A long and probably hypothetical wwyd

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poiuytrewq

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If you were in my position. I say hypothetical as in reality I probably won't have the guts to do this!
Right where to start....
As some may know my daughters pony has had huge issues but is now going well. However we live in a busy area and I wouldn't be at all happy about her hacking him alone. We keep the horses in a private yard/field as there are no livery yards close that do DIY. This means I have to ride with her.
I have a TB gelding "H" who I have had ages, didn't really enjoy riding and can be a bit of a monster. Currently out of work/retired due to a bad back, cushings which left him laminitis and lame much of last summer and a slightly arthritic knee. ( an old injury caused when he was being a prat on the roads)
I also have another gelding who has suffered with lameness on and off for years. I had him when the above horse retired as his owners though a easy life would keep him sound, for a few years it has but now I'm having to bute him to hack (quietly and he's still forward going and seems happy in his work)
This doesn't sit right with me though.
I can just get another and keep 2 in retirement as money, time and land just wouldn't allow it. This would be my ideal and I've tried to rent a cheap field but there is just nothing local.
So I could either...
Keep hacking on bute and hope either he comes sound at some point or just resign myself to the fact that's how it has to be. Vet said that's best option for him, and that keeping him mobile may actually help in the long run.
2- spend a fortune doing nerves blocks, X-rays etc etc in the knowledge it probably won't show anything fixable. It's two different vets who have told me this, both are willing to do more exploratory tests but neither hold out hope.
3- try injecting the back of the TB and getting him going again. My daughter isn't keen on this idea as she's nervous to hack with him as he and her pony bounce off each other badly.
He is however older, wiser and the back problem may well have caused the behaviour problems.
Confidence wise I had 3 bad falls (hospital jobs!) in a short space of time the year before last so I'm perfectly happy on my second horse and *think* I will be ok on the first as I know know there are far worse than him out there and can be grateful he won't actually try and kill me!!!!- I don't think I want to get on something new though.
Or I man up, put one down and get a new horse that's safe to accompany my daughter, enjoyable and sound enough that I'm not permanently worried.
I very much love both horses and would almost be ok about never being able to ride to keep them but at the same time it's so expensive and daughters pony NEEDS a companion/leader for confidence.
I think I've covered it all!

Virtual cherry cake to those who made it this far!
 
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Gosh i do feel for you.

It does sound as though they both have longstanding, ongoing issues. Maybe you could give yourself a time frame of say six months to try & help the TB? The other one sounds as though he was given to you because of lameness? You've tried to keep him sound but even with reduced work he is still only able to hack on Bute? I've got no problem with them being kept comfortable with a bit of Bute & as your vet says, it is probably helpful to him to be kept mobile.

In all honesty i personally would probably have both PTS if i couldn't easily keep them sound. I wouldn't spend lots of money on either of them as i don't think anything will make a huge difference to them. Sorry couldn't offer anything more helpful. Good luck.
 
If the second horse is happy enough on but hacking around and your vet is happy with it, I would stick with that, I would not throw huge amounts of money at him. As for the TB I dont think I would be happy getting back on something that has hospitalized me 3 times.
 
I had almost thought of them going together but in all honesty neither are suffering now- both are on a multitude of supplements and such line to help with each little problem.
It wasn't the my tb that injured me it was one I had on loan between these two as I finally decided I really didn't enjoy trying to stay on mine any more! I learnt from that horse that all in all my tb although an idiot wasn't nasty which is why I think I'd be ok to get back on him (that's if the vet thinks it's ok)
So tough. I'd always say that I'd look after any horse til the very end but having two relatively young horses in this state it's a bit different.
I've just bought Boswellia to try out having heard miricle stories about it.
 
How would you feel at the thought of having the funds to buy a nice stead all rounder to make you enjoy riding again ?

Is it enough to make you consider that if your unable to keep four then have the tb Pts as it is meant to be enjoyable and they aren't cheap to keep. Or the option of keeping the second on bute/devils claw/turmeric along those lines and keep it as your hack.

Personally I would consider Pts for the tb due to the constant costs , but it depends if you feel the tb owes you nothing and you owe to keep it till the end of its days.
 
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can your daughter move her pony to a livery yard? and she can hack out with others there? might be another option? and then give it a bit longer to see if your olds become sound?
 
In a completely clean cut, unemotional world, I would probably have both PTS so that you could buy a nice riding horse that you can take out with your daughter and enjoy. But that would be a very tough decision and it has to sit right.. From what you have described about both horses, I don't think you should feel any guilt, you have obviously have and obviously are doing the best by them!
 
