what would u do?? pony LWVTB- long sorry

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Hi I dont post on her often as I tend to just read threads lol but want a few oppinions if anyone wants to reply. It makes me sound a bit novice but I have a mare who I event and keep horses at home so this is normally something you would discuss with other horsey people but I dont know any by me lol!!!
Ive had a pony on LWVTB she is a love 14.3hh Dun connie albeit overweight so doesnt look like one atm lol. She is 14 yo has been owned by owner for 4 years but not ridden much in last 18 months due to her having a baby. She turned her out before xmas taking her shoes off ( dont know why she did this money i suppose) and the pony got 2 huge absesses which are now growing out nicely and she is fine from these.
So here the thing, Ive bought her for my daughter so ride who is a very good rider, (she schools event ponies for a well known lady at weekends) so im not justy saying it lol but had a year off from owning / competing but want to do it again so we found this pony who seemed like a good one to get her back into things and a good price. Now tbh ive not had a pony as old before, Her feet are not a problem they are ok she is not lame from them and its all in hand, but she is very very stiff behind. Walk and trot she is fine takes a little bit to loosen up but nothing too bad, but in canter she is very stiff.Her weight doesnt help i no and we are having lots of walking out hacks to help this which should also loosen her up eventually, but my problem is this, We have to decide if we want to keep her by middle of next month. Do we perservere to see if the stiffness eases as it warms up and as she looses weight and does more ( bearing in mind she has done nothing in 18 months) or do we hand her back, supplements wont kick in in time but i will put her on some. Trouble is 1 months not going to be enought time to really see how she is going to ease up, anyone else had a similar experience
Thoughts please- sorry its so log
 
It is a hard one! How hard was she worked before the had the 18 months off? Why did she have the 18 months off? Have you had her checked by a vet to make sure its not pain, injury etc that is causing the 'stiffness'? Have you asked for an extended period of loan?

Sorry for all of the questions and I am sure you have already thought of them :o
 
She was off because the girl had a baby prior to that she was a happy hack really as girl had 2 ponies, one was a youngster so she bought this one to ride while other was broken etc. Im guessing she has arthritis tbh, age etc and her weight doesnt help. She is happy to do what you ask. No not had vet yet, would be next move, but all he will tell me is see how she goes cause shes been out of work?? and she has more likely got arthritis, which is not a problem, havent most horses at this age lol
 
It all depends on the horse I know more 14yr olds without arthritis than I do with it, alot of top competition horses are in their teens and don't have it so I don't know... Maybe worth trying her on a joint supplement like NAF 5 Star Superflex to see if that makes a difference? I would ask for a little longer than a month on the loan part of the agreement and start work on getting her fit and see how it goes then x
 
14 isn't old for a pony. No horse / pony is classed as veteran until 16. Many ponies are in good competative work up to their mid 20's, sometimes further.

That said, unless you plan to sell her on within the next couple of years you may end up being her last home. Especially if there is a mechanical issue which might shorten her ridden life. At 14 she really shouldn't be showing signs of arthritus yet. Especially if she hasn't been heavily used. Even in top flight competition horses are still in full work at this age. In eventing they are considered as only just coming to thier peak.

You do really need to know what is causing the stiffness. It is more likely than not that your insurance will require at least a 2 or 3 stage vetting. From what you say she would probably fail a 5 stage anyway. but it would be worth getting a vet to check the stiffness particualrly. If there is an ongoing injury or problem that will worsen as she ages then you need to be sure you can cope with the rising bills.
 
Have a vet take a look. My horse was working advanced medium dressage at home when he started to get stiff behind - couldn't cope with the collected tight circles in canter very well - he was about 13 at the time. He had his hocks injected and never looked back. However, some horses need the injections every few months so there is no guarantee of success.
I dont think any amount of joint supplements will cure your problem - at best they will only slow the degeneration. Unfortunately, you do not have a crystal ball and will be taking a big risk keeping the pony - you could be taking on a whole lot of disappointment.
Personally, having had lots of problems with arthritic horses, I would send the pony back. Sorry to be so pessimistic but at least you have a chance of buying something else.
 
Personally I'd have a good physio do a thorough assessment of the pony, and definitely have the pony 5 stage vetted if you do decide to progress towards a sale.
 
Please get a chiro/physio to see her asap before you make your mind up.

If she's had a baby, she may well have had some trauma to her pelvis during the birth which means that she finds collecting herself for canter difficult but can manage with walk and trot. I know of so many 'human' Mums that suffer with back pain and stiffness after having kids - horses can too! In a lot of cases her large glut muscles will have tightened up to compensate for pain in the lumbars and pelvis, and in canter when they really need them to be strong, they run out of 'oomph'.

Also abscesses are a nightmare for the horse to cope with mechanically in their hocks/hips as well as spine. If she's had 2 of these ontop of having a baby then it will exacerbate symptoms even though they are long gone....again to put it in human terms...'my lower back hasn't been the same since I really hurt my foot a few months ago'...

good luck
 
I would try and negotiate a longer loan period before buying. The owners are probably going to have trouble selling a stiff, only just back into work 14yo at the moment, so given the option of no sale at all, or extending the loan period to allow you to try and sort the stiffness issue, I suspect they will go for the latter!
 
I would get a vet out to give her a full vetting, raise the issue of the back with him and see what he says. He may well advise you to get a good physio to also have a look at her.

How long has she been back in work? After 18 months off I would expect the pony to do at least 4 weeks at walk, then 4 weeks at walk with increasing trot intervals before she does any cantering (little and often, so 1/2 walk every day to start with is ideal). Is this something you have done with her? The stiffness may just be a lack of muscle issue.
 
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