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So what you're saying is that you want to start jumping on a horse with a leg injury that isn't healed after TWO YEARS?! I'm sorry, but that is a HUGE safety risk, not only for the horse, but for you as well. What if her leg decided to give out during a jump? That could end in both of you being seriously injured. That's the last thing anyone wants. You mentioned in one post (I read through everything) that they have a bunch of greener mares/stallions and kind of thin geldings. I strongly suggest you find a different horse to work with. That would be a whole lot safer than jumping on a horse with a bad back leg. She may not be showing any pain, but horses are masters of hiding illness/injury. They know that weakness isn't a good thing to show. There are many places, at least in the mid south part of the U.S. that would not allow you to show a horse with a swollen leg or would require a vet check before they would even think about it. Everyone who has responded has told you what a bad idea this is. You posted on this forum asking for advice. The advice you're being given is to stop working with her, limit yourself to ground work, or get her cleared by a vet. You can choose whether to listen or not, but the fact still remains that the horse has a problem. I get that you are not yet 16. I'm about to turn 17 next month. I'm pretty close to the same mental age as you. I understand wanting to ride a well behaved horse and wanting to fix her problem, but riding could be making it worse. I would say work with a mare who's foal will be weaned around or before you want to show. If you're afraid to take her on trails, ride her in her pen. If she's a goofball, work with her on the ground and form a bond. If she doesn't know something, teach her. As long as the foal is a couple months old now, she shouldn't have a problem being ridden in the pen with it. Slowly work up to going on trails without the baby.
Right now I'm legging up one of our broodmares to ride in slow events at my county fair in fall. She's around 15. Very good girl most of the time. She had 30 days riding as a 2 year old, went 9.5 years without being ridden, and rode off perfect at 11.5. A solid foundation in training goes a LONG way. I've ridden her around 20 times since her baby turned a month old. She had gotten 5 months off. We did slow work the past couple weeks working on her slow lope and trot. Last night, I got on her for a test of steering. Her and I loped circles bareback, sped up, slowed down, trotted figure 8s, walked nice and stopped when I asked. We did this with a rope around her neck. This mare that knew the bare basics of riding has taken me, who could barely trot in the western saddle, to jumping logs bareback with a rope around her neck. Not all horses are like that, but I'm using this as an example to tell you just how much a good start can do. I've taken her on a couple rides down the road in the last two weeks and she never once whinnied for the foal. Of course I started in her pasture and then moved to the pasture next to him before I took her out. I can guarantee that a young horse with a good base will be a good horse.
I also have an 8 year old tb. No race training. I put a dozen rides on her bareback with the halter around christmas. Had a saddle on three times and a bridle twice. Rode with that once. I then left her alone since early January. Got on her a week ago with the halter and rope and she rode around like the last day I worked with her before, calm, quiet, trotting circles. Just wants to be good, so she got a lot of praise.
My last example is a 5 year old QH mare. Daughter of the older broodmare. I broke her in September and rode her almost every day for 6 months. She is amazing. Very well made. Around 15.2 hands. She has never bucked. We hadn't weaned the foal before I started her, so her almost weanling followed us around for 10 rides. Never had a problem with her. When we weaned the foal, still no problems. She is now doing speed events with me. Going to go to town for the 4th time on Saturday. Last time, she ran a 21 on a large barrel pattern. Pretty good for a horse that isn't pushed at all. That's the speed she chooses to run. We practice barrels at home, but we do not practice flags or poles. Her first time running flags, she won. Last time, she ran a 14, 3 seconds off the fastest time that night, which is amazing for her first time ever on a pattern. She ran a 29 on poles. Most everyone in our age group was running 30 something. 3rd time on poles btw. Like I said, great horse.
I strongly urge you to find a young partner that is 100% sound. It would be a lot safer for you and the horse. A younger horse would benefit more from the training anyway. As I stated before, I'm close to the same age as you. It's not like I'm an adult telling you how to do something you can't do. I'm telling it like it is and telling you that you do have another option, a much safer, less risky option. Mares with foals are not mean. You just have to try and understand them and figure out an agreement with the mare. Mine get grain after rides so that they want to do it again. Maybe a handful of grain would be a good treat. At least try and find a horse to start playing with and see if you like it. I'd be worried that the mare with the bad leg would break down and I really don't want you or her to get hurt. |
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I'm not sure what other advice to give. A handful of us are telling you the same thing (keeping both your safety and the mare's safety in mind) and I feel like you are trying to justify why you should still work/ride her and minimizing the injury despite not being 100% familiar with what it was. You asked in the original post if you should ask a vet which we all said YES - please do! None of us are veterinarians that can diagnose a leg injury. No amount of reading or research on the internet can diagnose an injury. The only person that can do that is a hands-on vet. Even if you posted photographs or videos, there isn't much advice we can give.
