Horse troubles from a friend!

Hey,

I have a friend, whom I know since middle school and has two horses, Ranger, a black and white Quarter horse and Sahara, a Arabian mix. She does horse shows with both horses, but Ranger got hurt, he twisted his left front leg. The vet told her, that his horse showing days are done.

She devastated and doesn’t know what to do with him, I told her, that if can no longer show him, let him retire early and be a pasture horse. She didn’t say anything to me after that! I understand, she was upset at that time!

Should I just kept my mouth shut and let her do what she wants with her horses?

Last edited on 2022-02-09 at 13:33:46 by ♥️CW Rescue Center❤️

I wouldn't say to do that exactly, talking to her about it would be helpful to get the point across that she can't show him but don't try to overdo it cause you might end up pushing her away. They are her horses and you really can't say what she can't or can not do with them but if the vet says no showing anymore, that means DO NOT SHOW. 

She needs to understand that she can cause more pain to her horse if she ignores the vet's orders, I feel like that is the thing that needs to get through to her the most since it seems she just blew you off. 
Plus there are so many things you can do with a horse besides showing them. Her vet said don't show right? Then just go for small leisurely rides and don't do nothing stupid. 

Overall, just really keep an eye on what she's doing with her horses, if she starts being reckless tell her to stop and take action against it. Forcing a horse to ride or compete while in pain is a form of animal abuse. 

I agree with @Sleepy. Your friend has probably had some time to cope with what happened by now and shouldn't be unreasonable. It was a shock to start with, but now one has to take it seriously.

My late horse used to be a showjumper but injured his leg and ankle. I could still easily trail ride him for hours and even jump him once a week. If she loves ranger she'll still take care of him and as @Sleepy mentioned if she starts being reckless tell her she's only hurting him.

Thank you for your advice!

I haven’t seen her in awhile, because I’ve been busy. But I heard though another friend, that Ranger is a pasture horse and he has a buddy, Ester, a retired show jumper, she is a chestnut Quarter Horse. He loves her so much, that he doesn’t let her out of his sight. Sahara is still showing and she is doing ok. I’ll call my friend soon or see her!