Thank you. You have eloquently stated my conundrum for those who may think I am disregarding their advice. I have carefully read and considered all that has been posted here, although it may appear as though I have ignored some advice based upon my comments or things I have failed to comment on. I do have to factor in that the advice I am receiving is based upon my possibly inaccurate description of what I perceive is happening, so please forgive me if it seems I have selective hearing. The advice is sinking in, truly…just some of it I have to compartmentalize until I decide what I really want to do about these X-rays. I have become a premium member so that I can post them at some point. I have wondered if they might have some movement artifact because they really don’t look similar to any other X-rays from my google research…
This would be one X-ray. First time trying the image thing so hope it works. I realize not everyone here might be experts, but I’m still willing to take all comments if you have seen anything like these before. If I cannot get the second picture up, well, the other hoof looks much like this one. Thanks in advance.
These are the radiographs I am dealing with. I understand not everyone commenting may be a pro, but I’d like to hear any comments if you’ve seen something similar. Perhaps these photos will be more helpful than my comments about them. Do these change anyone’s opinions?
OP I give you props again for getting those x-rays before keeping this horse, as you obviously are hoping to do. You are doing all you can to leave no stone unturned. One of these days you are going to be a wonderful horse owner. For the right horse. :yes: 
I am going to leave reading the x-rays to those who have better credentials for it.
What I will say instead is that x-rays may not show you the real problems. Many problems don’t show up on x-rays. In fact, a clean set of x-rays would wave me away from this horse, precisely because it leaves the very real problems in the ‘unknown’ category.
If the x-rays answered all questions then you would know what you are in for. If they don’t - and that is a probable outcome any time x-rays are done - that does not mean the problems go away. The worst answer is ‘unidentified, unknown, not sure’, because it means you will be chasing elusive soundness indefinitely, while your daughter does not ride the poor sore horse. Too many horse owners are already in this boat.
If I were in your place, the horse would have already gone back. I would not have done the x-rays, because from my experience everything you have communicated about this horse is more than enough to make that decision without them. For the horse’s sake I wish it were different, but this is how things go with horses.
I know you say you trust the trainer. But what the experienced readers here are saying is that many of the things you say the trainer has already done are questionable … even if it is limited to the things affecting this horse alone. Even if the trainer has no incentive to trick you, even if she intends no harm, she is making some serious mistakes with this horse that could do more harm. Based on what you’ve posted, I would expect that long term she would be a bad match for helping keep the horse sound, whatever the reasons.
How would you feel if you were an athlete with a sore foot, and your coach said “here take these pills to numb it up, now get out there and do your 40 yard sprints”? What future would you predict for your sore-but-numb foot? That’s what is going on with this poor horse.
Why would you buy a horse for your daughter to ride that she should not ride, for reasons of horsemanship and humane treatment of the horse?
If you already love the horse enough and can afford it, buy it and plan to retire it. Buy another thoroughly sound horse for your daughter. Throw all the vet treatment you can afford at this one, but don’t ride a sore horse and be prepared for it not to heal. Who knows, maybe someday it will be right again.
The decisions are up to you, of course. Good luck to you, I hope for an excellent outcome, whatever you decide to do. You and your daughter deserve a great horse ownership experience!
[QUOTE=OverandOnward;8201127]
What I will say instead is that x-rays may not show you the real problems. Many problems don’t show up on x-rays. In fact, a clean set of x-rays would wave me away from this horse, precisely because it leaves the very real problems in the ‘unknown’ category.
If the x-rays answered all questions then you would know what you are in for. If they don’t - and that is a probable outcome any time x-rays are done - that does not mean the problems go away. The worst answer is ‘unidentified, unknown, not sure’, because it means you will be chasing elusive soundness indefinitely, while your daughter does not ride the poor sore horse. Too many horse owners are already in this boat.[/QUOTE]
Thank you as always for your post. I’m confused by this though. You would disregard clean X-rays due to he’s sore potentially from a trim? I do understand the concept of what you are saying. We let the first horse go back due to the lack of knowledge to help us determine what was causing the sore hip. It was going to be a needle in a haystack to find the correct area to X-ray, and clean would not have made me feel confident. But this horse here was not sore on his PPE, flexion, etc. (which was long enough after he arrived to rule out any potential meds still affecting him). He did have a slightly elevated pulse on one front that MAY have indicated something. And he had just been trimmed the day before.
