HKJ
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I come to ask your help once again. It's long I'm afraid
Back in January, I posted on here about what people thought I should do with my mare and sending her away to a 'pro' to be competed for the year.
All advise was used and I thought I'd found the perfect yard - did all the checks asked all the questions and was complety satisfied.
Took the girl up to the new yard and left her with no doubts that she was in the right place.
I had texts saying that she 'was being a good girl' and 'she was very good today' a few times and had a quick chat with the rider (phone calls were rushed and never lasted more than 4 mins)
Got a text on week 2 saying it was taking her a while to settle down, but she was being a good girl.
(Are you starting to get the picture..?)
After week 3 (the rider had been away the first week so grooms lunged, then away 3 days in week 3) I had a text to call the rider, which I did.
The rider said they had no time to work my horse and though she had done nothing wrong, had found another rider who would take the mare on.
I was very shocked about this, but my rider said the mare had not put a foot wrong and she would definatly go to advanced level, but was unable to say how much higher.
Anyway - as I wanted the mare to continue and compete this year, I checked out the new rider and found she was a much better choice anyway as the yard was smaller and quieter and the new rider answered all my questions the right way.
Happy, I then went and popped in to see my girl on my way home. She was stood rock still at the door, not a horse in sight. I was so surprised to see her quiet as she normally stresses without another horse in sight.
I went away for 2 weeks and arranges to pick up my mare when I got back. Rider said this was totally fine and the mare would continue to be ridden and schooled until she left.
Fast forward to the day we picked her up .......
The rider was away at a show that day, and when the grooms saw us arrive in the lorry, they scarpered - we parked the lorry and found them to have bandaged and already out on her travel rug.
I noticed that the mare had a couple of scratches on her neck and was told 'oh, she just ran into the horse walker. It's nothing'
They seemed to want us to get her and go. But we'd traveled a long way to get there do stopped for a cuppa and then went back to get the girl.
On bringing her (quietly - not like her) out of the stable found that her travel bandages had been put on like exercise bandages - where do grooms train these days ?!
So we promptly took them off and whilst mum rolled, I rebandaged. Then I noticed her off side hind was hot and puffy. So I went and started to check her over. The tail bandage was too tight so I pulled that off and saw that she was really dirty (as in not sponges off for ages) and that her quarters looked strange. So off comes the rug - and OMG - the weight loss was rediculous. Her coat was dull.
My mare who should have been well muscled after 5 weeks work (and I'd put in 3 weeks before she left me) had 0 muscle, you could see her back bone, her rump had sunk and was boney, her neck looked awful and her ribs were showing .
We quickly covered her over and loaded her and took her to the new rider.
The journey was silent, even after we arrived and opened the ramp down the mare never reacted - she is quite excitable and loves going out. She even walked down the ramp, instead of the usual jump off the bottom half.
The new rider was really surprised when we took the rug off to show what we had discovered
The new rider said the mare looked exhausted and even her eyes had a dull look to them.
Now fast forward 4 weeks .....,,
Over the month with the new rider, we discovered that the mare cannot hold an outline at all, because she is too weak in her muscle from the loss of condition.
So the mare was put on ablib hage and some muscle building supplement. She was then lunged gently over the next 3 weeks and only ridden occasionally to see how she was getting on.
I went to see her yesterday and the chiropractor was there. The chiropractor told me she had seen the mare the day after she arrived and couldn't believe how bad condition she was in (to have come from the yard she did)
Anyway - we watched the mare walk down a small slope and noticed that she dragged her hind feet as she went down. I'd had a feeling something was wrong. For my mare who was ready for work, a lovely healthy, never been lame before, athletic and usually over rather under weight - even after 4 weeks - was not right
The chiropractor said she couldn't do anything, so the vet came out this morning and is saying (as they all do) bone scan, X-rays, then nerve blocking the hind legs....
WHY?!?!
The mare in question was at a top yard - all the other horses look fab. How can no one have noticed ??
Why did this happen
I'm now still paying top wack for the livery and I don't know what to do
Do I bring her home and deal with it myself
Do I leave her at the comp yard with rider 2 and let them deal with it.
I have had horses long enough to know that 'something' has happened. Some people are telling me to sue rider 1 for negelt and for the vets bills to come, and to get back the livery (they still not cashed my cheque of over £1000) for 5 weeks)
Moral guidance needed please
I come to ask your help once again. It's long I'm afraid
Back in January, I posted on here about what people thought I should do with my mare and sending her away to a 'pro' to be competed for the year.
