re homing horse with problems

whupdedo

Hi all, ill make this short and sweet

I have a 5 year old coloured sports horse with the following complaints

1. Broken wind, very severe broken wind when working, its quite loud after only couple of minutes work and is really impacting him
2.when in stable he is an avid box walker
3.sometimes he is unable to be ridden,sometimes he is fine but during any exercise he can become quite unstable trying to buck and knock me off

I have a lot of time and work put into him, and it seems he is still stuck on day 1 every time I ride him I'm taking the chance he is going to knock me off and maybe seriously hurt me

So my question is apart from the factory, is their anywhere that would be willing to take him free of charge to rehome him or keep him, i know it's a big ask but giving him to the factory just doesn't sit quite right with me and I won't sell him as I'll only be passing the problem not to someone else, giving him to the factory just doesn't sit quite right with me, but if I have to i will.thanks for any replies w

marley123

Rather than passing the problem on I would do the kindest thing & have him PTS.

whupdedo wrote: »

Hi all, ill make this short and sweet

I have a 5 year old coloured sports horse with the following complaints

1. Broken wind, very severe broken wind when working, its quite loud after only couple of minutes work and is really impacting him
2.when in stable he is an avid box walker
3.sometimes he is unable to be ridden,sometimes he is fine but during any exercise he can become quite unstable trying to buck and knock me off

I have a lot of time and work put into him, and it seems he is still stuck on day 1 every time I ride him I'm taking the chance he is going to knock me off and maybe seriously hurt me

So my question is apart from the factory, is their anywhere that would be willing to take him free of charge to rehome him or keep him, i know it's a big ask but giving him to the factory just doesn't sit quite right with me and I won't sell him as I'll only be passing the problem not to someone else, giving him to the factory just doesn't sit quite right with me, but if I have to i will.thanks for any replies w

monflat

whupdedo wrote: »

Hi all, ill make this short and sweet

I have a 5 year old coloured sports horse with the following complaints

1. Broken wind, very severe broken wind when working, its quite loud after only couple of minutes work and is really impacting him
2.when in stable he is an avid box walker
3.sometimes he is unable to be ridden,sometimes he is fine but during any exercise he can become quite unstable trying to buck and knock me off

I have a lot of time and work put into him, and it seems he is still stuck on day 1 every time I ride him I'm taking the chance he is going to knock me off and maybe seriously hurt me

So my question is apart from the factory, is their anywhere that would be willing to take him free of charge to rehome him or keep him, i know it's a big ask but giving him to the factory just doesn't sit quite right with me and I won't sell him as I'll only be passing the problem not to someone else, giving him to the factory just doesn't sit quite right with me, but if I have to i will.thanks for any replies w

Ok i would say do the best thing and send to factory.
You have done your best and obviously he have been wronged in the hands of humans.

I have worked with all sort of horses with problems over the years through different types of horsemanship.

Either you seek assistance fork out big money or just cut your losses.

I would say he obviously fell into the hands of people who did not know how to handle horses.

Obviously he has not been broke / started properly.


Did yyou pay money for him or did you aquire him ?

Ave Sodalis

Just out of curiosity OP, what is it you have tried with the horse?

whupdedo

monflat wrote: »

Ok i would say do the best thing and send to factory.
You have done your best and obviously he have been wronged in the hands of humans.

I have worked with all sort of horses with problems over the years through different types of horsemanship.

Either you seek assistance fork out big money or just cut your losses.

I would say he obviously fell into the hands of people who did not know how to handle horses.

Obviously he has not been broke / started properly.


Did yyou pay money for him or did you aquire him ?

I bred him myself out of my own mare, I can honestly say since the day I started handling and doing work with him as a foal he has never been mistreated, that's what I can't get my head around, I broke him myself and I have years of experience breaking and riding horses and have never had trouble like this from any of the other horses that went before him

monflat

whupdedo wrote: »

I bred him myself out of my own mare, I can honestly say since the day I started handling and doing work with him as a foal he has never been mistreated, that's what I can't get my head around, I broke him myself and I have years of experience breaking and riding horses and have never had trouble like this from any of the other horses that went before him

What way was he weaned off mother ?
What process did you use.

