Hi.
I'm not sure if this is in the right category or not, but I just need to write out everything i'm thinking or i'll explode. So I apologize in advance if this turns out to be a rant.
To start off with, I have loved horses ever since I was born, and have always been determined to own one. I have great parents, but they aren't animal people, and told me If I was to do this, I needed to fund it on my own. I also learned as much as I could through 4-H going to national horse knowledge competitions and such. So by the time I was 11, I had saved enough money to buy my first horse (Sox) and to fix up our land to be able to keep him. Since then I've also bought all my own fencing, trailer, vehicle ect. (I'm 19 now)
Sox is an amazing horse, but a few years ago he was diagnosed with lymes, and since he is older, has bad arthritis. Since I could no longer show him due to his lameness, I decided to look for a new horse. (I still have him though)
I finally found one, (Dusty) and had him for a year and a half before he had a tragic case of colic that could not be cured and had to be put down. I've always felt so guilty, because This happened in the middle of the night, and I couldn't get ahold of any vets until he had been suffering for over 5 hours, and I wasn't strong enough to shoot him. :sad:
Anyways after many tears and vet bills later I was finally ready to look for another. While I was saving my money back up, I rode a friend's horse, who had to be put down a few months later. I wasn't able to show for the next year and a half due to not having a rideable horse.
But finally, 6 months ago I found the perfect horse. (Flash) I fell in love with him instantly. He was like this dream horse that I never thought I would be lucky enough to have. And he basically just fell into my lap. I was so excited to finally be able to show again. I spent EVERY day riding him and preparing for this summer. He honestly was all I could think about during the day and I haven't been so happy in a long time. He was so young and athletic and I was so excited for our future together. He was that one horse that I knew I would keep for the next 20 years.
But some things are too good to be true....
On Saturday I went out to see Flash standing with his head lowered in the field. This was unusual for my spunky boy. I ran out to see his gums were blue and he was shaking. I immediately started freaking out and called my vet. When she arrived she took one look at him and shook her head. Now he's gone. And so is our future.
Why does this keep happening to me? Why can't I keep them alive? Is there something i'm doing wrong? From what my vet tells me, twisting the gut is super rare. Then why haven't I experienced any other type of colic and only this?
I'm so scared I'll lose Sox. I check on him like every two hours. I'm seriously considering not owning any more horses after Sox. I guess i'm bad luck. I feel so bad that he's alone now, but I can't afford to keep this cycle up both money wise and mentally... anyways thanks for letting me rant.
I'm not sure if this is in the right category or not, but I just need to write out everything i'm thinking or i'll explode. So I apologize in advance if this turns out to be a rant.
To start off with, I have loved horses ever since I was born, and have always been determined to own one. I have great parents, but they aren't animal people, and told me If I was to do this, I needed to fund it on my own. I also learned as much as I could through 4-H going to national horse knowledge competitions and such. So by the time I was 11, I had saved enough money to buy my first horse (Sox) and to fix up our land to be able to keep him. Since then I've also bought all my own fencing, trailer, vehicle ect. (I'm 19 now)
Sox is an amazing horse, but a few years ago he was diagnosed with lymes, and since he is older, has bad arthritis. Since I could no longer show him due to his lameness, I decided to look for a new horse. (I still have him though)
I finally found one, (Dusty) and had him for a year and a half before he had a tragic case of colic that could not be cured and had to be put down. I've always felt so guilty, because This happened in the middle of the night, and I couldn't get ahold of any vets until he had been suffering for over 5 hours, and I wasn't strong enough to shoot him. :sad:
Anyways after many tears and vet bills later I was finally ready to look for another. While I was saving my money back up, I rode a friend's horse, who had to be put down a few months later. I wasn't able to show for the next year and a half due to not having a rideable horse.
But finally, 6 months ago I found the perfect horse. (Flash) I fell in love with him instantly. He was like this dream horse that I never thought I would be lucky enough to have. And he basically just fell into my lap. I was so excited to finally be able to show again. I spent EVERY day riding him and preparing for this summer. He honestly was all I could think about during the day and I haven't been so happy in a long time. He was so young and athletic and I was so excited for our future together. He was that one horse that I knew I would keep for the next 20 years.
But some things are too good to be true....
On Saturday I went out to see Flash standing with his head lowered in the field. This was unusual for my spunky boy. I ran out to see his gums were blue and he was shaking. I immediately started freaking out and called my vet. When she arrived she took one look at him and shook her head. Now he's gone. And so is our future.
Why does this keep happening to me? Why can't I keep them alive? Is there something i'm doing wrong? From what my vet tells me, twisting the gut is super rare. Then why haven't I experienced any other type of colic and only this?
I'm so scared I'll lose Sox. I check on him like every two hours. I'm seriously considering not owning any more horses after Sox. I guess i'm bad luck. I feel so bad that he's alone now, but I can't afford to keep this cycle up both money wise and mentally... anyways thanks for letting me rant.