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kerrieberry2 said:
can your daughter move her pony to a livery yard? and she can hack out with others there? might be another option? and then give it a bit longer to see if your olds become sound?
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I have tried, I've asked around everyone I can think of and been to see the only local yard. It wasn't really suitable for her pony as it only had tiny individual turnout which he'd hate. He only has one eye and just needs a constant trusted buddy with him. He panics if the companion is taken away so a livery situation would be difficult. I also don't think I'd be happy yet to allow her out with other people. I currently ride between him and traffic.

Mm, I honestly don't know, yes I should want a nice all rounder but the idea of having a new unknown horse makes me feel a bit sick!
I may give the bute a while and see how we go perhaps. I had kind of decided if the TB gets laminitis again that I'd call it a day so perhaps I can hold out til spring and see where we are then.
 
poiuytrewq said:
I have tried, I've asked around everyone I can think of and been to see the only local yard. It wasn't really suitable for her pony as it only had tiny individual turnout which he'd hate. He only has one eye and just needs a constant trusted buddy with him. He panics if the companion is taken away so a livery situation would be difficult. I also don't think I'd be happy yet to allow her out with other people. I currently ride between him and traffic.

Mm, I honestly don't know, yes I should want a nice all rounder but the idea of having a new unknown horse makes me feel a bit sick!
I may give the bute a while and see how we go perhaps. I had kind of decided if the TB gets laminitis again that I'd call it a day so perhaps I can hold out til spring and see where we are then.
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I understand that sick feeling at the thought of trying other horses but actually found trying the horses that I'd asked lost of questions about before viewing was exciting and those that I didn't like I politely said thanks but no thanks.

It doesn't sound like your ready yet to part with either , it must be hard as I've only thankfully had to Pts visibly ill horses.
 
Agree with hazyxmas as sad as it sounds, you are throwing money down the drain,whilst you could have something sound so you can enjoy riding with your daughter and she could probably grow onto when pony becomes too small for her
 
Wallykissmass your right I'm not ready to part with either but I don't think I ever will be, so may just have to be hard? Last summer/ autumn I was facing having to pts one as he was in pain and it nearly killed me!
My daughter is 13 and the nice thing about the horse I am riding a bit is that if her pony is being too difficult we can swap and I know he will look after her.
To be honest she's probably more confident than me since the falls but yes it would be great if she could do bits aswell, she loves to compete :)
 
I had two daughters that rode, they are now in their 20's. The time you have with your daughter now you will not get back, in two years you may be lucky if she will talk to you, they seem to change over night. PTS the one who you can not ride and look for one that you and your daughter will enjoy when she gets a bit older. The worst words are 'if only'.
I have hundreds of photos of my girls on their ponies, they used to say 'why do you want another one of them', what they didn't realise its not the pony that changed it was a record of the girls growing season by season.
 
Jazzy B said:
In a completely clean cut, unemotional world, I would probably have both PTS so that you could buy a nice riding horse that you can take out with your daughter and enjoy. But that would be a very tough decision and it has to sit right.. From what you have described about both horses, I don't think you should feel any guilt, you have obviously have and obviously are doing the best by them!
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What I was going to say - but put far more diplomatically.
 
Actually re- reading your comment I don't find it at all blunt or offensive in the slightest!
You acknowledge I've done what I can which is sadly important to me!
But give a honest opinion which is what I'm asking! Thanks
 
honetpot said:
I had two daughters that rode, they are now in their 20's. The time you have with your daughter now you will not get back, in two years you may be lucky if she will talk to you, they seem to change over night. PTS the one who you can not ride and look for one that you and your daughter will enjoy when she gets a bit older. The worst words are 'if only'.
I have hundreds of photos of my girls on their ponies, they used to say 'why do you want another one of them', what they didn't realise its not the pony that changed it was a record of the girls growing season by season.
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So true! I am another who feels that if you truly feel neither are going to come sound then PTS. If however you are happy pottering around on the 2nd (buted up) keep him until his level of comfortableness becomes compromised. Finding a new horse along with all the quirks can be quite stressful in its self. The TB sounds a liability and you would never forgive yourself if he puts you or your daughter in hospital or worse so if I was you, rehome (unlikely given his medical problems) or PTS
 
Jericho I've tried twice in the past when he was rideable to rehome, well loan. I was 100% honest about him but he came back twice, both times slightly worse in ine way or another and I vowed he wouldn't go anywhere again.
He's not a liability, IF I had quieter roads and my daughter had a quiet pony he'd be ok much of the time it's simply a combination of the above and of course his many health issues that caused me to retire him.
He's a prime candidate for trouble in that with his back problems you could tack up and hack him out tomorrow in any traffic with no bother- two weeks into work though the trouble starts as his back gets sore. A dealer could sell him in a shot which is another reason I can't risk letting him go.
 
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