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leiat8
Gold Member
590 Posts |
 Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 5:09:45 PM
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...if you are considering sending a horse or pony away for breaking/schooling/anything really.
we came to the decision of sending fargo away for some schooling as although I have broke him to walk/trot very happily out hacking I have no facilities to school him on. it had been a hard decision as we have had him from birth and done everything ourselves with him. he is six this time and although I have sat on him since he was a two year old we have done everything slowly with him as we want him to be a confident, stable boy as mum is not as young as she was and cant be pulled about.
I rang around countless yards to get a feel for people and settled for one fairly local that sounded just right. so 5 weeks ago we packed his bags and tidied him up(he lives out 24/7 so looked abit scruffy) ready to go off to school.
pictures of him a few days before he went
during the first week he was away he lost abit of weight but I put that down to being somewhere new, by the second week he had a rider off a couple of times but I was reassured that hes just trying it on and its because he is very childlike and a worrier ( fargo a worrier??? hes like a big dog and doesn't normally worry) but what do I know, these are professionals so i'll take there word for it.
by week three I see a vid of him being ridden, hes going forward off the leg but with a very high head carriage(not like him at all) so I get on the phone and ask if I should get a dentist to him but am reassured he is just evading the bit. I see him ridden the end of that week and hes rearing bucking etc so start to worry whats going on but a couple of days later I get a message saying hes being a very good boy now so not to worry. Over the last 2 weeks things have really not felt right so on Sunday I turned up pretty much out of the blue to pick him up.his rugs/bridel etc were nowhere to be seen or have been used on other horses. his front feet are flat along the front as though he has been constantly pawing and he looks a mess!!. he is frightened of everything, jumps away from me in the stable and when I stoked his girth/stomach he tried to kick me!
he has apparently been having three feeds a day and as much hay as he can eat...... I struggle to believe that somehow!!
pics of him after 5 weeks away 'schooling'
so please guys think long and hard before you let your beloved neds go anywhere, I am just thankful to have him home as I think a few more weeks would have made a very different story. he is not a good doer as it is so its going to take a while to get him back looking well(let alone be strong enough for me to ride him!!!) which is what I have paid for him to come back like
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Casper, Hannah, Hector, Bracken, Fargo |
Edited by - leiat8 on 27 Mar 2013 5:25:34 PM
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sab2
Platinum Member
8467 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 5:20:17 PM
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| Dear me thats shocking, poor lad, at least hes home safe and sound now and fingers crossed he will pick up. I think the three feeds a day may of been of fresh air as hes dropped a lot of weight in 5 weeks . |
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Callisto
Platinum Member
6905 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 5:35:36 PM
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 Thank goodness you went and got him back, I hope he is back to his old self asap. |
  Zahkira (GR Amaretto x Taffetta)
Linda
East Sussex |
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Goldenmane
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4964 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 6:04:55 PM
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| So sorry. I made the same mistake, sending away a youngster when I slipped a disc. Thank god it was only 5 weeks and you have him back, shame on them!! |
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Kharidian
Platinum Member
England
4297 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 6:06:47 PM
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OMG that's an awful lof of weight to have lost; thank goodness you listened to your gut instinct and visited unannounced. Let's hope he recovers mentally from what sOunds like a stressful 5 weeks for him.
Caryn |
Kharidian (Prince Sadik x Khiri)........ Alkara Cassino (H Tobago x Rose Aboud)
aka "Roger".................................... aka "Chips"
     
The first image is from an original painting by Pat Shorto.
South-East Essex |
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RUTHIE
Gold Member
United Kingdom
1238 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 6:21:37 PM
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| So sorry leiat8. We put 'trust' in folks as they call themselves professionals. They have treated your horse shamefully. I would have struggled to keep my temper if it had been one of mine. It did happen to me. I loaned a TB to a woman. I got suspicious when she refused visits to see him. 3 weeks later we did a late night visit and found him, in December out in a field...no rug and no hay. I rang her and she said she was late that night to see him. Gave her the benefit of the doubt. Another 2 weeks and a surprise visit. He had dropped so much weight, he looked like your boy. He was home like a shot. Never again. He did pull round with lots of good grub, and so will Fargo. |
     
In Memory of Crystal Flash 2010-2012 |
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joanna_piana
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3935 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 6:40:50 PM
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| That is terrible poor boy. It's so difficult to know who to send your horse too. Makes me realise how lucky I was when picking Alethea to back Ishara and Emma to give her some dressage schooling as both were brilliant and she looked fantastic both times. It seems like there are a lot of dodgy people out there though, such a shame. Glad you've got him back safe and sound and hope they haven't done long term damage to his temperament. |
      
