Doing the right thing

[SO1]

I am finding it really hard to balance the needs of my pony with my own needs to be objective and not let my emotions dictate my decision making.

So I have a 19 year old pony on box rest for a tendon injury. Prior to last year he had never had a soft tissue injury. Last March he had 4 months box rest and controlled exercise for a suspensory injury and came sound very successfully.

In July this year he went lame on a fore leg with tendonitis and a small lesion after tripping over out hacking. He has been on controlled walking and box rest for 15 weeks. 8 week scan showed better healing than expected lesion is gone. Started ridden work including hacking in walk. On 40 minutes walking twice a day. A couple of days before his 3rd scan he has a small bucking fit and canters a short way on bridleway. I think he may have been stung or startled as he was plodding along a little way behind his friend and it all happened so suddenly. Normally if he is going to do something silly he starts jogging or looking worried and you get some advanced notice. The incidence in whole lasted about 30 seconds.

When I explained what had happened to vet he said at 15 weeks it should not have been a problem and was very surprised that he trotted up lame and has inflammation again so back to ice spas and 10 minutes walking twice a day. He was 2 weeks away from starting some turnout in a small area so I was really upset for him. The thought of him having at 3 more months of box rest on the top of the 4 months he has already done is absolutely devastating especially as he has coliced twice. He is an angel on box rest calm with his soaked hay no trouble or messing about with his walking in hand.

His normal part livery yard also does rehab so he has access to ice spa and large horse walker, company from other horses on box rest, skipped out regularly during the day. He professionally cared for during the day whilst I am work. The vet has suggested we break up his walking to try and reduce the risk of colic so he comes out 3 times a day instead of twice so I am paying extra to have this done.

I have also just put him on Colikare which seems to have good reviews.

Vet review in 6 weeks. Initially prognosis was that he would return to normal work again. After this setback I am not sure if his prognosis will still be the same. I will see what the vet says in 6 weeks time. Vet is a lameness expert and FEI vet so hopefully knows his stuff. I have explained to vet although my pony is very calm on box rest I think he looks sad sometimes.

Now I am feeling very bad about all this box rest. Vet's aim will be to get him sound enough to complete again he was doing veteran showing and also hacking and intro dressage. At the moment I just want to get him out of this horrible box rest and having some turnout. Obviously I would love to be able to ride him again even if only as a light hack but if that means many more months of box rest I am not sure that is fair on him. If he was a younger horse I might feel differently as it could be years of riding ahead. If I retire him that will be it as far it goes with riding for me. I won't get another horse.

Part of me feels I should give up with the box rest rehab and retire him on pain relief. However there is a complication with that too. He is good doer native pony and the part livery yard has a lot of grass and even with his muzzle on it is hard to control his weight even in work.

He is hardy enough to live out at a retirement yard and has lived out before quite happily. I would however need to find a retirement place that can cater for fat ponies with restricted grazing but there is nothing local everything seems to be lovely long grass which is great for sports horse or elderly horse who struggle with their weight but not for my boy. I can't bear the thought of sending him away for retirement and not being able to see him often. They may some places which might be ok enough for me to visit at weekends but they are all over 2 hours away which is quite far to go.

DIY livery is impossible because of my work.

I am finding the whole situation very upsetting. I think I am in shock as he had been doing so well and was enjoying our walk rides and thinking he would get out soon.

I know some horses have no winter turnout and people do put their horse through really long periods of box rest in order to get them sound again.

I have already said to the vet if he colics again we will have to review this situation. It just feels overwhelming. I will see where we are in six weeks time. I just feel so guilty about putting through box rest even though he seems calm about. He is foodie so likes his soaked hay.

 

[JackFrost]

So he will be 20 next year? Probably time to be reconsidering his athletic career anyway. I would turn him out over winter on pain relief . The part livery / retirement yard with a lot of grass - even in winter? His quality of life is what matters IMO, and you may be able to ride him again if you are content with some light hacking. Depending on what your vet says, I'd give him a few months turned away and have him looked at again in the spring. Sometimes I think putting them back into a natural setting is the best way to help them mend themselves.

