If your horse could no longer be ridden.....

If you could no longer ride your horse because he had a medical condition, WWYD?

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I'm another who would/might have to keep a field ornament - he's having 3 months off after Tildren and shockwave, and may/may not come back into light work. I really don't mind either way - he's had a long and successful career, and owes nobody a thing, and he's a lovely character who is as happy as larry hanging out in the field.
I bought him after a long break from horses, so wasn't in a place where riding every day was wired into my DNA, and I'm very happy just having him around. It's a bit like having a large dog.

I have no problem with keeping older horsesa bit of bute, but if pain relief didn't work, I would have no hesitation in having him PTS
 
Im in this situation very sadly with my grey. I evented and BSJA'd him until he did his tendon seriously in March. He's got a very rare injury, Dick Vet have only seen one other like it so they don't really know his prognosis but at one point it was 25% chance of ever being ridden again and that was likely just as a gentle hack (which he isn't!). So basically I've come to terms with the fact that he's now a field ornament. He's 14 so thankfully not too young, but I fully intend to keep him as an ornament. PTS is never an option unless he was unhappy. Its difficult as I think obviously any horse who is lame (normally a main reason to be unrideable) is lame because its slightly sore on that leg, but its the degree of the soreness which dictates if the horse remains happy to be kept alive. I think you know though just by looking at them if they're happy or not. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that my horse doesn't need to be PTS, although he hates not being ridden or going to events (he's a very active minded horse), he still will rear, bronc and gallop about in the field if I let him so he cant be that sore! He's not overly lame though, someone non horsesy wouldnt know he was in walk. I intend to claim loss of use for him soon so hopefully that cash will help look after him for a while. At the end of the day, yes I cant really afford to keep him but I will because he's given me so much that I owe it him.

I have horses to compete although saying that I've now got my grey and my 2 retired ponies... and I've just taken the risk on another horse who was saved from being PTS recently, he could also end up lame again but Im really hoping not... as that'll be a very expensive FOURTH field ornament (he's about 17.1hh!). I wont be able to afford another horse after this... But to be honest, if you really want to ride then you can make it happen. With my own horse off (and before I got this recent horse), I had nothing to ride so I ended up being given 2 horses for a while - 1 to back for the owner and another to take out BSJA'ing for another lady. Thats the best way IMO as at least they pay for the horses keep (and competing etc.) so its sort of like having a free horse, although of course its still not like having your own.
 
jesstickle said:
I guess I couldn't really say what I'd do until I have to deal with the situation.
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This is me. I would love to think i could keep my boy as a field ornament, I have the money and could access the facilities if needed. I owe him the best possible life, ridden or not. However I feel uncomfortable with the idea that he would need to be on pain relief everyday. What is comfortable? I think i would rather pts knowing he would feel nothing than have him in any sort of pain, even if at what people are saying could be tolerable at low levels. It would really depend on how he took to non ridden life and it would be constantly assesed as better too soon than a day too late. In reality knowing my boy i would think pts would be the decision i would have to make and it would the right one.
 
SplashofSoy said:
This is me. I would love to think i could keep my boy as a field ornament, I have the money and could access the facilities if needed. I owe him the best possible life, ridden or not. However I feel uncomfortable with the idea that he would need to be on pain relief everyday. What is comfortable?
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Lots of horses are perfectly comfortable as long as they don't have to work! I don't mean that like they're skiving either, I just mean without the weight of a rider expecting them to engage their back end and perform athletically on all surfaces they can live in a field for years and no one would know there was a problem, including the horse who would be compensating automatically and often wouldn't need any pain relief. The problem is often only a problem because we want to ride them. Navicular is the most obvious example.
 
