the stables early one morning, see your horse's beautiful head over the door and realise how lucky you feel?

...

 

[Flame_]

Haha, no one on earth has the imagination to come up with a list of all the ways new horse might injure itself or go wrong, those ways are infinite and it's impossible to predict which you might have the misfortune to experience.

Stable at a livery yard with acceptable safety standards.
Have a good support network of professionals.
If you have transport - have breakdown, you will need it one day.
Have public liability insurance.

When (not if) something goes wrong, don't panic, phone the relevant expert you already have lined up, say "help me" and get your cash card out.

 

[emilylou]

Horses are not good animals for worriers. Worry will never help your problems. Put this out of your mind, enjoy your horse and deal with things one at a time as they come.

(I know this is easier said than done, but you CAN worry less with practice and you’ll make yourself mad otherwise.)

 

[Winters100]

The thing is that if you wrote a list of everything that could go wrong then you would never have horses, dogs or children.

Better to ask yourself are you prepared to deal with challenges, do you have the right support network, and can you afford to deal with problems if they arise? If the answer is 'yes' then just go ahead. I would also say that when it comes to it you can usually manage more than you think, and that others will help you more than you would have imagined.

As others have said, by all means make a list, but let it be a list of what help you will have when challenges arise.

You might just find that having a horse helps you to look at things differently, makes you realise that things happen and that you are able to manage and find solutions. I do hope so! Good luck

 

[smolmaus]

Turn your what ifs into "if this -then that" statements.
So rather than thinking what if the horse cuts its leg, think "if the horse cuts its leg , I will clean it with water to assess and if necessary ask for yard owner's advice/call the vet on how to treat".
I'm a fellow anxiety sufferer , this is a common CBT technique to deal with those anxious thoughts.

I assumed this is what the list was for? I find this kind of exercise really helpful as well.

Knowledge is power and all that. Rather than a long list worrying me, it will be the thought of what I might not have on the list that I don't have a plan for that would cause more anxiety. "If something goes wrong I will call the vet" just isn't enough for my brain, she needs details. We're all different.

Coblet if you're not following the Horse Vet Corner page on FB you could see if that is helpful. Only the one that has ONLY APPROVED VETERINARIANS though. I've learned a lot of little bits and pieces. Yes about the many myriad ways horses can try to die but also that a lot of things are treatable and fixable and preventable.

 

[laura_nash]

I think your concentrating on the wrong things. Your planning on being a horse owner not a vet, its not your job to have a treatment plan ready for any potential illness. Besides they will only find one that isn't on the list.

Useful what ifs for a new owner when planning a livery situation, insurance etc might be:

What if my horse needs box rest

What if my horse doesn't get on with the management style at the yard I've chosen (eg doesn't like its field mates, isn't happy on individual turnout etc)

What if I need to transport my horse to horsepital

What if my horse needs vet care that will cost more than I can afford from my day to day income

What if I'm not sure if my horse needs a vet, who can I get advice from or am I happy to get the vet anyway

What if I need help handling or riding my horse when I first get it

What if my horse can't be ridden anymore or has to be PTS, do I want insurance for these and if so do I accept the caveats re insurance involvement in PTS decisions

What if a quick decision is needed re my horses care and the person responsible for my horse cannot get hold of me, do they have authority and know my wishes re colic surgery etc

 

[windand rain]

If it makes you feel more prepared some vets run horse first aid courses worth every penny and often shows you how much you already know

 

[PurBee]

I've found the "what ifs" are a sign I'm already worrying. If I keep thinking about them they seem bigger and bigger and this causes anxiety. Worrying builds an imaginary problem in my mind which I can't solve because it doesn't really exist!

What helps me stop worrying is paying someone to help (vet, farrier, instuctor) which means they are responsible for solving it so I can stop thinking about it.

Also when I think "what if" ask myself the opposite "what if he gets lami?" "what if he's the soundest horse I've ever known?"

Life is far more enjoyable when you look for positives. Its hard to retrain your brain if you've done it all your life though!

Good luck!

I used to be a what if person. It does cause terrible anxiety. The endless worrying also can in fact attract the very worry to manifest.

One wake up call was when i was washing my car parked out on a rural, quiet farm track beside my house. No-one used the track hardly ever. My little cat was mooching beside me, went over the road to investigate the hedgerows. My thoughts turned to worst case scenario. “What if she gets run over?” So i go in the house and find the local directory and open the page for local vets. I hadnt lived there long. I Left it on the sideboard.
Carried on washing the car for 20 more mins, go inside….i hear a blood curdling meow scream, open the door and my cat runs in so fast, leaving blood trails behind her. She hid in the airing cupboard and i get her out to see she’s been run over. The page was already open in the directory, i felt so sick. Shot off to the vets. Sunday early evening. She ended up having 1 leg amputated due to vet dressing negligence really…yet she survived happily for many yrs after bopping around.

Was it precognition or my ability to intensely worry over a scenario that caused that? I’ll never know but other similar instance have taught me over the years, to focus on/ think of scenarios i WANT, not think of scenarios i DONT want!

As others have said, we cant possibly prepare for the unknown. Its too stressful to live like that.
When the unknown problems happen, its amazing the strength that brews inside us to help us cope.
You’ll learn as you own a horse. What you dont know there are plenty of professionals to call for advice/help.
Try to focus on how great it is to have a horse and the plans/goals you WANT with your horse. Keep those goals forefront of your mind.

If you don’t feel fully ready for full ownership and can’t yet get past being overly concerned and lacking confidence, have you considered a part share/loan?- its a softer introduction into ownership with another owner of a horse, and you’ll have confidence in their knowledge while you learn and become more confident.

Truly, i regret the time that ive spent in life worrying over unknowns/what if’s/worst case. Worrying is a waste of our mental energy, when that energy is best put thinking of what’s great/joyful/wanted next in life.
Our minds and bodies function best when we focus on what life we WANT.

So make a list of local professionals to you to call should you need advice/help.
But mostly, make a list of all the wishes, hopes, dreams, goals you can imagine with your horse…and get stuck in enjoying the horse ownership ride! ?

 

[Tarragon]

I do like the idea of contingency planning, so when you are faced with actually trying to deal with an incident or situation, you don't have to worry about the other things. So, have an idea of who you would contact who would be prepared to drop everything if at all possible and help.
On a practical level, perhaps make sure you have the vet/farrier/dentist arranged and make sure you have holiday cover organised, and someone who could take over if you were ill.
When I got my first pony I kept him on a livery yard so that I could get the support and help that I needed as a reasonably competent rider but novice owner. It took me a few years before I was prepared to take over that full responsibility and keep them on a farm by myself.

 

[Santa’s Irish draught]

If we all made a list like that nobody would buy a horse ?.

 

[SEL]

You can never think of everything.

Some gone on for decades and never have an issue. Others (looks sideways at my Appy mare) come up with stuff that the vet practice describes as Very Unusual.

Get a decent vet practice on board and budget for insurance. Take an experienced friend or instructor horse shopping and be honest about your experience and what you want to do with the horse.

 

[coblets]

Okay, thank you everyone. This thread has made me realise that I probably need to readjust my thinking.

What I'm going to do instead is:
- another first aid course
- make myself a sheet of everything I might need in an emergency (nothing big, just vet + farrier numbers, and a reminder of what to do and what to tell vet as my mind goes blank in emergencies)
- spend some more time reading about laminitis prevention as that's my biggest fear