Tell me your horse stories!

[JaycenUwU]

TLDR: my 15yo cob was pretending to fall over and be disabled for 2 and a half years to avoid picking her back feet out

My cob is so * clever, shes a rescue (I didn't know when I bought her, she was sold to me as a riding pony from a dealer "friend") I've had her for 2 and a half years now and when I got her I couldnt touch her legs at all without getting squished into walls or stomped on (bearing in mind I'm used to working with 17.2h international dressage studs and shes 14.1) after a month of owning her I noticed something was wrong, she was such a sweet and giving mare, she wants to give you 100% but she had an issue where she would plant her feet, and reverse, she'd rear, refuse to come into her stable, and she was saying a very big "no" while being ridden, and that wasnt right for her character. The "friend" I bought her from labels her as lazy, nappy, unwilling to work. None of this is true, I took her out of work, got her physio, the physio said she wasnt using any of her mid back muscles at all, from her croup (middle gluteal) to midway through the saddle area (longissimus dorsi) was rock solid and unused, we had a rehab plan and she was given the all clear to come into full ridden work after a few months of careful groundwork and exercises. I gave her the 3 months plus an extra 2 weeks, after her 5th week of ridden work (beginning to reintroduce short canter) it was apparent something was horribly wrong, we were back to tail swishing, rearing, refusing to straighten up and flex, and so I retired her until I found my answer, and the friend who sold her to me had nothing to say other than "put her in foal".

I moved yards where she could live out 24/7 and saw instant improvement, still could only pick out her front 2 feet as she couldn't support her back ones at all, and would fall. 6 months later we moved into a different field and I was at work so the yard manager walked her down for me, and asked if I'd had her tested for pssm, I hadn't! I immediately asked her about it and things started to add up, by this point I'd also finally got in contact with a lady called Donna, who had owned babe previously, and had actually rescued her from a neglect situation from a girl at her yard, babe had come from Wales, had an accident in the trailer which caused her hip and shoulder to dislocate (which also likely set off her pssm!) The girl who had bought her as a riding pony then had no use for her and promptly left her in her stable for a long while (unclear, Donna did say and i was horrified) it was between 6months and a year, babe hadn't left that stable at all in that time, wasnt seen to by a vet, nothing.
One day the girl seemed to be taking babe out of the stable, Donna asked her what's going on? The girl told her she'd sold her back to the trekking centre in Wales (they were in Norfolk! ) and they were on they're way down to get her. Donna asked how much they were paying her (£300) Donna went straight to the bank and gave her the money.
Babe was severely underweight, hadnt seen a farrier at all (if ever?? ) no dentist, skin red raw with mites, she had physio every month, walks every day, she was spoilt, loved, and rehabbed for a year and 6 months until she was ready to find a forever home, she was sold as a companion only, but ended up being passed from every dealer in the country for half a year until she ended up with me, originally I bought her as a project to sell on, but I fell in love within days, and very genuinely nearly faced homelessness just to make sure she wasnt sold and wouldn't go through that ever again.

I sent her hair away for testing, and meanwhile started her on a new diet with vitamin e and boswellia, a new exercise plan, lots of stretches, reflexes, bodywork, massages, and it came back positive, n/p1.

She improved so much but still couldnt lift those back legs, until recently. I tried a new farrier and had a friend of mine helped me with her. Oh man was babe a cow, nearly broke my leg, cm away from booting my friend in the face, back legs flying, boy was she quick!! And wowow,,, so strong. 2 calming cookies, lip twitch, we got 3 feet done, the last one she had to be lip twitched and also one ear twitch (I absolutely hate ear twitching but in this case, it was 100% necessary for everyones saftey) babe 100% is capable of lifting her back legs to be picked out, she was fooling me. For 2 whole years, I was outsmarted by my little cobbie, I should've been mad at her, but I was just so proud and now I can pick them all out (she doesnt kick or act like a fool if it's me doing it, shes just really * heavy)

[Liliatha]

Got a friends horse agisted on my farm that loves to stick his head in his water bucket and blow bubbles. Also got an agisted mare that loves to sleep like she's dead.