Moments that you've been looking forward to with your horse?

Today Slew was 3 months post op and I'd been noticing how nasty and aggressive he's become just recently. This morning he lunged at me with teeth bared and he even refused to eat so I consulted with the vet and we decided that if he can buck and kick in his stall, he can go out for 15 mins 2X per day for a walk and grass. I doped him (only a small amount) and nearly put him on the floor but after waiting 20 mins, he was able to stop swaying and we went for a walk and then he grazed for 10 mins. Over the past 12 weeks, there were days when I wondered why I even started this or if he'd ever get out of that stall but finally we got there. Also submited a contract for a 25 acre farm with 2 barns and it's been accepted by the seller so I'm having a good day.





What trials have you been through with your horse only to come out the other side smiling and thinking - this might just have been worth it?

Moments that you've been looking forward to with your horse?
After being out of horses for several years, we dived back in by adopting a foal that had been rejected by his mother.





He was three days old. Did the IgG, he failed the passive transfer miserably, so we transfused him.





Too late, he developed septicemia. (I'd never heard of it before) It was a grueling regimine for weeks. Shots that gave him ulcers that required meds...trips to the vet to drain his swollen hocks...





I lived for the day the vet would tell us he was out of the woods. Many weeks and dollars later, it came. Poor guy, he is still a notorious hard keeper (we suspect adhesions from the ulcers causing malabsorption) and now has DSLD, so he is Pasture art, but he is a delight and we love him.
Reply:ride with it in a a park on a sunny day
Reply:When I bought my horse he was scared of everything and had been abused. I couldn't get a bit in his mouth and it took 5 minutes of coaxing everytime I wanted to rub his face. He had never experienced anything and was scared of everything. Now, he smacks his lips for the bit, drools when I rub his face and, even though I sometimes have to get off and walk him up to things, he is starting to really trust me. He is 7 years old and learning to canter with a rider now. We have come so far in the short time I have had him but we still have lots of obstacles to overcome thanks to his his old, neglectful owners...and I look forward to every minute of it :)
Reply:I am currently riding a school horse who bucked, he was nasty about it, he'd buck like 3 or 4 times jst cantering around the ring, I stuck through with him though, and finally we figured out what is wrong, and he is great now. :] I want him to be a safe, reliable school horse.
Reply:I don't know yet... my horse is running soon for the first time this month. Ask this question again in a month, LOL Congrats for you though girl! I'm sure your beside yourself. Awesome!
Reply:the first time i rode my horse, i hated him. i saw him as a strong headed brat who was taking advantage of me. my trainer made me tough it out though. i got galloped away with once and flew off once. i'm really glad that she made me stick with it though because my horse is my world. he gets me through everything, the good and the bad, the cute and the ugly. he's my guardian angel. can't imagine life without him :-)
Reply:We had a freak accident...and thought we would have to put hubby's horse down. The horse bolted through our fence, down the road, across another road, and flipped over the neighbor's barbed wire fence. He also hit that fence in the corner where they used 8 inch poles as pulling panels. He sheared off one of the poles at the ground. Then, still in a blind panic...bolts around their field...that is filled with garbage and balls of barbed wire everywhere.





Of course, I'm watching this happen...and then horse finds hole in fence and disappears into the woods. By the time I get to the neighbor's field...horse is coming back home. [Left his mare behind!] He's limping and covered in blood. Face is cut, neck, sides, buttocks, and every leg, and 6 inches of bone is showing on his lower rear leg. The skin was hanging over his hoof. We slowly walk home, leaving blood on the road at every step. And some nice stranger called my vet, so he was on his way before I ever got home.





We were so afraid that was it. Well, he gets doctored and medicated and the wait begins. One of the tendons was sheared in half too. Had 2 infections set in at different times, so had to do 3 rounds of antibiotics, deal with proud flesh, and took 14 months to completely close the wound. First time we rode him...went for a walk around the "block." He was tight in that leg, and we figured it always would be. But now, 2 years later...you'd never know anything was wrong with him. Except for the big scar. It was worth all the time, tears, money and work to get him back.





