My first horse died tragically, anyone else have an experience like this?

Discussion

So for context it was 2017 and I was 16 years old. I didn’t have too much experience with horses but we always had them around on the ranch. I got my first horse when I was 5 years old, an Appaloosa filly. We grew up together and I was always out feeding and brushing her. She got sent to the trainer when I was around 10 and then got lost at the neighbors. When we finally got her back she had a foal. When I turned 16 I decided to bite the bullet and jump on her since I was so desperate to ride and she actually did great even though it had been so many years since she was rode.

I researched everything I could on YouTube to make sure I was tacking and riding okay. Well she was a mare that needed ground work. I just didn’t know that at the time, so my uncle found a girl around the same age as me who “trained horses” and I was so desperate and eager to have a fully trained horse to ride I sent my mare over to her. 

Within the first week my fat mare turned into a muscular thin athlete build. I thought she looked great but didn’t see the issue with that at the time (she was running the hell out of my horse) that Friday I get a text saying “Hey, we don’t actually think the issue is with your horse, we think you just need to know how to work with her” I agreed seeing as I knew hardly anything. But come Sunday I get another call/text saying “your horse got cut under the armpit, it’s not that bad and we’re giving her penicillin” I rush over there ASAP and I see my horse is NOT okay at all. Her armpit is cut but her veins were sooo swollen all though her body, meaning this didn’t happen today. I also notice the round pin she was kept in had a huge dent on the top as if my mare tried to escape all the running torture. That would be my guess. They tried to say it was coyotes or fireworks that spooked her. But my horse was not in the slightest spooky

They admitted she got injured Friday and they tried to call the vet but since they didn’t pay their bills he refused to come out. THEY DID NOT mention to the vet it was our horse or he would’ve went out there. They also lied about her getting injured for 3 days! We ourselves called the vet and he gave us a 50/50 outcome of life. I managed to trailer her home but she died in my arms that night. I was and I am still distraught over this even though I am 24 now. The girl blocked me as soon as she found out she died and my grandparents didn’t take her to court or anything. I felt it was deserved.

What brought this up is today I am well educated in horse training and it’s my side hobby aside from my job now. I am selling a mare I no longer need since I have 1 too many horses. THIS GIRL messages me asking to buy her. I told her she could offer me $10,000 and I would never sell a horse to her. Since I am still so angry I am name dropping. AVOID BOSTON BROWN FROM NW ARKANSAS/SW MISSOURI. I get everyone makes mistakes but she didn’t even apologize. She killed my first horse, she may not have directly injured her, but she lied about it and tried to fix it herself.

Posted Nov 5, 2025, 11:40 PM UTC

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