Window shopping....

https://classified.pcuk.org/classifieds/show-ad/?i=4744&id=4744

something a bit older just to go and enjoy?

Ive just spent not a huge sum on a 16.1hh been there and done it, he is 17 and I am having a blast with him. Wish Id done it years ago!!! I cant wait for BE to start up again.

Could do a lot worse. If he has got to 15 and stayed pretty active and sound then there is a good chance of a few years left in him. Looks like a very sensible purchase to give a teenager a step up from ponies.
 
Lameness work up again today. Still lame on right on the lunge. Sound in straight lines which is better but than before but this isn't just going to settle particularly quickly. I asked about treatment options and how we know we are doing the right things without an MRI and he said rest was the main treatment for soft tissue injuries. Some treatments can speed up healing. Also some treatments (eg steroids jabs to the joint) can reduce pain but if that then means you start working them too early it can make long term prognosis worse. So he told me not to stress about the MRI. It would be good to get a diagnosis so we know a lot more about her likwly progress/future. But the long term prognosis is not really affected by the options that we might go for with an MRI. She is still in the system and we will probably do it in due course but I've got my head around the fact that this year is written off now. Which it is pretty much anyway from a competition point of view so at least she has timed this well!

But what kind of rest? My vet is a massive fan of doctor green and box rest as a last resort but he really felt with Boggles injury the controlled walking and box rest was key, with the slow build up to ensure it healed correctly with minimal scar tissue and adhesions. His words were “soft tissue can heal chaotically” and that’s the sort of issue that can cause a long term niggle. Obviously every injury is different but I think that’s why if you have the financial means/insurance to get one it’s really helpful as I’m sure what may work for one type of soft tissue injury doesn’t work for another?
 
I need to be guided by my vet. He is very committed with decades of experience as a referral vet for complex lameness. Plus he is a horseman. I am very lucky to have him as my usual vet he is the guy you go to for 2nd opinions or an expert view for complex lameness. He worked at Newmarket for 20 years before moving North and joining an equine practice near me.

The MRI would be good and she is on the waiting list for one but I can't get one yet and he is confident that what we are doing is appropriate. So I need to just trust him and go with that. He's the one who has seen the xrays and done the work ups and he also treated her in September so he has a good idea of the longer term history too.

On another note - anyone got any thoughts on Toyah - Sophie Damment Eventing. She is MILES away! Arghh. Another one the other side of the country.



BP the owners Chip of have not responded to my question about the BE name.
 
I'm not really qualified to assess but I really like her and if she were bigger I'd be very tempted as she is not that far from me. I like her attitude and she looks to move pretty evenly.
 
On another note - anyone got any thoughts on Toyah - Sophie Damment Eventing. She is MILES away! Arghh. Another one the other side of the country.



BP the owners Chip of have not responded to my question about the BE name.

Sophie is great- she will describe the horse honestly and will have nothing to his. She's tall so the horse will be a bit bigger than she looks in the video. She's also a very nice and effective rider so she may be a little greener than she looks under Sophie, but she will have been produced very nicely- no force, no gadgets.
 
Anyone anywhere near Malmesbury? Amy Derber Equestrian??

Yes near her and tried with her, horse wasn’t suitable but would try one from her again and heard good things from others, my friend also sold a horse through her, she’s honest about the horse and will tell you if she doesn’t think you’re a suitable match!
She’s got a lovely dun in atm!
 
No he's not and hes too far away anyway. I just need to be more patient. Something will turn up.

But someone on my yard has just bought a dressage horse advertised for 10k for 6k and another has bought unseen from Ireland for 4k - when original price was 8k. So the listed price is not necessarily what they go for.
 
I need to be guided by my vet. He is very committed with decades of experience as a referral vet for complex lameness. Plus he is a horseman. I am very lucky to have him as my usual vet he is the guy you go to for 2nd opinions or an expert view for complex lameness. He worked at Newmarket for 20 years before moving North and joining an equine practice near me.

The MRI would be good and she is on the waiting list for one but I can't get one yet and he is confident that what we are doing is appropriate. So I need to just trust him and go with that. He's the one who has seen the xrays and done the work ups and he also treated her in September so he has a good idea of the longer term history too.

On another note - anyone got any thoughts on Toyah - Sophie Damment Eventing. She is MILES away! Arghh. Another one the other side of the country.



BP the owners Chip of have not responded to my question about the BE name.

Not negative as such but she looks like she’s really holding her together, as someone else said maybe tactfully that she makes a green horse look more schooled than it actually is.
 
