Hitcher with horse problem

Was it Hugo Brambles, who had the sharer with the mad dad? <stalkericon>

It was hugo brambles

It was Hugo Brambles. She's managed to get her horse back without too much hassle from horrible parent. Not been around much, hopefully she will post us an update on how she's getting on!

Oh thank you ladies, of course it was Hugo Brambles.[:I]

And I'm really glad to hear that FigJam, it sounded a horrid situation.?

I have a horse problem...but I don't think you meant me.

quote:Originally posted by Pikasue
I have a horse problem...but I don't think you meant me.

quote:Originally posted by Pikasue
I have a horse problem...but I don't think you meant me.

Boy is ok but (gulp)...I am thinking of retiring him from competative work after this season. His teeny tiny ginger brain cannot cope with the stress of the higher levels and I think his inherent unstraightness caused by his bone spavin is affecting his performance as the dressage tests get harder and the XC jumps get more tecnical. Ho hum....we've got a busy season and I hope to rack up some good results but I am 100% certain that we won't be moving up a level and about 50% sure that he'll be retired from affilitated competitions.

Which leads me onto what to do next......(next post to follow in about 30 mins as its a long one to type!)

Hey Pikasue, sorry to hear you're still having a dilemma over the boy. ☹️ I saw your post on "the other side" ? where you were wondering what to do with him next year. Did you make a decision about that mare you were looking at?

Just think though... badders is only 2 weeks away! ?

LOL Figjam - was just trying to find that post so I could C&P some of it! Here it is for the benefit of those who did not see it on the horsey forum:

"Bit of background.....I have owned the boy (16.3 full tb) for almost 4 years now - he was given to me as a complete wreck with no competition experience and had never been over a coloured pole or XC fence. Its taken a while but he is now working well on the flat, trying hard over SJs and loving his XC. We've got a good track record at local events and have affiliated with BE. He has also hunted last season and dispite hotting up and having to hang near the back as he fly kicks when excited we had a number of brilliant days. He is ok to handle on the ground - no real issues with loading/clipping etc but he does need a confident and experienced handler.

Here is the downside though....he was 16 this year, has a fused spavin and as an ex-racer he has a variety of odd lumps and bumps the most serious being what my vet thinks is a damaged pelvis caused from a bad fall or similar which means his near 1/4s are slightly lower. None of this is affecting soundness at the moment but I am mindful of these issues - he is on a pricey supplement, has special shoes etc. My instructor and I have also agreed that whilst he has improved brilliantly and we have no problems at British Eventing intro level (and some Pre-Novice) he won't go any higher - he does not have the head for it and his physical issues will cause problems in harder tests and more challenging courses.

So the plan was to have a fabulous season on him this year then look for a loan home/sharer to take him on (he is not going for sale) to carry on doing more of the same or even a notch lower. He is never going to be an easy horse to find a rider for - he is a horrid hack (excitable and kicky in company...nappy and wild-eyed alone LOL) and he is a bit high-maintenance but I've no doubt the right person will come along. That would then leave me free to put some time and money into finding the "one" for me - I've never actually looked for and bought a horse, they've always been free problem horses/loans/borrowed etc and I was quite excited about getting something that had a proven track record and was ready to go further.....it would take me at least 6 months to get some funds together though to get something really really brilliant!

Which leads me to the dilemma (I told you this was long, I've not even started yet!). A horse at my yard has come up for sale at a ridiculously low price (200-300 tops) having been abandoned by the owers. She has been out at grass for about 16 months as the owners stopped paying the livery bill and its taken this long for them to confirm that she is at the yard owners disposal. The owners have no interest in answering questions or providing any history - they have effectively washed their hands of her - meaning that all the info I can gather about her is hearsay.
***Updated - yard owner has confirmed with current owner that the horse is hers to dispose of as she sees fit in writing***

From what I've been told and from going to see her I have established the following:

*15.3hh Mare - about 9/10 years - pretty, short coupled, clean limbs, sound at moment, nice manners, no obvious vices

*Probably Irish (she looks like an ISH type but equally could be a TB x NF or similar)

*Bought for teenager as a show jumper - from what other yard members can remember jumped well at home and at local comps.