Retirement for horses is a personal choice for the owner and you need to base it on the individual horse . My experiance is you cant call which horse will settle to it and which don't which ones whose conditions settle and which ones don't ,you have to decide when you are in the situation.
One of mine a lovely mare who had damaged a knee in an accident would not settle in the field ( never liked turn out) she spent hours fretting at the gate stressed everytime the lorry went of the yard we tried stabling at night and doing work roultine with out work a bit better but still stessy and unhappy so we PTS another who was a complete workaholic settled fine and enjoyed retirement .I just decide at the time , I never keep them once they not field sound.
 
I kept mine and found a share. We would never have sold her as she was the type you could bute up and sell as sound and perfect for granny to hunt. We owed her more than that, so decided to keep her whether we could ride her or not. She was only ever hacking sound after that (DDFT injury in foot).

I'd always try to keep them, because when I buy a horse I make a commitment to care for it the best I can, no matter what. But it would also depend on the horse, as has been said, and whether it can / will retire.
 
There's too many different scenarios to judge whether its ok to keep an unsound horse as a field ornament or not. One that shows up 1/10 lame in trot on a tight circle on one rein, on hard ground is entirely different to something 3/10 lame in walk. Or an older horse with arthritis, that no longer flexes at the hocks quite as well as it did in its youth could well be perfectly content retired, whereas one half crippled is obviously going to be in discomfort.
 
There is always Horse Agility - like dog agility and also similar to the Trec obstacles.

Of course, the horse would have to be sound enough to be able to travel and take part, and you would have to think whether it is "worth" it with an older horse as the training would be quite time consuming and you are not riding (which I admit I would miss a lot).

But if you had a favourite and wanted to do something with, rather than just turn out, it is a thought.
 
That's where I am at the moment as it looks like mine is not going to recover from his shoulder injury.

Luckily the yard I'm on can let me put him on grass livery so he's going to potter in a field over the winter with another retired and one turned away to see if he copes both with living out and is not deteriorating to the point that he can't go on.

I'll reassess in the spring and see whether it might be better to send him to a retirement livery place but doing it where I am means I can bring him back in quickly if he does go downhill or isn't coping.

I've done the sums and I can afford one on grass and one on part so I'll get myself something to ride.
 
I fall somewhere between the first & second options.

Had to make a decision with my old boy; he'd had cushing/lammi for some years and I wasn't able to ride him at all for the last 18 months of his life - however it got to the stage where he was in pain and it simply wasn't fair to make him suffer anymore so he was PTS.

I think with horses that are in significant pain and/or distress; OR have lost the will to fight anymore, then its far kinder to PTS TBH. Or in situations where for whatever reason the owner is no longer able to afford to keep them and pay for medication etc.

There's nothing more tragic than the adverts one sees all too regularly for poor old horses/ponies that have done their share and taught people to ride and/or taken their owners hunting all their lives, and been faithful in that - only to have to re-adjust to another home when they're old & infirm. Plus the all-too-common fact that a lot of them will end up with the meat man.

With my boy: he's 16 now and I'll never sell him, simply because he can be quirky and would only end up getting passed on. So he'll stay with me till the end, whatever that is. Little mare is on permanent loan, so when the time comes me and her owner will make sure the right thing is done. Its the very least we can do for our horses and nothing makes me sadder and angrier than people who just discard their faithful hunters or children's ponies when they hit veteran age and don't make either proper retirement provision OR do the decent thing and PTS.
 
criso said:
That's where I am at the moment as it looks like mine is not going to recover from his shoulder injury.

Luckily the yard I'm on can let me put him on grass livery so he's going to potter in a field over the winter with another retired and one turned away to see if he copes both with living out and is not deteriorating to the point that he can't go on.

I'll reassess in the spring and see whether it might be better to send him to a retirement livery place but doing it where I am means I can bring him back in quickly if he does go downhill or isn't coping.

I've done the sums and I can afford one on grass and one on part so I'll get myself something to ride.
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What did he do to his shoulder? How long ago was it? Have a look at my thread
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=568127

Never say never. :)
 
Wagtail said:
What did he do to his shoulder? How long ago was it? Have a look at my thread
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=568127

Never say never. :)
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Interesting. How lame was yours when you turned away and would this have influenced your decision?