And trimming yet again is something I will kick myself for because it seems I inadvertantly made my farrier think that was something I insisted be done because of his hoof chipping so badly. I had the above X-rays in hand from the PPE and truly I was looking for guidance only, and expected if he didn’t need a trim he would just say so. So now he is sore for sure, and the timing suggests trimming was the issue, but I have to consider the possibility that the trim was fine and the jumping bothers him. Is there a way to tell? That was my original question.
He has been jumping much more heavily with his owners than he has been with us, but then we don’t really know what they might have been maintaining him with before we got him home.
The second consideration that I am struggling with is his broke back axis and what may be inflammatory changes involving his coffin joint. If he is sound (pretending i never got him trimmed) should this concern me enough to send him back? I’m gathering from the input here the answer is yes. So if it’s agreed that the X-rays look bad as opposed to inconclusive, he goes back.
It’s looking like the 3rd thing I have to consider is what lasting effects this trim may have caused? I’m not really clear on the ramifications of a short trim. I’m gathering it’s not quite the same as, say, being sore from trimming a dogs nails to the quick? I am feeling pretty sheepish to be so unknowledgeable, but there it is. If I do send him back, what should I do for his owners to make it right? Shoe him?
Outside this venue I am hearing advice more along the lines of "I can’t expect to find a horse that vets 100% clean. " and “X-rays aren’t always the best indicator if a horse will be lame or not.” Anyone here dispute this? Should I be out there chasing the perfect vetting?
I have learned so much from each of these horses about what not to do, but the more I learn, the more scenarios there are to make completely different mistakes on.
I admittedly do have a very bad case of “tired of looking syndrome”. I am hoping I can pull through that and make the right decision. I’m concerned that automatically taking the safest possible course may result in no horse found. Sort of like looking for that Perfect Man.
Are the x-rays from before the farrier neatened things up or after? Although I can’t see a lot of detail, the toes don’t look too short to me. At any rate you shouldn’t be kicking yourself for having made the “farrier think that was something I insisted be done because of his hoof chipping so badly.” Without photos to go by, if a hoof is chipping so badly…it does need to be trimmed. A farrier should be able to eliminate the chips without over shortening and soring a horse (imo). If the toes were short enough I would think the farrier would tell you? Is it possible when removing some of the chipping walls etc, the bars became more weight bearing, causing some heel pain? What’s the footing like in the ring?
Might not be short toes causing the problem.
[QUOTE=Pippigirl;8202156]
Are the x-rays from before the farrier neatened things up or after? Although I can’t see a lot of detail, the toes don’t look too short to me. At any rate you shouldn’t be kicking yourself for having made the “farrier think that was something I insisted be done because of his hoof chipping so badly.” Without photos to go by, if a hoof is chipping so badly…it does need to be trimmed. A farrier should be able to eliminate the chips without over shortening and soring a horse (imo). If the toes were short enough I would think the farrier would tell you? Is it possible when removing some of the chipping walls etc, the bars became more weight bearing, causing some heel pain? What’s the footing like in the ring?
Might not be short toes causing the problem.[/QUOTE]
Exactly.
OP I am apologize for another long post. You seem like a good egg, and maybe there is a chance to avoid some unnecessary grief and difficulty down the road. Especially for your daughter.
Posters in this thread are trying to help you learn from their own pain, and those of other horse people they know.
Of course not. The trim has nothing to do with my opinion on the x-rays.
It is EVERYTHING you have mentioned, cumulative. The back axis. Words like “inflammatory” and “coffin”. “Sound on bute” (please promise going forward to always think about that statement before taking it as a positive, it’s an oxymoron). Maybe it’s the jumping - maybe maybe maybe. That is way too many factors, too many unknowns, too many maybe’s.
You CAN do better. MUCH better.
From your first post:
X-rays we got on his fronts show some mild inflammatory stuff in his coffin bone area.
