Another Lameness Mystery - Horse related FINALLY AN ANSWER! Not good

[chickbea]

Oh, I'm sorry this has happened to you and your sweet mare. Nothing is more annoying than someone who messes with your horse without permission.

 

[Equest94]

WrenAli,

See the thing is, she's semi-sterile. We took her to a breeding clinic last summer and they over stimulated her ovaries trying get her in a strong heat cycle and irritated her uterus so much to the point where she keeps accumulating and retaining fluid in her, making a successful breeding (live cover and AI) nearly impossible. If anything, our best chance would be to do an embryo transfer using a recipient mare if we ever want a foal out of her (which is my plan once finances work out a bit better).

The vet/specialist also gave us the option of stem cell therapy; however, he said he actually doesn't recommend it because it's about $2,000 a treatment and he's not very impressed by the results; he says that currently it's not worth the money, but perhaps once more research is conducted, it could be very beneficial.




Thank you all for your ideas and support.

As I have mentioned she will be on complete stall rest for a whole month, I can walk her for 15 mins/day, and later she will be trailered to the clinic for her ultra sound, surgery, and treatment/therapy. Right now, my main goal is to try to keep her as happy and comfortable as possible (pretty hard for a horse to do nothing especially when they are accustomed to working/showing/turn out) . I'm wrapping her legs for the night and she is going to be on bute for the next 10 days. I'm pulling the horses I am training out tomorrow and taking them to a different barn, MC is going to stay (

) until some of the pressure and swelling goes down and then I will move her out of there too. I just really cannot believe a barn manager/owner would be so stupid and so inconsiderate. Oh, and yes...4 other boarder horses are all lame as well (for the same reason, 1 ended up fracturing her coffin bone)...everyone else is going to be leaving as well.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I don't know how I missed this thread. LOL. It sounds to me like you and the other boarders need to get together with a lawyer and see what can be done about those Vet bills. There may not be anything you can do about getting your money back through the owners of the barn due to any signed liability contracts, but still it is very much worth a try.

Also, since so many other horses went lame as well due to the same neglect, you would have a stronger case as well.

Sorry to hear that your competition horse is injured, that sucks and it's expensive.

I can understand the occasional "mishap" if she was just turned out alone and slipped in the mud. But, if she was being run THAT long by another aggressive horse, when she wasn't even suppose to be turned out with other horses, then you need to take this up with the owners. This isn't just the usual case of our accident-prone friends, this was a multiple injury(other boarder's horses) and multiple incident thing.

I hope she gets to feeling better soon and recovers wonderfully.

-Kim

 

[Equest94]

Thank you.

I did try to politely discuss this matter with the barn owners and they deny ever turning her out with the group. I was approached by 2 others boarders who said they saw her turned out and one of them brought her in and cold hosed her leg for me. Even before I new the full extent of this injury, I told them to keep her on strict stall rest until she recovered...they still turned her out and tried to brush her off and get her back in the stall before they expected me to show up; however, they forgot that mud still packs in her hooves, so I new very well what they did. I got one of the barn owners to admit to turning her out after I told them to keep her on stall rest, while she cleaned her stall, but neither admits to turning her out in the group. Now, since a few of the boarders already left, they are tying to patch things up with the rest of us...so they are actually listening to me now in regards to what's best for my mare (either that, or they became smarter in cleaning her up).

The main issue is that everything happened so quickly. Our old barn manager decided to sell the place and 10 days later these new people purchased it. I didn't even know it was sold until I brought my mare (and the 2 I am working with) back home from our University's Equestrian Center. The horses got home a week before I did, so in the rush of the new owners settling in and us coming home; me being still at college, my parents had to settle the horses in.... I just found out - NO BOARDING CONTRACT WAS EVER SIGNED!

So I guess I'm a bit screwed because since nothing was signed with the new owners, there isn't any statement saying what they include in the boarding fee and what they would do for us; granted they are very negligent with the horses in their care, especially with the boarders.

Another thing is that there is no actual proof about what happened. It's all going to come down as "he said, she said, they said," not to mention that the people who witnessed my mare being turned out also own horses that are dead lame (same kind of injury, same reason why), so I'm not sure if it's going to look like we're ganging up/making a conspiracy against the barn owners.

