End of the line.....

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fewspot20

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Please help.....

I have a 13hh3 15yo gelding who has degenerative joint problem in his knees. (Jumping injury at last loan home) basicly the cartilage is buggered and will get worse with time. I claimed on insurance and went the whole way with x-rays, joint injections, MRI. surgery was not recomended by my vet as the prognosis would be the same. Fit only as a companion pony.

In himself he is a perky, naughty, good looking, happy little chap but sore in the knees. I had him and my event mare in livery, but could not afford to keep a pet pony in livery. So after months and months of seraching I found a companion home (I was about to have him shot as no one wants a large companion pony and the rescue centres are shooting theirs and wont take on anymore).

2 months later the non-horsey (ignorant but well meaning) man calls me as he wants his passport (I hung on to incase they changed their mind after the trial period of a month and forgot to drop it off) to insure him incase he goes lame.......er.......he is lame...... he let slip that he had a couple of girls riding him...............what??!!!! He had his farrier "checked him out" and he said there was nothing wrong with him.......WHAT???!! ok, so there is no swelling, but there is major stiffness in both knees (evenly lame so to the untrained eye...or idiot..... he perhaps looks sort of sound?).

So now they dont want him. I have nowhere for him to go....and cannot afford to livery a lame pony. It took months to find someone to have him the first time and becuase he looks so lovely I cannot trust anyone not to "sell him on", start riding him etc.....

Am I being melodramatic in thinking I only really have one option left, to have him shot so we all know that his future is safe from pain....?

opnions please.....
 
What a horrid situation. He's not big though for a companion pony. Can you not ask any local riding clubs/pony club to find out if someone needs a companion to loan? I would be loathe to advertise in a big way. Maybe a board at feed merchants? You can insist on references.

You do need to find someone genuine. You also may need to agree to cover any vet bills due to his condition.
Good luck!
 
Can you move him and your event mare to a cheaper livery yard or somewhere where there is a grass livery option for the gelding but you can also keep your mare with use of facilities?
 
Umm.. stick him on grass livery? If you can find a local farm it will be one hell of a lot cheaper than a livery yard. There was some body on here the other day wanting a horse to look after which wouldn't mind having a life not being ridden etc as she could no longer ride herself any more. So that may be another option. It was in New lounge so if you look back through a few pages you might find it!
 
In all honesty if you cannot afford to keep him even on grass livery then you should probably PTS. As you have found out there are far worse things that happen to horses than a dignified death with someone who cares for them. If you can turn him away and he is happy and comfortable then great, but otherwise why is he being kept alive? Horses have no concept of a future they only know what is happening right now. If "right now" is not going to be that great and you are not there for him he would be better off out of things.
I do not mean to be harsh and I do know how much it hurts to make the decision but it sounds as if you might owe him the chance to end things well.
 
In your situation I'm afraid I would pts. If his condition is degenerative then chances are his pain levels will increase and as you have sadly found, suitable loan homes for lame animals are hard to come by.

You won't be letting him down, but will be preventing suffering. I think you already know in your heart what the sensible thing to do is. xxxxx
 
It isn't the worst thing ever to PTS. Sadly as you have found out there are some dishonest people out there who don't always have the ponies best interests at heart, or are too ignorant to realise what is in his best interests. Unless you are able to find a 110% honest companion home then I would PTS.

I would bring him home, enjoy him for a couple if days, then quietly and kindly pts. He won't know what is going on and they have no concept of longing for tomorrow. He will have a nice mouthful of something yummy, with lots of nice pats and kind words, and that will be the last thing he knows.
 
Sorry but I agree with "touchstone" and "thepony" above. There are much worse things that could happen than your boy being at home with those he loved and being pts there. Know its hard but thoughts are with you whatever you choose to do x
 
Personally I would have bitten your hand off for him a few weeks ago, as i needed a companion badly. I have now managed to get a companion.

I wouldnt write him off just yet as there are homes out there that do want the ponies. alternatively you could put him out on a grass livery for next to nothing.

At some point his knees will be very painful, but you will know when the time is right to give him peace.

I personally would not have him shot when you make that final decision, but thats your choice.
 
Why did he need his pass port to insure? Our pony was first on loan before we bought him and the passport question was never asked!!!!

I would continue to look for a nice companion home, or grass livery.

Good luck
 
Thank you so much for all your thoughts, it has helped me allot, feel like im not going mad.

I know really that for mine and his sake I should have him shot by my local huntsman (would never bother with injection in this case as far too expensive and it’s the same result). I had provisionally spoken to the hunt about it yesterday but the "stupid-man" who has him doesn’t want it done on his land (quite happy to get involved with the nice bit of horse ownership then not interested when it comes to the crunch...grrrr). Anyway, I cannot get hold of him to get him to even unlock the main gates to the farm on the day the hunt can come. Making a horrendous situation even worse!!!!

