Always heartbroken. Why??????

chapsi

chapsi

Magical Unicorns forever
Jul 15, 2002
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Mafra, Portugal
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Dear friends,

It may come as a surprise, but, and quite understandably too, I couldn't stop thinking about the magic stallion and I was negotiating him with his owner. Finally, the owner of the magic stallion and I had come to a price agreement on the horse, providing he passed his vetting. It was a very satisfactory agreement, it even involved my mare, she would go to him on share basis (hence, still mine), to have babies from my new stallion...

As it happened, after a few hiccups with the vet and his Xray machine, the vet phoned me tonight. The Xrays revealed navicular lesions, special in the right hand, although he is not lame. At the present he is sound, but within the next few years (vet cannot say), he is likely to develop lameness. I could buy him at my own risk, but considering what the future may pose, he doesn't advise me to do so.

I also spoke with my farrier; navicular condition can be prevented/controlled, but eventually it may develop, it's irreversible, a life of bute and ortophedic shoeing. He also feels I shouldn't...

I know some people have been having very good results going barefoot, but I am not prepared to take the risk... specially in this country.

I'm absolutely devastated. I had just found a kind, generous horse, one that would look after me, one that in the short span of time I met him, did wonders for me. He was inspired, unique, magical is the word. I am sour, so unhappy. I guess I am simply unlucky with horses...

After this, the message is clear, perhaps I should give up horses all together and then die of boredom and sadness. After meeting Paladino, no other horse that I may see will match his noble nature.

Heartbroken. And the owner is in state of shock. I don't think I deserve this.
Forgive me rambling again... :(

MM
 
I'm really sad for you its such a shame. You have had such a hard time of it.
I hope you dont give up there must be the perfect horse out there for you
 
He's a stallion, right?

Where there's life, there's hope. There's always hope.

Going at this from various angles...

Perhaps his owner would let you lease him while he is sound. With navicular lesions, he probably will not get his asking price. He might not be able to sell him at all. With someone as devoted and caring as you, he could at least have a very good time while he can stand it.

Navicular has some congenital factors but is also heavily influenced by hoof shaping over the course of the horse's life. This stallion clearly has exceptional temperament and ability :) Your responses to him and his asking price say a lot. I don't know what his discipline is, nor if he's one of the great shining stars in it--but that actually doesn't necessarily matter. Rideability, temperament, mean a great deal.

Perhaps, while you lease him, you could breed him to a good mare and raise a foal--perhaps his current owner would even consent to train the foal, since he did such a good job with the stallion. You may not be able to take this particular horse and keep him as a long-term riding horse, but you could have a very similar one. (Does he have any siblings? Foals on the ground?)

And if you lease, then you can take things as they come. Perhaps with conscientious hoof care and reasonable riding, he will be able to give someone years, years, and years of time before he has to retire. And you might want to see if you can contact HUGOBOSS. She retired her horse for navicular-related lameness, changed his hoof care regime, and he's actually returned to riding soundness again. Where there's life, THERE IS HOPE! :)
 
I'm afraid that was him!
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If you are that set on him, perhaps one of the suggestions that Galadriel made will pan out for you.

However, it also bears mentioning that there could very well be an even MORE perfect horse out there for you.

You've certainly had some unfortunate luck. However, I've no doubt that you are meant to stay involved with horses. If not, you wouldn't have been given the love of them that you have. If there is a message in all this, it certainly isn't that you should can it all and give up on your passion.
 
As usual, Galadriel is a very wise person. An asset to all of us, desperate riders.

I agree with what you're saying; I realise that with gentle care, careful riding, special shoeing, he could still give me a few years of a good partnership. Also, there have been good reports of people with horses with navicular desease, that after going barefoot became sound again. I always thought that his farrier had an appaling effect on his front hooves.
Unfortunately, his owner is in great need of cash, he told me he had another buyer (who will not ask for vetting, not many do in this country), but one that will demand too much of this horse, I fear (that´s why he prefered me in the first place). He'll sell him to this man...

I would consider leasing him or buying him at a very low cost (and risk of my OH going beserk). Also, as I explained before, part of the deal would be my mare's lease, to live in his farm as broodmare. She would have 5* foals; both horses are similar in size and build, same temperament, similar bloodlines.