All advise was used and I thought I'd found the perfect yard - did all the checks asked all the questions and was complety satisfied.
Took the girl up to the new yard and left her with no doubts that she was in the right place.
I had texts saying that she 'was being a good girl' and 'she was very good today' a few times and had a quick chat with the rider (phone calls were rushed and never lasted more than 4 mins)
Got a text on week 2 saying it was taking her a while to settle down, but she was being a good girl.
(Are you starting to get the picture..?)
After week 3 (the rider had been away the first week so grooms lunged, then away 3 days in week 3) I had a text to call the rider, which I did.
The rider said they had no time to work my horse and though she had done nothing wrong, had found another rider who would take the mare on.
I was very shocked about this, but my rider said the mare had not put a foot wrong and she would definatly go to advanced level, but was unable to say how much higher.
Anyway - as I wanted the mare to continue and compete this year, I checked out the new rider and found she was a much better choice anyway as the yard was smaller and quieter and the new rider answered all my questions the right way.
Happy, I then went and popped in to see my girl on my way home. She was stood rock still at the door, not a horse in sight. I was so surprised to see her quiet as she normally stresses without another horse in sight.
I went away for 2 weeks and arranges to pick up my mare when I got back. Rider said this was totally fine and the mare would continue to be ridden and schooled until she left.
Fast forward to the day we picked her up .......
The rider was away at a show that day, and when the grooms saw us arrive in the lorry, they scarpered - we parked the lorry and found them to have bandaged and already out on her travel rug.
I noticed that the mare had a couple of scratches on her neck and was told 'oh, she just ran into the horse walker. It's nothing'
They seemed to want us to get her and go. But we'd traveled a long way to get there do stopped for a cuppa and then went back to get the girl.
On bringing her (quietly - not like her) out of the stable found that her travel bandages had been put on like exercise bandages - where do grooms train these days ?!
So we promptly took them off and whilst mum rolled, I rebandaged. Then I noticed her off side hind was hot and puffy. So I went and started to check her over. The tail bandage was too tight so I pulled that off and saw that she was really dirty (as in not sponges off for ages) and that her quarters looked strange. So off comes the rug - and OMG - the weight loss was rediculous. Her coat was dull.
My mare who should have been well muscled after 5 weeks work (and I'd put in 3 weeks before she left me) had 0 muscle, you could see her back bone, her rump had sunk and was boney, her neck looked awful and her ribs were showing .
We quickly covered her over and loaded her and took her to the new rider.
The journey was silent, even after we arrived and opened the ramp down the mare never reacted - she is quite excitable and loves going out. She even walked down the ramp, instead of the usual jump off the bottom half.
The new rider was really surprised when we took the rug off to show what we had discovered
The new rider said the mare looked exhausted and even her eyes had a dull look to them.
Now fast forward 4 weeks .....,,
Over the month with the new rider, we discovered that the mare cannot hold an outline at all, because she is too weak in her muscle from the loss of condition.
So the mare was put on ablib hage and some muscle building supplement. She was then lunged gently over the next 3 weeks and only ridden occasionally to see how she was getting on.
I went to see her yesterday and the chiropractor was there. The chiropractor told me she had seen the mare the day after she arrived and couldn't believe how bad condition she was in (to have come from the yard she did)
Anyway - we watched the mare walk down a small slope and noticed that she dragged her hind feet as she went down. I'd had a feeling something was wrong. For my mare who was ready for work, a lovely healthy, never been lame before, athletic and usually over rather under weight - even after 4 weeks - was not right
The chiropractor said she couldn't do anything, so the vet came out this morning and is saying (as they all do) bone scan, X-rays, then nerve blocking the hind legs....
WHY?!?!
The mare in question was at a top yard - all the other horses look fab. How can no one have noticed ??
Why did this happen
I'm now still paying top wack for the livery and I don't know what to do
Do I bring her home and deal with it myself
Do I leave her at the comp yard with rider 2 and let them deal with it.
I have had horses long enough to know that 'something' has happened. Some people are telling me to sue rider 1 for negelt and for the vets bills to come, and to get back the livery (they still not cashed my cheque of over £1000) for 5 weeks)
Moral guidance needed please
