Please fill us in about what led to Seger’s weakness…nearly all cast horses would be able to right themselves once the physical obstacles preventing them from rising are removed…I can’t escape the notion that you have once again left us a few details short of a full story. What did the bloodwork show? EPM? EIA? West Nile? Paralytic Rhino? I’m assuming that the horse’s condition wasn’t that acute previously, or you would have had the vet out sooner…Please let us know so we can understand the situation better.
3 Likes
MJ originally said that she and her Mom had the conversation she ‘dreaded’ regarding putting the horse down. She stated from the begining that he was having trouble with his weight and that things were not good. We all said “GET THE VET”. She said she had tried and he was coming. I don’t feel she has been untruthful. Unless, I am missing something else (other than the fact that some of us would have been on the phone to call every friggin’ Vet within 300 miles screaming Bloody Murder-but that’s just me)
I will be the first one to criticize people for not knowing enough about the very animals that they are charged to care for, in fact I have publicly endorsed the “Own a Horse, possess a license to do so” approach. But in the end, people end up doing things there own way-sometime right, Sometimes Wrong-it’s life.
I do think there is just a TAD bit of Sanctimony going on here. Although insightful, I don’t really feel that Touche’s post did anything to ‘further the cause’. All that she did was stir up the mud a little bit and get most of you upset about facts, that if you were paying attention, were already presented to you.
Essentially, in the name of ‘Truth’ it seems that a bunch of folks are getting hurt and upset about events which can not be unchanged.
Can we just move on now? please???
I am totally in agreement with you. 
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by just_me:
_
And Kryswyn, James T. Kirk was far from the first person to make this statement - Or as James T. Kirk said, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME.”<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
So who really said it? That’s like saying someone else came out with Achy Breaky Heart before Billy Rae Cyrus. They did (Brooks & Dunn? 
), but no one remembers, because it wasn’t a hit for them! So I’ll stick w/ Star Trek (Classic)!
~Kryswyn~
“Always look on the bright side of life, de doo, de doo de doo de doo”
I am in agreement with PaulaM - Seger could have had alot of things go wrong from being cast for several hours - he could have had fluid in his lungs (horses are not designed to lie down for extended periods, esp in awkward positions, colic issues, plain old exhaustion from his previous illness. Animals can die from exhaustion and shock.
Please also remember that this girl is in high school and not able to respond immediately (as are us old fogies at work taking minibreaks to check the board 
) so 5 consecutive posts saying More Info Please, each sounding more and more accusatory are not going to get a quicker answer.
I also wonder “exactly” what happened. But you know? I have had enough horse experience to know that there are situations that leave the rest of the world thinking “well if it was ME I would have done XYZ differently” but you know in your heart you did what you had to do in your situation at that moment and explaining it repeatedly 6 ways from Sunday won’t satisfy everyone or change the outcome.
Her horse died through an unfortunate set of circumstances some or all of which may or may not have been preventable. Our nosiness isn’t going to change that.
While I am as horrified as the rest of you with Seger’s end, I DO object to the following overgeneralization.
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>If you have never owned a horse or pony, you are not very likely to be ready to care for one out of your home. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
My parents had never owned a horse before when they bought a house with a barn on five acres. They then leased a pony for my sister and I to share, to see if we were REALLY willing to take care of it. When we showed we were, they bought a horse for me, and, when the leased pony had to be put down, one for my sister.
But there were some crucial differences.
-We lived in a horsey area (Guard Hill Rd in Mt Kisco NY) with lots of vets, etc., available.
- We had a good support structure, not just Pony Club, but the very knowledgeable grooms across the street at Tanrakin, and Mrs. Waller herself who would certainly have “intervened” if she thought things were out of hand. She once went up to my mother at a show and said: “I don’t like the look of the hay you are feeding. It looks like… like …TIMOTHY or something” (All her horses got straight alfalfa).
-If anything, my mother was more inclined to call the vet when not needed than the reverse. (Shortly after we bought Rocket (gelding), the pony (mare) developed some worrying symptoms. My mother was convinced she had some terrible kidney disease. The vet arrived, and din’t seem to be taking it a seriously as she thought he should. After she gave a complete descripition, he said: “Mrs. Gunn, you have just described ALL the symptoms of a mare in heat.” Needless to say, she was mortified, but it illustrates the point.)
Anyway, I think the crucial sucess factor is not whether the grownups have kept horses before, but whether thay are willing to take on the responsibiliity of horsekeeping. Yes, we (my sister and I) did all the work- feeding, mucking, blnketing, turning in and out, etc., but my parents were the primary decision makers on when to call the vet, etc. We had to raise the money to go to shows, but they paid all the basic upkeep.