*Teenager jumped on an almost daily basis and after a year or so of ownership horse went lame - some interaction with the vet (no-one can confirm diagnosis) and after a 14 week period of box rest came back into work. It was during this period she was abandoned.

So here is my dilemma - do I take this mare on or not? I plan on getting her vetted regardless and will use the same vets that investigated her lameness in 2006 - not sure if they will be able to disclose any past records to me or even refer to them (data protection act etc). If she gets the ok from the vet then the decision really lies with me......

F&F are very divided over what to do. Some think its a brilliant idea and if she turns out to be the one..bargain and if not with a bit of work she could be sold and any £££ put towards something else. Others think that I should stick with the boy and see how this season goes just in case he could go higher. Some think this mare is too much of a risk and I should leave well alone.....

I also have the added burden that I can only realistically keep one horse in work - I am riding at 9pm most nights as it is so I don't have time for two. If I do get her I am happy to leave her at grass over the summer while I focus on the boy but come autumn if I have not found a sharer/loaner someone has to go back out to grass. Part of me thinks the boy might like a break but I am worried that (a) he won't cope well and (b) at his age if he looses muscle/condition/weight will he ever get it back? I am happy to work the mare in the field over the summer (its going to take months before we can even start proper work) but its not realistic over winter.

Ho hum, my apologies for such a long post. My head is all over the place at the moment and I would appreciate your thoughts and opinions. I do want this to work but I am mindful that the boy is and has to remain a priority to me...I won't be washing my hands of him just because he has his limits. I do want to give this mare a chance though - she has all the makings of a nice horse and as I was planning on getting something else anyway is this an opportunity I should not miss?"

See - told you it was long! Zeb/HH - bet you wish you never asked now!

Hi all ?

Yes it got sorted eventually thank you! The week leading up to me having her back was a nightmare and right up to the last day the father was being an arse, one example being he rang me the Saturday night before I was taking her on the Sunday morning to tell me she was out in the pouring rain, in her stable rug on her own, basically because it was their stable and they didn't want her using it anymore. ☹️!] [B)] Anyway I rang my friend who has a horse on the yard and she wasn't out all he was just being an twunt trying to wind me up. They did ring and text me after I'd got her back mainly because they wanted me to pay for the injections they had done for her in February which "they wouldn't have paid for if they'd have known they weren't having her for the full year". They had my passport and vaccination card and were holding them to ransom so I paid them the £30 to shut them up and I got my stuff back. I then got a letter from the girl thanking me for letting her loan her and saying how lucky I am to have such an amazing horse and she would love to come and visit when she's settled in. Although I'm not against her seeing her in theory, in principle one of the parents would have to bring her and anyway I don't really want them knowing where she is living so I think the father has burnt that bridge.

Anyway, I've had her back for nearly 3 weeks now and it's the best decision I've made - I'm absolutely loving it. The yard I moved to is lovely and she's settled straight away and is in fact in the field next to her old boyfriend. Lesson learnt though in that I'd never even loan one out again. She is home to stay ?

Gosh, Pikasue, it doesn't get any simpler does it?

I would go for it with the mare, tbh, if you have the legal side sorted. As you say, you can leave her out over the summer and in the autumn find a sharer for the boy or give him a break. Then focus hard on the mare and I reckon after four months or so you'd know whether she was a long-term horse for you, or you'd have improved her enough to sell her on for a healthy profit.

Boop and I have our Badders tix btw - we need to talk about picnics ?

So you still haven't come to a decision yet Pikasue? It's such a toughie, for all the reasons you've listed. ☹️

I really don't know what I'd do. I think it's worth looking for a sharer/loaner for him after this season, although it will be much harder to find someone going into winter than it will going into summer!

The right person may just be out there who has the riding skills and would love their own, but can't afford one. Plus, plenty people love a "challenging" ride, rather than a plod, so his hacking "antics" may not discourage everyone.

