Anyone got a lame horse they keep alive?

[fatpiggy]

Yes, and I will continue to do so until it isn't in HER best interests. I have had my horse for 15 years and for 13 of them she has been a drug-controlled epileptic. This has cost me more than my mortgage over the years but we have had alot of fun together which you can't put a price on. She can't have bute and her arthritis drugs set me back another £60 or so per month. She has spectacularly lumpy knees with little bend in them , but she tootles about with her friends, eats well, is looking bonny, has a roll in the mud and a run about if she feels like it. Next week she is having a physio session to check she is as comfortable as possible. I have a ruined back, sore knees and an arthritic toe and live in constant pain which can only get worse with time so I am only too well aware that one day it will be too much for my mare (she is 26) and it will be my job to put a stop to it - she is the lucky one. She has given me so much pleasure and has worked hard for me so now I am returning the favour.

 

[Riverboy]

See I often battle with this one... my ponio will never be quite right again, following 18 months of treatments whilst he is 'happy' and pretty much sound he's not the same pony he was before - it has aged him.

The vet and farrier are happy for him to go on, and whilst the weathers nice this summer and they are happy he will continue. He's just been given the go head to start very light hacking again and I am hoping that will give him some spark back and he hates being a field ornament. That said he's always been a quiet stoic boy - so I keep a close eye and rely on him, my vet and farrier to let me know when we feel its all got too much.

I think sometimes its hard to know - in some peoples eyes I'm cruel to keep him going, in others to think about having him PTS when nothing is 'life threatening' is heartless and I should be ashamed...

 

[Walrus]

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my gorgeous 7 year old mare who I had when she was five and who is my first (and only) horse can't be ridden any more due to injury she incurred 2 weeks after i bought her. Fingers and toes crossed there is a glimmer of hope she may recover eventually but if she doesn't she will be with be forever. I can't afford two and it's heart breaking to see my friends go off and have fun but I owe it to her not to just trade her in because of an event that was totally not her fault.

I see her twice a day, and she still gets as much love and cuddles and fuss as if she was ridden every day.

If i was ever unable to afford to keep her I would try and find her a loan companion home with someone i know, or I would have her PTS. I couldn't sleep if i sold her on and thought she could end up in the next amersham.

[/ QUOTE ]

Blondy I just have to say that's the most awful bad luck, I really feel for you but so impressed by your attitude to the siuation - your horse is very lucky to have landed with you.

 

[Birker2020]

My horse was 6 when he had a compound fracture of his tibia. Luckily my friend was trying to catch her horse and saw the whole thing happen and the vet was there within about half an hour of it happening. Thing was I got there before the vet and saw my horse ears pricked forward standing on three legs. He even slightly whickered when he saw me walk towards him. He did not look like he was in agony as I say his ears were forward, head high, looking around him, not distressed in the slightest. I think the adrenalin kicks in which counteracts the pain and the endorphins kick in which are the body's natural pain killers. Sometimes you hear of people who have their legs bitten off by sharks, or they are shot but they feel no pain. I think it is a similiar thing. I was watching IPPH Horse Rescue on Horse and Country the other day and they were saying about how incredibly stoic donkeys are. If a donkey looks ill it is literally very poorly indeed, as they are very brave and never show pain as such.

 

[Alibear]

My retired chap is lame on all 4 legs, digestive and respiritory systems have played up over the years and he has small catteracts in both eyes.

He lives out 24x7 with other retired horses and lives the life of riley, his digestive and respiritory problems have gone and he holds weight better now than he ever did when in work.

Hes trimmed but not shod and not on any drugs as yet. He has an unusual gate but W,T,C is no problem and he's learnt to jump the ditch to.

As long as he seems happy he can keep going and if that means a bute a day for as while that's fine to.

I only got to ride him for 2 years but he's earnt his retirement well and truly.

 

[ISHmad]

One of ours is lame with arthritis, has been retired for nearly 3 years and is happy being a field ornament. She has to have painkillers daily (Danilon) to keep her comfortable but at this stage she still appears bright, interested in everything around her and happy in her quiet herd of horses.

Should the day come when she isn't, and I believe we will know because of the expressive type of mare that she is, then we will have to have a re-think. Please though that that doesn't happen for a long long time, she's a beautiful horse and means the world to our family.

 

[soph21]

My welsh A has arthritis in one of his back legs, from a bad injury as a yearling, he's 12 now and he has the odd bad day, but he lives out 24/7 and he's ticking over with light exercise, I dread the day he has to be PTS, Ive had him since he was 4

I just make the most of him!

 

[spotty_pony]

I completely agree with you. I own four horses and two of them are just pets! One is a 19 year old Welsh Section A who is a rescue pony and the other is a 30 year old Thoroughbred who has arthritis. Both are very happy. We spend time with them, grooming them etc and they are both love the attention.

If a horse is in pain or is retired but really unhappy the i agree that to have the horse PTS would be the best option.

However, horses which are permanently lame but are quite happy to stay retired make great companions and pets provided they can be looked after and cared for correctly. I am currently looking after a horse with lameness problems, and if she is permanently lame I may look at buying her as I have become really attached to her.

Yes, some people think I am mad but I think that if you can provide a horse with a good home and a good quality of life then why not?!

 

[sav123]

I agree, it's all to do with quality of life.

My old horse went lame in one of his back legs, which turned out to be in the fetlock. He was already on bute, he wouldn't be able to be ridden again, and it would get progressively worse. The vet said he'd be ok to have a last summer out in the field (it being July at the time) - he was well in himself, and was field sound. Shortly after though, I happened to see him trying to get down to roll without putting weight on that leg. My immediate thought was that rolling is a natural part of being a horse, and he can't do that properly anymore - he was put down very soon after.

I have supported people who have had horses put down, for the right reasons, when others have criticised them for doing so.

Equally, I have also seen people leave horses going on for far too long, which is absolutely heartbreaking.

My current horse is getting to the stage of life where things may start getting a bit stiff and creaky. I'd like to think that I'll do the right thing for him at the right time, just as I did for the other one.