I'm so sad! My gorgeous little mare injured her suspensory ligament in the field of all places. The likelihood is that she will not be able to do too much again, especially not her beloved reining. The chances of re-injury are high and I can't risk this as she is just to dear to me. I'd rather have an expensive ornament!

So now my dilemma, I have the choice to breed from her and to get a nice western prospect, or I have the choice to find a western horse but really with limited funds. I'm happy not to necessarily have a QH, arabs do well, the argentina breeds etc, sometimes this is more appealing to me (my mare is Welsh X New Forest). Or I look for a loan with view to buy, but from where, there seem to be so many people asking silly money etc.

All in all, you can probably gather i'm having a tough time with this. First and foremost is that my mare will still live in the manner to which she is accustomed to and will not be passed on or put out to grass.

Has anyone else had the dreaded dilemma of retiring one due to health and broaching the subject of a second horse?

I've been offered horses to ride by friends which is so sweet, but i'm the only western nut and i'm so miserable in an english saddle its untrue!

Many thanks
Angie

Post edited by: rodeoange, at: 2008/09/17 23:38

im sorry to here that.
i suppose it depends on your time scale, if you are happy to spend 4 years + just doing things on the ground, then breed from her, if u want to ride now then you need 2 get another horse i think! also, if you do get a horse, a lot of the native british breeds do western brilliantly and are nowhere near as expensive as QH's, or not in my experience.

Post edited by: cheiro1, at: 2008/09/18 18:16

I'm sorry to hear your news.

I was in your position just over a year ago. My thoughts would be:
- think of your mare: even if she were sound, what might you prefer her to be able to do better, more ably?
- where are your ambitions, recreational and competitive?
- what are your timescales?

Basically, my mare went unsound two years ago and it was touch and go whether she would ever come right; but even before that I'd always wanted a horse I could happily take out to shows, clinics (English or Western) as she got quite stressed; I also wanted a slower horse! And one which could introduce me to Western in the next year or so without threat of me breaking it . So when put in your position, I had a reasonable template to compare against.

My advice would be: Don't rush into trying to breed a Western P-B unless you've got a very clear view of the attributes you want to bring forth; don't overlook your mare - the best of times, IMO, that I had with my mare was when she needed the greatest care; yes, I was lucky, she came good, but I'd wager that if I hadn't had that caring and looking time with her, I wouldn't be getting the 'give' out of her that is just so special now; and if you do wind up looking for a 2nd horse to continue your Western pursuits, I hope you find exactly what you're looking for, there is so much out there but before you go looking, nail what it is that you want to achieve first.

I hope it all works out for you, best of luck .

What sort of injury did she have? Was it very recently & what treatment has she had? I ask because I work for a company called Zamar which specialises in temperature therapy treatment machines. They have had excellent results on this sort of injury (ruptured tendons CAN recover in about 6 weeks!)Obviously the machines are expensive but they are available to rent too. You can look them up on www.zamar-uk.com. We have area reps in most parts of the country or you can phone 01565 631060. I am almost certain one of these could help treat your mare and it certainly would not hurt to try. Many of the top riders and race trainers have these machines (inc John Whitaker, Tim Stockdale,Pat Eddery,Clayton & Lucinda Fredericks). I am not trying to sell you one here, just think it may help with your mare's problem. You never know she just might repair enough to be ridden again. Its worth a try!

Thank you all for stopping by to help and advise me. My mare is going for hydrotherapy treatment just agreed on Friday by my insurance company on advice of my vet which i'm guessing ties in with quarterhorsemad's suggestion, I will check out the site thank you so much. It was a rear suspensory ligament injury but my vet said as I caught it so quickly guessing there was something badly wrong I have lot of time on my side.

Like you all say, first and foremost comes my mare. Someone asked today why don't I put her out to grass and I nearly had a heart attack! Why should I put my lovely mare who has been cared for 5* to grass to be cheap just because I can't ride her All the care is hard work at the moment, but I love doing it for her.

I have decided she will have plenty of time off to recover and even if she does not come right in the end, well she will always be my special girl and will just be an expensive ornament and pet!

I'm slowly seeing the wood for the trees now, and am keeping an eye out for anything willing to please to convert to western to play with.

Its nice to hear from you all, thanks everyone so much for the advice its very much appreciated

Glad to hear you caught it in time. Hydrotherapy is great for re-hab but the Zamar would treat (& help heal) the actual sight of the injury. I am sure if your vet knew about it he/she would recommend a try (plus the hydrotherapy). I am sure the insurance would cover the cost of it too.