 

[paddi22]

awful as it is, but id be thinking at 20ish he probably isn't going to stand up to ridden work anymore if he's been coming in lame when he shouldn't be. I wouldn't put him back on box rest, it's not a good quality of life and it goes against what most recent research says about healing injuries like that. I'd 100% agree with Juno jones. I'd do exactly the same. if he's a good doer I'd leave him unrugged and just monitor the weight. you sound like such a caring owner and if he got serious colic again on box rest you'd never forgive yourself I'd imagine. if he's getting checked daily, then you will just have to put up with seeing him at weekends, or ask them to send videos etc. for the ponies state of mind and to give him time to heal I'd do retirement livery and look again in spring too. time and turnout are a great healer.

 

[Marigold4]

This sounds miserable! Box rest is so tough on both horse and owner. I would turn him out in a smallish paddock and monitor his progress. You know your horse and will be able to see if he's getting better or worse. He may be ready to retire or may make a comeback - only time will tell. i'm not convinced vets' rehab plans are always successful. They genuinely want to help and it feels good to give owners a plan/ something to do. But I think time and happy horse is probably a better healer than miserable horse on box rest. And you need to look after yourself too!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

This sounds miserable! Box rest is so tough on both horse and owner. I would turn him out in a smallish paddock and monitor his progress. You know your horse and will be able to see if he's getting better or worse. He may be ready to retire or may make a comeback - only time will tell. i'm not convinced vets' rehab plans are always successful. They genuinely want to help and it feels good to give owners a plan/ something to do. But I think time and happy horse is probably a better healer than miserable horse on box rest. And you need to look after yourself too!

I'm not convinced that vets' rehab plans are always realistic!

OP, I would stop the box rest and turn him out, he has already shown that he is not able to make a full recovery through resting in his stable. Has he had a Cushings test recently?

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I would agree with the above couple of posters. The problem is that vets routinely prescribe box rest - basically to save themselves being sued as if they were seen to be condoning turn-out and then the horse injured itself, then they would be sued!

So every single time they will prescribe box-rest. Never mind that the horse will suffer being deprived of its natural environment AND its field mates - which is basically creating one big welfare issue.

My mare was prescribed box rest right in the middle of this summer's week of heatwave. God alone knows what the temperature in the stable was but it was so hot that the poor love was sweating up just standing there.

If your horse is stressed and colicking through being in then you are perfectly justified IMO to consider an alternative way of managing.

 

[meleeka]

Part of me thinks you’ve done all this time so what’s another 6 weeks really? On the other hand if a pen is possible, there won’t actually be much different in terms of movement.

I feel for you, it must be incredibly disheartening.

 

[SO1]

Yes we have loads of grass even in winter. It is an expensive yard and YO does not over stock with horses to ensure we have all year turnout and plenty of grass. She doesn't want horses all scrambling around the gates in mud in the winter due to not enough grass as that is how accidents happen.

She did make a paddock for him and two others which had been eaten down by the others to try and give them less grass but the grass just grew really quickly.

I think I will have to speak to the vet at his next review. I think the vet was also surprised he had not progressed as expected after doing so much better than expected than expected on his first scan.

To add to the complications if I move him out of the area then I would want to take at least a week off work to settle him in the new place which I can't do at the moment as our busy period is between now and April. I have had him for 14 years and psychologically it is going to be very hard to for me not to be able to see him in the evenings after work. I live on my own and my family live very far away so being able to get out the flat and see him has been a saviour during Covid.

He is not stressed on box he is fairly chilled as he likes eating and relaxing but I think he looks sad sometimes. He is very easy to in hand walk.

Turning away during winter comes with it own risks if his leg is not well healed as it is slippery.

I don't feel emotionally quite ready to let him go. I know eventually he would have to retire or take it easy I just expected it to be a gradual process with time for me to get used to the idea and look at lots of different places or that in time as he aged he would be less of good doer so he could stay where he is.

I guess it is never really like that with horses.

I think I will try and give it another 6 weeks and see how he is at his next review when he will be at 35 mins twice a day. Even if he could just go out for an hour I would feel a bit happier about the situation. The colic is a worry but we are getting him out 3 times a day instead.of two. The colic was not impaction. He is on soaked hay so gets plenty of fluids and poos normally. The vet does not think the colic is stress related he thinks it is lack of movement. He does not move much in his box and just stands and eats or sleeps. He does not attempt to barge out. He does not walk very fast either when doing his walking either

The one advantage of being on a rehab yard as a livery is he is very closely monitored. I can't fault the care. The second time he got colic his main symptom was lying down more than normal which another yard may not have picked up on. The first time he was lying down and didn't get up for breakfast which was more obvious as he loves his grub.