Did you handle him a lot as a foal or just leave him.be.

What age you start him to ride ?

whupdedo

monflat wrote: »

What way was he weaned off mother ?
What process did you use.

Did you handle him a lot as a foal or just leave him.be.

What age you start him to ride ?

He was well handled before and after weaning, he was weaned visually from the mare but no contact allowed, i have special paddocks set aside for this, and as with all my horses I don't break them until after March of their 4th year but again he had all the ground work done as a 3 year old without backing until late 3 year old early 4 year old.

whupdedo

sup_dude wrote: »

Just out of curiosity OP, what is it you have tried with the horse?

In what way do you mean "what have I tried with him "

sillysmiles

What is "broken wind"?

monflat

whupdedo wrote: »

In what way do you mean "what have I tried with him "

What have you done to rectify problems .
Thats what i understand from the question.

Would you work him every day ?

There has to be somerhing thats causin him to act like that.

What age was he gelded at

Ave Sodalis

sillysmiles wrote: »

What is "broken wind"?

Its when the little flap that goes over the hole to the lungs become partially paralysed. You can hear it in a horse when they're working, they seem to roar or make a very deep raspy breath.

OP I mean with regard to his ridden problems, what steps have you already taken to try and fix them?

whupdedo

sup_dude wrote: »

Its when the little flap that goes over the hole to the lungs become partially paralysed. You can hear it in a horse when they're working, they seem to roar or make a very deep raspy breath.

OP I mean with regard to his ridden problems, what steps have you already taken to try and fix them?

He has been exercised regularly since breaking and checked over by a vet to dismiss any problems in his back such as a trapped nerve or other problems, their is no girth gall and I have given him to a competitive rider with a lot of experience in young horses and he can't get him to come around any bit, whenever he thinks he is going well he reverts back to previously mentioned problems

paddi22

if he is a good horse would you send him in to somewhere like ucd vets hospital to get a full workup before you write him off? what kind of vet check was done - was he scoped for ulcers or xrayed for kissing spine etc? when does the bad behaviour manifest itself? is it constant? only when ridden? when the horse is under pressure?

two of the complaints aren't enough to be writing him off. i've one with bad wind who had the wind op and he low level events with no issues. the box walking isn't a massive complaint either, a lot of horses do it, the horse might just be happier living out.

whupdedo

paddi22 wrote: »

if he is a good horse would you send him in to somewhere like ucd vets hospital to get a full workup before you write him off? what kind of vet check was done - was he scoped for ulcers or xrayed for kissing spine etc? when does the bad behaviour manifest itself? is it constant? only when ridden? when the horse is under pressure?

two of the complaints aren't enough to be writing him off. i've one with bad wind who had the wind op and he low level events with no issues. the box walking isn't a massive complaint either, a lot of horses do it, the horse might just be happier living out.

To be honest he's a good all rounder at a low level but I don't think he would be worth spending the money on, its about the money really, i could spend a lot of money on a good equine vet to be still told that nothing can be found wrong, he is a highly strung horse alright, but their is plenty highly strung horses that improve with work

byhookorbycrook

I'd put him to sleep rather than re-home, to be honest. I think it I the kinder thing to do.

monflat

whupdedo wrote: »

To be honest he's a good all rounder at a low level but I don't think he would be worth spending the money on, its about the money really, i could spend a lot of money on a good equine vet to be still told that nothing can be found wrong, he is a highly strung horse alright, but their is plenty highly strung horses that improve with work

Ok so hes actually riding and capable of like riding club stuff ? As in low level riding club stuff
Still thou from what your initial post was he not suitable for a novice rider because of what he potentially can do ?

fits

Its a tough one. If he's very unpredictable in nature, well while there are riders who can deal with these things, they have no shortage of horses. It doesn't sound like he'd be a good companion or happy hacker either. I'd be thinking strongly of factory.

whupdedo

monflat wrote: »

Ok so hes actually riding and capable of like riding club stuff ? As in low level riding club stuff
Still thou from what your initial post was he not suitable for a novice rider because of what he potentially can do ?