Harthall Rashida RIP, Binley Ishara, Bouchan
Chorleywood, Hertfordshire |
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zebedeedeb
Gold Member
England
516 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 6:49:34 PM
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| i think its best to get someone to come to you,, then you see all that is going on and its all at your place so the horse doesnt get so worried either,, if they care they will come to you,,hope he is better soon bless him,, x |
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zaminda1
Bronze Member
177 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 7:25:12 PM
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| I am now very funny about letting mine go anywhere. I sent mine to stud,and she came back like this. Hopefully you will get him looking well again soon, the weather isn't helping is it!! |
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Vik1
Platinum Member
1711 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 7:31:19 PM
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Poor munchkin! Some people have no shame!
I was thinking about sending my boy away. Just to get him hacking out and used to other horses round about him but my yard has some new liveries. They all ride so getting him used to horses riding close/behind him etc shouldnt be a problem now. There is also the most bombproof horse Ive ever met. I think hes blind, deaf and lost all his senses, lol. The lady says shel happily hack with me to get mine used to traffic etc. So I think hel be staying at him now. Yard I was sending him to was on recommendation, altho I was a bit concerned that they work them 6 days a week. I think thats a bit much for something newly backed. |
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Pop
Platinum Member
England
3051 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 8:24:20 PM
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| Speechless. I would be absolutely furious. So sorry for your boy. |
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martha615
Gold Member
England
1053 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2013 : 11:48:37 PM
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| I'd have to be restrained. Thank God you have him back. |
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Pasch
Platinum Member
2277 Posts |
Posted - 28 Mar 2013 : 12:53:24 AM
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!!!!
Poor boy I hope he gets well to his old self,especially getting back his trust and peace of mind.....
I know a few self-proclaimed trainers who really know how to mess up a horse...
Vick there is no problem for a young horse to work 6 days a week as long as the work is varied,sessions not too long and lessons not stressful....and the trainer actually knows what he's doing! |
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Silver
Silver Member
279 Posts |
Posted - 28 Mar 2013 : 1:39:41 PM
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| Thank goodness you got him back when you did,I hope its not to long before he is back to normal and you can carry on with his education. |
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debs
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3218 Posts |
Posted - 28 Mar 2013 : 2:28:25 PM
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Poor boy! So pleased you found out sooner rather than later for the same of his physical and mental well being. They should go on the 'who not to use' list.
Good luck with your boy. |
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Quarabian
Platinum Member
Wales
4340 Posts |
Posted - 28 Mar 2013 : 8:09:47 PM
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| Classic case of a trusting soul being misunderstood. I can't believe the difference in his body, but we can't take a snapshot of his mind. TLC in abundance is the best way forward from now on. |
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Sharea
Silver Member
United Kingdom
289 Posts |
Posted - 28 Mar 2013 : 8:58:35 PM
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So sorry to see your poor horse you must feel devastated, I don't understand how people who treat animals like that manage to stay in business quite honestly.
I have to say that there are some good, honest and compassionate trainers out there but it is best to have a personal recommendation.
I do hope you can give him back his former trust and confidence. |
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jobo
Bronze Member
129 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2013 : 10:51:12 AM
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| thats terrible,well i hope your going to get a vet report and then report them to trading standards? as they have offered a service they clearly arent providing!! and who knows what else they got up to? atleast yoy followed your instincts and was right. glad hes back home safe. how you kept your cool? if you still had the adverts of where you saw there services advertised and your pictures good case there. hope he gets better soon. |
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leiat8
Gold Member
590 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2013 : 11:27:56 AM
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| thank you for you kind words of encouragement. its going to be a long road to get him back to himself but he'll get there. forgot to add on the main post that at the beginning of week 4 i had a phone call stating he had red-worm so dropped a wormer off. he shouldn't have been wormy and surely if all the weight loss was down to that he would have been a mess when he went (personally i think they were just trying to cover there backs and shift the blame). also when i returned on the Monday to collect the rugs and bridle that they could find, the yard girl admitted she had not worked him for two weeks and was ashamed of the state he was in and couldn't apologize enough! it is quite a big company that he went to who regularly work with the rspca so as much as id like to take things further i cant see it going our way. am just so angry!! |
Casper, Hannah, Hector, Bracken, Fargo |
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proctorclaire
Silver Member
437 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2013 : 12:25:18 PM
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That is really bad. I will never send my horse away for this reason and many other reasons. There are so many people offering backing and schooling services and they don't have a clue. Many of the yards make out that a very experienced rider or the owner of the buisness will be training the horse when in actual fact it is the volunteers and inexperienced people training them and then when owner comes to check on progress the experienced person comes out the woodworks to ride the horse and makes out she was doing the work. Horrendous. There are loads of people up my way doing it and you couldn't pay me to send my horse to them let alone pay them!
I know of very posh backing and schooling yards that have a very good reputation and I have no idea how they got the good reputation in the first place! |
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phoenixbruka
Gold Member
England
1190 Posts |
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RUTHIE
Gold Member
United Kingdom
1238 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2013 : 6:23:12 PM
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| Agree...take this further please...because I certainly would. So sad. |
In Memory of Crystal Flash 2010-2012 |
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Arabian Girl
Platinum Member
England
2893 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2013 : 9:16:31 PM
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I gasped out loud when I saw your last photo :-( hope hes on the way to recovery now ...
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Posting from Billinge Wigan |
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Callisto
Platinum Member
6905 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2013 : 01:21:53 AM
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| Frankly I would give the before and after photos to the RSPCA - they should know what happened and it might stop them using them. |
Zahkira (GR Amaretto x Taffetta)
Linda
East Sussex |
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Pop
Platinum Member
England
3051 Posts |
Posted - 30 Mar 2013 : 07:18:12 AM
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Yea, think you should, or at least write to them and/or the RSPCA. I do hope you have not been charged to have that done to your horse. If you have you should at least have your money refunded.
I'm sure there are lots of reasons why a horse could loose condition with the changes he experienced, but those pictures are heart stopping. If he was being cared for properly and professionally, that could not have happened; and they would have had to assume some illness and called a vet, before he got that bad.
The neck picture makes my heart ache for him.
How is he? Has coming home lifted his spirits? |
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AshTay
New Member
2 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2013 : 12:04:58 PM
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Good grief, Leiat8! I know where he's been (because I asked you and you told me just after he went) and I'm shocked. So pleased you have him back now.
My gelding is away at schooling and I've been visiting him and he honestly looks better than he did when he went 3 weeks ago and is working twice a day 5 days a week (short sharp bursts of up to 20 minutes) so there are good places out there. |
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just a word of warning...
