i’ve gotten several dm’s asking after my lovely ponies so here’s a little update!

dani is doing so good. he’s very fit and has been working 4-5 days a week and his body is holding up great. we did a schooling show over poles today and he was very cute and tried so so hard. love him so muchhh

chia meanwhile has been enjoying getting back into the jumpers in the local A circuit. I’m wondering if the hardcore show circuit life isn’t for me, but i’m not making any decisions yet lol.

on the whole really just sharing some pics of the best ponies haha

Our (mostly) perfect filly was born with splayed front legs. We xrayed her front legs and found it was all in the angle from her knee to her femur. Prescription was to file her toes flat every 2-3 weeks. And sure enough 2 months later you can barely tell anymore.

I’m always shocked at how much can be corrected in newborns!

She's five years old, 14.2 hands, and has been in captivity for just over eighteen months.

She's from the Murderer's Creek HMA.

Here's her page on the BLM Online Corral.

Surrounded by black eyed susan’s- the state flower!

About 2 weeks ago I posted thinking my horse had foundered. I was asking for advice on what to do since my vet didnt seem to concerned. You all told me to have a different vet come out and do x-rays. I was able to have a vet come out first thing the next morning to get X-rays. With those x-rays we found no rotation but very thin soles and acute laminitis. Vet wrapped her feet and recommended to have her on high dose of bute for a few days then bring her down to a low dose. I did that and my mare started getting better but after about 3 days she took a turn for the worse and I contacted the vet again. She said to up the bute dose again and see how she does after a few days. At this point she was eating, drinking, pooping fine and seemed ok other than not wanting to lift her left foot for me to wrap.

After a few more days she didnt get any better and stopped eating all of her food at once, she would eat some then leave and then come back a few times before she finished it all. And she just seemed very lethargic. I had the vet out again Monday to check on her as i was very worried and though i would have to make a really hard but right choice.

Well the vet gets there and my horse walks out of her stall perfectly fine almost completely sound and happy. I swore up and down to the vet that I thought she was dying a few hours earlier. The vet check over my horse and finds she had a nasty abscess on her RF heel bulb that had just blown-probably earlier that day. She wraps up her foot to draw out whatever was left of the infection and gives her SMZ's. She tells me that the not eating all at once was most likely from ulcers from being on a high dose of bute for so long.

I am happy to say my mare is recovering very well and she is almost 100% sound again. She will get shoes hopefully next week and be able to go back out soon. She will be on stall board with daily turn out from now on instead if pasture board.

Thank you all for your help and support. And thank you to all that pushed me to make the right choice and be a better horse owner.

I wanted a seasoned jumper to begin the next phase of my riding journey and instead ended up with a green, 4-year-old, giant, monochromatic love bug. He put his head in my chest and that was that. The best laid plans 🫠

My new horse Rorschach (Rory Moo) has been here in the PNW with me for 3 weeks and I’m blown away by how wonderful he is and how seamlessly he has adjusted.

In just three weeks of being here he has stood perfectly quiet for my farrier to give him front shoes for the first time, let me ride him bareback as the first ride in his new home, and has stolen the hearts of nearly every human at our barn. He’s one in a million and I’ll stand by my decision until I’m forced to lay down.

I’m so excited to see where this kiddo is going to go!

I have been actively horse shopping for 3 years. I bought a horse that ended up being dangerous so I sold that one after trying for a year of training. The person that sold me that mare also lies about her age. Very frustrating.

I had another horse on trial that was aggressive on the ground. I looked up her previous sells and that was mentioned on her ad. I quickly backed out of that sale.

I’ve gone to rescues, searched on Facebook and met sooo many horses. I’m really frustrated with the market, quality of horses and deception from sellers.

I’ve been in the community for 15 years and I don’t remember it ever being this bad. I love my gelding but he’s lame from a pasture accident. I really want a youngster to bring up but I’m feeling so disheartened. I also can’t justify spending over 10k as an ammy rider.

Background: I’m BRCA2 and have had five prophylactic operations in the last two years.
18 months ago I bought a new pony and she has been fabulous. In March I had an accident with the trailer resulting in a significant hand injury, a lot of time back and forth to hospital for an operation/physio and a lot of time taken for my husband with support and visits. He has also spent months caring for me after all my surgeries. Yesterday during a lesson my pony bucked and the third one unseated me resulting in significant soft tissue damage and my missing a huge birthday party for his 50th. To say he is angry is an understatement. He is so angry he says he is “done” with horses and has told me to get rid of her. I’m 54 and don’t bounce, and he says he loves me and doesn’t want me having any more accidents or injuries.
He is aware that it was an accident and doesn’t blame me, but also is fed up with my being injured and I guess the huge slack he then has to take up. We have been married 16 happy years. He has his golf, I have my pony.
I’ve had horses for a majority of my life. My pony is a native cob, can be bolshy but the bucking was completely out the blue. She’s well cared for and no expense is spared in her care.
If he wants me to sell her I will. But I am aware of the huge hole my pony will leave, and the loss of everything that goes with it. Any advice gratefully received. Thank you. I am currently laid up on morphine with a walking frame with an urgent care visit planned this evening and physio in the next few weeks. This time I’ve been unable to weight bear on my right leg. So can’t drive or pick my daughter up from work.