I'm going to stop actively looking. I spent the weekend viewing horses who were basically a bit crap but still over budget and just found it really upsetting. I think I am realising I am not ready to move onto a new horse yet. Riding other horses just makes me miss riding Amber more. So I will have lessons on schoolmasters, hack out on Dolly, and ride other people's horses when it does not really matter that they aren't Amber because they aren't mine either! I think one day someone will tag me in a post or a horse I know will come up for sale and I'll get that fizzy excited feeling. Whether that's because it's a gorgeous youngster I'd love to work with or a really fun schoolmaster I think I'd have a blast with. But that buzz is not there for anything I have seen advertised so far.
 
I'm going to stop actively looking. I spent the weekend viewing horses who were basically a bit crap but still over budget and just found it really upsetting. I think I am realising I am not ready to move onto a new horse yet. Riding other horses just makes me miss riding Amber more. So I will have lessons on schoolmasters, hack out on Dolly, and ride other people's horses when it does not really matter that they aren't Amber because they aren't mine either! I think one day someone will tag me in a post or a horse I know will come up for sale and I'll get that fizzy excited feeling. Whether that's because it's a gorgeous youngster I'd love to work with or a really fun schoolmaster I think I'd have a blast with. But that buzz is not there for anything I have seen advertised so far.

I always say, the horse finds us not the other way around. My grey mare found me, I went to her stud to view a chestnut colt and she was the only one who came over to me a did the sweetest little knicker. She had my heart from that second...my 2 yo filly I bought before lockdown, her advert was EVERYWHERE I looked it was just bizarre. I viewed her and she nuzzled her head into my arm and fell asleep. I put a deposit on her there and then.

I 100% believe they choose us, if you do decide to get another AE, the right one will find you. I don’t think it helps with the uncertainty of Ambers lameness either, don’t rush yourself. The right one will come along if it’s meant to xx
 
sounds like a plan.

I would say that if/when you do go to view again, try and choose a horse for its own qualities because no two are ever the same. Trying to find Amber Mark 2 is going to make you feel very frustrated. I could never find another Millie no matter how hard I tried, she is irreplaceable. But I am absolutely besotted with Kira, who I could also not replace in a lifetime of searching. I am not quite at that stage with Darcy yet but you know, he's grown on me lots.

Obviously the best result is that she comes back to full work. But if she doesn't, and you end up wanting another, i think comparisons are a bit unhelpful partly because they make your heart ache and also because they are all different but in the right horse/owner/job combination they can also all be brilliant in their own ways. There will be a lovely horse somewhere, when you are ready.
 
What PSD and MP said ^.

I'm sort of looking for another, have a fairly specific wish list and I don't know if it's lockdown getting me down (in Wales so no viewing yet), but I can't seem to get super excited about anything yet... Then someone sent me the details of one who just reminded me so much of Doodle I'm not sure if I'm just feeling guilty for trying to replace the irreplaceable!

I think taking some time and seeing if the right horse finds you is a great plan :).
 
I agree that comparisons are unhlpeful and I am trying very hard not to compare. But having not ridden other horse really for over 3 years all other horses just feel a bit odd. Which does not help as I sit there just thinking 'well this feels weird'. I need to ride a lot more horses first then find one that is fab in their own way.
 
I need to ride a lot more horses first then find one that is fab in their own way.

I think that would be a good move for a few reasons. firstly so you aren't totally Amberised and different ones just feel like another horse rather than really odd. also so you can develop a bit more feel for when a random horse is going well and when it isn't, that will help with viewing videos in the longer term. when you are so accustomed to one way of going it can be hard to be objective about another. it will also give you an idea of what you like in horses that aren't Amber and what you want to avoid. Be good for your riding too, I love riding other people's horses because it challenges you in a way that the familiar ones don't.
 
There will be lots of people looking for loan homes over the next few months - perhaps that would be a good solution. Many people put horses out on loan when they become pregnant also - so you could have something for a year and then it goes home, by which time Amber would hopefully be up and running again.

When mine damaged herself in the field, I encouraged OH to buy a new horse (that I'd need to back and school!). It's worked well. When my mare was on field rest I had something to ride, and as she recovers (long process!), I have this lovely youngster to school and enjoy. Once my mare is finally back up and running (the aftermath of time off in a PSSM mare is quite spectacular) and she needs much more of my time, OH will take over and I'll just school his horse once a week. Having both of them now running alongside each other, means I am not tempted to push her because I want to do something - I can go and do those things on something else. It makes me more patient.
 
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