Devastated, what would you do?

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katherine1975

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Our lovely 14 year old cob mare has been diagnosed as having arthritis in coffin joints and pasterns today. She is my OH's horse and I have a horse. We rent a 3 acre field with two stables and are not sure that we can afford 3 horses. We have just bought a trailer and OH would like to start competing and hunting, we have also just joined a riding club.
We are not insured for vets fees and today she has had nerve blocks, xrays and steroid injections to both front legs.

Options are:

Keep Kelsi and ask farmer if we can build another stable and get another horse.

Keep Kelsi and OH doesn't ride.

Loan her out as a broodmare (not sure if this is possible or fair to a horse with arthritis)

Try and find a home for her, I wouldn't be keen to sell her as I don't want people treating her badly or riding her too much, at the moment if the steroids work she may be suitable for light work.

Have her PTS?

I am gutted, if I had my own land I would retire her and keep her for as long as she is comfortable pottering around the field. I also don't want to pass her on to someone else just because there is something wrong with her.
 
So sorry to hear your news, give yourself a week to consider the options, has the vet said that she will definately only be sound for light work? if so then you could try and afford three horses as you rent that amount of land/stabling anyway, it's always handy to have a third horse for company if you are out on one for the day. Sad news and sorry I can't be much help, each persons circumstances are different, I've been down this road with horses afew times that's for sure and it's not much fun, whatever you decide good luck.
 
Is she totally unrideable? can she not be kept comfortable on a bute/danillon a day. Arthritic horses are often best kept in light work or a much as they are able to cope with. Don't be in too much of a rush to write her off.
 
Sorry to hear your bad news Katherine1975. If you can afford to retire her, do so. If not PTS. Its never an easy decision...blooming horses!
 
I've gone through the same and have kept my arthritic mare. She is turned out all the time as its better for her joints to be able to be able to move around. Do you really need to build an extra stable for her or is it possible for her to stay out? Good Luck!
 
If you're nice and solvent keep her and then get another (possibly a loan) if you can.

If you're not nice and solvent have her PTS forthwith and buy another.

If you're *really* not nice and solvent but greedy sell her and buy another.

If you're nice but not solvent loan both (assuming she cd be a companion/light hack).

If you're not nice and not solvent sell her.

...

Most horses with arthritis can live very happily for a few years with light work and/or lots turn out (e.g. retirement livery). Basically it is up to you to decide how responsible you feel for the animal you've offered a home to.

The above is a little bit harsh/tongue-in-cheek so please understand that I'm sorry for your sad news. It is just that for me the decision to keep her would be a given.
 
bangtidy said:
keep her, you owe it to the mare to now give her the retirement she needs. if it means not riding then so be it.
Click to expand...

^^^^this^^^^
One of mine is arthritic, had both stifles operated on but he will be with me for life. He is only 10 now and couldn't bear for him to be sold on and then possibly sold on again etc!! God knows where he will end up! PTS is not an option for him as he's sound out in the field and next month I'm hoping he will be able to do some light hacking. If he can't then he'll go back to being a field ornament! I personally couldn't sell him to get something "better"! I know some people could but to me riding is a bonus, not my main reason for having horses.
 
I have recently been in a very similar predicament with my pony and was considering retiring him or loaning him as a companion pony (there is too much about him for me to consider pts though it was suggested). Either way was a heartbreaking decision as, like your OH, I`d hoped to be able to do so much more. I went down the route of nerve blocks and xrays but I was also asked if I would consider an unlicensed (for horses) medication, cartrophen, which I consented to. This involved a month of weekly IM injections, which ended last week. Whether it was the two weeks` boxrest that he was also on, the cartrophen or just time itself, I have to say that he is so much better. I rode him today, mainly in walk but with a little trot on a level bit and he seemed so much better. I`m not going to push him and neither am I going to consider him `cured` (he can`t be) but I am going to play it by ear, keep him in light work as and when he is able to be ridden and give him bute as required (danilon apparently converts to bute, so a vet told me).

I do understand your disappointment and loss for what you had hoped you could achieve together. Very best wishes to you, whatever decision you make.
 
It all depends on how much you think of her TBH. If she means a lot to you, then I think you would feel pretty callous having her PTS so that you could buy another unless she was suffering and could not be comfortably retired. As you rent your field, the only extra cost would be to build another stable and her day to day keep which could be relatively cheap if she is only fed hay as not being ridden. If she doesn't mean that much to you, is not a 'nice' character (bites or kicks etc) then you would resent retiring her and need to look at the other options.

