How do you know its time to say goodbye

OP you keep contradicting yourself im afraid, one miniute you cant keep him as a hack the next you are williing to let him take life easy.

Try and be honest with yourself.

I get the feeling you want to have him pts because hes not up to want you what to do. If thats the case be honest about it.

I dont think anyone said you should get the vet everyday! Hes a old horse who needs some tlc in his old age.
 
snooples said:
Im more than happy to take it easy with him esp if the vet says so but you cant tell from one video that he hates jumping and is in a load of pain

he is on supplements now and isnt anywhere near as stiff as he was then, he is the sort of horse who puts in the min effort required to clear a jump, hes not a big extragavent jumper and never has been.
he has given me plenty of happy memories so im not going to push him anymore but i dont need ppl making out like im the worst owner in history
As iv already said i dropped eventing last year and was hoping to only showjump, we did two rounds and i realised this prob wasnt for him either and i came on here asking for help as he is my first old horse and i dont know exactly what to look out for
Click to expand...

I dont think your the worst owner in the world at all, I think sometimes they age so quickly that you barely notice. From the video i think he looks old and stiff (as you already know) alot of horses his age look like this. Its common for older horses to suffer with various illnesses (cushings, arthritis etc) If he isnt wintering very well then that is something you need to address and find out why he isnt coping well. Lets be fair, no one is an expert. From the look of him he isnt on deaths door but I dont think it would hurt him to have a quieter life for this summer then maybe make a choice as winter approaches if he still doesnt look great? Its never nice when they get old, and heartbreaking when they are your first horse.
 
snooples said:
I can give him an easy life while im still around until Sep it is after that the problem arises as I wont be here
Click to expand...

So either way you'd be looking to get rid of by September - sound or not.

So you have a few options. Loan as companion, quiet hack, put on retirement livery, put down.
 
BlackVelvet said:
I dont think your the worst owner in the world at all, I think sometimes they age so quickly that you barely notice. From the video i think he looks old and stiff (as you already know) alot of horses his age look like this. Its common for older horses to suffer with various illnesses (cushings, arthritis etc) If he isnt wintering very well then that is something you need to address and find out why he isnt coping well. Lets be fair, no one is an expert. From the look of him he isnt on deaths door but I dont think it would hurt him to have a quieter life for this summer then maybe make a choice as winter approaches if he still doesnt look great? Its never nice when they get old, and heartbreaking when they are your first horse.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the nice reply, I do try my best with him and Im just learning as Im going as I said its my first older horse.
I cant stop crying over some of the replies so its nice to get one like yours :)
 
I think some posters are being quite harsh and frankly nasty and abusive. There is no need for it imo. I personally don't call the vet for every little thing otherwise I'd be bankrupt! If my horse is showing signs of stiffness I would consult a physio before a vet. Recently we got a vet to look at my pony who was having print moving easily. What did the vet say? Get a physio! So that was a waste of £100. I generally now get the vet after I've tried a physio/farrier etc. I don't think you can judge the wellbeing of a horse either from a few seconds of video. Op you have had some good advice so if I were you I would put it to good use and avoid becoming upset by returning to the thread or trying to justify yourself when clearly some posters just want to twist everything because they clearly are 'so experienced and know better'!
 
ladyt25 said:
I think some posters are being quite harsh and frankly nasty and abusive. There is no need for it imo. I personally don't call the vet for every little thing otherwise I'd be bankrupt! If my horse is showing signs of stiffness I would consult a physio before a vet. Recently we got a vet to look at my pony who was having print moving easily. What did the vet say? Get a physio! So that was a waste of £100. I generally now get the vet after I've tried a physio/farrier etc. I don't think you can judge the wellbeing of a horse either from a few seconds of video. Op you have had some good advice so if I were you I would put it to good use and avoid becoming upset by returning to the thread or trying to justify yourself when clearly some posters just want to twist everything because they clearly are 'so experienced and know better'!
Click to expand...