Part of my fear of moving further away is that you hear of awful things on yards if you can't go and check on a regular basis.

He used to live out when I first had him on a different yard and the YO was meant to be going and checking the horses every day but it was obvious she was not. I noticed one week that one of the horses always seemed to by lying down and away from the others. I thought it was odd but presumed it was fine as YO was checking it. It got to the weekend and I was thinking I was going to say something to YO that I was a bit worried about that pony when the owners turned up and it turned out the pony had come down with laminitis but the YO either had not noticed or was not going down to check. They also lost a horse to sycamore poisoning and if it had been found earlier it may have been ok. He also got really ill with tapeworms as the other liveries were not worming and field not poo picked.

It is a difficult decision as the care on this yard is top notch. None of the normal part livery complaints. Beds immaculate, plenty of hay and food, no shortage of turnout, fields all poo picked.They soak his hay which most yards won't do. In the hot weather they sponged all horses down. When he has had suspensory injury last year in his hind they noticed he was lame when they caught in the vet was there that day and he was looked at immediately. They are very observant and kind to the horses. There is no bitching on the yard. The grass is just very rich.

He did have a Cushings test in Sept. Vet said good idea even if no obvious symptoms and it was negative.

His suspensory injury healed really quickly and well.

The only other thing I can think of with this front leg is he does bang the door at breakfast and dinner and maybe that does not help.

I think I will speak to vet about going out a bit at next review if we can get through the next 6 weeks with no colic. He does like a good buck and that will probably be the first thing he will do when he goes out.

Often he whickers when he sees me. This evening he decided not to say hallo he was just stuffing himself with hay and I was completely ignored.

So he will be 20 next year? Probably time to be reconsidering his athletic career anyway. I would turn him out over winter on pain relief . The part livery / retirement yard with a lot of grass - even in winter? His quality of life is what matters IMO, and you may be able to ride him again if you are content with some light hacking. Depending on what your vet says, I'd give him a few months turned away and have him looked at again in the spring. Sometimes I think putting them back into a natural setting is the best way to help them mend themselves.

 

[criso]

Would your current yard be amenable to making some sort of outdoor pen about the size of 2 or 3 stables. He could go out for a few hours, with a muzzle if needed and mooch around and pick at some grass but without enough space to run around. Even better if he has friends. Tall electric fence if you think he might jump out.

I did that with a horse with a ligament injury that wouldn't settle, fenced off a bit with his fieldmates on the other side. I moved the pen every few days to allow more grass

 

[SO1]

Being a rehab yard we do have a tiny fenced post and rail area for this purpose which also is the one place that does not have loads of grass. Unfortunately he cannot be trusted in there as last time he went in there after box rest he just would not stop bucking and they had to take him out quickly as they thought he might jump out or hurt himself.

With his suspensory injury he went in the middle of the horse walker which has loads of old thistles, nettles and rubbish grass he still did bucking but safer for him and as there was so much forage in there he did less bucking. That was going to be the plan if he had been sound on his review. The only problem is that is very overgrown and not particularly flat so he could trip over which is how he did this injury in the first place so he would need to be fairly fixed before he can go in there.

Would your current yard be amenable to making some sort of outdoor pen about the size of 2 or 3 stables. He could go out for a few hours, with a muzzle if needed and mooch around and pick at some grass but without enough space to run around. Even better if he has friends. Tall electric fence if you think he might jump out.

I did that with a horse with a ligament injury that wouldn't settle, fenced off a bit with his fieldmates on the other side. I moved the pen every few days to allow more grass

 

[Chianti]

I really feel for you as box rest is so stressful for everyone. Reading the original post is looks as if your pony has already done 15 weeks box rest and the vet has now prescribed another six. I do think that's an awful lot for a 19 year old. I know you are saying that he seems happy and relaxed but it must be having an effect on him and my worry is that in trying to sure the tissue injury you will unwittingly cause other problems. My last horse had to do 12 weeks box rest doe to a tendon injury. We'd just got to the end of that and she went lame again as she'd developed laminitis. The vet thought this was due to stress which shocked me as she seemed to be dealing with it very well and showed no signs of being stressed. How long does he buck for when he goes into a pen? Couldn't you sedate him for a few days until he settled. I've just moved my pony onto a track system as he's had several big health issues in a short period of time. I'm now obsessed with movement for horses- they are designed to be on the move and standing still is so unnatural for them. You don't mention if he's shod. If he is I'd talk to the farrier about taking his shoes off if at all possible as this might also help the tissue injuries. It is awful when they are far away and I know it's really hard to find good yards. Mine is now nearly an hour's drive and I miss him so much but I think he has to be there as he's moving and he's so well looked after. Perhaps if you gave a general location someone on here might know somewhere suitable.

