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Before and after - Oscar's story

2K views 14 replies 14 participants last post by  Jessabel 
#1 ·
I have always loved horses, my whole life. I shared ponies with my sisters, had horses on loan, and begged borrowed and stolen rides whenever I had the chance - but had never had a horse of my own, until Oscar.

I started saving my pocket money when I was about ten, and in february of 2007, at the age of fifteen, I saw a horse advertised for sale for a tiny sum of money - a horse which I could actually afford!

This horse was advertised by a private seller, and sounded lovely - A 10 year old 15hh Knabstrupper gelding, broken to ride and drive. After a lot of nagging I convinced my parents to take me to see him, and it was not a pretty sight.

For starters, the yard was very obviously not a private owners yard - and Ozzie was in a dark ban, standing 2' deep in manure, crammed in with about 30 other extremely neglected horses. We left straight away, but that sight haunted me, especially Oscar... So after weeks of heartache, I went with my dad, armed with money and the trailer, to collect him. According to one of the kids there, Ozzie had gone to exeter market a few days before, to be sold for meat, but hadn't sold as he was too thin. He had however injured himself on the livestock lorry on the way back, and had massive cuts down the inside of his knee. We took him home with us.

We got our vet out - not only was he 6 years old and more like 16.1hh, he was covered in scars, had the worst mud fever she had ever seen, an infected front knee, a fractured tooth which made it hard for him to eat, rainscald, girth galls, and bone spavins in both his hocks. He had three months of feeding up and ground work, until he started to look like a normal horse.

Turned out he wasn't broken to ride, but we got him going beautifully, until deterioration in his hocks meant he could no longer be ridden. During this time he started to show his personality, and he is a horse with such a lot of character, and so lovable! Because I spent hours with him every day, he trusted me more than anyone, and I have never had a bond like that with a horse, before or since.

The yard I bought him from was shut down by trading standards and the RSPCA three months after, and Oscar will live out the rest of his life with me, as a fat, happy field ornament!

Here is Ozzie when I first got him:


This is the mud fever on his back legs, taken a couple of months after he arrived. It was much worse when we first got him, it was bleeding and infected and he was very lame on it.


And here are some photos from this year!



He's such a great horse :D
 
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#7 ·
Thankyou, I love him to bits! :D

Yes, he can be hacked at a walk, and do steady trots in a straight line. (he gallops round the field, but looks so out of sync, I can't think it does him any good!)

I don't really ride him a lot (only on hot days if he's in a good mood, I ride him up from the field) as he's not exactly an easy ride at the best of times, and when out of proper work he's quite a handful! Not to mention he doesn't have a saddle... He got too fat for his :D He's agile for a cripple, and enjoys things such as spinning, bucking, rearing, leaping, and charging off :-p When he was sound I rode him bareback most of the time, but that photo with me on him I literally just climbed up for the shot!
 
#11 ·
That is a great story. Poor horses. I would have took all 30 home. He looks so different. I love him.
 
#15 ·
He's gorgeous! What a huge difference. You are an angel for saving him. Heaps of glitter and cupcakes upon your head. :D
 
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