A thin horse older who has been seen to be stiff in the morning who has refused when this is unusual for him and has tripped while ridden knocking his rider out is not a job for a physio unless a vet has seen the horse first only a vet is trained to diagnose and in the the UK it's not legal for a physio to see such a horse without contacting a the vet first there may be many issues going on here and a vet is best placed to assess what's going on.
 
ladyt25 said:
I think some posters are being quite harsh and frankly nasty and abusive. There is no need for it imo. I personally don't call the vet for every little thing otherwise I'd be bankrupt! If my horse is showing signs of stiffness I would consult a physio before a vet. Recently we got a vet to look at my pony who was having print moving easily. What did the vet say? Get a physio! So that was a waste of £100. I generally now get the vet after I've tried a physio/farrier etc. I don't think you can judge the wellbeing of a horse either from a few seconds of video. Op you have had some good advice so if I were you I would put it to good use and avoid becoming upset by returning to the thread or trying to justify yourself when clearly some posters just want to twist everything because they clearly are 'so experienced and know better'!
Click to expand...

Thank you, im taking on board what everyone says and thanks for saying it in a nice way. :) I just cant help becoming upset as I try to do everything I can for my horse

my horse feels great to ride i knew he was a little bit stiff which is why I put him on the supplements. I didnt think he was in such a bad way that he needed the vet and physio but I was wrong and now il learn from that
 
Snooples you have used HHO for one of the things it does well you have asked a question and got answers and thoughts from lots of different horse owners who don't know you so many of those thoughts are not sugar coated .
You don't need to feel bad the answers will have given you stuff to think about and I fear you are building up to a difficult desision .
 
Goldenstar said:
Snooples you have used HHO for one of the things it does well you have asked a question and got answers and thoughts from lots of different horse owners who don't know you so many of those thoughts are not sugar coated .
You don't need to feel bad the answers will have given you stuff to think about and I fear you are building up to a difficult desision .
Click to expand...

And I am glad for all the help Iv gotten and it has given me plenty to think about but its some of the posts have got me upset, its not about being sugar coated, im fine with people giving me advice straight out. its the ones who have gone out of the way to have personal digs at me saying i dont deserve to own him and im an idiot that hurt me the most
 
Snooples, the problem with your post, and why it got the negative responses it has, is that you are talking about a horse that is out competing one minute, and which has served you well for ten years, to implying that you need to PTS. There is no middle place. You have not even tried cutting down his workload and giving him a quieter life. It is all or nothing from your posts. He HAS to be galloping around jumping. He would HATE being a companion, etc etc. I always am astounded when I hear of horses that are being competed or ridden hard one minute and then when they can no longer do it, are on the scrapheap. I think if you had been more careful how you worded your posts, you would have had much more sympathetic replies.

And another thing, joint supplements take many weeks, even months to work.
 
snooples said:
Thank you for the nice reply, I do try my best with him and Im just learning as Im going as I said its my first older horse.
I cant stop crying over some of the replies so its nice to get one like yours :)
Click to expand...

Like I said before, no one is an expert and they age to quickly that you tend to miss things sometimes. I had an older boy, I made my mistakes with him, certainly didnt mean I loved him any less. If I were you I would let him have a lovely summer doing what you want with him, hacking etc then make your choice in winter, either way you can only do your best for him. Dont take the comments about PTS too much to heart, you will know when its time.
 
Has the horse seen a vet, you need to know the full extent of what youre dealing with, it may not be arthritis, dont wait its not fair on the horse ?
My 30 yo worked until 24 was much leaner than usual over the winter with 2 big conditioning feeds daily, i'll be increasing to 3 times this winter, also her magnet rug and massage pad 3 times a week alternate nights and we (vet) upped her danilon to twice a day, she is on cosequin suppliment as well, she has arthritis in her hocks, and also had a stroke a few years back, she found last winter hard, i dont know if i'll put her through another although shes going out in the morning now back on her one danilon a day and is cantering up the field bucking and leaping like a 2yo, he sounds like hes needing a full management change and a definite change in career, you need to ask yourself if youre prepared to manage an older horse fwiw id look at all year turnout if its arthritis, but you wont know unless you have the vet out.
 
