Broken 7 year ols ex-racer - what to do?

Wow what a post, im quite shocked by it tbh.

I have 4 horses all un-ridable i have my own land & accept that problems happen with horses.
Ive ridden to a decent level but im cetainly not considering PTS on my injured dressage horse yet. Not riding is horrible but it happens around horses at times. God i would of gone through a lot of horses in my time if i had got rid or PTS each of them when they had broke at various times.

Get some diagnostics done properly & them consider your options, if you can't afford the horse when it's injured or lame then imo you shouldnt of bought it in the first place it's the risks we take when we buy all our horses.
 
With charities crammed with horses why do people shy away from putting them to sleep? Is she lame because she is in pain, if so then why is your mum reluctant to PTS? Until her shoulder is properly investigated you wont know if she wont come right, if she is insured then you should try to claim off the insurance. Ex racers are ten a penny & fit sound horses are being PTS all the time just because they failed on the race track & some owners dont feel they are retrainable for another job. You dont have livery costs, & depending on how well he feet grow trimming is not that expensive, what £15-20 min every 6wks. The 3yo in unlikely to be shod, so his/her bills are not going to be huge either. If your mum lives on a farm, I assume they make their own hay? I also dont understand why the 3yo can not be kept? If it is turning 4 in 4mths or so, surely that is ideal with the correct schooling for your sister? If its not big enough or suitable why what it bought? I know in Milton Keynes there is a pharmaceutical company that used to have horses for testing, wormers, etc, but not sure if they still do that. Good luck with her, but I would not shy away from having her humanly PTS.
 
From reading some of these posts you would never believe that the only reason horses in the UK are even born is that someone wants them to work, usually ridden, sometimes driven (forget things like my pet Shetland).

The horse is grateful to have had life at all. And lucky. If it can't any longer do the job it was born for, what on earth is the problem that people have with a THIRTEEN YEAR OLD feeling that she needs a horse to ride?

Put the mare down, kid, and get on with your life. It's too short to mess about with yet another broken ex-racer - there are thousands of them every year. Sound ones are sellling for £525 at the sales - you'll be spending more than that on xrays and othr vets fees. You were done by a dealer and giving this horse further life is not your responsibility. Face it, sort out the horse's future so it can't be hurt again (have it put down!) and get yourself a horse you can enjoy.
 
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cptrayes said:
From reading some of these posts you would never believe that the only reason horses in the UK are even born is that someone wants them to work, usually ridden, sometimes driven (forget things like my pet Shetland).

The horse is grateful to have had life at all. And lucky. If it can't any longer do the job it was born for, what on earth is the problem that people have with a THIRTEEN YEAR OLD feeling that she needs a horse to ride?

Put the mare down, kid, and get on with your life. It's too short to mess about with yet another broken ex-racer - there are thousands of them every year. Sound ones are sellling for £525 at the sales - you'll be spending more than that on xrays and othr vets fees. You were done by a dealer and giving this horse further life is not your responsibility. Face it, sort out the horse's future so it can't be hurt again (have it put down!) and get yourself a horse you can enjoy.
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I agree with this but OP said that her family did NOT want to PTS. Realistically the only other responsible option is to keep the horse on the farm - and tbh I can't really see the problem with that.
 
People often say things they don't really mean to see if they will get any support for what they really want to do in their hearts. A thirteen year old girl is likely to think that she "shouldn't" want the horse put to sleep. I said what I said to "allow" her to think the unthinkable.

The problem with keeping her on the farm is probably that her father is a farmer! Most farmers HATE horses on their land because they are such bad grazers and make such a mess :-)

It baffles me what the point of keeping yet another unrideable ex racer is though.
 
I am in a similar situation, having a broken 9 year old ex-racehorse, although I am fortunate to be able to keep him.

I looked into the bloodbank system, and I decided it would not be suitable for my TB. I think a hardier type of horse would do well and have a nice life at the bloodbank, but not my TB. The horses are not rugged, or shod, and might come into large barns in the worst of the weather over winter, but generally it's 24hr turnout. My lad with his delicate feet, thin skin, and allergies to fly bites would hate that sort of life, and they would probably not accept him anyway.