A few suggestions have been made with regard to bringing the swelling down. Just because the mare appears to not be in pain doesn't mean she's not in pain - again, only a vet can determine that based on a thorough examination of the leg. I feel like most of us are on the same page and feel this mare should not be ridden or worked beyond a walk until her leg is inspected and cleared by a vet. Beyond that, I have no additional advice and hope things work out for you. |
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I was by no means going to jump her until her leg was itÂ’s normal size again. I had it planned out, work with her a little bit to get the feel for her(her little quirks and what she spooks at, etc.), a couple of trails and when my actual English coach who used to ride Golden Eye got back from dog showing I would start my lessons back up with her and work for what I want, before I start something I always have a plan and an end goal in mind, if I have to make accommodations due a mishap or accident, I make accommodations. As of right now, IÂ’m making those accommodations. I will be talking to the owners/breeders about taking her in for a short vet check up when I get back from my trip, as I often help at the visits, last time I had to hold the twitch chain on a mare so she didnÂ’t hurt the vet while he was working on her feet because our farrier missed the abscesses in her front two feet because he didnÂ’t clean her feet well enough when he last saw her. If I talk to the husband, it will be more likely to get done, where as the wife if a little out of it because she has another job with a residential company out of town and about 2 hours away.
I would normally be on a saddlebred mare, but she is at the second farm because she needed to gain weight, or I would be on a spotted saddle horse stallion but he has recently been gelded and is sore and swollen(from the heat, we normally geld in winter but this was kind of an emergency case because heÂ’s supposed to be sold and the lady buying preferred a gelding I believe) so I donÂ’t feel comfortable making him work in the blistering heat. However, our last trip to the second farm we brought home 3 mares, two to be bred and one to be sold(the one whoÂ’s to be sold, the lady wants the mare for a quarter what sheÂ’s worth so if she doesnÂ’t agree to the price in 2 weeks, she wonÂ’t be sold, no point in trying to bargain with a lady who wonÂ’t bargain, and no use selling a 75% Friesian mare for basically 5k) so I can work with the one whoÂ’s supposed to be sold because I donÂ’t think sheÂ’s going anywhere as of right now, but she might be bred but I might have enough time to get her started under saddle if she hasnÂ’t already, before sheÂ’s in heat.
Shingashina, would you mind discussing this through PM with me? I feel like you will be able to kind of see both sides of the argument and help me with it the most. Please consider my offer and PM me your answer. Thank you. |
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All the advice we can possibly give, has been given. And if you can't get a vet, then there's very little on this thread that's going to be useful. Maybe it's best to just drop this topic. Edited at July 3, 2019 04:18 PM by Mediterranean |
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Trivia Team
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Move barns. Any stable that lets you ride a horse in that condition is not an ethical one. |
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FirstLightFarms said:
Move barns. Any stable that lets you ride a horse in that condition is not an ethical one.
^^ |
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I asked a vet 2 days ago about her leg, explained her whole situation and she confirmed both mine and the owners suspicions. Arthritis or proud flesh, both of which she can be worked with because the vet said if itÂ’s arthritis itÂ’ll help more than anything and working her with proud flesh shouldnÂ’t be a problem. So I got the okay from a vet to keep her under whatever work they think is okay and what she herself can do physically without any problems or restrictions |
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It would be nice if a picture of her leg was posted. I don't think a vet can truly accurately diagnose what's going on unless they examine the leg in person - there can be so many subtleties that would be lost in simply explaining the symptoms. |
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I donÂ’t have a picture of her leg currently given IÂ’m on vacation and wasnÂ’t able to get one the last time I saw her. This vet works in Ocala and said that it definitely sounds like one of the two to her and to just keep working her lightly. I want to try aqua therapy on Golden Eyes leg but we donÂ’t really have anywhere to do aqua therapy. Just a hose to hose down her leg. We have creeks but theyÂ’re deep enough I donÂ’t believe. |
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Iron Spring Farm said:
It would be nice if a picture of her leg was posted.I don't think a vet can truly accurately diagnose what's going on unless they examine the leg in person - there can be so many subtleties that would be lost in simply explaining the symptoms.
This ^ |
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Spring Showers