Now, I'm back to the drawing board. A lovely mare for sale, but that I cannot ride, and having to find a suitable schoolmaster (but that I cannot buy, until she is sold). In the meantime, I'm horseless.

As for the owner and his son, they are both in shock, quite understandably, because the horse is currently sound. They find it hard to believe. They even seem to feel that this is a scam to opt out the deal. He was a valuable stallion until now, unless they still keep selling him 'in good health'. I don't know. I rest the final decision in their hands. One thing is certain, nor can, nor should I pay so much money on a horse with navicular desease.

I am just desappointed and sour. Everything has to be very difficult. Nothing is ever clear cut.
 
chapsi said:
Nothing is ever clear cut.
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Yes, I am afraid that's usually how it works... :rolleyes:
DJ has anhidrosis. Bud has trouble with his feet. Nigel has trouble with his hocks. Skeeter has 'suspicious' x-rays. It really never is 100% perfect.
If you need perfection to find happiness you are setting yourself up for a very long journey.
If you got the stallion, could you enjoy your time with him or would the possibility of degenerative disease rob you of any fun you could have with him?
What do you think would make you happier- a few years with a horse that is the perfect personality match for you or decades with a horse that you feel just so-so about?
If you went for the deal how would you feel about the way they'd keep your mare? Would she be happy there? Would she receive better foot care than the Stallion did?
Fortunately life is not an all-or-nothing deal. There is always something to be gained. This stallion is not showing any soundness issues at present. You are aware that there is a problem developing. What a perfect opportunity to make things better for this horse! And also an opportunity for you to get the horse of your dreams at a price that won't leave you single... ;)
 
sorry to her about the stallion.
are they using him for breeding as it is said that it can be past on to the foals

and that is not a good thing ... :(

shoes and drugs can work and many horses stay sound but it cost money
 
That is such a disappointment! Have you and the owner talked about a new, lesser price based on the vet's report? I know the owner has said he can get full price elsewhere, but do not worry about the "other buyer" - everytime I've negotiated on a purchase of a horse, there is always "another buyer" waiting - but if there was another buyer, the horse would be on a trailer and gone already....so ignore that talk. You should be able to reach a fair price somewhere.

Or, how about this. A contract: the parties agree on the full price, but only 50% of the purchase price goes into his hand. For the next 5 years, for each year that Paladino stays sound, the seller gets another 10% payment. If Paladino goes lame, with proof from the vet, the annual payment stays with you to cover the vet bills. In the meantime, the seller has your beautiful mare and the foals she will be producing.

Trying to think creatively... If the boy is still sound, you can always buy him at full price and hope that good care and good farrier work will keep the problem at its current level.

Good luck with this, we are supporting you no matter what happens.
 
a friend had a lovely qh that had navicular (this was a good many years ago) and was told that nothing could be done except to nerve the horse. they did that and he had years and years of apparent soundness. she was told she had to keep an eye on the foot as if something like a nail was in the foot the horse wouldn't know it. also was told the surgery MIGHT have to be redone in three to five years. last i heard of this horse she had sold him to a young man who had fallen in love with him.
is this nerving no longer an option?
 
If he is such a wonder horse and still a lovely stallion if the disease is managed you could have many years together maybe not all ridden but maybe showing or just as a loving friend and if your mare is going to have foals by him you could keep his offspring to ride.

it must be devastating for you but if you feel he is the one I wouldn't give up on him :)
 
I don't know what to suggest Chapsi. If he really is The One and you are prepared to spend a lot of money in treatment and shoeing for him then maybe he will be worth it.

If you have any doubts WHATSOEVER, do not buy him, put it down to bitter experience and move on. There will be another perfect horse for you out there, he maybe just around the corner or he may be 2 years away. Who knows?

(Says me :rolleyes: !)

You must not give up though, never be defeated by setbacks in life, they are there to make you stronger...
 
This is so sad, Chapsi, but I think Galadriel has given you good advice.

I can just tell you this: when I bought Barney, the vet said that because of his conformation he was quite likely to go lame. And he asked me, very sensibly, how long I'd been looking for a horse. The answer was nearly a year. So I bought him, and he did go lame, although not for the reasons the vet had predicted. But I still think it was worth it, for the two years we had together, and the amount he taught me, even though I haven't got a horse to ride now.