He had a bone cyst in his shoulder, vets have no idea what caused it but it is in a position when the biceps brachii rubs so there is some damage there.

As I was insured they operated and essentially cleaned everything up and flushed it out however these cysts are very rare so they had no real idea of prognosis.

I did the box rest and walking for 8 or 9 weeks and initially it looked like he was making progress however he then went backwards again and when I took him for a check up there was still alot of inflammation and fluid there and he was as lame as before. 5/10 in trot and not extending the injured leg as far in walk.

They talked about reoperating or operating to cut the tendon but that just isn't justified with no real idea of success.

However since the op he is happy and bright and doesn't seem bothered. He lies on that side which he didn't so before.

I have with vets agreement been trying some turnout and he doesn't make himself any worse pottering about but is a bit sore if he has a broncing session. If he does this it's when he first goes out which makes me think that actually being out all the time would calm things down and prevent these episodes. Also the grass livery field is further away and quieter so he won't be upset by exciting activity.

I'm not pinning any hopes but it great to hear your story and who knows where he'll be after a long turn away.
 
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We have a retired one and he's just happy being loved. He's given us years of happiness, taught my children to ride (and fall off) and owes us nothing.
Thankfully we can afford more than one, but I've always said when he gets to the point when he needs buting I'll have the hunt out to him.
My children are more into him after he retired than I expected, I thought they'd lose interest but they treat him like their granddad and take him for long walks in hand, take him round to their friends houses for 'visits', and spend all their pocket money on totally unsuitable sugary treat bars and rugs for him.
I could NEVER have a horse put down simply because it didn't suit my wishes. To me riding is an added bonus of having horses, but the most fun is the caring for them and the relationship.
 
I can't think of many scenarios where a horse can be comfortable on permanent field retirement yet not be up tot he odd quite hack a few times a week.

If my horse was not sound and comfortable and could not be made sound either by treatment or management he would be PTS.
 
2 years ago I had by beautiful 8yo TB mare PTS. ( I bought her when she was 4 )

She could have been ridden again maybe. But she was young, she needed constant bute, physiotherapy, had been in low grade constant pain for years (Me and the vet thought this due to her behaviour over the past few years).

I had her PTS.

Sounds heartless but it was the hardest decision of my life and one I hope to never have to make again. ( I was 19 when I made that decision, and got alot of flack from the YO for it! )

I felt that with no winter turnout, harsh winters, I wanted to ride properly and she would only ever be a happy hacker (Bear in mind she was awful on the roads). Nothing stacked in her favour for a happy pain free life.

If my mare could have been field sound on no bute she would still be here.

Moral of this story:

a) It depends on the person, can you afford the bills andhave time for the care. Personal circumstances do come into this and I am not a fan of just passing on your problems and vets bills.

b) It depends on what condition the horse is suffering from. You know your horse, you know if your horse is happy or not. Mine wasn't.
 
I've voted PTS if in discomfort and needed constant bute as this is what I had to do on Monday and it has been hell on earth and by no means the easy way out

I would have given her my own feet if it had meant she would have a long and happy retirement in a field. I just couldn't bring myself to add another 6 months of box rest for this major bout of stress lami onto the 10 months we have just done on and off for a horse that has given me endless happiness and lovely memories.

It is heart breaking to have your pride and joy on and off lame each time it gives you hope that they will get better.

She was on 2 bute a day miserable on box rest and still in pain thats no life for a 20 year old who has worked her little socks off for you, So many people leave oldies on retirement in fields and think that not making a decision is kinder - Its my opinion that ignoring things is making a decision and its not a kind one..... I unfortunately had to live by the sword on that one and it hurts like hell even if you know in your heart you did the right thing
 
cinnamontoast said:
As in, they just wanted rid? Didn't even occur to me, tbh!

