Cindys second chance.

LunaRose

LunaRose

New Member
Apr 10, 2010
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I though in order to start of Cindy's diary I would collate the previous posts about her progress. She is doing so well.
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30th March 2011 -

There will soon be......

a lovely new pony in our midst!

We are taking a new pony on for my son and daughter to eventually ride. She is about 16, and is currently in a very neglected state as the previous owners daughter lost interest in riding and she and their other pony have been left to practically starve to death in a field down our yard. Myself and other owners were feeding them to get them through the winter but they are both incredibly undernourished and in poor condition. She is still the most incredibly sweet natured mare tho and the was ridden last week when the girl decided to get on her after two years of no work and whipped her half senseless when she didnt want to canter. The poor pony just stood there and took it! The yard owner has had enough of the couple and their daughter and since they owe her over a thousand in livery bills has said even hand the ponies over to her and or pay the money. Since they dont have the money they have agreed to hand the ponies over. So she is giving me the 13hh grey mare for my children.

It will be a very long time before they get to ride tho, I need to slowly build up her condition and get her used to being handled again, then gradually build up her fitness before I worry about anyone riding her. When she is ready I have a friend who used to back for a living who is going to work with her. She was always a very sweet, gentle honest pony before being so neglected so I am hoping she will be the same again. She is still so lovely on the ground, it breaks my heart.

I figure the very worst case scenario is that she cannot be ridden again and i will have a companion for Molly. Best case my children have a lovely pony to learn to ride on. Either way Cyndie's life is about to get a whole lot better!

As soon as I am given the passport I can move her into a field with molly, get the vet, farrier and dentist out to her and start turning her life back around.

I cannot remember the last time I was so happy about a decision I had made.

There will be lots of photos and updates on her progress to follow.
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31st March 2011 -

The YO is taking the other pony so it should be happy endings for both of them. I just hope the owners are going to drag the whole thing out and take ages to hand over the passports because the YO has said she cannot let me get the vet, farrier,dentist etc out to her until she has transferred ownership. I dont want the poor ponies to suffer any more than have to. Cyndies feet are awful, not turned up but very long and it cant be good for her.
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3rd April 2011-

GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

The previous owners are dragging their heals about handing over the passports and umming about whether they will just hand Cindy over or let me have her on permenant loan. They are only coming to the yard late at night (if they show up at all) so that no-one is there to spot them.

The YO is still trying to chase them up and has said that if she is on permenant loan then they have to give 6 months notice if they want her back - to stop them waiting for me to pay for everything and bring her back into good working shape and then try to sell her. Also that their awful daughter is not allowed down the yard to try and ride her, permenant loan means that she is ours and no longer theirs to ride or do anything with.

She is really suffering, skin and bone and in desperate need of a farrier/dentist/vet check. How can they be so damn selfish as to keep messing us about and leaving the poor pony to suffer in the mean time.

I am so angry. I am going away to the states for two and half weeks on friday and wanted to have this sorted before I went away so as not to leave my OH and friends down the yard to sort it out. I have booked her in with Molly to see the farrier on the 14th and at this rate not even sure if she will be able to see him then.


Sorry needed to vent.
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5th April 2011 -

Hopefully should have the passport by Friday. With the YO permission I took her rug off today. She has more weight on her than I thought she would, tho no muscle to speak of. Her coat is in terrible condition and she has a horrible sore on her back from her rug. So cleaned it up and put wound powder on and will keep cleaning it until it heals. I am going away Friday to the states so I hope we do get the passport before then.
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5th April 2011 -

Well so far as I can tell the owners have verbally agreed to just hand over the ponies, passports and their stuff by Friday. I am not going to move forward tho till I have the passport and I know they cant wriggle out of anything.


Finally got a couple of pics of her today with her rug off. She doesn't look to bad but she is covered in thick 2inch fur so when you actually touch her skin she is just covering bone with virtually no fat and no muscle at all.

IMAG0074.jpg



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The horrible sore on her back from the rug they left digging into her skin all winter.

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Her feet with splits in her hooves.

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and her field mate who is in slightly better state but still very think under her coat.

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I just want the passports asap so I can start looking after her properly
 
7th April 2011 -

AARRGGGHHHH!!!! Still no passport and I am flying out tomorrow. Really wanted to leave with the peace of mind that she was ours. DH is going to take care of things for me but it isnt the same.

Gave her a thorough grooming tonight, even cleaned ears and nose! She looked so much better for it. The more hair that comes off her tho the more you can see how underweight she is. I had be careful around her back and pelvis because it is just bone - poor baby.