I never would have taken him on trial. Purchase would have been DOA right there.
That is a problem that may be fixable - but a horse that has had the problem may be prone to have it again – and this or a future occurrence could lead to permanent unsoundness of a very serious nature. Let the current owners fix it before they try to sell. Or they can sell as-is to a VERY experienced next owner to fix, one who is willing to rest the horse indefinitely. And is even prepared to retire him if he can’t come sound.
It is not worth talking oneself into years and years of problems.
As for people telling you that you can’t expect to find a horse that is very sound and vets that way … run, run, run far away from those people. You aren’t just with the wrong people, you are in the wrong culture. I mean this very seriously.
That thinking will end up chaining you and your daughter to a horse that, for unknown periods of time, she won’t be able to ride and you won’t be able to sell, while his expenses go on. An endless cycle of hard decisions and expensive vet bills. Never knowing if he’s good for the next show, or not.
And maybe teaching your daughter to be insensitive to the horse’s ongoing pain and use drugs (including bute) to mask it temporarily, as that is the only way she rides. Please ask yourself on a very deep level: Is that what you want? Is that who you and your daughter want to be? Is any sport worth that?
There ARE sound horses to buy if you look in the right places. But your current advisors believe in lame horses and since that’s what they expect, that’s what they find and are willing to look at. You need advisors who believe in finding and buying only sound horses for riders like your daughter.
All that aside, this is also an ethical question of horsemanship, IMO. These advisors are saying you will be doping and treating in order to ride. They are encouraging, pushing you to put yourself in that situation. But it is NOT necessary to do that and have a good riding experience. In fact, that is a complete contradiction to the values you want to encourage in both yourself and your daughter.
This is why so many posters in this thread are so frustrated. You are at least somewhat saying ‘this is the way it is’, and they are saying NO it isn’t! You are being sadly misinformed and going into a bad situation for your precious daughter – and a hurting horse as well!
I am shocked that someone, having noticed the horse was sore after the trim, steered you to a decision to give the horse bute, then use him in a jumping lesson, when he should have been on rest & recovery. A SHORT rest & recovery of probably only a day or two! Not only was that unkind to the horse, it could have done more harm while the foot was more vulnerable. But clearly that kind of thinking and behavior is status quo in that barn.
A horse that needs bute to be comfortable needs to be on rest. But someone in your world has made a way of life out of buting and riding sore horses. I’ve met some of those people. This perspective is one that I reject, vigorously, and avoid people who practice it.
It hasn’t been hard to find horse people who believe in another approach to horses, so long as I am actively looking for those people (and horses).
As to finding the perfect horse, no, you won’t find one … but you can most definitely find a sound horse. There are a lot of other goofy things about any horse to decide if you can live with. Maybe conformation isn’t perfect but he goes well. Maybe a stable vice, maybe a little more quirky than you’d like but (again) he goes well for your daughter. Even – don’t laugh, well not too much 
– he’s an appy in a plain-colored corner of the horse world, but he’s amazing. That kind of stuff. But soundness - no, that’s not negotiable.
I’ve been riding over 25 years, have owned 6 horses, have competed hundreds of times, and all my horses have been sound. There have been the usual temporary lamenesses, minor injuries and so forth, but all straightforward to resolve. I’ve just semi-retired my current horse after 10 years of partnership (he’s 17) because he is sound, but at this point he won’t stay sound under the steady work needed to keep him in competition. I could spend a small fortune on a lot of things that would keep him going, but he would not really be comfortable. So he’s keeping the pasture grass under control.
It’s one thing to be in that situation with a horse after a working partnership of many years. And it can happen as a result of an accident or a change in what was a perfectly sound horse - that’s already a risk we all run. But it’s something else to knowingly buy into it on Day 1. I hope that makes sense.
The second consideration that I am struggling with is his broke back axis and what may be inflammatory changes involving his coffin joint. If he is sound (pretending i never got him trimmed) should this concern me enough to send him back? I’m gathering from the input here the answer is yes.
Yes. Inflammatory issues = NOT SOUND. Back axis = long, long correction time, if it corrects. If it were me, he goes back based on that info alone.
