Anyone on here who was interested in showing Horses in the early '90s will probably remember Mr Mead - a magnificent chestnut heavyweight Show Hunter.  He made Horse Show history by winning the heavyweights and the Supreme ridden championship at HOYS aged only 4!  He was that rare thing, a Thouroughbred who was a true heavyweight - over 18hh, but could move like a dream, just floated in trot and galloped like nothing else I have ever seen.  He was shown by a top Pro producer (David Tatlow).  Lot of talk at the time about how a youngster produced the "top' and wieght that he did.  It ws also noted that on the morning of Wembley one of the grooms was out from 4am lunging him!  Well, just before Christmas Mr Mead died - he has had a very chequered life since that big win - was bought by a firend of ours (against advise) and came up to the North East to do the circuit here.  It was impossible to keep the weight on him - became fairly obvious that the "conditon" was steroid induced,  also apparent that most of his shows he must have been tranquilised in some way.  he was one of the most beautiful horses I have ever seen, and that rare thing, a genuinely nasty horse!  He was in our yard, and there were no pleasant features about him.  He would look for your foot to stamp on, and while you wre hopping in agony (he was a very heavy horse!) would whip round and kick you!  Whenever I plaited him up I ended covered in nips and bruises.  Even oiling his feet was a potential danger.  We grew to reallly dislike him (which I feel so guilty about now) and his new owner had little success with  him.  He was also a liability to ride out, as he used to strike out at white lines and passing traffic.  He was a danger at shows - at the Great Yorkshire I was walking him up to the ring and he decided to attack a pushchair!  (luckily he missed)  You could see the look of trepidation on judges faces when they came to ride him.

We persuaded the owner to part with him, and an aquaitaince bought him to try and re-train for dressage.  Last time we saw him for some years he was doing a full gallop out of the ring at a small country show, and appeared set to leave the showground.  We did hear on the grapevine that he was sold cheaply to his rider after this, and then notihing else.  A couple of years ago my ex-partner was driving near his new home and saw a familiar equine face approaching - Mr Mead.  On top was his new owner, very much a novice.  Stopping to talk he discoverd she had been to scared to learn to ride for years, but had helped out at a local riding school.  She like the look of Mr Mead and was sorry no one else seemed to love him!  His owner told her he was for sale and would probably go fo meat as he was so difficult.  So she bought him , then & there for the meat price!  Learned to ride on him - and never had a cross word with him, in the principal she never asked him to do anything he didnt want.  If he got to the end of the lane and wanted to go back, she simply let him.

She has owned him for several years now, and recently he started to suffer nose bleeds.  (This had happened in our yard a few times when he was over excited)  Just before Christmas one happened that would not stop, vet could do nothing, and he simply slipped away.  Vet confirmed that the likely casue of this was the substance abuse he was subject to as a youngster.   So a moral to the tale - however much you want to win by questionable methods, think of Mr. M and his horrible end.  Poor horse, at least he had a happy few years at the end of his life, but perhaps he could have been such a different boy right from the begining, even if not such a success?
bye
Gwen

Awww Gwen
Poor mr mead :(

Donna and charliex

As you say Gwen his last few years were obviously the best he could get. I will never understand when people put winning above the animal. Not genuine animal lovers in my book.
Rest in Peace Mr Mead.

Jesse

What a sad story Pity no one contacted Richard Maxwell I've seen him turn round friends horses that have been treated like this poor boy

It sounds like his last years were his best

This sounds just like one of the pony stories I used to read as a child, unridable/difficult horse rescued by hopeful novice and rehabilitated. So pleased he was loved and had a good few years. Thanks for sharing this and challenging my hard bitten mood today. :)

Really interesting, though very sad, story Gwen. The horsey world is not really geared up for drugs testing at the moment .. though in human terms, that degree of steroid abuse would have caused serious personality disorders.

Poor Mr M.

Jo :)

he probably started out a nice horse , who knows how he was treated before that big win.and with all those drugs in him he probably went a bit funny. alot of horses in america are druged  and given steroids quite often , some places actully drug test over there now.as it will effect the over all effect of how the horse races. its about time we did drugs test .there are so many racehorses in rehoming and up for the meat men its so sad. you can buy a racehorse from the meat men for about £10" haha penny "often rescue these.but they are very hard to rehome as they do quite often have bad attitudes and a fast pace ;) . I can only think its because of the way there treated in the end . some of the biggest raceing names end up in the tbrescue. I was going to see if i could adpot one as there are so many there but I dont think I could devote the time :( often animals can be thrown away for no reason except theres no use for them anymore its so sad. just look at the poor greyhound :( its pretty sad huh

Hi, Drug testing was always used as a deterrent in the rules & regulations of the HIS (which was the governing body back than)but in all my time showing horses I can never remember any horse being tested.  I do remember the BPIS did a bit of testing - one lead rein pony tested positive and lost his qualifier - owner said he had pinched half a mars bar from his tiny rider.  It seemed to make sense, as many people could see a lead rain pony producer doping a pony to quieten it down, but the substance found in this pony ( theobromine perhaps?) was going to pep it up - not likely with a Lead Rein!

With Mr. M I think he had probably been on steroids since his early days.  I vaguely remember he was very succesful in-hand before he started his career as a 4 year old under saddle.  Added to this, I think large amounts of a tranquiliser may have been used too!  I do remember he was a horse who would not take a tid-bit from your hand under any circumstances.  I wish, when I knew him, we had given more thought to why he behaved as he did, rather than being exasperated at him.  He made it hard to love him - he certainly appeared to hate us, just wish we had tried to understand a bit more.  You read now about the way steroid abuse causes mental alterations to the body builders and sports people who use it.  Its awful to think that this poor horses whole outlook on life could have been casued by this.
bye
Gwen

I think you ought to be a little careful about making such allegations on a public forum. The Tatlows are friends of ours & I am sure they wouldnt take too kindly to this sort of talk :(

precisely. 

Couldn't agree more Sam, the laws of libel are relevant on the internet.

Its a sad story but so far as I can see its all hearsay, and I wouldn't be putting my name to it.

Jayne