Yes exactly, he could go well for short periods of time and all of a sudden the jeckyl and hyde personality breaks through

monflat

whupdedo wrote: »

Yes exactly, he could go well for short periods of time and all of a sudden the jeckyl and hyde personality breaks through

Right o but what im wondering is why or whatmakes his character change.
Did something happen did you loose your confidence with him.

Is he bargy and pushy.? Is he nappy?
Has he always had company ?
Is there any physical issues muscular skeletal or teeth that are causing problems.?

Personally if someone wanted a companion for young horses etc he may suit.
But otherwise it would not b worth passing on a problem to soneone else to see them potentially break their neck off him.

Still thou i would love to know what is causing him to be like that.

But if he only suitable for low level its not worth it riskin it.

If he got loose caused a scene with other horses and caused an accident it just would not be worth it.

Threading on eggshells comes to mind but im v curious as to know why thou.

whupdedo

monflat wrote: »

Right o but what im wondering is why or whatmakes his character change.
Did something happen did you loose your confidence with him.

Is he bargy and pushy.? Is he nappy?
Has he always had company ?
Is there any physical issues muscular skeletal or teeth that are causing problems.?

Personally if someone wanted a companion for young horses etc he may suit.
But otherwise it would not b worth passing on a problem to soneone else to see them potentially break their neck off him.

Still thou i would love to know what is causing him to be like that.

i would too to be honest, the ideal solution would be as a companion, I wouldn't dream of selling him as a riding horse in case he would hurt someone, its a tough decision for me to tell the truth,

monflat

whupdedo wrote: »

i would too to be honest, the ideal solution would be as a companion, I wouldn't dream of selling him as a riding horse in case he would hurt someone, its a tough decision for me to tell the truth,

Right well to be honest unless u knew where he was goin and were strong in specifying that he not for riding.
Otherwise he could end up anywhere.

Best thing is factory.
Cut your losses at least its final

mystika121

marley123 wrote: »

Rather than passing the problem on I would do the kindest thing & have him PTS.

When has it become acceptable to think that killing a vet certified healthy horse is the 'kindest' thing? Please let's dismiss the cutie 'PTS'. It's unbelievable how disposable horses are to some people.

Well done OP for not being happy to just factory this horse. It sounds like you have done everything right. Have you tried keeping him at grass instead of living in? At the least it will prevent the box walking. Also, have you had him checked for gastric ulcers? Stress can be a potential cause of ulcers and if he is working himself into a state with box walking then he could be causing the problem. The pain associated with ulcers can cause the ridden problems you have experienced with him.

whupdedo

mystika121 wrote: »

When has it become acceptable to think that killing a vet certified healthy horse is the 'kindest' thing? Please let's dismiss the cutie 'PTS'. It's unbelievable how disposable horses are to some people.

Well done OP for not being happy to just factory this horse. It sounds like you have done everything right. Have you tried keeping him at grass instead of living in? At the least it will prevent the box walking. Also, have you had him checked for gastric ulcers? Stress can be a potential cause of ulcers and if he is working himself into a state with box walking then he could be causing the problem. The pain associated with ulcers can cause the ridden problems you have experienced with him.

Well to be honest he would not be what would be classed as a vet healthy horse as in if he was for sale tomorrow he would fail the vet examination, and to be fair when does it become economically not viable to keep throwing money at the problem to try and fix it

The ideal situation would be to rehome as a companion or as a pet but I can't see that happening. Their are plenty old/retired horses available for that

mystika121

If he is only doing low level stuff then the wind issue won't be too much of a problem. Of course it would weigh against him in comparison to a fully sound horse but once the selling price reflects this then I wouldn't be put off buying the horse. My own horse has a heart murmur but to me that wasn't an issue - I wasn't heading to Aintree with him! It just knocked a couple of grand of the asking price.