OP I do feel for you. I'm going through a similar thing with my lad he's 15 and has been bad since November and sadly we can't work out a solution. The problem we're having now is whether he'll happily potter around the field or its kinder to pts.

Its good you're getting the vet make sure you don't forget anything when you tell him the problems you're having. Talk to him about bad winters. Personally i don't think any horse winters badly with the correct management. Perhaps he has an underlying issue which is causing him to drop condition. Is he wormed up to date? What is he fed over the winter, is he kept warm enough? My lad is a dreadfully poor doer, whilst out on loan in the summer he looked a hat rack let alone in the winter. But with adlib haylage, 3 feeds a day and sufficient warmth he looks brilliant.

Good luck with him, don't get too upset we all make mistakes he just needs a lot of TLC :)
 
snooples said:
I can give him an easy life while im still around until Sep it is after that the problem arises as I wont be here
Click to expand...

:confused::confused::confused::confused:
Let me get this right, you aren't financially strong enough to get the vet out(often),cant afford livery somewhere else and you wont be here from September? Why on earth do you have a horse, what do you expect him to do all winter wait for you to pop back on him and go jumping again:(
As for the hacking if you only have ONE road wouldn't that mean lots more fields, bridle paths etc i see no reason why he wouldn't enjoy having a nice stroll even canter down a few.
As AM said you just want an excuse to have him put down, and ive said it before and will say it again you care more about the competing side of things than this horse-no problem with that just admit it hes a tool for you to use at your pleasure.:mad:
 
Dont you just love it when an owner can honestly say what a horse will want and not want to do. It must be wonderful to have that skill to read a horses mind. Let the gent retire in a field, cos that is what he would want to do, he has been a good servant.
 
Oddsocks. said:
:confused::confused::confused::confused:
Let me get this right, you aren't financially strong enough to get the vet out(often),cant afford livery somewhere else and you wont be here from September? Why on earth do you have a horse, what do you expect him to do all winter wait for you to pop back on him and go jumping again:(
As for the hacking if you only have ONE road wouldn't that mean lots more fields, bridle paths etc i see no reason why he wouldn't enjoy having a nice stroll even canter down a few.
As AM said you just want an excuse to have him put down, and ive said it before and will say it again you care more about the competing side of things than this horse-no problem with that just admit it hes a tool for you to use at your pleasure.:mad:
Click to expand...

you dont have a clue, iv had this horse since I was 13 years old and we have grown up together. Im going back to uni in sep and will have massive bills for that along with no income
We dont even have bridleways in ireland and i cant just go riding in peoples fields.
Why the hell would i be looking for a reason to put my horse down, I love him!
 
snooples said:
you dont have a clue, iv had this horse since I was 13 years old and we have grown up together. Im going back to uni in sep and will have massive bills for that along with no income
We dont even have bridleways in ireland and i cant just go riding in peoples fields.
Why the hell would i be looking for a reason to put my horse down, I love him!
Click to expand...

Because people have given you ideas, from a happy hacker to finding grass livery somewhere-but you respond with a negative attitude that its not good enough you either want him to be out jumping for you or you will have to get rid of him(loan him out). Your initial question was when do you know when its time to say goodbye-why was you even thinking of this if you LOVE him-i would have gone to the end of the earth to try and provide a solution before even thinking of this.
 
The OP came on here first to ask advice and plan for the future with an aging horse. I have not read anywhere that she claims she knows everything or that she doesnt love this horse! I think by saying she would consider PTS as an option she meant 'if' he went downhill anymore. By reading some of the comments im saddened by the almost bullying!
 
OP my own oldie has slowed down significantly this year. He's in his 20s and has been diagnosed with cushings some months ago. Ive noticed a huge difference between this year and last year.