So I would say, ask yourself: how would you feel if in two years Paladino is lame and you haven't got a horse to ride? You have had two years with him and you are a different rider. And this potential navicular means at least that the price will come down, and you have the perfect home for your lovely mare. And the chance of a foal. I must admit, it sounds good to me. And I know navicular can be managed, at least for a time.

On the other hand, sometimes life offers us what we think we want, and we find we wanted something else all the time. So maybe your perfect horse is somewhere else ...



Linda
 
I have to sympathise, navicular can be painful, but managed well, and you could have a horsey lifetime together.

I always suggest people follow there heart if the situation permits.

When you know its right, you know its right.

Afterall haven't we. as horsepeople developed a 6th sense....Being able to read when an animal is sick. If it becomes tense or doesnt understand whilst ridden. And we do it through a saddle, observation and feel.

Just my 2 penneth worth.

The only thing concerning me is passing it onto his stock. But that shouldn't affect your chance of having a once in a life time horse. :)
 
Hi Chapsi,

It might help you to sit down and consider exactly where you want to go from here? Especially with the consideration of this horse in mind.

Given all that has happened to you, are you looking for a life long friend - someone that will undoubtedly, unconditionally, and forever be a horse you can trust, love, and enjoy whether you're on his back or lying in the grass under the sun with him? Or, are you looking for a show prospect? Something safe, but something with more focus spent toward achieving better and better ride scores? Since this horse has a limited 'useful' future, if you're looking for scenario number one, then I ask 'why not'?

It seems to me in reading your posts re. the mare and Pegs, that you're looking for a bond rather than an athlete. Karin is 110% correct, don't go looking for perfection because there is so little in this world that is perfect. You're only setting yourself up for disappointment. It'd be very difficult to find a horse that has absolutely nothing wrong with it. Bonfire is a spitting image of perfect health, but what he lacks in physical problems he makes up for in mental issues.

I almost dred saying it, but it wasnt long ago that I read those exact same words of yours in the same context of Pegs. "Magic", "unique", "mystical" - you've found it in two horses! If you do pass this guy up, I bet you could find it in a third, or fourth... Don't give up.
 
Chapsi

Red is my "perfect horse" - only he is only 14.2 and is now 33...

I always knew he would be a hard act to follow. I set my criteria and waited.

I did actually look at an Appy cross mare, but in showing her to me, the owner rediscovered her connection with her and decided not to sell. I was disappointed but it was not meant to be so I sat down and waited some more...

And finally Fi came along. Actually Fi and another appy mare - both being sold at the same time and both fitted the spec - and Fi keeked at me from the stable, and came home ;)

But I can't ride her out cos she's a spooky scaredy cat. And that doesn't just affect me, cos my mum had a nasty fall when we rode out together, from her pony but because Fi spooked.

She was vetted at purchase and just had a note on flexion test which she then passed at second vetting. But then when I brought her home, for insurance she needed another vetting, and they picked up "ciliary bodies" in both eyes :eek: (which may be a factor in the spooking, if she can't see clearly when the sun is in her face ?) and last summer she was intermittently unlevel (no diagnosis from either vet or physio), and in Feb a chiro treated her (hurrah a diagnosis !) and she got a trapped nerve and was really sore !!!

So - is Fi "perfect horse #2"

YES :D

Could there be another horse out there as well ? Yes, I believe so. Its just Fi found me first ;)

By the way, there is also a "transition" relationship theory about human relationships - perhap this lad was supposed to be your "transition" horse before you find the real one ;)
 
Since this horse has a limited 'useful' future, if you're looking for scenario number one, then I ask 'why not'?
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Because I'm not prepared to pay a graded stallion's price for a horse that will probably give me just a very few years of riding, and from then on he'll only run huge vet bills. Not to mention watching suffering.

If he was offered to me at a lower price, I would probably take the chance.

As for Pegs, he was the horse of my life. We had a deep connection, but his problems led to my emotional destruction. I'm still aware of everything that Pegs represented to me.
 
Well, money always does play a vital role in these big decisions. Bummer, I know. Perhaps make that your scape goat then... leave it in their hands and if its meant to be, he'll come to you with a lesser price tag.

I wasnt suggesting that this horse replace Pegs. Just that if this horse doesnt come through, don't let it be the end of horses for you. There's always a silver lining - you just might not be able to see it through the trees right now.
 
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