 

[sbloom]

The longer I do my job the more I am convinced that movement is medicine. Your story is so common, he goes apesh*t after box rest and injures himself. I would only consider some kind of paddock rest, and as extensive as felt safe to do. I'd work with people that believe in that approach and would try and find facilities that would work with that. I'm not sure what I'd do in your circumstances, sorry, but I'd not do box rest again.

There's a really good chance he didn't injure himself bucking, not as a sole cause. It's likely his way of moving had set up repetitive strain which led to an apparent moment of injury, yet it was just the weakness finally breaking. Many anatomy experts believe this is the case with the "vast majority" of injuries. Get him moving right and you'll strengthen it is an approach that seems to be working really well for so many of these cases.

Not instructions, just food for thought.

 

[SO1]

I am in London which is why it so difficult to find somewhere.

Hard enough to find decent yards at the best of times.

The problem is because he is a native pony there are very places in the country let alone locally that can cater for retirement or any kind of full livery with restricted grazing. He has no respect for electric fencing so it would need decent fencing.

I am thinking about sending him to the new forest. This where I thinking of sending him they said he could share a field with a shetland and another pony.

https://crosstreeslivery.com/2021/01/19/retirement-livery/

I need to be able to see him regularly enough to check he is ok so sending him to north of England or Wales won't work for me.

I think I need to have a proper chat with my vet to get an understanding of what he thinks will happen in term of prognosis following this set back.

I feel I need time to say goodbye if I am going to move him. So 6 weeks might be enough to get my head around the situation.

I really feel for you as box rest is so stressful for everyone. Reading the original post is looks as if your pony has already done 15 weeks box rest and the vet has now prescribed another six. I do think that's an awful lot for a 19 year old. I know you are saying that he seems happy and relaxed but it must be having an effect on him and my worry is that in trying to sure the tissue injury you will unwittingly cause other problems. My last horse had to do 12 weeks box rest doe to a tendon injury. We'd just got to the end of that and she went lame again as she'd developed laminitis. The vet thought this was due to stress which shocked me as she seemed to be dealing with it very well and showed no signs of being stressed. How long does he buck for when he goes into a pen? Couldn't you sedate him for a few days until he settled. I've just moved my pony onto a track system as he's had several big health issues in a short period of time. I'm now obsessed with movement for horses- they are designed to be on the move and standing still is so unnatural for them. You don't mention if he's shod. If he is I'd talk to the farrier about taking his shoes off if at all possible as this might also help the tissue injuries. It is awful when they are far away and I know it's really hard to find good yards. Mine is now nearly an hour's drive and I miss him so much but I think he has to be there as he's moving and he's so well looked after. Perhaps if you gave a general location someone on here might know somewhere suitable.

 

[gallopingby]

Sorry to read your pony has been lame. He’s a 19 year old New Forest and you love him dearly. It’s a shame you live near London and grazing is less suitable than it would be on the forest or a common / hill / moor. This is the environmental these ponies are bred to live in although many no longer do and some are happy as ridden stabled ponies while others aren’t. Has your pony ever had laminitis or is this something you worry about? There’s been a lot of rain this year as well as warmth and the grass has been better than normal in a lot of places but natives living naturally put on wright through the summer in order to keep going in rough weather through the winter. This obviously isn’t ideal for a 19 year old who has always been stabled but to what happens in some areas. Oh are obviously understandably worried about your pony up some people have no option but to stable over winter because of the very wet ground conditions which can do more harm than good. Vets used to working with top performance type horses obviously have different experience to those working with natives in more rural areas. In your position l would continue with the box rest for a bit longer, with a view to building up strength on a walker as you’re lucky enough to have one. Walking in hand may also be successful In the build up to turn out in a small paddock or school maybe with a companion. Re are plenty options for suitable feed these days but a native pony should be able to live quite happily on soaked hay and maybe a balance. 19 isn’t that old for a native pony although obviously they’re all different. Hope you get things sorted and everything feels better soon. I also think you need to quietly start thinking about the future as surely you’re not going to give up riding indefinitely, it’s an activity that keeps people fit until well into their 80s should they choose to continue.

