What to do....

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seabiscuit

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Due to some problems with Owen accepting a saddle being put on-I had a vet come down today to check Owen ( my usual vet was on holiday so I had a different vet out) and he read his case notes and we talked about how he was going to be retired as a hack etc etc as discussed previously with my usual vet.
Ok so he looks Owen over, cannot feel any pain anywhere, trots him up, declares him sound, a fab mover and a powerfull and very athletic moving and looking horse. He looks at me as though I am mad to even be entertaining the idea of retiring him and says that he would probably pass a vetting as an event horse today. Reaction to the saddle must be pure high jinks.

So am now feeling completly flummoxed at the two differences in opinion- one vet saying he should be retired and the other seeminggly saying the opposite ( reading between the lines as he cant say outright against another vet in his practise). When my vet saw him the other week his toes had been too long and he was foot sore and he had been worked with that-which gave him pain everywhere plus he had gone wild in the field(always puts himself out like that) so I think that is why she was so adamant in her reaction that he should be retired.Today when the vet saw him his feet are finally how I want them and he has had a week off work so the pain is gone.
So my question is what to do now. From his behaviour in the last few weeks he is blatently feeling far to fresh and well ( despite what I/the other vet thought) to be retired as a hack yet I am not alltogether sure that he would cope with the life and the training for being an eventer. I dont want to go there TBH it would be better to limit his work in that respect -as you know Ive had him for 4 years now and one really has to draw the line somewhere he is always going to be one of those horses that have a little problem or a tweak somewhere....

So I am going to get him fit again do a few dressage/SJ comps and sell him as a riding club horse. He will pass the vet thats for sure..but will anyone want to buy a horse like that, thats had a kissing spine op and a bone spavin?and needs a bit of physio maintenance?

I dont know, just wondered what people thought. I bet I end up changing my mind again and decide to keep him...and then change my mind again!
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Glad Owen's feeling well !!!

Such a difficult situation for you. IMO get on and start riding him, it may be that a week off and he is feeling well, but after a bit of work he may not stay that way, who knows?

Sometimes we can be too close to a horse and fresh eyes can be beneficial.

As for selling him, if he is capable of hacking and doing light RC activities then I am sure there is a home out there for him, but I do think we are talking nominal sums of money.
 
As long as I can find the right home for him I do not mind about the money. He does need an experienced home though and I worry that there isnt a home out there for him-nearly all experienced people all want proper competition horses?? but you think that someone would want him?

So tricky!

How is Jack coming along?!
 
what a decision! - dont envy you. Sounds as tho he would make a fab low key riding club horse, in the right hands. Obviously its important to be 100% upfront, reduce his price accordingly for a good lifelong home, as you dont want some idiot trying to do too much on him resulting in more pain further down the line.

As far as would someone be interested? - yes of course they would, lets face it we are knowledgeble horsey people and bought our ex racer with badly bowed tendons and an old knee injury! - why you may ask? Because he was very very cheap and had a fabulous temperament, and fitted what we were looking for. Old injuries so dont affect him whatsoever now. He dishes like a trooper but does a nice novice test, and hacks happily everywhere!

You will sell him but be prepared to sell cheaply to a fab home who will love him forever!!
 
Now, I wonder what woudl happen if you kept an anti cast roller on him for a couple of weeks so the weight/girth of the saddle would not be such a big deal when you put it on him, like desensitisation.

I have no exp of this but it may be worth a little go to see if the saddle prob could be reduced - that might help when i comes to selling him
 
Not true. Experienced people may be gearing down. They may well want something to enjoy without feeling the pressure of competition. But they dont want a plod. Dont give up hope.
 
I am new and don't know Owen's obviously extensive medical history but I can tell you my own very successful upper level ex-event horse, who has always been BEYOND quirky, sustained some sort of back/pelvis/sacroilliac injury which was never really identified but led me to end his x-c carreer, and has a visible spavin on one hock, is still trucking around, being a schoolmaster dressage horse, at 24 years of age.
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After I decided not to return him to eventing he had a stellar career being leased out to people doing their coaching exams (like UK BHSAI/BHSI) because he could do both the jumping and dressage elements at a high level. He also did a bit of SJ. Then, when he decided he didn't really want to jump anymore, he took his next lessor from Training Level (our most basic level) to Third Level (lateral work, counter canter etc.) in two show seasons. Then, when he started looking like he was struggling with his changes and collected work, he moved on to a lower level rider.

He never had his hock injected (one of his quirks is a spectacular reaction to vets and it seemed overkill to basically give him a general to inject his hock!) but does get supplementation. He has needed a little physio over the years (especially when he hurt himself . . . jumping out of the paddock for the umpteenth time . . .) but so long as he is in consistent, proper work he's good to go. I'm sure if I had him assessed for soundness there are many vets who would pick on him (although when I asked my vet to do it he looked at me like I was mad) but the fact of the matter is he IS sound, he IS working, and so long as he's happy with his life I see no reason to look for trouble.

Ironically enough, he's one of the few horses I've ever been associated with who actually covered his costs - he even made money for me at a few points!

And he is still, in his dotage, a difficult horse to keep. Or rather he has very clear ideas about how he should be managed and is not shy about sharing them. But he's a fantastic horse and everyone who has had him has counted themselves lucky and been more than happy to cater to his needs.

Blah, blah, blah.
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All I'm saying is that if the horse can keep on going, keep on going. He'll tell you when he needs to quit. If he needs to downgrade, fine. Do that. But that doesn't mean he isn't useful to someone. Yes, the vets are giving you their opinions and you need to listen to them. But mostly you need to listen to Owen.
 
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