The inflammatory especially has too high of a probability of being & causing long-term problems that will (should) stop your daughter from riding him. And even if they are fixed at some point, many horses that have had these problems tend to have them again.
Horse lameness problems are cumulative in that the more problems, the worse impact they can all have on each other. A horse with multiple issues has an increasingly magnified chances of ongoing issues.
So if it’s agreed that the X-rays look bad as opposed to inconclusive, he goes back.
Yes, and I hope you aren’t saying that if the x-rays are inconclusive, or problem-free, he stays.
In my opinion, you made the decision in the sentence before this one, which I quoted before this one. As I mentioned, for me, the x-rays are irrelevant. The x-rays will not show certain problems the horse could have related to what you already know.
You already know about deal-breaker problems, especially the inflammation. Tossing in yet another decision criteria - the x-rays - just confused what was a clear decision, and not in a valid way. IMO
So now he is sore for sure, and the timing suggests trimming was the issue, but I have to consider the possibility that the trim was fine and the jumping bothers him. Is there a way to tell? That was my original question.
In a short trial, the answer all day long has been ‘no’. Not a quick, easy, inexpensive way to find out right now.
Give a couple of weeks to be sure the trim is definitely no longer an issue, and all you will find out is whether or not the problems you know about are openly manifesting during that ride.
You won’t know if they will show up during the next ride, or next week, next month, etc. & so on. Those issues are potentially ticking time bombs.
FWIW, horses instinctively mask pain as long as they can. It makes it hard to catch some things as early as we would like. Their instinctive brain tells them it is not a good thing to be the weak or limping herd member because that’s the one the predators target. Things could always be worse than what you can see during a trial. Especially knowing what you already know.
There is no trial, and probably no vet, that can tell you this horse’s future with his existing problems. Just probabilities, and experience says these probabilities are not great. I think that’s your real question.
But it makes no difference if he jumps today without showing pain, because you already know about the deal-breaker problems.
X-rays won’t answer all questions definitively, neither will MRI’s. It’s frustrating, but x-rays and MRI’s just don’t pick up everything you could spend the horse’s lifetime dealing with. Your vet should explain that.
It’s the probabilities of a horse with these problems vs a horse without. Oh yes, there are plenty of suitable horses without!
It’s looking like the 3rd thing I have to consider is what lasting effects this trim may have caused? I’m not really clear on the ramifications of a short trim. I’m gathering it’s not quite the same as, say, being sore from trimming a dogs nails to the quick? I am feeling pretty sheepish to be so unknowledgeable, but there it is.
Yes, it is exactly like trimming nails too close to the quick. It grows out and will be fine.
There wouldn’t be any lasting effects, unless the farrier took off a big ole very-noticeable piece of hoof. And the horse would tell you!
If absolutely nothing else was wrong but the trim, the horse should be fine in a day or two, even if he was ridden.
In the most egregious case that caused serious pain, the horse will be laying down frequently to take the weight off his feet. If someone gets on him to ride he may hardly be able to walk. But even that will grow out in time without lasting effect, so long as the horse is treated properly so that it doesn’t cause other problems.
In the middle, a trim that is not that severe, but is causing the horse soreness for more than a couple of days, perhaps even a week or two, is almost always identifiable by an experienced farrier or vet.
If you haven’t already, call the farrier and let him know of your concerns. A good farrier will not mind at all if you ask the question, he will come by and take a look and will acknowledge if he thinks it was too close. Good farriers are like good riders – they always want to know their mistakes and improve.
I don’t believe hoof boots will be helpful to your analysis. Hoof boots are likely to make a close trim more comfortable for a walking ride, but they can also mask the other problems you mentioned as well.
But - you’ve already given abundant information that much more than that is going on with this horse, trim or no trim.
If I do send him back, what should I do for his owners to make it right? Shoe him?
I would not do anything they haven’t asked you to do. Many (maybe most) horse owners are very particular about when and how to shoe. If he came barefoot, he needs to go back barefoot.
There is nothing that you need to make right. If your farrier is reasonably good it is unlikely that a trim caused ongoing problems. The horse had problems before he ever came to you, and just manifested them while he’s been with you.