I really want some sort of justice in this matter, I would at least like my vet bills paid. This mare has been the first horse I have actually ever owned, she has been with me through thick and thin. She has taught me EVERYHTING and she was able to do it all (discipline-wise). Not only was she a talented competitor, but she's also a big part of our family and a huge part of my life; I really hate seeing her so unhappy right now, she loved working and now she is so bored out of her mind and in a bit of pain. We had really big plans for this summer and coming fall; I just can't believe all this is over and may be permanently. See, if it was a mishap like she did something outside in the pasture while by herself, then fine, things happen, but these people deliberately turned her out in their group with their aggressive horses (despite my note and verbal statement not to); because of them ignoring my request, my horse is ruined.






Are there any lawyers here on this forum? Can I make a good case out of this or is there no actual proof and would it look like we are just ganging up?



I don't really know what to do and what I can do. All I know is I have to get her out of there asap!

 

[Farmer Kitty]

I'm not sure what your legal rights are but, check around. I know here lawyers will give your first consult free. Maybe check into it and see what a lawyer has to say.

Good luck with your horse.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I work for the prosecutor's office...I'd say you've got a case here. You could try contacting an attorney & just asking. There are also some attorneys who don't charge unless you win...

This is why I do not miss boarding my horses! I did it for 15 years & had drama like yours--some not so bad, other times, horrible stuff and I don't miss it one bit.

On another note--I just went back & read the post about what is wrong with your mare.

I personally have dealt with torn suspensories.

Okay...first of all, it is true that her running, slipping on wet grass or MAYBE being kicked caused that injury. However, my mare did the exact same thing (tore her suspensory) while in her stall when she was 4 years old. She has some food aggression um, issues...and she kicked the wall of her stall during feeding time, tearing the ligament in her left hind. She was off & we called the vet out. Who did some tests, nerve blocks and finally x-rays. He sentenced her to 6 MONTHS of stall rest and special shoes, NO turnout! My wonderful farrier took her hooves & made them squared off in the toes & she was given rubber wedges in-between her shoes & her hooves (on her back feet). After that, she was able to be hand-walked and then ridden (at a walk). Overall, it took almost an entire year for her to heal to where I could really ride her.

It's not nescessarily career-ending. My mare is now 17 years old. I was told she may or may not ever been 100% sound again. However, I did barrel racing with her & jumped her in college (up to 3'6") as well as I rode her in intensive riding classes through my 4 years of college. She held up beautifully. I do ride her with 4 SMB's on at all times, though.

On another note, her sire had the exact same injury. Except his owner (one of those barefoot/all-natural) horse people who is against stalls.....she instead keep her horse barefoot, gelded him to keep him calm & turned him out to pasture (20-some acres). He ended up calcifying his fetlocks to the point they were hard as rocks & cantaloupe-sized. He was never ridable again.

On her last x-ray (2001) there were bone chips up & down her suspensory on that side. The vet could not believe she was sound. She acts as though she's not in any pain & she's as fiery & orney as ever....she's semi-retired now--I have her 4 year old filly (akkk, I mean MARE--I can't believe she's 4 already!?) I'm starting this summer....

I hope some of this helps??

 

[s6bee]

Quote:
I guess the question is what do you have to pay the lawyer to get what you want back, is it worth it. You would probably need the people who saw it to come and speak on your behalf. The best thing to happen would be that it wouldn't happen again. Ugh, barns.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

"A while ago I was showing her up at our University's Equestrian Center...she didn't seem to like the arena footing so much. It was fairly deep and would pack really hard in her hooves. Sometimes when I would ask her to canter, she would kind of "kick out"/flick her ankles a bit (I assumed to get the clumps of dirt out) and would be fine. In between classes I would pick her hooves out; nothing was ouchie or tender, she moved well...etc.

Well she's back home now. She came home about a week before I did, so she pretty much had a week off. When I got home, I went to visit her and lunged her. She seemed a bit reluctant to move out, but did so when I got after her, just seemed really stiff...not really hurt, but more stocked up"

Are you absolutely sure the injury happened at home and not before she got there?

Not to be snarky... but you should be darn sure before thinking of hiring an attorney in a case like this.