 

[SO1]

He has never had laminitis but there have been over the years quite a few natives and cobs at our yard that have had it, the grass is rye so very good quality. Therefore I am very aware of laminitis.

I am very careful, prior to his injury he was exercised every day and muzzled most of the year. On soaked hay and balancer. I have started Cushings testing testing this year as a prevention measure so if he has Cushings it can be picked up and treated pre symptoms.

He has lived out until age 12 when I moved yards due a horse passing away from sycamore poisoning in his field and because he kept getting tapeworm as the other liveries were not worming or testing. He ended up on 4 tapewormers a year and probably has very bad worm damage. He got tapeworms so badly the vet thought he had stomach cancer and advised me to move to a part livery yard where the fields were poo picked and a proper worming program put in place.

You are right vet is a sports horse vet and yard has a rehab business and box rest services and rehab for sports horses or people who don't have time to do all the walking, it is very much part of that business so they are very pro box rest. Obviously the 4 months of box rest he did last year for his hind leg worked a treat just this round has not.

I was chatting to some of other liveries about the box rest and how uncomfortable I was feeling about another 3 or 4 months of this and they said oh but he is so quiet and seems to cope so well. But I said just because he is quiet does not mean he is happy, he has also coliced twice.

You are right I do have to think about the future and he is not getting any younger and it is likely even if he makes a full recovery he will have to slow down a bit.

Also older horses if they get arthritis do benefit from living out. I would also like him to have a good quality retirement. So even if all comes well in the next 6 weeks I do do need a plan for future. I was tearfully saying to one of the other liveries that I am so unprepared for this, I presumed he would keep on going for at least 5 years and I wonder how many people are actually emotionally prepared retirement of their horses or have a plan if their normal yard is not suitable for retirement. We do have unridden retired horses on the yard and it is perfect for poor doers.

I have no plans to get another horse even if I could afford 2 and have them at the same place. My parents are getting elderly and I expect in the next few years will need more help and support from me. Besides I don't feel emotionally strong enough to go through this all over again with another horse.

I may do the occasional riding holiday but that will be it.

Sorry to read your pony has been lame. He’s a 19 year old New Forest and you love him dearly. It’s a shame you live near London and grazing is less suitable than it would be on the forest or a common / hill / moor. This is the environmental these ponies are bred to live in although many no longer do and some are happy as ridden stabled ponies while others aren’t. Has your pony ever had laminitis or is this something you worry about? There’s been a lot of rain this year as well as warmth and the grass has been better than normal in a lot of places but natives living naturally put on wright through the summer in order to keep going in rough weather through the winter. This obviously isn’t ideal for a 19 year old who has always been stabled but to what happens in some areas. Oh are obviously understandably worried about your pony up some people have no option but to stable over winter because of the very wet ground conditions which can do more harm than good. Vets used to working with top performance type horses obviously have different experience to those working with natives in more rural areas. In your position l would continue with the box rest for a bit longer, with a view to building up strength on a walker as you’re lucky enough to have one. Walking in hand may also be successful In the build up to turn out in a small paddock or school maybe with a companion. Re are plenty options for suitable feed these days but a native pony should be able to live quite happily on soaked hay and maybe a balance. 19 isn’t that old for a native pony although obviously they’re all different. Hope you get things sorted and everything feels better soon. I also think you need to quietly start thinking about the future as surely you’re not going to give up riding indefinitely, it’s an activity that keeps people fit until well into their 80s should they choose to continue.

 

[ycbm]

I would agree with the above couple of posters. The problem is that vets routinely prescribe box rest - basically to save themselves being sued as if they were seen to be condoning turn-out and then the horse injured itself, then they would be sued!

Agree!

The longer I do my job the more I am convinced that movement is medicine.

Agree again. We don't box rest humans for soft tissue injuries, we advise movement.

SO1, I'd be looking at turning him out for the winter in a big dry field and reviewing in spring.
.