Fingers crossed, the horse is most probably still in the same condition he came to you, and that’s how he should go back. That’s another reason to send him back now before something happens/changes and it’s your responsibility (or the seller tries to claim it is).
I admittedly do have a very bad case of “tired of looking syndrome”. I am hoping I can pull through that and make the right decision. I’m concerned that automatically taking the safest possible course may result in no horse found. Sort of like looking for that Perfect Man.
I think the answer is more fundamental. There is something else you have to fix before you do any more horse shopping. Otherwise this may not end well (especially for your daughter) no matter what you do. I sense you are already not comfortable with the way this has been going.
These advisors believe in lame horses, so that is what they will show you. It does not have to be like this. It isn’t the horses that are the problem.
Again, all the best to you! I hope you and your daughter become the proud and caring owners of a sound horse, that she enjoys riding, that will help her become a fine and confident young woman, that you both love dearly.
If you take the right steps, I promise that absolutely will happen. 
I have to disagree slightly, in that I think it depends a bit on what you expect for “vets clean” and your budget and the age range you are looking at. An older horse with some arthritic changes may be sound but not “vet clean” by some standards because you’d see the arthritis on the images. However that may still be an appropriate horse to buy, depending on your needs.
The red flag for me with a horse that didn’t “vet clean” 100% would be how identifiable the problem is, and how clearly the vet could explain the likely treatment options. Random mystery soft tissue issue or fundamental conformation flaw that is causing trouble? Nope, don’t want that can of worms. Arthritic changes in a young horse? Again, nope. Mild arthritic changes in an older horse? If I want the experience the horse has (which you often do with a newer rider) then I’m going to have a sit down with my vet and do some research to figure out what kind of work load would likely be okay, and what kind of maintenance program I’m looking at - some horses have some arthritic changes and stay perfectly sound and happy with proper management (not overworking) and some extra TLC (supplements, joint injections every so often, massage, etc. There are various options that I would research and cost out.)
And I want to be very clear - when I say maintenance I do not mean regularly giving the horse bute so that it looks sound, I mean things that are intended to help keep the horse sound to begin with.
Also, any horse that doesn’t “vet clean” with an identifiable issue like arthritic changes should still be sound and comfortable NOW, without bute or similar drugs, doing at least as much work, if not a bit more, than you expect to do with the horse. (I mean, with some thing like arthritis in an older horse, it probably will get worse gradually. So if the horse is barely happy doing what you want now, you are likely to find yourself a short time down the line with a horse that is not sound doing what you want to do, and what do you do then?)
So what I’m saying is that the advisors are a bit right in that not all perfectly good horses will have a totally perfect vetting. However especially as first time horse owners, you do not want to be taking on a horse that has an imperfect vetting with no clear “okay, this is what the problem is and this is how we’d handle it” plan that is already not sound without meds. That is just a recipe for heartache and big vet bills.
Doesn’t sound too random, just sounds like OP doesn’t quite understand what’s going on and we are all hearing it third hand so we don’t either.
Also sounds like the horse needs shoes and some Bute and time off, may be perfectly suitable.
Right, and I have to agree with the “you find the type of horsepeople you want to work with” parts of Overandonward’s statement. I could find you 3 barns in this area where that type of management is par for the course. I don’t ride at one of those barns on purpose. I choose the type of people I want to be associated with very carefully - we tend to try to put the horse first. We may not always know what that is going to entail - each horse is a learning experience, but the types of changes I WILL accept include minor arthritic changes to the hocks (managed with joint injections and injectable joint supplement - tends to be a known quantity). I have quickly rejected horses with that sort of unknown inflammation in the hoof or really off angle, just because I’ve found that particular issue tricky to manage with my vet/farrier team, and I’m not willing to accept that sort of issue. So that type of horse, once identified, doesn’t stay with me.