So at the moment it is stale mate....I am stuck at work and wish I could be anywhere else right now!

ps - I have owned him all his life so this is not a quick decision, and he was diagnosed in August last year, we had gone through all other options of loan homes (unreliable), retirement homes (£50pw!!) grass livery (£30pw) I just cannot afford it (with petrol/mortgage etc...I have happily given up buying food and now live off beans on toast and cuppa soups to be able to keep my horse). My event mare is on grass livery to save money for the expensive winters we are now having. I see so many adverts for similar ponies in the feed/tack shops...counted 5 last week....
 
fewspot20 said:
Thank you so much for all your thoughts, it has helped me allot, feel like im not going mad.

I know really that for mine and his sake I should have him shot by my local huntsman (would never bother with injection in this case as far too expensive and it’s the same result). I had provisionally spoken to the hunt about it yesterday but the "stupid-man" who has him doesn’t want it done on his land (quite happy to get involved with the nice bit of horse ownership then not interested when it comes to the crunch...grrrr). Anyway, I cannot get hold of him to get him to even unlock the main gates to the farm on the day the hunt can come. Making a horrendous situation even worse!!!!

So at the moment it is stale mate....I am stuck at work and wish I could be anywhere else right now!

ps - I have owned him all his life so this is not a quick decision, and he was diagnosed in August last year, we had gone through all other options of loan homes (unreliable), retirement homes (£50pw!!) grass livery (£30pw) I just cannot afford it (with petrol/mortgage etc...I have happily given up buying food and now live off beans on toast and cuppa soups to be able to keep my horse). My event mare is on grass livery to save money for the expensive winters we are now having. I see so many adverts for similar ponies in the feed/tack shops...counted 5 last week....
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Already one person on this thread is saying they are looking for a companion pony. 13.3hh is not too big. Also another has said they were looking a week ago, so homes are out there. I would give him a chance and advertise him as companion only before shooting him. But obviously, he would need to go to a knowledgable home that understood he could not be ridden.
 
You have my sympathies, but I think you are doing the right thing. I've had years of seeing uncomfortable ponies/horses kept going and just stuck in a field somewhere where they slowly and uncomfortably deteriorate because the owner can't make the right decision for them. Much kinder to release them from that imo.

Apart from the fact that lame horses tend to run up expensive bills and as horrid and mercenary as it sounds, sometimes it is better to let them go than end up in financial ruin

As for the shooting, that's how I've always seen it done (never used injection) and it has always been quick and fuss free.

I hope it all goes as well as it can for you and your horse.
 
I have tried and failed to rehome him several times in the last year. I now do not have the facilities to have him back. And once re-homed.....will this just keep hapening? because he is a good looking pony people think he is fine. and most who have come to see him for a companion say "ooh he's a very big 13hh3" (idiots!!! he is a normal 13hh3 what did they expect a 12hh2???!)
Im having a very hard time at the moment so forgive the ranting.
 
Please be careful with loaning him out as a companion, please read this
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=468701

If you do loan him associate yourself with his passport on NED Online, flag him as on loan, do the same with freezemark and microchip company. Get the loan agreement signed and witnessed by a policeman or Community support officer with the words MUST NOT SELL, and most of all keep in touch and visit, not every week but every couple of months and dont be fobbed off with excuses why you cannot visit.

Loans can and do work if done correctly, but there are so many people out there who would sell their own mother to make a quick buck
 
touchstone said:
You have my sympathies, but I think you are doing the right thing. I've had years of seeing uncomfortable ponies/horses kept going and just stuck in a field somewhere where they slowly and uncomfortably deteriorate because the owner can't make the right decision for them. Much kinder to release them from that imo.

Apart from the fact that lame horses tend to run up expensive bills and as horrid and mercenary as it sounds, sometimes it is better to let them go than end up in financial ruin

As for the shooting, that's how I've always seen it done (never used injection) and it has always been quick and fuss free.

I hope it all goes as well as it can for you and your horse.
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Thank you :) it calms me to have a post mirroring my thoughts exactly. Xx
 
As others on this thread have said, there are people looking for a companion his size. Where in the country are you?
 
The post at the beginning says 'please help'. Dressage bird has indicated she is looking for a loan companion pony.
 
it's a hard decision but if a genuine companion home can't be found then i think pts is the kindest option, better than a life of being passed from pillar to post.

Have you asked your vet about companion homes? one of the vets i use told me to let her know if i needed to rehome a pony that had been dumped on me.
 
ThePony said:
It isn't the worst thing ever to PTS. Sadly as you have found out there are some dishonest people out there who don't always have the ponies best interests at heart, or are too ignorant to realise what is in his best interests. Unless you are able to find a 110% honest companion home then I would PTS.

I would bring him home, enjoy him for a couple if days, then quietly and kindly pts. He won't know what is going on and they have no concept of longing for tomorrow. He will have a nice mouthful of something yummy, with lots of nice pats and kind words, and that will be the last thing he knows.
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this ^^^
 
What a shame, poor pony. I'm a bit upset that because he is no longer ridable that you have kicked out of a livery. Ridable or not they cost the same, so you could either afford two horses before or you couldn't.