Personally, I hate the fact that horses are given less of a chance than dogs are and cast aside when we can no longer ride them. I would keep any of mine. I already have one field ornament and could not have a riding horse if the other one could not be ridden due to injury or illness, but I would still retire him. He deserves it. :)
 
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Could you ask around and see if someone would/could ride her from your premises in return for a nominal fee? There might be someone who would like an occasional hack and be willing to pay a little for it. Really difficult one though, I'm sorry it's come to this.
 
I definitely wouldn't make any instant decisions. But tbh, if the horse you have can't do the job you want and you are not prepared to keep the horse's work within what it is capable of whilst staying sound (and I'm not saying you should) then personally I would pts.

That's what I would do, but whatever decision you make should be yours.
 
On the basis that the mare could well live on for another 14 + years then it is also harsh to say that the OP should give up the opportunity to carry on riding!

I am always optimistic as well as a soft touch so would be looking at how to keep her rather than the bald options in the first post. Sit back a bit and wait to see how it pains out and just how much work the mare can do. If she is a kind mare and up for hacking then you could look for a sharer or loan nearby - loans do work albeit I know we hear so many horror stories on here!. Just check/take up references and how long said person has been at the yard etc. There are a lot of people who want a nice well mannered horse to enjoy hacking on. If the mare has to be retired fully, then you could look for someone who would like a companion and offer to pay for her injections or pain relief. Cobs are (normally) cheap to run as well which makes her a popular choice as a companion as well.

Finally - if she can't be ridden or you can't find a companion home for her then maybe have a long look at what she would actually cost you to keep. If she wasn't working then she won't need shoeing and not much food. Not sure about her living out if on her own but maybe if she could see the others it wouldn't be so bad.

Anyway, don't be too despondent just yet. Wait till you know the final result before you come to any hard and fast decisions.
 
I know exactly how devastating this news is as last summer i was happily jumping and doing everything i wanted with my horse. 6 weeks ago i was given the news that my TB has degerative joint disease in his hock and he can only either be lightly hacked, retired, or pts.

Dont give up on your mare so quickly, aslong as she is comfortable and happy in herself she deserves a life whether she is happy to be hacked or just to retire in the field. She will be much better off in your care than with someone who might not be as caring.

I also dont have insurance to pay for the vet bills but hes only on 1 danilon a day and is sound as he can be and happy to hack, hopefully your mare could do the same. Or maybe she could be loaned to a nice home as a companion if not able to ride and cant afford to keep her retired.
 
I'm so sorry to hear your news. Nothing more devastating than finding an otherwise perfectly well horse is now no longer up to what you want it for. My first reaction though would be to wait and see what the injections bring. Sometimes they respond much better than expected, plus you do need to give yourself some time to take it all in and think about your options. I've got a 13 year old horse with DJD and he is far sounder than he ought to be according to the x-rays and jumps and competes happily (a bit too happily sometimes!), though when the athritic changes were taking place he was lame, though things settled and he's been sound ever since (except now he's got lammy but thats a whole different story).
Another horse I know well had terrible coffin problems and ended up a loss of use as she'd bought him for dressage, but after injections and shockwave and a big rest he now hacks, jumps and does sponsored rides, he's just sometimes a bit wonky doing lots of circles so she can't do dressage on him anymore though he show jumps at local level without a problem.
Give yourself and your horse bit of time before you decide anything would be my best advice.
Very best of luck.
 
Seoirse - I was just wondering what treatment your horse with DJD has because i was told my horse can no longer jump but he hasnt had x-rays, and how long does the lameness last when the 'changes' take place? because 6 weeks ago my horse has been said to have DJD by two different vets but no xrays and have said he could only light hack but this is the only time he has gone lame without a reason :/
 
If you can't afford another horse I'd say you probably can't afford retirement livery.

She's also not a candidate for a broodmare.

I would try and find a companion home for her (you can't sell her for obvious reasons), and the companion home must be 100% trustworthy. I would then look for a nice horse for your OH to have.

Or I'd keep her and get a loan as above.

I wouldn't be concerned about medical costs for her as they will be minimal - Bute and joint supplimemt.
 
A good friend has an old mare with arthritis which she no longer rides as she feels she is too heavy. However, she has a part loan for the mare who benefits from (and loves) being hacked out very lightly by a lightweight rider who contributes to her keep and shoes - result all happy and my friend can afford to keep a second horse to ride herself.
This might not be an option but it could be worth advertising to see if there is anyone local who might want to do this?
 