This horse still drives me crazy with his antics, but he's never going anywhere. We really do love him.
Reply:LOL... i love some peoples answers... dianes in particular... lol... I think the best moment i have had recently was when my little project colt won his first race... we have a very high turn over stable... if the babies dont cut it they are turned over and sent to sales...i honestly try to keep out of the buisness and just ride my track work... but when in my opinion this great little colt came along about 15mnths ago i couldn't let the trainer resell him... i copped alot of flack from pleading to keep the colt in my work lot.... and he raced shocking first start... but he got there and won his first race a little while ago... wish i'd had the money to buy him... coz he's now gone down to melbs to race with the big boys.... so exciting for his owners...
Reply:well, chroem has been going lame on and off for the past month, adn now she's fine in time for our big show this weekend! yay!





we (me and my trainer) are also fixing her shoulder- diving- into- turns problem, and it has cost me my poor shins (!) and dq'ing patterns (at each show, on average we dq 2 or 3 out of 5 patterns). she's still really bad, but we're getting there!
Reply:This is a little bit diferent type of story but it works:





I was about 8 when this happen, and I still have my pony Black Jack, and love him to pieces! I am too big to truly ride him, but we go in a little walk every so often, just picture a 5' 11" girl atop a 12.1hh pony, and you have me!





I am a Dressage rider, but my pony loves to jump, so one day I was like Ok, I want to jump! well... I fell off and as I was falling I was like this was stupid...BAM!!!! ok, so now it has grown from stupid to ignorant!, I fell flat on my back had the wind knocked out of me, couldn't breath for a few seconds, and i had brused my back all up! while I was laying their crying (hey it hurt) and yelling at how stupid it was to do that (my mom was standing their, but I don't remember that part) and my pony, my baby, walked up to me who was laying on the ground all sprawled out, so carfully he put his head down at me s if to say "why on earth did you come off, I did everything perfect? Why are you laying down their? Why are you crying? What's wrong? Are you ok?...." with this curious worry.I grabed on to his kneck and he helped me up and decided I would do it again and again until I didn't fall off! Well the next 3 or 4 trys i came flying off, and the same thing happen, he came over and helped me up and finally I made it over! I'm not sure I would have kept going if I knew how badly it was going to hurt the next few days!!! But every time i fell off (doing anything) this little confused, worried and friendly face showed up by my side to say, ok, lets do it again, but this time how about you stay on?
Reply:DIANA DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT SHE WAS ASKING ABOUT?YOU DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT THE QUESTION WAS!
Reply:Wow - I bet that was wonderful - just to see him outside after all this time.


Well done.





My horse has shiverleg - obviously not something that 's going to heal but when I first got him he was so inflexible and shaky that the farrier used to lean him against a wall to do his back feet and it was practically impossible to pick them out. I put him on the high fat diet as recommended and just kept at it. One morning I turned him out into the field and watched him walk halfway up and then roll - roll - that was the big thing, until then I had never seen this horse roll or lie down, that was when I knew that the high fat diet was working. I watched and then had to run in and tell everybody I was so happy !
Reply:When my father was alive, I used to always look forward to riding with him. It was nice - good bonding time. Now that my daughter is learning to ride, I really look forward to riding with her this year. Horses are way to much work to not have something fun to look forward to.





Good job with your horse. I know you've had a rough road with it. I hope he keeps doing well.





And for anyone who says "Thats nice, but what trial have you been through?" I train Mustangs. And not only is that really hard work - thanks to the economy and the over abundance of horses on the market - there are less and less people that can afford a trainer. So for all the trips to the emergency room, or the financial burdens of running your own business in a market that is going through a hard time - when I get to pass horseback riding on to my kids, that makes me think the whole thing has been worth it.
Reply:I'm looking forward to getting my pony home!





I bought him as a 2-year-old; he's now 11. He was intended to be my fabulous show pony - he's a Highland, and all bias aside he's an absolutely cracking pony and I knew when I first saw him that he could go to the very top. My mother took him when I was pregnant with my now 2 1/2 year old, which is when he was really coming out in the open classes. She got quite ill though, and passed him onto a friend of mine, I moved away, my mother died, I had another baby... etc etc etc.





Pony had a bad accident in the field last summer, and broke both his splint bones in one of his hinds. The vets decided not to operate because the fractures (2 in one bone, 1 in the other) were so close to the suspensory ligament. He was in the hospital for 2 weeks, then had 6 weeks on strict box rest, only coming out his stable to step into the one next door while he was mucked out. After that he was allowed short (10 min) walks in hand, still kept on box rest. After around a month of short walks he was allowed into a 20ft x 20ft paddock for 4 hours a day.