I understand the economics of another vet exam but turning him out for the Summer might be worth a shot. Having ad lib grass/hay can go a long way to helping ulcers.

mystika121

whupdedo wrote: »

The ideal situation would be to rehome as a companion or as a pet but I can't see that happening. Their are plenty old/retired horses available for that

Just to add, I would much rather a 5 year old sports horse as a pet rather than a very old horse. It can be hard to find a home as a pet but not impossible. It might be worth someone taking him on, have him live out and having a try. He is only 5 so age might change him, who knows.

monflat

mystika121 wrote: »

If he is only doing low level stuff then the wind issue won't be too much of a problem. Of course it would weigh against him in comparison to a fully sound horse but once the selling price reflects this then I wouldn't be put off buying the horse. My own horse has a heart murmur but to me that wasn't an issue - I wasn't heading to Aintree with him! It just knocked a couple of grand of the asking price.

I understand the economics of another vet exam but turning him out for the Summer might be worth a shot. Having ad lib grass/hay can go a long way to helping ulcers.

Yea but would a low level of rider be willing to take a horse that could potentially kill them

Is it worth gettin a brain or spinal injury because of a horse who is just not psycologically right because of some unknown issue albeit physical or mental issue?


Mystika 121 how would you like if this horse was at an event and got a fright / scare went running and straight through a group of children on ponies causin catastrophic injuries ?

To be honest for a horse if it is not right no point in risking the lives of others

mystika121

monflat wrote: »

Yea but would a low level of rider be willing to take a horse that could potentially kill them

Is it worth gettin a brain or spinal injury because of a horse who is just not psycologically right because of some unknown issue albeit physical or mental issue?


Mystika 121 how would you like if this horse was at an event and got a fright / scare went running and straight through a group of children on ponies causin catastrophic injuries ?

To be honest for a horse if it is not right no point in risking the lives of others

That's all a bit dramatic for a horse that might / might not do something!

monflat

mystika121 wrote: »

That's all a bit dramatic for a horse that might / might not do something!

Well if you read what the op has said about the horse
This is an online forum one cant know the horse until each of us saw it in person.
To be honest any horse could cause injury

From what op is givin us in regards to what has happened to him over the course of his life. He knows what horse is like.
But there is a reason why the horse is like that but the op thinks its not worth spending big money on the horse.

fits

Its a sad fact of life that there are more horses than we need here. Is putting more money feed and effort into a horse that wont be of use a sensible use of resources? Yes that's a cold way of looking at things but sometimes the head needs to rule the heart. I think very badly of people who don't take responsibility for their horses and if a good home is not likely to be found, sometimes tough decisions need to be made. Only op can decide if its warranted or not.

mystika121

The OP said in the first post that the factory option didn't sit right with him.

Babs88

To be honest no horse is unfixable and he is younge enough , where are you based op? Pm me I have some ideas that might help

monflat

Babs88 wrote: »

To be honest no horse is unfixable and he is younge enough , where are you based op? Pm me I have some ideas that might help

Depends on the persons circumstances thou and depends on the amount of time money and professional help that the owner is willing to give.

mystika121

fits wrote: »

Its a sad fact of life that there are more horses than we need here.

Can I just challenge this slightly? I'm starting to think that maybe this isn't the case as much as it was even a few months ago. It might be that the tide is starting to change. Without derailing this thread, in Dublin anyway it's getting a bit harder to find horses for sale for reasonable money.

mystika121

Babs88 wrote: »

To be honest no horse is unfixable and he is younge enough , where are you based op? Pm me I have some ideas that might help

Well done Babs88! Great to read some positivity.

monflat

mystika121 wrote: »

Can I just challenge this slightly? I'm starting to think that maybe this isn't the case as much as it was even a few months ago. It might be that the tide is starting to change. Without derailing this thread, in Dublin anyway it's getting a bit harder to find horses for sale for reasonable money.

As i said earlier it depends on ones circumstances . A horse like the op has wud not suit someone with limited time to ride 2 hours per week.
As life goes on safety is a major concern as you get older.
My priorities in regards to horses hablve changed drastically over past 8 yrs
What i did back then i would not do now.