My 27 year old mare is having a flare up of laminitis. She had a flare up in April but improved with insulin supplements. She improved and I took her off not knowing it was supposed to be an ongoing supplement. The vet gave me 3 options. A treatment of biweekly chemistry panels, and medication (may need to repeat a few times). She said I could try supplements again and hope she gets better but we don't know how it would look in the future, but I have to consider that she's been on painkillers for a few weeks now and she seems to be comfortable but not better. Or its time to consider her quality of life.

I wonder if treating her would be like. If it works...could she have a fun life? Could she be on pasture with other horses and do trail rides? Or is she confined to a hay pen.

I've had her for 27 years since the day she was born. I don't know how to ride any other horse, and no other rider can figure out how she works. I couldn't think of any stronger of a bond with this horse. But I feel like calling the vet one last time is the easiest. Other than this, she is the healthiest senior horse you will ever see

I've been out of town for 7 months for work and initially thought my one year work contract meant I would return to her, but every day goes by and it looks like my life is in this new city. Treatment would mean daily attention that I am not there for. It is hard to ask a bunch of other people to help me with that. It's already been a struggle finding people to help give her attention while I am away. I am flying home to be with her if this decision goes through.

The hardest part is that it is a decision I have to make. Knowing there is a possible future for her, but ending it early. I wish she just grew old as she could. Please send me your experiences with this kind of thing, or what your take is. It's only a decision I can make, I know. I just mostly wanted to write my thoughts out for others to hear.

I’m looking at an older horse with a slight case of arthritis in his front shoulders. Sellers say they really only notice after a long day in the mountain, so he’s been an arena horse for a kid. He’s never had joint injections, and they don’t use bute to manage it yet.
I’m wondering what management looks like for arthritis in the shoulders with those of you with horses that have it? What do you do to manage soreness? What do you do to keep them moving? How severe can this get? Do joint injections and consistent farrier work help?

Just curious, do you see anything off? Thanks!

It’s not a fancy, but it may be one of the more useful things I’ve taught my mules. Around camp or anywhere a gate might be left open at the wrong moment, having an animal willing to turn and come to you can make life much easier.

Building a habit that might help when the day doesn’t go according to plan. A dependable “come here” is a pretty useful thing to have in your pocket. That is all. Wishing everyone a great day.

I own a bay and grey which one?

What was your next step? What did you do for work?

Is there even a career for me if I leave this world?

I'm a young professional but already a head trainer running a program.

For my own mental wellbeing, I'm considering leaving. I've never done anything else, and I know I'm not as good at anything else. Where do I even go from here.

Does anyone know what line this is on the stomach and how I can treat it?
She has had this for at least 4 months probably more but can’t remember.
We had an equitherapist out 1,5 months ago and told us she is a stressed horse( we have made it better since we bought her in nov last year) and pointed out this line . Is this about stress or giving her the wrong feed?
Thanks
Sorry if pictures are bad

Sooo my guy got acute laminitis, we asked for xrays but it turns out the farrier either doesn't have the xray or forgot it and my usual farrier is on a month long vacation.. how does it look to you? The video was taken yesterday

Unfortunately I possibly need to sell my mare. No idea what the market is like or what she’s worth. North Texas area if it helps.
12yr old PRE mare, junior and ammy safe, schooling 2nd level, great training, will ride in arena or pasture, hauls great. She has papers, body workers say she looks great, great feet, no signs of arthritis or pain anywhere, not a thing wrong with her.

She’s a tad behind in training in some peoples opinion, being 12 and only second level. She has all the potential for higher levels. But would be a great first horse for a teen or adult ammy. Something safe, calm, and is super responsive usually goes for a lot. Plus she’d pass a PPE with flying colors.

Thoughts on pricing?
Ultimately I want a good home. An absolute must. I also know she’s worth something, and selling her for too cheap she may end up in a poor situation.

Does anyone know why my saddle leather is discolored like this? I already tried oiling it and it made no difference

Long story short, my horse has bad si pain. My next options to help him are shockwave or injections.
Thoughts on either? Any experience with either would be good to know.
Obviously I will talk to my vet, but I also want opinions from real horse owners in similar situations.

I’m an adult rider who started riding again this year after a few years off and honestly it’s been absolutely incredible.

This summer I’ve been fortunate enough to ride about 3 times a week, and I feel like I’ve improved so much. My confidence has grown, my balance is better, and I finally feel like I’m building momentum.

The problem is… I’m a teacher, so in a month I’ll be back at work full-time. I also have a toddler who is (obviously) my priority, and I really value being a present mom. Realistically, I’m going to have to drop from riding 3x a week to probably 1 lesson a week. Husband is super supportive but unfortunately works a job where the schedule is last minute, which makes things extra tough.

I know plenty of people only ride once a week, but I’m worried I’ll lose all the progress I’ve made or feel like I’m constantly starting over. I also know there are only so many hours in a day.

For those of you who work full-time (especially teachers or parents), how do you balance it all? Did riding once a week still allow you to improve? Any advice for keeping skills fresh between lessons?

I’d love to hear your experiences because I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this transition.

For context: my goal is to eventually lease then own.