convince..

arabian_lover

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Nov 25, 2000
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Hi, my trainer and barn owner has this really great horse, and she is very willing to give him to me (her idea). She would give him to me, but i pay board and vet bills, etc. I have ridden this horse many times before, and i love him. Any suggestions how I can make my mom see this? She was the one who talked to my trainer,

please help
 
Owning a Horse

Are you saying that you need your mother's financial help to maintain this horse's cost of living and welfare expenses? Owning a horse and all that goes with it should be taken very seriously indeed and you must make sure that the horse is fully insured should you decide to own one and you must undertake to be fully responsible for that horse's welfare and needs. Basically, horse ownership should not be entered into lightly. If your mother is willing to pay then you are very privileged. I would als be very worried if anybody offered to "give" me a horse mentioning me paying for vet bills. Get the horse fully vetted to be sure that you are taking on a fit horse. Don't be pushed into anything - these things shouldn't be rushed. Your time will come to own a horse that you choose. Sorry to sound a bit harsh, but it is a serious commitment. Chin up and think about it very carefully. I don't know how old you are, but if still at school, surely this should take priority just at the moment.
 
this horse is a quarter hrose gelding and has navicular dusease, hence the vet bills. I am 15 and have read all about this disease and intend to keep looking! I will be paying for board there (it's a family-owned thing and I've been riding there for many years). They have even entrusted me and a friend to look after their horses before. I clean tack, stalls, poultice, wrap, lead, have taught a few lessons to younger kids, help aroudn the barn all the time. If anyone has anymore questiosn or suggestions, please write!


thanks
 
ALARM BELLS, ALARM BELLS!!

No wonder she wants to give you the horse if it has a degenerative desease like navicular. It will get worse as he gets older, he will need more and more treatment as he gets older. Don't touch this horse with a barge pole. Sorry I hate to be so negative but I would hate you to bond with such an animal and then in the worst case scenario have to be upset if the horse gets so bad he has to be destroyed.

Frances and I were "given" a horse in similar circumstances. He was an old horse and the owner knew he was ill, she couldn't afford to keep him and no-one else wanted him due to a degenerative eye condition.( yes, I know , we are suckers for a hard luck story) We managed to keep him going for a year, his eyes got bad far quicker than anticipated and after a year of constant eye drops and treatment we had to make the horrible decision to end his suffering. We were very upset, but we took him on knowing we had to make the ultimate decision for him, and were prepared for the worse.

Please think long and hard before you take on this horse, would you cope well if he had to be put down? Frances and I were very upset when we had to loose Tyler.
 
I agree with Wally (and your mom). Stay away from this horse because, as Wally said, navicular is a degenerative desease that will only get worse. This horse will require a lot of time and effort, not to mention money. I assume since this is your first horse you are wanting one to run and have fun with, and a horse with navicular is not going to cut it. I would be especially wary since the owner is so willing to give him to you for free. If she really wants the horse to go to a good home and doesn't care about the money, why not give him to someone as a companion horse where he will not be ridden. This horse may be ridable for many years, or you may get him and a month later he goes lame and can never be ridden again. How old is this horse? If you really have your heart set on this horse (I hope for your sake you don't), maybe you could just lease him with the stipulation that you will keep him only as long as he is ridable, and then when the navicular gets worse you can return him. Regardless of what you think now, if you get this horse, you will become very attached to him and it will be absolutely awful when the day comes that he is no longer ridable. For your own sake, I would suggest you wait and save your money until you find a horse that truly suits your needs.

Allie
 
thank you all for your concern! He is approximately 11 years old now. The only type of riding I would do would be dressage (which he can do, no prob. and which he was trained competitively for). I would not jump him ( if I wanted to jump, I could just ask to ride one of theinstructor's horses that day). I would trail ride him once a week (maybe more if he's up to it) in the winter and ride (or at least WORK) with ihm every day in the summer. Keep those suggestions coming!
 
Please don't underestimate the stresses involved in dressage. If you are working a horse properly the strain involved will be too much for a horse with navicular.

It doesn't matter one jott what he was trained for, if he has navicular he will no longer be able to carry out that task.

Please don't go down this route, it will end up at best with a great deal of vet bills, at worst heart ache.
 
It sounds as though you have fallen for him already but please harden your heart and WALK AWAY. You are taking on a heap of trouble. Yes he can do his work at the moment. He will not be able to for ever. You will not be able to insure him. How deep is your pocket as it will have to be bottomless. I have taken on some nutcases but they have all been physically fit. NO FOOT NO HORSE.
Please do not seriously consider this horse, no matter how 'good' the deal in the short term.
 
I very much agree with Wally. Dressage isn't an easy sport. It may not be the same as Jumping or anything like that, but just because it isn't doesn't make it any less harder on the horses.

Anky Van Grunsvens horse Bonfire was retired recently because he had given so much in his preformances that he wasn't completely sound anymore. All those piroettes and passage half passes are not easy on horses.

I wouldn't get a horse with navicular, 11 or not. 11 is hardly old for a horse. Khemosabi is 33 right now, so if you think about it, this horse could suffer for up to or more than 22 years. Why would you want to do that? Eventually the horse has to stop being ridden and it becomes a hay burner that you spend more on than what you get out of it.

It's likely a heart breaking decision for you, but you have to do it. No one is going to think less of you because you made the choice.
 
Sorry Arabian lover but the old heads on this message board are right on this one. WALK AWAY. It will be hard but it is very unprofessional of the trainer to offer the horse in this way.
 
thanks you all. my mom can't afford to keep him anyway. About the dressage, I was just plannign on teaching myself how to do some sidepasses, half-passes, flying changes, and turns on the haunches (if he was up to it). Well, back to the old dream!!!
Jumping a beautiffuly designed course, just me and an Arabian, soaring through the air, no chips or long take-offs, aahhhhh, what a beautiful dream (I hope to accomplish it someday).
 
I hope your dream comes true

and I'm sure that when you find the right horse, then that horse will be a very lucky horse indeed to have you as its owner. Your horse is out there waiting for you - so dream on Arabian Lover - sometimes dreams really do come true.
 
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