Dont know what to do with my horse

[shadeofshyness]

Do let us know what the vet says. Hopefully it's something that can be easily solved, but if not, at least you know and can decide the best course of action for your horse.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Wench my point was the previous owner may want the horse back. If its not possible to sort it out she deserves the option. I'm not talking about holding over a barrel with a death threat. It's just a realistic view and what I would do if I was the op.

 

[Polotash]

Ok, so he's 17, not vetted and not insured. I don't blame you for any of that, exactly what I'd do myself. No point in vetting a free horse, no point paying massive insurances when it's so hard to get cover and pay outs for horses of that age.

Personally I would set aside a budget in my head for his work. This might be £500, 1000, 2000, you have to decide that. However, there comes a point when you are throwing good money after bad. At this point I would PTS, if you cannot afford two then you should not pass him on again and so PTS is the responsible thing to do.

Having said all that, an X ray and some treatment may sort him out for less than 1000, and you may get another 10 years out of him.

Best of luck.

 

[tafyx]

Just a thought... how are his feet? Recurrent back problems can sometimes be linked to foot problems

I had a tb that had really bad feet, the farrier tried all kinds of remedial shoeing which worked for short periods. anyway foot pain resulted in back pain as he was compensating through his neck and back to make himself comfortable, would get physio out and have his back done every six months but it was a never ending circle. i had to make a very difficult decision after three years of this as i did not have my own land to retire him on and he could not even be turned away without shoes! best of luck anyway and sorry to hear that he has been passed onto you with these problems, but thats usually why horses are free.

 

[brownie57]

Hi everyone, i got the vet out today and he did all sorts of tests on him, flexion tests which he came through very well for a horse of his age, so nothing wrong with his legs. The vet thinks its mild kissing spines and recommends an xray, which is being done next week.

He said i could carry on as i have, and get the back lady out when he is getting sore and i could give him some bute to keep him going. I could have injections in his back every couple of months so i can keep on riding him, but basically he will never get better, and eventually he will have to be retired.

Im not sure i feel comfortable to keep on riding him on bute. I dont like the idea of sitting on him when he is uncomfortable. So i have a decision to make, i can keep him as a pet till the day he dies, but i wont be able to ride again. Or i can pts, and save up and buy myself another horse.

I could contact his old owner and demand she take him back, but she will only fob him off onto someone else, like she did to me, so that is not an option.

I cant stop crying about it, i just dont know what to do

 

[Clodagh]

Take the vets advice! Its what we pay for. Bute is like nurofen to us, so if he has it he may well not be uncomfortable. Be positive!

 

[Goldenstar]

My oldie had mild KS too he had injections into his back and Tildren with a bit of Danilon when I felt he needed it and hunted really happily unfortunatly after just over a year he suffered an unrelated issue and that we could not help so he was retired and shortly after that PTS.
Don't discount Danilon or bute we don't expect people with arthritic changes to retire to a sofa and it's not necessary for horses either with support you and he can enjoy some fun together I treasure my memory's of that last winter with my oldie we had such fun together.

 

[Herts05]

Its a real shame that you have been left in this position by someone who really should have known better and themselves took the easy option.
If you really want to ride (and why shouldn't you, that is why you bought the horse), then sadly I think you need to be true to yourself and make the right decision for you.

 

[Flame_]

I cant stop crying about it, i just dont know what to do

I'd give the bute a go if the vet is happy to support that route. For a cheap, older horse doing a gentle job, its usually the best, most realistic way forward IMO.

Don't panic, many 17 year olds have some aches and pains which need managing and that is what you are looking at doing. You want to do all you can to make sure his front feet are as good as they can be too. Its great that his legs are good but keeping his feet good is also very important to help your horse remain comfortable in his back.

 

[grey dawn]

1 see if you can get hold of a treeless sadle to try you have to use a mounting block to get on but if his spine is slightly crooked the the rigid tree on an ordinary is straight and may be enough to cause problem,
2 have you tried regular long reining to help build his musles without a rider,
3 stretching exercises before riding,(stand in front of him put a piece of apple on a garden cane get him to reach round both sides and under his belly to get treat
4 if you can't keep him sound for riding and and he is good in traffic consider breaking him to drive its great fun (my mare changed to driving at about 19 and kept going til she was 30)find a good social driving club

if he was kept out he would have to stretch down to reach grass and the exercise of walking around etc. would help keep him supple + cheaper than full livery

 

[StorminNormin]

Can I just chip in here re the suggestions to keep a horse on bute - not a good idea, especially for an oldie. Bute should only be used for immediate severe pain/inflammation relief on an emergency basis only, and for a max. 7 days - it has very high toxicity levels and is very unpalatable, so by feeding it permanently you risk liver damage and also make what should be an enjoyable experience for your horse (feed time) one that could very well make him a fussy eater, and being a veteran he needs nourishment and nutrition from his feed bucket. You're far better off looking at a natural supplement such as meadowsweet or white willow herb. Talk to Jen at equinatural.co.uk.

 

[Flame_]

Can I just chip in here re the suggestions to keep a horse on bute - not a good idea, especially for an oldie. Bute should only be used for immediate severe pain/inflammation relief on an emergency basis only, and for a max. 7 days - it has very high toxicity levels and is very unpalatable, so by feeding it permanently you risk liver damage and also make what should be an enjoyable experience for your horse (feed time) one that could very well make him a fussy eater, and being a veteran he needs nourishment and nutrition from his feed bucket. You're far better off looking at a natural supplement such as meadowsweet or white willow herb. Talk to Jen at equinatural.co.uk.

BS! Bute is very safe yet effective if used at relatively low dosage of one a day, or of course the vet wouldn't have advised its use. The vet would have advised feeding a plant instead if that were the more sensible course of action, wouldn't they?

 

[Buds_mum]

My horse seems to prefer his feed when he has Bute in it so can't be the palatable.....?

 

[Buds_mum]

Sorry phone, can't be that unpalatable?

 

[brownie57]

The vet said to use it when i think he needs it or when i can feel he is getting sore. He didnt advise to use it every day for the rest of his life. Sorry if i didnt make that clear. x

 

[Puddock]

Rightly or wrongly, lots of older (and not so old) horses are on a low daily dose of bute. Yes, it will have side-effects in the long-term, but these need to be assessed against whether giving the bute offers the horse a suitably improved quality of life.

I know you haven't had the x-ray yet, but the vet's suggestion of using bute as and when to keep him comfortable actually sounds relatively positive to me.

 

[Goldenstar]

1 see if you can get hold of a treeless sadle to try you have to use a mounting block to get on but if his spine is slightly crooked the the rigid tree on an ordinary is straight and may be enough to cause problem,
2 have you tried regular long reining to help build his musles without a rider,
3 stretching exercises before riding,(stand in front of him put a piece of apple on a garden cane get him to reach round both sides and under his belly to get treat
4 if you can't keep him sound for riding and and he is good in traffic consider breaking him to drive its great fun (my mare changed to driving at about 19 and kept going til she was 30)find a good social driving club

if he was kept out he would have to stretch down to reach grass and the exercise of walking around etc. would help keep him supple + cheaper than full livery

My oldie that I posted about that had mild KS was a driving horse and that's the first thing he said when the KS started he did not want to be driven anymore .
He continued to happily be ridden with ,physio, Danilon when needed a well fitting saddle and regular equine touch session which he loved I did an ET course so I could do a bit on him too he had daily equissage sessions he had Tildren and injections into the site after the X-rays, he was really happy and enjoyed his work until the unrelated condition caused his retirement.
Driving is very hard work for them I would never consider it for a KS horse .