Gearchange
Member
Must be able to lay down and get up easy. Sound in walk. I would tolerate a low level lameness in trot providing the horse was happy enough in themself, eating well, jolly, interested in life.
But it’s not then great when the crocky leg(s) give up and the old horse is found down in the field, and can’t be got up. I’ve known this happen to far too many horses, none fortunately mine, though I’m a month too soon not a day too late person.Some people are very trigger happy with euthanising horses, but I think they quite like being alive as long as they’re enjoying life. A crocky leg or 4 doesn’t stop most from being happy in the field.
??I've told mum she could ride F again if she wanted rather than lead him out, she's not keen
If she developed arthritis as a child I’m presuming it will be sJIA or pJIA which is a vastly different disease. Osteoarthritis is not the same as these systemic inflammatory diseases. The pain she will suffer will be vastly different to that of osteoarthritis. They have a similar name but are not similar conditions.Can I ask why not? They feel pain with the same receptors as we do and arthritis is arthritis in a horse or a human.
I have Rheumatoid arthritis and I also have also developed osteoarthritis arthritis due to surgery to fix my knee cap according to my surgeon. But with all due respect I really don’t want to turn this into a arthritis debate on a horse forum.If she developed arthritis as a child I’m presuming it will be sJIA or pJIA which is a vastly different disease. Osteoarthritis is not the same as these systemic inflammatory diseases. The pain she will suffer will be vastly different to that of osteoarthritis. They have a similar name but are not similar conditions.
I think this is a good point. I felt like I owed my old campaigner a retirement but more because I was able to improve her quality of life by moving to the big field we have at home, and also because she is still essentially a very healthy horse who doesn't need a lot of maintenance to enjoy her life so PTS at the point she stopped being ridden would have seemed premature. but you're right, she lived a comfortable life before now. I don't intend to let her reach the stage where she's struggling physically. I know people who are still riding their horses that are a lot more crocked than she is and it makes me a bit sad for themI don’t see the benefit in stretching out retirement for a horse - if you’ve been doing horse owning ‘right’ they should have been happy and enjoying their life during their ridden career. Especially with the majority of horses nowadays being leisure or low level competition animals, the vast majority of the day they are not working anyway. So I would not stretch out the retirement of a horse much past the point where they are happy, sound and relatively strong.
Thank you for all the comments, so helpful to read through. I am not there yet but i am definitely in some state of concern, there is some lameness in 3 legs, walks fine, eats, happy in general, gets down and up and is a picture of health....until trot - then there is distinctive head nod and very visible lameness.
The only horse i have ever put down in my life was visibly struggling in walk so it was an easy call to make, this one does not feel as easy to decide on.