A horse like the op has would not suit my circumstances at all.
I have a family bills mortgage to look after .
Something that i could possibly break bones off or could cause a major injury off either on the ground or by riding i would stay well away from.


In sayin that i have produced unrideable horses years back . Ones that i was very proud of scoring 70% and above in dressage and 1M SJ
But that was then and lookin back the time effort and money that went into them was unreal.


But if you are after "damaged " horses ones that have been emotionally damaged there are plenty out there.

bnagrrl

Hi OP

I know of a yard that can help with "problem" horses. They deal with every aspect of the horse from physical issues, feeding, retraining etc.

They are worth even a phone call to get their opinion. Pm me if you want their details.

All the best.

Lucy Anne

There's nothing wrong with rehoming him as a companion horse. I know that it can be difficult to find but if you keep posting ads and put some work into it you should eventually find someone looking for one.

elusiveguy

I'd try a month on Equine America Magnitude... Problems 2 and 3 could be symptoms of a magnesium deficiency ...

whupdedo

Hi guys, just an update for everyone that replied with advice for me on the horse i had, I had to take the decision this week to finally factory the horse, its the first time I have ever done this and frankly its a balls, i consulted a vet that specialises in horses and after giving him a thorough check out could come up with no physical problems, I rode him several times for maybe 1 full week everything was flying, i thought I had cracked it

But he went back to square 1 after a 5 day lay off, I rode him to warm up and bang i was sitting on my arse with him looking down at me, it wasn't worth any more risk of getting seriously hurt, or getting anyone else either, I felt the best thing was to factory him and also advice from people with a lot more knowledge of horses than ill ever have

I tried the done deal "free to a good home "route but all I got was the sulkie brigade and dealers looking for a free horse, I knew if I let him go that road he'd either starve somewhere in a field or eventually the factory, thanks for the advice, W

fits

Not easy decision. I did it a few years ago and it felt like dirty money, but you know in the end, its better to take responsibility for the animal and ensure they have a good life and a good end. Tough decision, but as you said, much better than letting horse be passed from pillar to post.

Ah_Yeah

Hope you are alright OP, that was not an easy decision to make, but as much as some may disagree, you made the best decision for your horse. Who knows the life he would have had if you had given him to someone looking for a free horse.

Not trying to back seat mod here (mods feel free to delete my comment if you think I am) but I would urge posters to exercise empathy when replying to this thread as the OP made a tough decision, and doesn't need further arguments on the choice they made.

Landr

Have you had a physio look at him. I had a pony that would go along fine the just shoot fwd out of the blue. She'd do it at odd times with no pattern. We found she was in need of adjustment. Now with a few sessions & some stretches she is about to start competing. In order to fix you need to find the source. Anthony Coyne is brilliant!

Ah_Yeah

Landr wrote: »

Have you had a physio look at him. I had a pony that would go along fine the just shoot fwd out of the blue. She'd do it at odd times with no pattern. We found she was in need of adjustment. Now with a few sessions & some stretches she is about to start competing. In order to fix you need to find the source. Anthony Coyne is brilliant!

Reading the thread before posting would have avoided this post.

silverfox88

Tough decision OP but to be honest the right one - I think more owners need to have the guts to suck it up and take on the issue themselves rather than passing the buck and ending up with an animal starving in a field.

Someone commented earlier that "no horse is unfixable" and while an admirable statement I believe that there is the small percentage of animals that simply will not turn out to be rideable - as someone wise once said to me - "there's no prizes for broken bones".

My sympathy for your situation but also once again support for the decision you have made.

Dark Phoenix

Fair play OP you tried your best and gave the horse a chance and you were brave enough to gibe the horse a humane and dignified end rather than sending him off into the great unknown where given his temperment he may have ended up being badly treated or injuring someone. if he did end up injurying someone you would have risked being 'that person who gave / sold X that dangerous horse' which ive seen happen and while its unfair its hard to prevent.