Could you not look round for a grass livery for him, if you've had him for a long time it's a bit sad to PTS.

I have 2 retired boys here & neither of them owe me anything.
 
I am struggling to understand this thread to be honest. You start off by asking for help and several people have suggested things and even said they are looking for a companion, but yet the only thing you appear to want to hear is that it is right to shoot this pony. A pony who you describe as a 'perky, naughty, good looking, happy little chap'. If that was the case then why ask for help? Just shoot him.

I also do not understand why you cannot afford to keep a lame horse at livery, though presumably you could afford to keep a sound one? It doesn't make sense to me, sorry. You can either afford the livery or you can't. His lameness is irrelevant. If you can't then you have no choice but to PTS.

Also, if the pony is suffering then PTS. But as you say, he is a happy little chap, so he clearly is not suffering. Can you not afford his livery for a few more months to find him a caring home? Maybe put a time limit on it, say six months, or whatever you can stretch to. At least then he has a chance.

If however, you have decided to PTS whatever people say (which it appears you are) then why post at all? Many people PTS as soon as a horse becomes unridable so you are not alone. I don't see the need to post about it unless you are looking for an alternative, which you do not appear to be.
 
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I've been approached by 3 people in the past 2 months, each asking for the loan of a companion horse. 3 of my horses (not ponies BTW) are now living with these people quite happily. 2 of the people are experienced horse folks, the 3rd person is not experienced. The 2 people understood the term "companion horse", the inexperienced person seemingly did not. His loan horse is the only one who is unsound and can never be ridden and when he suggested that because the horse looked okay (same as you, VERY good looking and flashy horse) then surely it could be ridden by his grandchildren. I told him under no circumstances was the horse to even be sat upon and if a riding horse was what he wanted then I would bring my unsound horse home. As the weeks have gone by, he has fallen in love with my horse and he understands that he must never be ridden. All 3 of my horses have been placed locally to me and I do check them on a regular basis with the consent of the people loaning each of them. I am still the legal owner of them and I still hold their registration papers. All 3 horses have loan contracts and should the loan homes no longer want or need a companion horse then the horse/s will return to me to live out their lives.

So although I make no bones about anyone putting a horse down, I personally would only put down one of mine after exhausting all other angles. There ARE loan homes out there if you have the time to wait till a suitable one shows up and if you are prepared to put a little consideration to help and advise the loan people and if you have the energy to keep checking on the horse.
 
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The angle I viewed the post was that the OP wanted to be certain in her/his own mind that pts was a sensible option?


From my point of view this isn't a horse that is simply mechanically lame - he is sore in both knees and bilaterally lame which probably makes him look better than he actually is. Knowing how stoic some horses can be when in pain and how quickly these types of condition can deteriorate I'm not sure that I'd be comfortable loaning either. If the current climate for horses was different I'd probably say give it a go, but when there are healthy horses being pts already, and horses abandoned left right and centre, I don't think pts is a wrong decision for the op.

Anyway, just my take on things, and I'm sure that the owner knows her horse better than anyone.
 
I don't mean to sound harsh but, I don't like the sound of this thread either, if you cannot afford to keep the horses you have then you re-home them, one way or another, not put them to sleep just because you are finding it hard to rehome it because of it's injuries. It seems like it's convient for you to destroy a horse earlier than neccessary because of your finances.
Any pain can be kept under control until it's he right time for the horse, not when it suits you.

I assume you have tried giving him to the RSPCA?
 
touchstone said:
The angle I viewed the post was that the OP wanted to be certain in her/his own mind that pts was a sensible option?


From my point of view this isn't a horse that is simply mechanically lame - he is sore in both knees and bilaterally lame which probably makes him look better than he actually is. Knowing how stoic some horses can be when in pain and how quickly these types of condition can deteriorate I'm not sure that I'd be comfortable loaning either. If the current climate for horses was different I'd probably say give it a go, but when there are healthy horses being pts already, and horses abandoned left right and centre, I don't think pts is a wrong decision for the op.

Anyway, just my take on things, and I'm sure that the owner knows her horse better than anyone.
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Thank you touchstone for your correct assessment of the situation. I am sat here at work in floods of tears after spending the last year trying to resolve this, now at the end of my financial and emotional tether.
 
Good grief I'm truly surprised at some of the posts on here!

Contact any welfare agency, who are frankly bursting at the seams anyway, and you can bet your bottom dollar that they will probably advise pts.

Is it really sensible to keep a lame horse when you don't have the funding for it? This is how rescue cases happen in the first place!

The op has tried loaning, something I'd be very wary of personally - just look at the number of posts on here where loans have gone wrong. As I already said, I wouldn't be totally happy rehoming an 'in pain' horse anyway.

I don't believe for one minute that this decision has been made lightly by the op.

I feel she is being far more responsible than simply wanting to get rid of her horse, she is wanting what's best for him, and that doesn't always mean keeping alive.
 
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