[QUOTE=Pippigirl;8202156]
Are the x-rays from before the farrier neatened things up or after? Although I can’t see a lot of detail, the toes don’t look too short to me. At any rate you shouldn’t be kicking yourself for having made the “farrier think that was something I insisted be done because of his hoof chipping so badly.” Without photos to go by, if a hoof is chipping so badly…it does need to be trimmed. A farrier should be able to eliminate the chips without over shortening and soring a horse (imo). If the toes were short enough I would think the farrier would tell you? Is it possible when removing some of the chipping walls etc, the bars became more weight bearing, causing some heel pain? What’s the footing like in the ring?
Might not be short toes causing the problem.[/QUOTE]
These X-rays were taken during his original PPE, before this trim. I really don’t know if he had heel pain. My trainer said he was walking on eggshells. As if all 4 were sore.
They probably were. From the sounds of things, I can’t imgaine this horse being sound. Why are you chewing on this? Unsound horses come our way all the time. Just be glad you recognized it and sent the horse back. You may never know what it is, we often don’t. But the horse came to you sore and was worse once you were jumping him. That’s the facts. Why isn’t important. He can’t function for you the way you want to use him. Its done.
Let me add this, in 45+ years with horses, I remember two hot nails and one sore after a trim. Might have been another but if there was I don’t remember. That’s probably 40 horses, 12 owned, 4 leased, assorted others in my care for various reasons. I did have one horse that had repeated problems over about 3 shoeing cycles but that turned out to be the farrier losing his eyesight and trying to work anyway. Completely cleared within 36 hours of the new farriers first visit.
Thats all. It can happen but it is really rare with competent farriers. I, and others, choose not to ride that same day simply because of the “what if” possibility. Certainly never do it with a new or strange horse. In those rare occasions when it did occur, it was over when the nail was pulled and repositioned and within just a few days with the trim. Like sound on the third day.
Horses with straight “ankles” are not able to cushion landing a jump very well so we generally avoid giving them that job.
Your trainers “walking on eggshells” on all four description? Oh, my. Unless the farrier is an idiot and blind to boot, that should not be the result of even an extensive trim.
Can you take pictures of his feet from about the fetlock down and post them?
This is an interesting thread.
I have a suggestion from out in left field – would your daughter be interested in joining Pony Club? It is a great resource, and a great pool of knowledgeable horse people, with good values. It is a fantastic network to be in – often times horses that are what you are looking for are passed around within the Pony Club family. Have a look at it.
I can’t tell if your advisors are good or not good, but Pony Club would put you in touch with a good group of horse people.
Thank you everyone for the very helpful advice. You have been instrumental in our decision to return the horse. I think it is sometimes easier to give people a straight answer when you are removed from the situation.
My vet’s job is to give me the facts, but not steer my decision (which is great for the experienced horse people, and dangerous for me, who assumes if you’re not bent out of shape I shouldn’t be either). My farrier has a great reputation here, so I’m completely confused that his trims caused all the trouble. Especially since A) horse didn’t manifest pain until the next day, and B) horse seems ok now after 2 days of bute. Did he suddenly grow plenty of hoof that fast? I just don’t get it. He does not walk on eggshells even on hard or gravelly ground now. I would have expected this improvement to take longer, but I’m no longer really interested in pursuing the mysteries. It’s become plain that there will always be more questions than answers with this horse. Again, thank you for making me see this.
As for my trainer, she does not always explain things in a way I understand, but, though she may have done things some don’t agree with (such as coming from a culture that uses bute to extend the usability of an arthritic horse while trying to keep him comfortable), I know she would never recommend I purchase a horse that needed bute for maintenance, nor would she have had me jumping him after his trim if she had any reason to believe he was uncomfortable. I don’t know what to make of the riding after trims. Perhaps she has never had bad experiences? She doesn’t watch the trimming and know how much he’s taken off. The farrier knows how extensively he trims, and it seems to me it should have been him to say, hey, no riding tonight, I trimmed a lot. Or maybe he just assumes we don’t do that. I don’t know. From now on we will not be riding after trims due to our experience.
