Feeling very negative

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zoon

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About a month ago one of my horses was diagnosed with kissing spines, arthritis in the spine and a SI injury. I've had her less than a year - got her to have something to bring on and sell when youngster was ready to back. I feel I've done quite well with her - she's an ex racer and was working well in walk and trot, but canter got to a point and didn't improve. Just some tension that we couldn't work through and never improved. Had a feeling something wasn't right as she occasionally went disunited, but trainers and vets dismissed it. After hassling them and finally getting nerve block and then bone scan, turns out she's a bit of a mess as above. So plans for bringing on And selling seem to be a no go now.

Wasn't sure whether to PTS or give her a chance, but chose to have her injected (3 vertebrae chosen in spine), tildren and shock wave with equitop myoplast and physio to help. She had that just over a week ago (more shock wave and physio to come obviously) and starting Pessoa work this week. She need to stay in work as she has a good top line which vets think is why she has shown so few symptoms so need to keep it (hence myoplast).

Just feeling very negative and doubt we'll see any change. No idea what to do with her in the future. I can't afford to keep her as a field ornament as at the end of the day, i am in this hobby to ride. I know that sounds a bit heartless, but it is honest. Plus she needs to be on regumate, and that makes her a very expensive field ornament! She is such a lovely horse, really tries and is a fab alrounder, but I am so worried she is in a lot of pain now, despite no lameness or symptoms other than tension in canter. And if she does improve, what will I do with her once my youngster is ready to work since plan was to sell her. Really don't think that I can now with all her issues (she has sarcoids too!). Future just seems a bit hopeless.

So if you'd bought a horse to sell on after reschooling and it turned out to be rather broken, what would you do? I have a soft spot for this mare; forgetting that she is broken, you really can do anything with her - bombproof hack, very genuine jumping and xc (although green obviously) and despite issues shows lots of ability (obviously before we knew!) and just generally easy to do and nice to be around. I am giving her a chance since insurance are paying, but feeling rather negative
 
Have you thought about getting a sharer/ loaner for her when your youngster is ready to do? If she is a bombproof hack I would bet there would be a lot of people willing to take her on and they could ride out with you and your youngster and help you that way?
 
every case is different

we have a horse at the yard diagnosed with all the same problems as yours she did all the re-hab (he had surgery) and 4yrs on he still looks miserable and sometimes he looks almost stuck in the field unmoving with head down especially in the cold wet weather, i would call it a day with the arthritis loaded in on top of the other problems-i have it very mildly in my hands and it really is painful some days, difference for me is i can reach the pot and take some pills when its bad horses cant
 
Zoon ,I feel for you in this predicament and can't think of a way to sugar coat this you ask what I would do I your place I would PTS.
Good luck to you what ever you decide to do , you have given the horse every chance .
 
How very sad. You could try the sharer/loan route. Is she insured or are you having to foot the entire bill yourself. At the end of the day she is very lucky to have found you.
 
If I bought a horse to sell on, I'd consider it a business decision and remove my emotions. If horse turned out to be "broken" I'd PTS to minimize my financial loss. Trouble is you haven't done this and you've got attached. You've started treatment and whilst it may work to some extent, I agree with you about the horse not being suitable to sell on. You could sell her, but I'm too cynical I'm afraid. If you sell her honestly she's worth peanuts. With all the horses out there nobody sensible would buy her. The people likely to want her would be people likely to pass her on, for a profit, whilst not informing the next buyer of her problems. Chances are at some point the horse ends up in an unsuitable home, suffering.

Which brings you back to PTS or keep. You could full loan her. You could get a sharer for both horses, meaning you'd effectively be only paying out for one horse. You could PTS, though I'm assuming you don't want to since you've started treatment. You could keep this mare in retirement or work her within her capability and sell the youngster.

If I was you I'd try to get her right with basic low (ish) cost treatment, loan her out, but if she ever comes back ruined or injured then PTS, whether that's one month or ten years from now.
 
I never set out to make a profit, just knew she was going to be sold in a couple of years as I don't want 2 to have to ride.
 
Since she is insured then I would go with treatment and see how she goes but if it doesn't work pts, it's not fair on her to be a feild compaion in pain but of treatment did work loan her out but keep her with you so you know how she is.
Of that makes sense.
 
If she shows improvement with the steroid injections then I wold have her operated on. My boy was operated on last November and had 5 spinal processes removed. He is a much happier horse, though he was explosive under saddle and some of that memory of pain has stayed with him. If he had not been explosive then I would have said he was completely cured. I am bringing him back into work now after turning him away for four months, and so far so good with no explosive reactions to tacking up. I have restarted lunging in the pessoa. I don't know if he will come right, but I don't regret trying because he is a much happier horse after his op. He has the option to stay as a field ornament with me if it doesn't work out because even though my other horse is also an ornament, I am far too soft to do the practical thing. I would feel too guilty. Sounds like your mare is in a far better condition than him, and so there is no doubt at all, in the light of how nice a mare she is, that I would throw everything at her in an effort to get her right for as long as the insurance will pay.
 
If she can be ridden pain free after treatment, even if its only light hacking then look into loaning. If not, then either keep yourself or pts. Definitely not sell or give away though.
 
Wagtail - we have decided against operating as she also has arthritis in her facet joints of those vertebrae that are close. We may cure the kissing spine, but the arthritis will still continue to get worse and that is what will cause her the most issues
 
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