She is so loving and gentle, just seems so incredibly grateful for any kindness that is shown her. She is going to be the worlds most loved pony!!
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14th June 2011 -

Could be good news - Had the physio out this evening. She said that Cindy had alot scar tissue around her withers from the rug wound she suffered; that she had alot of muscle problems from old, tight muscles that were causing her issues. Especially in the right shoulder and left hip area - hence when on left rein in canter she is in pain and either bronchs or canters as fast as she can.

So she worked on her for an hour and did laser therapy and at the end she was alot looser and softer than before. So for the next month we are doing carrot stretches every day, walking out in hand and lunging only in walk & trot. I have to try and find another saddle. She said because of Cindys shape a 15" medium wintec would actually fit perfectly - so if anyone knows of one going cheap???? Cindy is also going to be massaged a couple of times a week by my lovely friend who is an sports equine massage therapist. This is also the friend she bronched off which goes to show just how lovely she is!! The physio is coming back in a month but she agreed with the vet that there is nothing too serious going on at the moment. She did say sometimes with horses that have a history like Cindys you clear one problem up and then another old injury shows itself but she did say not to worry about things too much.

On the plus both vet and physio said absolutely nothing about Cindy showed any signs of arthritis at all. If she appeared stiff in winter in the past it was probably just cold in old joints which is not the same as arthritis. Already planned to buy chaps for Cindy this winter anyways but that was nice to hear. She also said that Cindy was in amazing shape and VERY supple for a pony her age - so hopefully all the TLC is helping.

All in all very pleased and alot less panicked!
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Well alot has happened in the last month or so since I last posted about Cindy. I finally have her passport and her posh name is Darkwater Hyacinth, and she has a cool certificate proving she is 25% arab :wink:.

We have found that she likes to go fast and will drag you across the school when lunging so that she can jump a jump if she spots one. She appears to LOVE to jump. We had 3ft electric fencing across the field and she kept leaping over it until we gave in and took it down.

After a month of intensive physio, walking in hand, building up lunging she was cleared by the equine physio last week. She said she was incredibly pleased with Cindys progress and all the work we had done with her really showed :smug:, she also said that Cindy was amazingly supple for a horse her age - I was so pleased to hear that. We ended up having to buy a new saddle for her and on Saturday evening a tiny friend of mine got on and rode her for me. She just did a little bit of walk, trot and canter on both reins and Cindy was an angel. Very willing and perhaps just a little bit too forward going. Cindy still isnt hugely confident but is soooooo much better than when we first got her. I can tell she is definately starting to trust me and it is a wonderful feeling.

Yesterday we let my son and daughter have a little sit on her, just walking on lead rein a couple of times around the school. We had my older daughter ride Molly with her to give her a bit more confidence and again I couldnt be more pleased with her. She was such a sweetheart.

So now we are just going to continue working with her and slowly build up her muscle and stamina. I am continuing to do her stretches after work just to keep her supple and hopefully stave off too many future problems.

Here is our little superstar!

Samanthasfirstride.jpg


Azraelsfirstride.jpg
 
Poor Cindy - that sore on her back looks terrible. How nice that she's got a good home now - she looks much happier.
 
I'm really pleased to hear how well Cindy is coming along, and she looks like a diferent pony. Well done, you have given her a new lease of life, which she so deserves. She sounds a real star, and was so lucky to find you. I look forward to hearing more about her.
 
Cindy is SSsooo lucky to have found you! Thanks for the update. You've put in such a lot of hard work getting her right - long may things go well for you all.
 
Well it has been very up and down the last couple of weeks. After getting the all clear on everything and my friend riding her a couple of times we put one of my daughters on her. She was lovely in walk and trot. Cantered great to begin with and then started bucking in just one corner of the school. So we tried a couple of times but then stopped as I didnt want my daughters confidence to be compromised and so just lunged her afterwards for a little bit.

So my friend rode her again and Cindy decided to throw in a buck. I know she used to buck with her previous owner who used to beat her so we are trying to teach her a new way of doing things. My friend tightened her reins so she couldnt get her head down and and as soon as she did that Cindy didnt do any more and we had a great session. Next time my friend rode her last on Tuesday Cindy just didnt look right. Not outright lame but was very tight in the right shoulder. Luckily back lady was on the farm so asked her to take a quick look, she said she couldnt see any obvious lameness but didnt have time to do her properly. So just been light lunging her every other day and she is coming out to work on her on Tuesday. She has seemed fine since so I am hoping it was just a pulled muscle in the field.

My friend will be riding her 3-4 times a week for the next couple of months so that we can work on her behavioural issues before my children ride her so I am hoping that we get the all clear again soon and cant start moving forward.

She is such a delight to be with still, even just grooming her and working in hand she has come so far. She doesnt plant at anything anymore just follows me round, ears forward and interested in the comings and goings on around her. Love her to bits.
 
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