 

[Equest94]

Rhett&SarahsMom :

"A while ago I was showing her up at our University's Equestrian Center...she didn't seem to like the arena footing so much. It was fairly deep and would pack really hard in her hooves. Sometimes when I would ask her to canter, she would kind of "kick out"/flick her ankles a bit (I assumed to get the clumps of dirt out) and would be fine. In between classes I would pick her hooves out; nothing was ouchie or tender, she moved well...etc.

Well she's back home now. She came home about a week before I did, so she pretty much had a week off. When I got home, I went to visit her and lunged her. She seemed a bit reluctant to move out, but did so when I got after her, just seemed really stiff...not really hurt, but more stocked up"

Are you absolutely sure the injury happened at home and not before she got there?

Not to be snarky... but you should be darn sure before thinking of hiring an attorney in a case like this.

I don't think you are being snarky at all.

I'm positive. As soon as I got her out of that arena after the show, she was fine - walk, jogged/trotted, cantered/loped; nothing wrong. A vet who was up at the barn just took a glance at her for me and told me that it was nothing, that it was just the footing (btw, that show was about a month before she actually came home). I actually took her to a clinic at another barn before she came home and she rode perfectly there, nothing at all odd with her feet during or after. After she came home, (well I got there a week after she did) I noticed the same kind of symptoms, at least I thought it was the same, so I didn't think much of it, I thought she just needed an adjustment to sand footing. When it was due to the footing, she'd be fine once the dirt clump flew out and/or her hooves were picked out; however, at home she never got better/situated...there weren't even clumps in her hooves (since the footing is powdery sand) and the flicking turned to her leg giving out and her coming up 3 legged lame.

When the specialist came out, I even asked if this injury was possibly an "old" one and just wasn't very apparent before. He palpated her leg and took x-rays (to check for calcifications and chips) and he concluded that it was a newer injury since it didn't have any calcifications yet and the ligament wasn't as "lumpy" (which I guess happens over time when not treated right away).

So yes, I am pretty positive.

(thank you for brining that up)




equibling,

Thank you. I know that "mishaps" can happen even from standing standing funny, or taking a wrong step, etc, but MC has never been food aggressive or anything of the sort. Even when turned out by herself she's still very placid. The only thing that turns her into a "psychotic kicking machine" is being turned out with other horses. She's fine making contact with them over a fence line, but as soon as they are in the same enclosure and in her "territory", she turns all alpha mare. If the other horses are submissive, she cools down and acts all buddy-buddy; however, if the horse challenges her she will duel until someone decides to give in. She's a very sweet and respecting mare to people and objects, but when it comes to other horses, she's the one who demands respect from them. So after being told, that she was witnessed being out in the group, the question "how did this happen?" seems to be answered. As I have mention, if this was just a "mishap" then fine, but it most likely wasn't a true mistake.
I'm glad your mare recovered well and I hope mine can as well. The vet told me to prepare for the worse, but hope for the best, and we'll see for sure the extent of this injury in a month and have a better idea of how detrimental this could be to her career. Good luck on starting you 4yro - they always grow up so fast!




Thank you everyone for the attorney ideas. I didn't realize that my case could be valid enough, but it is worth talking to someone about and kknowing for sure. I am definitely going to speak with the remaining boarders and make a few calls.​

 

[patandchickens]

Honestly it sounds to me like the chances are that she strained her suspensory slightly at the show (or possibly on the way there, or whatever) (note that this can be tough to diagnose, and the vet there saying she was 'fine' is not definitive); then with it being in that extra-vulnerable state, racing around the paddock was enough to really toast it.

I too have been the victim of horse injuries/bills/depreciation due to boarding barns doing idiotic things contrary to common sense and clearly expressed instructions, AND I've had a horse with a never-quite-100%-again suspensory injury, so I entirely understand where you're coming from. But under the circumstances I think it would be, at best, a really big crapshoot whether you could recover any damages from the barn owners. Your only proof that the horse was turned out in that group is the word of other boarders who are themselves ticked off at the owners; you did not (I gather) have written instructions not to turn the horse out in a group; and a pretty plausible argument can be made that the running around in turnout "just" exacerbated an existing injury, the potential severity of which was not understood at the time. I would not guess your odds to be good, unfortunately.

Best of luck with your mare. I have known a number of horses come back to light-use soundness from serious suspensory injuries, and a few return to showing and remain long-term sound with careful management, so there is hope. I wish horses didn't have so many moving parts, tho, or that more replacement parts were available

GOod luck,

Pat