Shortly after going into the paddock he came down with colic and was taken back into the equine hospital. His bowel had perforated, he had septicaemia, and the vets couldn't tell us if he was going to pull through or not. He spent 3 weeks there and when he came out he'd lost a horrific amount of weight and was emaciated. He couldn't go into a stable because he's not allowed to eat hay (it's too dry, even when soaked, and could cause enormous damage to the bowel) so despite the leg not being properly healed he went into about an acre with a calm companion.





In January this year he'd gained condition and the leg was strong enough that he could start coming back into work. He's been taking it slowly and can now go for around half an hour's walk with a small amount of trot. He'll never go hunting again, but I'm not counting my chickens regarding the rest of his workload.





The whole time he's been with my diamond of a friend - there's no way I would've been able to cope with him plus this very difficult new baby, and she's done so much for both of us. If it wasn't for her, I probably would've lost him. He's coming back to me the first week in April and I can't wait.





(Eesh, that was long! Sorry!)
Reply:First off let me say YAY! slew is getting better! Seocondly congrats on the farm offer being accepted. hubby and i just moved into out new digs and we couldn't be happier so I know with 25 acres you will be tickled pink!!!! Now on to answer your question. my little paint mare was injured pretty badly back in march of 2006. Punctured her digital flexor tendon sheath and it got infected BAD before we knew anythign about it having happened. By the time we caught the injury (it was such a small punture wound on her fetlock we couldn't see it) her poor lil leg was swelled clear up to her knee. Vet thought we'd have to put her down but we went through very agressive antibiotic treatments , daily cleaning , flushing , applying NFZ and DMSO and compression wraps for about 6 weeks until all the infection had gone and the puncture had healed. Thought we were out of the woods but the first time we turned her back out her leg swelled up hUGE again! Back to square one with the compression wraps and ice tight poltice. she was on stall rest for almost 8 months!!! Only allowe dot be hand grazed and walked. From March to October she was allowed no turn out b/c each time she was turned out loose she reaggrivated the injury. In Oct vet came out and we xrayed and thotughly checked her leg. He pronounced her sound and said the next day we could start turning her out a little each time. The first time she was able to be turned out I was grinning from ear to ear b/c she ran and bucked and snorted and kicked and had a good ole time. What's more is when she came back to the barn huffing anf happy her leg was NOT swlloen!!! a MIRACLE!!!! It was deifnately worth it seeing as how I actually helped deliver her when she was born and she was basically like my daughter. I was so scared she wouldn't recover. She is now expecting her first baby so I'll be a grandma! lol I don't ride her much since theinjury as she does tend to flare up a little in the leg if I ride extensively but she's good for short hacks and with her bloodlines and personality I can just raise my next barrel horse out of her. Definately worth all the expense we wnt through with her.
Reply:When I bought my horse Pete, everyone warned me NOT to buy him because he was a "problem". I worked at a trail barn and he would try to bite and kick other horses and people but if i rode him I had no problems. So I bought him for $500. I gave him 6 months off ( i was very pregnant) to enjoy being a horse. after i had my baby I started riding him and he would have a little bit of an attitude but got out of it. I can do anything on this horse ( jump, trails, show whatever) The best part about him is the fact that I can put my 3 year old daughter on him and not worry about a thing and he lets her lead him around the farm and everything. The joy on my childs face everytime she rides him makes him worth every penny I spent.
Reply:aww, poor guy. well, i would most definitely be sour if i was cooped up like that as well. especially if i was doped up sometimes.





its just like i always say, why have one horse when you can have 300 under your hood. dont get a horse, get a camaro! lol jk





but yeah, if its what you really want, keep it up. only you know if its what you want for sure. you seem very passionate about it, and it would kill me to see you give up on such things you care about so much.





.....next time i watch your little hell raiser, tell me more about this 2 barn farm! thats great!!


i my self am not having such a fine day. i bet you can guess why. its prob the first thing that comes to mind.
Reply:Get thee to a good trainer and quickly!!!! Your horse is now the alpha horse and you need help getting him in line before somebody gets hurt. THEN you WILL have fun and be glad you have him!