 

[criso]

When mine has various soft tissue injuries to ligaments and tendons in the foot, another horse on the same yard had an almost identical MRI. I did the 4 months box rest. He used to have bucking fits in the stable and bringing him back into work was a nightmare and involved lots of drugs and a few explosive moments where I ended up on the floor. Meanwhile my friends horse really hadn't coped with box rest despite constant sedation so she turned him away for the winter.

The outcome for both was pretty similar and looking back I wish I'd done the same. Since then I will box rest very short-term but get them out as soon as possible in a restricted area and my conversations with the vet start with that.

In your case, as you're already thinking you may have to retire, I would turn away and review come spring. If he trots up sound, bring him back into work and see where you are.

As it's winter, rich grass is less of a worry so you may be able to find something more local that might not be suitable for long term retirement but will be fine over winter. There are places around however the difficulty may be finding somewhere that will do the daily checks for you.

 

[Melody Grey]

Personally, I’d turn him out now- restricted area at first of poss and then increasing. From the incident you describe, he shouldn’t have broken again that easily this far down the recovery schedule. I’d be inclined to re-assess in a few months time and go from there. If he hasn’t come good just being a horse in that time, the chances are he probably wouldn’t to stand up to much work- I’d be hoping for light hack and delighted with anything beyond. Sorry if that sounds pessimistic, but I don’t think there’s enough to gain from box resting again based on evidence so far.

 

[SO1]

The timing is just so bad because of work. It makes it difficult to view places further away and to take the time off to settle him in. ?.

There is no where suitable locally to turn him away that I would be happy with the standard of care or the amount of grass. Obviously no guarantee anything further away would do what they say they would but if they have less lush grass less of risk of laminitis.

Awful as it is I think I need the time to grieve and spend with him in order to say goodbye.

I have been tears most of today. I just wish he was not such a good doer or that I lived near one of those retirement places which sound good with less grass.

I won't get another horse but in hindsight I was so ignorant when I bought him and just didn't realise how difficult it would be to retire a good doer in the local area. If I had known at the time I would never have got him.

 

[JackFrost]

Please do not be too despondent. Coming to terms with a change in circumstances is often difficult, but this may yet turn out well.
Re laminitis, if he is not showing Cushings/EMS, hasn't had it before and it is winter, I think the risk is pretty low.
He is less likley to colic if he is out on pasture rather than stuck inside.
On the positive side, he is not that old, generally healthy and this may well be a caring responsible yard.
I can quite understand why this is so overwhelming, but try to keep and open mind and wider perspective. x

 

[gallopingby]

jJ I agree, it’s difficult not to worry and easy to get things out of perspective when you’re feeling despondent. Ponies liable to lami quite often have the first episode when they are young and it is now thought there is a genetic disposition in some cases. lt seems hard to tell someone not to worry when we haven’t seen the pony but it certainly doesn’t seem it’s near the end of the road. Ponies are fickle and as long as they have food many really don’t mind who’s supplying it. lt does sound as if you’re a carrying owner and the cost of keeping a horse/ pony near London seems to be eye wateringly expensive, several times the cost of further north or south but there have always been people keeping native/ M &M ponies stabled in the London area.

 

[SO1]

It is not the money though my livery bill would be reduced by 50% if he retired out of the area. I would be quite ok with him retiring where he is but I would not be able to manage his weight. Even in daily work it was a struggle.

Being overweight not only puts him at risk of laminitis but would be really bad for his leg and his joints.

I don't think he would miss me much but I would really miss him but agree that should not factor into my decision making.

jJ I agree, it’s difficult not to worry and easy to get things out of perspective when you’re feeling despondent. Ponies liable to lami quite often have the first episode when they are young and it is now thought there is a genetic disposition in some cases. lt seems hard to tell someone not to worry when we haven’t seen the pony but it certainly doesn’t seem it’s near the end of the road. Ponies are fickle and as long as they have food many really don’t mind who’s supplying it. lt does sound as if you’re a carrying owner and the cost of keeping a horse/ pony near London seems to be eye wateringly expensive, several times the cost of further north or south but there have always been people keeping native/ M &M ponies stabled in the London area.

 

[JackFrost]

(Trying to be helpful here - so hope it comes out right .) A lot of your thoughts are 'what ifs?' as in 'what if xyz goes wrong?'. They are all valid points, but there is a danger of being dragged down by hypotheticals which may never happen.