He's still a cheeky chappy and full of beans! But we have slowed down his physical work due to his health issues. He nannies my youngster, and is currently nannying another baby on the yard (he has found his calling). I'm happy that he looks happy. He's had a hard winter, but he's come round and ive just had a text to say he is racing round like an idiot in the field with his young buddies. Without cob I wouldnt be riding again, I wouldnt have jumped again. He's taught me to sit quiet and acquire a good seat (he's catapulted me out of the side door more times than enough), he knows every trick in the book and in the beginning took the Mick out of me.

I love him and respect him. He's given me my hobby back. When he's ready hes more than earned his retirement and/or his dignity which ever comes first.
 
I dont think anyone is bullying, but the op has asked for advise and when people give that advise she puts more problems in the way. ie, she cant afford the vet, the horse only likes jumping not hacking etc etc.. I feel that she thinks its best to put the horse to sleep but is not being honest with herself about it.
 
I've read through the majority of the posts and so I'm not going to repeat what others have said - youve been given some really useful advice & a number of options to consider. I do agree that it's probably time to start slowing down, and worth a vet visit (just the one!) just so that you can have some professional advice from somebody who can see him in the flesh & who can advise you on the best route to take. The vet can look into mobility & can let you know if something like bute will help your lad as he ages - although supplements are fantastic, sometimes they are not enough on their own.
If you're concerned about him losing condition over the winter, is it possible for you to put him on retirement livery? They're not necessarily expensive yards (it's pretty much grass livery with supervision), and he'll get plenty of freedom of movement to help his joints (much more beneficial than being stabled for the majority of winter). He doesn't have to be completely retired to go to one - but it would be an environment suitable for the older horse where you would be able to go and see him / hack him out in a different location to the one you say he's bored with - and you could take him home over the summer months when you're not at uni and have time to spend with him?
 
itsmylife said:
I dont think anyone is bullying, but the op has asked for advise and when people give that advise she puts more problems in the way. ie, she cant afford the vet, the horse only likes jumping not hacking etc etc.. I feel that she thinks its best to put the horse to sleep but is not being honest with herself about it.
Click to expand...

Iv said numerous times that il get the vet out asap and that Im more than happy to give him an easy few months and send him on loan for hacking in sep when im gone.
Im sick of people saying that Im avoiding the answers when I havent!!!!
 
starryeyed said:
I've read through the majority of the posts and so I'm not going to repeat what others have said - youve been given some really useful advice & a number of options to consider. I do agree that it's probably time to start slowing down, and worth a vet visit (just the one!) just so that you can have some professional advice from somebody who can see him in the flesh & who can advise you on the best route to take. The vet can look into mobility & can let you know if something like bute will help your lad as he ages - although supplements are fantastic, sometimes they are not enough on their own.
If you're concerned about him losing condition over the winter, is it possible for you to put him on retirement livery? They're not necessarily expensive yards (it's pretty much grass livery with supervision), and he'll get plenty of freedom of movement to help his joints (much more beneficial than being stabled for the majority of winter). He doesn't have to be completely retired to go to one - but it would be an environment suitable for the older horse where you would be able to go and see him / hack him out in a different location to the one you say he's bored with - and you could take him home over the summer months when you're not at uni and have time to spend with him?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, iv never heard of retirement livery and am not sure if e have any round here but it is definately something il look into. Loaning him would really be the best thing as with uni fees il already be struggling but il do whatever I need to
 
BlackVelvet said:
The OP came on here first to ask advice and plan for the future with an aging horse. I have not read anywhere that she claims she knows everything or that she doesnt love this horse! I think by saying she would consider PTS as an option she meant 'if' he went downhill anymore. By reading some of the comments im saddened by the almost bullying!
Click to expand...

Some people just wont listen to me at all and keep going on about how i wont call out the vet or take on board any of the advice even though iv stated I will! But thanks for your comments, they do help when i feel like im being knocked down all over the place!
pts is only an option if i cant find anywhere for him this winter, id rather he didnt suffer through another one where he is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top