I've had a similar problem, but it was just me, no other horse and no OH, I've been lucky enough to find him a loan home as a companion/light hack so those homes do exist, if I hadn't got a companion home, he'd have gone to a retirement livery and I'd have got another one to ride
 
It all boils down to conscience, time and money. There are more options than enough you could choose (from the above - seeTickles) - EXCEPT the breeding one. Her arthritis might be hereditary and there are already too many horses on this earth.
 
It's tough isn't it. Lots of options all with plus & minus points. Don't let anyone make you feel guilty if you do decide that pts is the best option. Not all horses suit retirement & if you can't afford/don't have facilities to keep her there are, to be quite frank, far worse things that can happen to a horse & you would ber saving her from those. The 2 options that I would discount straight away would be breeding & selling so that would leave keep, loan or pts.
So much depends on her personality, the detailed prognosis & finances. I know in a perfect world finances wouldn't come into it, but the majority of us don't live such privileged lives. Could you put up a field shelter - as someone else has said many arthritic horses are better off living out. Can she still be a light hack? - perhaps you could keep her with you but loan to stay at current yard to help with costs & to keep an eye on her.
For your own sake don't rush into any decisions but take all the time you can to make sure that YOU feel comfortable with your decision & can think stuff what anybody else feels you ought to do.
 
sorry have not read replies.
If it turns out that she will def be unrideable or even only light hack then personally in your situation id consider pts. 14 yrs old is neither here nor there- if she is going to be uncomfortable and needing daily painkillers, then what QUALITY of like is it for her? especially in the colder months. Its easy to say 'just keep her' but in reality, space and finances are something to consider and having her put to sleep knowing she has had a good life rather than selling her where she may end up buted and sold on etc.
 
Wagtail said:
It all depends on how much you think of her TBH. If she means a lot to you, then I think you would feel pretty callous having her PTS so that you could buy another unless she was suffering and could not be comfortably retired. As you rent your field, the only extra cost would be to build another stable and her day to day keep which could be relatively cheap if she is only fed hay as not being ridden. If she doesn't mean that much to you, is not a 'nice' character (bites or kicks etc) then you would resent retiring her and need to look at the other options.

Personally, I hate the fact that horses are given less of a chance than dogs are and cast aside when we can no longer ride them. I would keep any of mine. I already have one field ornament and could not have a riding horse if the other one could not be ridden due to injury or illness, but I would still retire him. He deserves it. :)
Click to expand...

I agree with this and today my 21 year old, who has been a bit on/off lame for a few months was diagnosed with arthritis in his knee by the vet. He didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know or was expecting, but vet has said that one bute a day for a fortnight and after that as and when required is fine, but to keep up with hacking and schooling - although he only does two or three days light exercise per week. Some people don't agree with bute, but I feel that my horse deserves to live pain free. If that means he lives for another couple of years pain free and content, then I would prefer that than him living til he was 30 in permanent discomfort.
Our horses give us years of pleasure, we owe them a decent retirement.
 
Try and keep her ticking over. My arthritic mare was rideable for several years (and happy to be ridden) over with 1 Danilon a day. The vet said other things would kill her long before any side effects from the drug - and he was right. When eventually she did become unhappy to be ridden I retired her, borrowed a lovely fat cob, and Rose lived happily on for another 2 years until colic took her.
 
um Probably early days yet. Mine had similar about 4 years ago out of the blue and I was told he may never be ridden again.We did get him going on and off after a year out of work on rest.

He was never right. Would be awful for any horse to go to horrible home BUT I got mine knowing that if he go sick /ill/lame /unrideable that I was responsibile for him. He has given me a good service and I think I have a duty to ensure that he is ok with life. Ridden or not.

Just because I want another horse now I would certainly not have him PTS unless he was in any pain. Mine is not sound at all. It would be far easier for ME to only have one horse but he would be the last thing to go if my finances were in the pits. If I couldnt afford this one I would not be looking for another as what if the same problem happens with the second horse and I cant afford.

I am not rich and keep him as low cost as possible but your horse may need time and you can only go on what your vet advises. Mine took a year to come right if not at all properly again and yes I was devastated. Give the horse some time to recover.
 
Me and OH share our horse, if this mare is likely to be ok for light work could you maybe share both the horses so you can both ride without any extra expense? You'd be able to hack together and could work out sharing competing, we once entered a combined training competition jointly he did the dressage and I did the jumping. You can go to dressage or showjumping and do a test/round each and if your horse is eligable for more than one showing class you can do one each. It is fun sharing except that hacking with one horse between two is a bit of a pain!
 
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