I have to say that being a Scots gal, I'm a sucker for a deal and the chance of a potentially very nice horse for so little pennies would be really tough to say no to. (subject to vetting of course!) Plus, she's young enough that if you did a season or two on her and she wasn't up to competing at the level you want, she'd easily sell on as a decent RC horse.

Hows the new lorry? Got it yet? What colour did you end up going for?! I'm jealous of you lot going to Badminton, I've even heard rumours that it won't be live XC on telly this year. ? I have booked up for Blair though in August and got a flyer through the post about doing a course walk on the 3*** track with WFP/Lucy Weigersma, which would be really cool!

HB, I'm so glad that the father was, by the sounds of it, all bluster and no actual body. What a twit, though!

Pikasue - I've absolutely nothing to suggest as I've not got the slightest clue about owning/selling/training horses.

But it sounds like you couldn't lose out much by taking this mare?

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I guess!?

Pika, the way I see it you have two separate questions-

1. should you retire the boy from competition and put him out on loan?

2. should you get this mare?

The second question is only relevant if the answer to the first is yes, so try to decide that first without letting the mare or any other horse affect your judgment.

Then, if you decide yes, I'd consider how quickly you want to get on with things and compete. From your post it sounds to me a little as if you're keen to get competing, that you've done some hard work getting the boy to where he is and now you want a horse to have fun on without having to start from scratch, but [armchair shrink/] that you think maybe you oughtn't to feel this way [/armchair shrink] and that it would be worthier to take the mare on. Is that true or am I way off the mark? If there is some truth in it, I'd think long and hard before devoting huge amounts of time and money to a horse that may not be right for you and may not even be sound enough for what you want.

Pika - my heart says go for it subject to vetting.

I can't see data protection being an issue - might be talking bollocks here, but surely the data relates to a horse and not a human being? If so, then is there really a problem for disclosure.

I wish I could ride at the moment. Upduffage and fooked back means I daren't risk a fall. Mum living 5 mins from a stables doesn't help at all either! If you're near Berks and need someone to come and feed them carrots and give them a pat, I'm your girl. I'm off work from August. ?

It sounds like your boy has bags of personality though, for all his quirks. ?

Hugo Brambles - I am so glad you got your mare back. Horrible situation.

Pikasue - I think you should go for the mare. I think you would soon tell if she has the pluck to make it and if not, you would be doing her a service & could sell her at a profit thus enabling you to put the profit towards a second, better horse. I'm all for giving taking a risk on a chance horse and I think that if she has shown potential in the past then she could well again. I'm very jealous of you, I haven't been on a horse since my honeymoon in 2006 and am pregnant again so isn't going to happen anytime soon. I'll just have to live me dreams through you! ?

Good luck, I hope it works out.

Thanks so much for wading through this everyone - I really appreciate your thoughts and opinions. In response:

Sophie - far point, if she is sound its almost a certainty that if I bring her on she'll sell for a profit if I don't want to keep her. Will kleek mail re: Badders.

Figgy - I think thats my real problem...its not getting her its what to do with the boy. I know now would be the best time to look for a loaner but I *need* to have one more season with him (plus I've shelled out for this years entry fees!). Lorry arrives in May - went for navy with gold logos (my colours are navy & orange but I thought that would be garish). So looking forward to badders - 7 of us are going from our yard for the whole 4 days and my instructor is coming for 2 days to do a course walk with us as well. Try Horse & Country TV for listings - I know they are showing Bramham at the moment (look for me walking around a large bay in the 3*** warm up arena!).

Zebra - short simple advise! thanks!

KN - hmmm....thats what my sister thinks. She is of the opinion that I am a sucker as this horse might not be a decent eventer as she has no proven history. At least with the boy I know what he is capable of...but then I do like a challenge!

HH - data protection sadly might be an issue - the vets records relate to the horse & owner...there is a mini-work around though and thats if I get the vet who investigated her previous lameness to vet her again. The boy currently resides in Cambs - if you are every up this way please do pop by with carrots.

Magnolia - thanks, I think thats what is making me even consider this.