There is an alternative risk of a healthy and happy pony taking unnecessary early retirement, and you both missing out. As mentioned already, 19 is not that old for a native, and some fatty ponies just don't get laminitic. With weight, it is often the type of grass not the quantity that is the issue, so he may not need restricted grazing if it is poorer.
It is hard making decisions when there are so many unknowns. I think it's one of those situations where you have to keep focused on present facts not future fears. Make the best judgement you can on the information you have, inadequate as it may be, and be prepared to be patient. Remember that HE is not worrying about this.

 

[SO1]

You are absolutely right. Places that have decent care are very hard to find. Most retirement places are set up to accommodate retired sports horses so lots of grass and extra hay being put out during the winter. A lot of the places that look really good have long waiting lists.

I expect native ponies and cobs are not really the target market for retirement places.

[QUOTE="criso, post: 14750233, member: 55496" There are places around however the difficulty may be finding somewhere that will do the daily checks for you.[/QUOTE]

 

[Auslander]

I am in London which is why it so difficult to find somewhere.

Hard enough to find decent yards at the best of times.

The problem is because he is a native pony there are very places in the country let alone locally that can cater for retirement or any kind of full livery with restricted grazing. He has no respect for electric fencing so it would need decent fencing.

I am thinking about sending him to the new forest. This where I thinking of sending him they said he could share a field with a shetland and another pony.

https://crosstreeslivery.com/2021/01/19/retirement-livery/

I need to be able to see him regularly enough to check he is ok so sending him to north of England or Wales won't work for me.

I think I need to have a proper chat with my vet to get an understanding of what he thinks will happen in term of prognosis following this set back.

I feel I need time to say goodbye if I am going to move him. So 6 weeks might be enough to get my head around the situation.

I'm not that far from London, depending whereabouts you are, and have room for a portly pony!

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I'm not that far from London, depending whereabouts you are, and have room for a portly pony!

Having visited said establishment, I'd be very happy to reccomend ? as if I needed something like this, I'd send any of mine there.

 

[criso]

I think round here land is so expensive, that retirement livery isn't so viable.

There are places but they tend to be smaller private arrangements. Friends of mine who have found somewhere to turn away a horse for a few months or retire it, it's been word of mouth - someone they know that has a few retired horses or youngsters in their own place.

 

[SO1]

I will DM tomorrow.

He is so far into box rest now realistically I don't think he can go from being in 24/7 on hay to being turned away/retired because of the colic risk. ?. He will need to be introduced back to grass slowly.

I did think about retiring him back in July when he got injured but the vet was so confident that he would be better in a few months time and I thought it would not do him any harm being off the grass for few months whilst it was so lush and I didn't think he would get colic either as everything went so smoothly last time.

Hopefully splitting the walking into 3 sessions and the new supplement will reduce the colic risk.

When the vet comes for his next review I will ask if he can have some sedation and go in the middle of horse walker for grass and time outside even if it is just for half an hour to start off with with a view to increase the amount of time out to enable him to retire. By that time he will have done nearly 6 months of box rest controlled walking and I think I can safely say to the vet I have given it a go and I don't want to end up having then having to retire him at peak grass growing season when he has not had a chance to drop weight over winter.

He at least seemed in good spirits this evening tucking into his soaked hay. He finds in hand walking very boring and did not want to be parted from his hay but we did our 5 minutes. Soon be 10 mins.

Interesting I read today that horses that bang the door and get cast are more at risk of this injury. He bangs the door when he gets his bucket food and paws the ground. He also has got cast before so have to be careful with banks.

I'm not that far from London, depending whereabouts you are, and have room for a portly pony!

 

[J&S]

If he goes to a retirement livery (and auslander would seem to be a wonderful option) it would not be Goodbye! you may not be able to see him each day but could look forward to week end visits knowing that the rest of the time he would be in safe hands.
Another option might be somewhere with a track system.

 

[ester]

Having visited said establishment, I'd be very happy to reccomend ? as if I needed something like this, I'd send any of mine there.

I've also visited and ditto.

SO1 I totally get how hard it is to have them living away from you, you miss them a lot when they have taken up so much of your day (and I'd spent most of our time living on site with Frank so a massive change) but it does help that you know they are in the best situation for them.