How many times is too many times to 'try again'?

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ChestnutHunter

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I have written a few posts on here about my self destructing horse who seems to have every issue under the sun. To cut a very long story short, he had been turned away 3 months ago and 'retired' after I decided to give him away as a companion as I really did not want to PTS. He is only 9 this year.

We had N&F surgery this time last year as he was diagnosed with PSD behind, from which I had to turn him out not long after because he had become unmanageable to hand walk and so we decided for mine and his safety we would let nature run its course. The vet was optimistic after the surgery that he would return to unaffiliated competition. He came back from the field sound and we started to lightly work him again in the April, however he went lame again in front at the back end of June. The issue this time was that he looked to have just strained a tendon slightly in the field on a foreleg, but I felt that I had lost all hope and so we let it rest and he has been out in the field ever since. I had decided at that point that my two years of endless issues with him had taken its toll and so I planned to retire him.

He is now coming back to me shortly because he isn't coping well with the turnout this time around, it is on a very bleak moor and quite wild weather whereas last time he had a large shelter etc. His new owner is finding him difficult to manage.

Now that he is coming back, the only option seemed to have him PTS as I cannot afford to keep a horse as a pet as such. I feel like I have been through so much with this horse that I just cant accept that he wont be ridden again, but I don't know if I am clinging on to false hope.

Can somebody please tell me I am deluded because I am completely 50/50 on what to do?!
 
I took a look at your previous threads on this horse and his issues, I think you have 2 options now, either pts before he comes back, you should be able to arrange it so it is done where he is if the loaner is willing or possibly take him directly to the kennels so you don't get too involved and start to over think things, or find somewhere he can go on a decent grass livery for the winter then restart bringing him back into work with a view to pts if he either does not look right over the winter or does not cope with work at any point, he is a very big horse with a lot going on so option 1 is probably the most sensible.
 
Similar to the hooligan, I decided to retire him out to grass this summer. Six years of endless accidents, injuries and ailments and I realised that this wasn't going to work. He's absolutely fine and enjoying his new way of life, but he did drop weight a month or so ago and although it went back on when he moved to the winter field, I am living in slight fear that he won't do well out and will have to come home. I love the bones of him, but he's big, extremely high-maintenance, can be silly behaviour wise and I already have 2 on the yard so don't really want to go back to 3- cost and time wise. I would seriously consider having hooligan PTS is it doesn't work out for him this winter. In your situation, I would probably do the same.
 
I really believe some horses just never come right, even if they get over one thing they just have an endless stream of other issues.

I pts a horse I loved last year, as even retiring him to live out 24/7 was a fulltime care job. He got endless abcesses and injuries and I made the call to pts. Some just don't retire to field-life well, and he was miserable. I knew I had tried every vet/care option out there, and at the end of the day I didn't have an endless stream of time and money. He had a good life and I knew I had done my best by him, but retiring him was unmanageable for me.
 
Ah, they break your heart sometimes. I don't know your full history but I can sympathise to a degree. After 2/3 years of on/off issues by the 3rd incident I decided to put mine out to grass livery and see what happened. She took a while to settle but is now happy and actually doing much better health-wise. For me, it would be a case of seeing if there was a semi/retirement arrangement that would suit and which you can manage, but if unhappy or in pain or unsustainable then it might be the sad PTS option.
 
yep I have another heartbreaker. over 4 years of relentless injury/treatment/rest/rehab/return to work cycle.... this time is the last time. She is doing her last stint of box rest until she's field sound, and then she will retire to grass. If she can't stay sound enough to potter about in the field then we will have to PTS. I am lucky to an extent that I *think* I have a suitable field for her which I think she will thrive in and which won't cost me too much. Just have to hope she doesn't start doing zoomies and do herself a catastrophic injury. :(

I think I'm with BP on this one.
 
Could he be a hack? Maybe he wont cope with anything more than that but would have a job as that. Personally I couldnt put down a horse who was happy and not in pain. Ive currently got one retired horse who I will keep to the end of his days (DDFT injury but 98% sound and perfectly happy these days) and until recently had a retired 17.1hh warmblood who I only had to PTS due to an accident. I know some people will put horses down if they dont have a job, but I personally couldnt. Would the horse be a decent hack and do you think he'd cope lameness wise, if so that could be an option?
 
Can i ask why is it you are so against PTS? Hes not coping with turnout, not easy to handle and cant be ridden. Not a great companion prospect...

As much as i love horses and think that they should not just be shot because they are an inconvenience (NOT saying that is what this horse is to you) you need to look at the bigger picture. If you can not afford to keep a hard to handle wimpy horse that has many physical issues, just let it end. You're not doing anything wrong..its worse to have alife of stress and pain just to be alive than it is to just not. Noone wins here.
 
You've done your utmost best within your personal capabilities. If the horse isn't coping with what you can offer then it would be kinder to let it go. Most owners (with a conscience) take that silent oath upon purchase that should the horse become unsuitable for what we buy/breed them for, we find them a more suitable home for the sake of their happiness, sanity and health. Should they become injured etc and not come right or require extensive management that means rehoming is less of an option should they fall into the wrong hands, we make the other decision. I turned my boy away for 2 long and painful years in a bid to come sound. He was a pain in the backside to handle, he stopped eating, lost weight, jumped out of the field, stressed, box walked when we tried stabling, hated his field mates so had to have individual turnout, refused to be caught... what kind of life for a horse who didn't enjoy it. Luckily he came sound, but has had many bouts of on/off lameness and other issues since. Although I am lucky that these have always self resolved (up to now anyway), due to insurance exclusions and my limited income meaning treatment would be limited to rehab which I can do without much vet intervention, the day he does something that results in definite retirement, I will not put ourselves through that stress again.
 
I'm in a similar situation with mine except my head isn't ready to give up, so i'll probably throw some more money his way in hope it sticks.

4 years i've owned him, hes been in work for 1 year of that, hes had 3 lots of surgery. He last injured in 2015 and he's yet to make it back into work. I turned him away for a year in a big field to try and get him sound, took him a good while to settle in to the herd, then i had to bring him home for emergency surgery when we found a cyst blocking his airway. He's one of these that loves to be in work doing something so i'm not sure he will take to retirement so we shall continue to try to help him.... vet due back out next week.

Sounds to me like you've given up hope of riding him again (nothing wrong with that) your probably just one step ahead of me tbh. If he wont settle on turnout than i would suggest pts if all other options have been followed.... i'm not one to give up easily that's why i'm still going 4 years later! horrible situation to be in.... hugs to you x
 
There is always the Equine Bloodbank - he would be likely to meet their criteria and it's a home for life. They winter in large barns which may suit him better than out 24/7 by the sound of it and they stay in their 'herd' at all times so they tend to settle well. It has been a life saver (quite literally) for a few of mine that have had career ending issues. The waiting list opens on 2nd Jan but they don't actually take them until April/May so you could try to get him a place and then try bringing him into work early spring knowing that you've got an alternative if it doesn't work out x
 
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