My trainer recognized the upright hoof when we first saw the horse, and made sure to phone the vet before we ever brought him home to see if he felt that the hoof was a deal breaker for our purposes. I bring her along to make sure we don’t get on an unsafe horse, or to evaluate whether a horse is suitable, and to pick out obvious deformities or gait issues, but I don’t expect her to be the vet. Or to know everything. I wanted to defend her more as we went along and I was hearing misinterpretations, but I was afraid that would shift the focus away from getting good advice if I became defensive. I feel guilty that I did not correct misconceptions as we went along, and I want to clarify those things. Frankly, The bottom line, whether I could have been advised better or not, is that we come from an area where there are limited resources. If I didn’t like this barn or the people in it, then I’d better look into western riding or eventing, because that’s all there is nearby. I don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing. But I hope all of you will be here for me when I have more questions or concerns, and I will do my best to educate myself as we go so as to recognize bad advice before I get stung by it.
I’m sorry this horse didn’t work out for you, but I really, really hate mysteries, so I do tend to push for people to stay away from them - they really can be heartbreaking. If you knew how many horses I’ve seen where people think that just ONE more thing is for sure going to work…there is a difference between functional soundness (which is pretty much all you can expect) and beating your head against a wall of mystery lameness. I think sometimes you have to communicate very clearly with your team - sometimes more experienced people don’t really realize that people don’t know as much as they seem to; I’ve seen lots of really smart beginners who I didn’t actually realize I HAD to explain certain things to - they seemed so together that I made some assumptions I shouldn’t :P. So not really blaming your trainer for anything - SHE may have been very comfortable managing the problem but not realized that it would be a constant source of worry for you.
[QUOTE=thatmoody;8204464]
SHE may have been very comfortable managing the problem but not realized that it would be a constant source of worry for you.[/QUOTE]
Yes, I think this is exactly the case. I’m in the unfortunate position of trying to make this happen with a husband who is less than enthusiastic. He looks at horses and sees a money pit (not altogether wrongly!) and I’m feeling the pressure of really needing a good first horse experience to encourage his future cooperation. If a bad experience is inevitably in my future, I want to be able to say, wow, never saw that coming, rather than, yeah, what a dummy I was to think that wasn’t going to be a problem.
Good news, OP. And I feel for you as you make your way through all the cross-communication and new & confusing issues. Everybody’s been there as they became more involved, or more grown up and more responsible for all the decisions. :o
I don’t know if eventing will be your cup of tea, or your daughter’s. But you will find sound and 98% sound horses in eventing because they are not allowed to give drugs to compete.
And it’s a lot of fun … gives great riding skills … but if you decide to try it, make sure you have a good local resource.
Whatever direction you go, something good will come along for you and your family, because you are holding out for it.
I have barefoot horses and a good farrier and I would never think twice about riding the day of a trim, or even jumping (although my schedule doesn’t allow for heavy jumping the day of a trim).
My farrier would be more inclined to do a mini trim or even just rasp a bit to prevent the chips from getting worse and then come back in a few weeks to trim it up a bit as opposed to hacking it all off at once which would make any horse lame.
I also think that older well used horses often have maintenance issues and depending on what the horse needed to do or who it was for I might be more or less lenient.
That said, a lame horse on trial I would send back and keep looking.
[QUOTE=StillHorsinAround;8205043]
Yes, I think this is exactly the case. I’m in the unfortunate position of trying to make this happen with a husband who is less than enthusiastic. He looks at horses and sees a money pit (not altogether wrongly!) and I’m feeling the pressure of really needing a good first horse experience to encourage his future cooperation. If a bad experience is inevitably in my future, I want to be able to say, wow, never saw that coming, rather than, yeah, what a dummy I was to think that wasn’t going to be a problem. :)[/QUOTE]
Does your trainer know about this aspect of things, that your husband isn’t entirely on board? I don’t mean in an airing all your dirty laundry to her way, but if having to investigate or manage a problem that requires regular vet visits and makes horse ownership more expensive is going to cause stress for you, then she should know that you really can’t be looking at horses that you KNOW are going to start off with those needs. (Obviously, with any horse sometimes poop happens, and you need to be prepared to deal with it, but a sound horse who after six months does something to himself in a freak incident in the field is a far cry in terms of how it will likely come across to someone non-horsey than one that you buy and then right away have to start pouring funds into the bottomless pit known as ‘mysteriously not quite right…’)