If there is blame to be laid in this case, I think a lot of it should go to MJ’s parents, who basically abdicated what should have been their responsibility.
Don’t worry ClipClop, I feel stupid too. I was hoping that none of this was true…
And I kept telling her how badly I felt because I’m 17, and I know how hurt I would be if my horse died…
Ahh, another lesson learned.
Valerie
~VWiles02@yahoo.com~
Valerie’s home page
Don’t make me break out the padlock, Miniwelsh! 
Move along now, everyone… nothing to see here…
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by InWhyCee:
I began writing this in response to a newer thread that CLOSED before I could finish typing… so, to those who say they know, do you know for a fact that there was anyone else “there” aside from MusicalJumper and the veterinarian? If so, perhaps you could tell everyone “the real story”? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Any such posts will be deleted. A “fact” consists of something proven in court or printed in a reputable source. I have no way of knowing if anything else is true, and will not allow it to be posted.
This is exactly why she needs HELP.
Somehow I doubt she’s even here right now, so whether you want to kick her or kiss her doesn’t make much of a difference.
Erin
~Stressed is Desserts written backwards…Concidence? I think not!~
MJ- I’m very sorry 
It hurts so much to lose someone that you love that much.
I hope your pulling through ok!
big hug
Becca
She hasn’t been on AIM either, so I don’t think she’s been around. And I think at this point, no matter what she says, she’ll get flamed. I’d be afriad to come back, too, if I were her.
I obviously don’t have the definitive story on what happened any more than the rest of you do. It seems quite possible to me that a 16 year old (with all of the positives and negatives that go with that age) was in over her head, caring for a horse who had some issues (recently off the track, ulcers, etc.), let him lose too much weight and condition before contacting the vet, and then had the horrible luck of the horse becoming cast. The horse probably had zero reserves to draw on, panicked, injured himself, and couldn’t be revived sufficiently to warrent the stress of additional medical intervention. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but that’s not really what I wanted to post about.
One problem that this whole story brings up for me, is actually the problem of the BB. The BB is an incredible resource for contacting caring people, getting opinions, and just plain venting. But, in some cases, some people may use the assistance they receive on the BB as a substitute for relatively high-cost veterinary care. They may also use the BB community as a substitute for the kind of local community that PC provides, or that the barn manager and other boarders provide at a boarding facility. Anyone can make a mistake, but if there are others around, who can actually see what’s going on before a crisis erupts, the worst consequences of that mistake can be avoided.
JMHO.
I took a law and psychology class at a college this past summer (I’m a senior in HS). Munchausen’s by Proxy was the first thing I immediately thought of in this situation once I heard that M_J had won a “pony club knowdown.” At first I thought that maybe she was just equine-ignorant or uneducated…but the facts disprove this.
How interesting we both came up with a similar thought/question…
Emily proud
member of the junior clique!
Emily@catchride.com
[This message was edited by Dr Horsefeathers on Oct. 26, 2001 at 10:19 AM.]
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I remember when I first joined the BB that there was certain poster that presented false pictures of themself and their horse…while it did create a stir, this poster apologized and the entire BB community wholeheartedly received her back <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Perhaps I’m just a hard a$$, but I think that posting false pictures and this alleged situation are two completely different things. 
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Canter:
But the real tragedy is this same situation is taking place right now, somewhere else. It’s up to each and every one of us to keep our eyes open and to report any signs of animal abuse that we may suspect - and also to give generously the next time you are asked to donate money to an animal shelter or group. Better yet, go out and make a donation in that poor horse’s name.
We owe our good animal friends that at the very least.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Good point.
“The older I get, the better I used to be, but who the heck cares!”
that those of us who are adults REMEMBER what it was like to be 16…all the crap that you all go thru is the same stuff we all had to wade through too. When I was 16 I was riding Training level, schooling Prelim, maintaining a 4 point avg and being a working student and going for my B rating in Pony Club. Age has nothing to do with being able to be a responsible pet owner, or even being mature enough to handle responsibility or to admit when one is in over their head. Grownups have lots of stuff on their plates too. Sometimes life can get too hard for all of us, but we need to never neglect our responsibilities-animals depend on us. We can’t let them down.
“Wherever you go-there you are!”
I am so sorry for your loss
* Fiero *
“i like pleasure spiked with pain and music is my aeroplane”
