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milkmaid
Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 551
Location: western isles
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 Posted: Tue Nov 22, 11 3:01 pm Post subject: horse advice |
 
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please could someone give me some advice on horses ,it's way out of my league ,please don't get into a knocking horses thread ,i know they are a drain in every way,it's not for me and i don't know how to broach the subject ,although i know i'm going to be asked in the next few weeks ,what i would do ,and i want to be armed with the facts
one of my daughters has a horse ,he's a nutter but starting to settle after about 3 years of work she was expecting this as a youngster ,he was hard work ,anyway her boyfriend wanted to be involved they rescued another horse ,they have no children they choose not to have any as they love their horses and plan to compete ,she's an exrace horse ,lovely animal one of the nicest thoughbreds i've ever come across ,you can lead her on one finger she came with problems ,she was found in a stable where ,they hadn't been mucked out in ages it was jet black ,with no light ,
now the difficult bit they have owned her for 2 years sat on her once they were going to restart her ,as she was cold backed had had her mouth hacked with an ill fitting bit ,not had teeth done ect ,all this has been done and she looks lovely
but it's one thing after another ,the latest has been 3 deep rooted absences ,which has blow the hoof ,having to try to keep weight on,she needs lots of rugs which isn't a problem ,she does keep weight on but you really have to be on top of it, i think it's beginning to dawn that she is just going to be so expensive to keep her going ,at what point do you call it quits ,and what happens when you do years ago it was just call the hunt kennels ,
she rents land so not a chance of burying ,she spoke to her younger sister about it 2 days ago and brought up the subject for the first time ,if it comes to it they are going to be so upset ,they live on mainland scotland in the highlands if that's any help,
she's a vets dream nothing life threatening but , enough to keep her on box rest for several weeks each time ,once upon a time she made people a lot of money ,no rescue is going to take her ,and it would not be a route they would take
reasonable or unreasonable ,and as i said what happens with such a large animal sorry for the ramble but they spend so much time with both the horses ,i'd like to have some info of anyone who has delt with these sorts of issues  |
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chez
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset
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chicken feed
Joined: 27 Aug 2009
Posts: 2677
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milkmaid
Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 551
Location: western isles
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Cathryn
Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion
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milkmaid
Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 551
Location: western isles
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| Posted: Tue Nov 22, 11 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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yes she is stabled ,
although she was feed on the highest quality mixes as it was found she did better on a cheaper feed with barley added ,she ended up with a vets visit for choke with extra conditioner , she drops weight like a stone ,and ends up looking like an rspca case ,if not fed carefully
foot abscess there were 3 have been treated by the vet who then got the farrier to help sort it ,apparently they were sitting there a bit like a flair up with a tooth abscess,they are being treated,i think they hope the intermittent lameness that she has had over the 2 years were cause by this
the teeth should be done ,they were cutting into the side of her mouth and needed filed ,eatting was much more comfortable afterwards ,and she started to gain weight
she's not clipped ,but in the highlands - 19 with a wind chill of - 25 is not unusual,so rugged ,she needs it
i'm the same we have a shetland here who is really easy ,this horse isn't and needs the care ,her other one doesn't although accident prone as a lot of youngsters are ,he's a good doer
she isn't in work ,she's 11,i'm pretty sure that it's not just because she's a thoughbred living in the highlands ,there are others here ,that do need more care than other horses ,
but do ok and are still going at 28 ,i tend to think that's it's the wear and tear to her body at a young age ,that might or might not come good with rest and time and hasn't and might not
i'd like to know as well what TG has to say on it  |
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Cathryn
Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion
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BadgerFace
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
Posts: 915
Location: Sussex
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| Posted: Tue Nov 22, 11 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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I've owned many ex-racehorses all have come to me direct from the trainer and racing fit. Some seem to need loads of feed, others barely any; some relax into a different life with ease, others take years.
A diet that I found to suit them all is Simple Systems, it's forage based.
https://www.simplesystemhorsefeeds.co.uk - Any poor doers that have been here have thrived on it. Forage is important to supply warmth and weight. Many ex-racers also suffer from stomach ulcers, due to stress and low forage diets while in training, this can show as reluctance to be girthed, cribbing, windsucking, colic ect. (worth googling for more details, it is treatable)
As for the foot abscess, it's common problem with TB's, they have less than perfect feet; often with thin soles, dropped heels and slow growth - thin soles bruise easily, this causes the abscess.
But to answer the question, when do you call it a day ? For me it's when I think their quality of life is not what it should be, I'm also not one for pasture ornaments. The kennels is the end route here too.
HTH |
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milkmaid
Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 551
Location: western isles
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BadgerFace
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
Posts: 915
Location: Sussex
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milkmaid
Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 551
Location: western isles
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Mrs R
Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 7202
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milkmaid
Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 551
Location: western isles
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| Posted: Tue Nov 22, 11 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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i don't know her other one worked well ,he's a rescue as well ,really traumatized by people skinny ,coming right now ,it wasn't quite how it happened somebody else rescued her ,and when they took her they got the full story ,in some respects she is the nicest thoughbred i've ever come across , really gentle ,horse never thinks of biting or kicking acting nutty ,
it's more than hard for them ,as i said their 2 horses are a huge part of their life ,she's her boyfriends constant shadow ,his first horse of his own ,she see's him and even if he's not got food she's straight over there,he will not even discuss putting her to sleep but i know she is going to ask and then try to make him see if it's the sensible thing to do
i think what doesn't help is the general agreement with her rescue was shoot him ,he'll never make a good horse ,she backed him a month an go and has just started hacking him ,and often horses that do come out of those places do come though and go on to useful lives just look at some of the horses that came out of Spindles Farm and i'm not sure the competing is as important as the horses to them
i did work with thoughbreds years ago ,but they were different being event horses and the person had mega money so if it needed flying aboard for treatment and it spent the rest of it's life in a pasture it was fine , |
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Rob R
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
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Mrs R
Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 7202
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see what i mean , 
It's hard I know, but they've done their best and given way more of their time and money than anyone else would have for this mare, but when you pull an animal of a dark dirty shed, you know it's unlikely to work out brilliantly (goes for any animal, not just horses!). I'd take it as a lesson, and get myself a quality animal and pursue that dream instead.
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