I have made it quite clear to everybody that whilst I can afford him, he will live like a king with me, but if there comes a time when I can't he will be PTS. There are far worse things that can happen to a horse than be humanely pts. I have decided it will be better for him to have a shorter but happy, luxurious life with me, rather than lose him, and he could end up having a long, cold, hungry, frightened, miserable life somewhere else.

Good luck with what you decide to do. x
 
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honeymum said:
Unfortunately they lost the last pony my sister had on loan last year (the owner needed him back to sell and my sister has now outgrown my mums pony), my mum is able to keep a maximum of 3 ponies but would be more comfortable with 2, one for her and one for my sister so they are trying to sell the youngster. This means really they both need to be rideable.

My mum will not hear of her being PTS which is why we are asking for other ideas. The dealer we bought her from did offer to px her for a different horse but mum won't hear of it as she is worried she will end up PTS.
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If you part ex her I think being PTS would be the least of her worries. More likely the dealer would sell her again, probably without disclosing her injury.
 
nikkiportia said:
Whilst I am symapathetic to your situation, I am afraid that is horses, and something that every single one of us should consider when purchasing them.
I would concentrate on getting the 3yo sold or consider PTS.
I do get very frustrated with people who do not want horses once they cannot be ridden, as you say, she's not really the sort of horse someone would want as a companion. Ex racers that can be ridden are ten to the dozen, so taking on one that can't be, would make no sense.
Considering you have your own land and costs would really be rather minimal, I think you should do the right thing here, and continue to care for her. If people are prepared to buy horses, then they should be prepared for the eventuality that they can't be ridden one day, and it is their responsibility as an owner to continue to care for that animal despite this.
If you find somewhere that wants to take her on, then great, but make sure it's a good home, don't let her go to just anyone. It's not really fair on her.
Failng that, and if your sister is insistant that she HAS to have something to ride, then I'm afraid you will have to deal with PTS. Thats the price you pay.
I would definately want an xray of the shoulder, and investigate it at least. It may not be as bad as you think, and to write her off so fast without looking into it is a shame. Even if she gets the ok as a broodmare then that is something, especially as she is sound without a rider, but that is something you need to discuss with your vet.
Good luck.
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Well said. Except dont sell her as a broodmare please. There are enough unwanted poor souls without putting another less than pefect breeding animal into the situation
 
I havent read every post so please excuse me if this has already been said. I have a ex racer who retired sound. Alot of ex racers only show there war wounds later on in life and need time to recover, mine had a whole year off before he was fetched back in to work and it was the best thing i think i could have done for him, could you not get a second oppinion and see what he is like in the spring with more time off?
 
I was in a similar situation last year, I bought a job lot off a man who was 'emigrating' because I felt so sorry for them, they were a state.

One of them was a 7 yo ex racer but a gelding, all the others turned out to be rideable after a lot of TLC but this gelding went lame on corners and circles and never came back from it, turned out he had navic. He was happy and healthy in every other way and when not ridden wasnt lame. I couldnt keep him so I put him on full loan.

I vetted every person thoroughly, saw where they would keep him and drew up contracts. It took 4 viewings to find the right one, he now lives with a woman who keeps him as a companion for her youngster and an almost retired hunter. We have the understanding that if she ever wants to get rid of him, he comes back to me and if he ever gets worse and needs to be PTS she will do it and I will help with any expense or problems.

Could this be an option for your girl?
 
Hello, this is the mum of the owner of 'broken 7 yr old ex- racer. This is my first(and probably last)chat online. Firstly, I'd like to say Thankyou to everyone who has offered sensible suggestions. And secondly, 'Boo' to the rest of you, who assume I'm an irresponsible horse owner, who would dump the horse as soon as look at it. And, to the person who reckons our 'poor mare is getting a rough deal all round', I'll have you know,young lady,that our ponies have the best of care. I've recently lost my 34 year old mare, we have a Shetland who has been with us for fourteen years, and last year, I re-rescued another mare from the rescue centre I'd retired her to, as I wasn't happy with her care.
As for living on a farm and having the land and facilities - real life isn't like that! Our land is un-useable from October until May, and indeed any time there is wet weather. Although I can keep a horse out with the cattle, my own little turnout is half a mile down the road, and the others are kept there, so she would be without equine company. And it still costs money to keep a retired horse- a LOT of money in some cases, as I found out, when having to keep weight on a toothless old mare for the last five years of her life! Added to which, it's still an extra body to worry about, and, as any small farmer will tell you, it's a 'lose lose' situation. There are a few options I'm exploring at present, and, rest assured, the mare's wellbeing is top of the list.
And she is not going to be PTS!
 
You can get irate all you like, people can only go on what they read. Firstly the market is crap right now even for sound horses. Secondly there is nothing wrong in suggesting putting a horse to sleep. Sorry but why should someone take on the expense of a broken horse when there are so many sound ones out there looking for good homes? With her injury there is good reason to suppose she is going to suffer arthritis so more expense. Have you tried a charity, I know they are brimming at the seams, but she could go on the waiting list. Living with a farmer you should know there is no room for sentiment. If you pass her on there is no gaurantee she wont be passed on yet again this time with no history for the new owner.
 
There is a blood bank in steeple claydon (near buckingham) I am almost sure its there however there is definately one around this area because i know a horse that went there :) I will try get more info x
 
I would see if you could trace her trainer if the vet thinks the injury occurred during racing to try and find out exactly what happened and what you are dealing with. If the horse has been ridden and been sound with the injury up till a few days ago what has changed?

If there is a chance she could come hacking sounds could you look at a getting a sharer in for her and perhaps your other rideable horses which could contribute towards the costs? If no further damage would be done by riding her with the old injury would she be sound on bute?

If you have a farm do you have space to take on an equine lodger to make a bit of extra money?

Could your sister look at sharing/loaning a horse rather than buying another?

However at 7 she is a young horse and could live another 20 years so it is a big commitment to keep her so long it is a bit different from retiring an older horse I think.
 
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what is so wrong with pts?

As others have said and politely in most cases there are far worse things than death. Yes you can be as damm sure as you possibly can that the horse is being passed on to a reliable home, but realistically if it really is pernamently unridable the chances it ends up being passed from pillar to post are big!

Heatlhy ridable horses are desperatly looking for homes. And if it is unridable then that to me suggests it could well be in a degree of pain which inevitably will only get worse with age, when arthritis sets in.

Get a thorough diagnoses, be sure with what you are dealing with and if necessary be brave and seriously consider in the interests of the horse pts.
 
As long as it's a true diagnosis and not just 'being fed up with not riding' then have her pts. But from the 13yo's comments the mare is a problem to ride and from experience I see so many people willing their horses to be lame or full time unrideable because they don't want to ride them.
Don't ring a charity. There are horses out there in dire need that cannot be got to in time, you have- as you say so yourself, a well cared for horse. If you can get her into a blodbank then all the best, you will be a lucky one. But ex racers are hard work and ten a penny, there are few out there that will take on one that is lame as well. If you find a place let me know, I have a horse in a similar position, except if he stays unhappy being ridden i'll have him pts myself rather than risk him being ridden again or treated poorly.

But i'm sorry, if your vet has said an old injury is causing this without proper and reasonably long term investigation I'm glad he's not my vet! Old injuries can look horrific but the horse can remain sound. Yet they can be lame as a duck with an unseen foot abcess. And likewise you can't draw the conclusion that an old injury is the culprit without ruling out all other influences and giving the injury time to work through.
And at 13 i'd have been grateful for a horse I could be around, even if I couldn't ride, but I guess we're all different.

Ps....my wii is broken and I can't play with it. If it can't be fixed i'll dump it. Luckily it can't be mistreated beyond that, and it has no feelings*.

*tongue in cheek
 
When I considered a blood bank - happy retirement in a field with friends, etc. I hadn't given consideration as to what would happen once the horse had outlived its use there. I spoke to the guy in Bucks and found him very gruff and unpleasant anyway, let alone the fact he said my horse, at under 16hh, was useless to him. What had height got to do with the ability to give blood. Chap was thinking of the "value" of a bigger horse more like!
 
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