Just having a minor panic about mine: hock x rays were done today, possibly bony changes which mean intermittent lameness. I was trying to put myself in a position whereby if he does need to retire (aged 9 :rolleyes:) I would know what to do. I don't know what the prognosis is yet, need to think through potentials just in case. I'm a bit weird that way. :o
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I can understand your thought process. I'm a bit the same myself.
When my young horse retired it was almost be default at first because of her behavioural issues which we later found out were caused by eating cereals/sugar. Unfortunately even after we stopped feeding her these things, we couldn't stop passersby feeding her and that made her unpredictable and dangerous. She was not in any pain, although was in some discomfort when fed the wrong things, so a bit different from your situation.
We had 3 horses at livery and then bought another for me and sister's novice OH to ride. Eventually that horse was one of the reasons that we decided to pool our resources and buy a smallholding. She lived to be 24, when she was pts after a stroke.
 
Unless in that situation for definite I really wouldn't know. My mare isn't the sort who would happily be a field ornament for the rest of her life, she has a very active brain and even a couple of weeks off and you can tell she want to be doing something.
 
criso said:
Interesting. How lame was yours when you turned away and would this have influenced your decision?

He had a bone cyst in his shoulder, vets have no idea what caused it but it is in a position when the biceps brachii rubs so there is some damage there.

As I was insured they operated and essentially cleaned everything up and flushed it out however these cysts are very rare so they had no real idea of prognosis.

I did the box rest and walking for 8 or 9 weeks and initially it looked like he was making progress however he then went backwards again and when I took him for a check up there was still alot of inflammation and fluid there and he was as lame as before. 5/10 in trot and not extending the injured leg as far in walk.

They talked about reoperating or operating to cut the tendon but that just isn't justified with no real idea of success.

However since the op he is happy and bright and doesn't seem bothered. He lies on that side which he didn't so before.

I have with vets agreement been trying some turnout and he doesn't make himself any worse pottering about but is a bit sore if he has a broncing session. If he does this it's when he first goes out which makes me think that actually being out all the time would calm things down and prevent these episodes. Also the grass livery field is further away and quieter so he won't be upset by exciting activity.

I'm not pinning any hopes but it great to hear your story and who knows where he'll be after a long turn away.
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Mine was on box rest for three months and then had her assessment at Rossdales. They said that she was beyond help and that it was not worth operating, but that there was a small chance that she may become comfortable to live in the field. When the horses went out in the spring, I made her a small pen the size of two stables inside one of the paddocks. She stayed in that for a further month, and then I started to make the pen gradually larger each week.

She was still two tenths lame in trot when she had her follow up assessment. The specialist then confirmed that she was not in much pain and that the lameness was largely mechanical. To give you an idea just how unstable the joint was, the specialist did some stretches. If you stand at the horse's shoulder and pick up the foot bending it at the knee, then try to stretch the leg backwards towards the hind legs, with a normal uninjured horse you cannot stretch the leg back much past the verticle. However, with my mare, she was able to stretch it back really far, almost until the back of the forearm was parallel with the belly. :eek: She re scanned the tendon and it had shown little improvement. This was six months down the line. But she did not need pain killers by then.

I took her home and thought my only hope was to get her paddock sound. So I continued increasing the size of her turnout. 8 months after the injury she was only around 1 tenth lame and in a normal sized paddock. But then she suffered a major setback and I found her badly lame, and on three legs in the paddock. I was gutted! It was back to box rest and two danilon a day. However she made a rapid recovery, and this time was back out in a normal sized paddock after 4 weeks. Touch wood, she has not had a severe setback since. Occasionally, she has gone lame, but it has been short lived, and the time between relapses gradually increased. She has now been without a relapse for 18 months and is so far tolerating being brought back into work.

ETA: The vet said that it was a very rare injury. Indeed, if you google it, it is very hard to find any case studies, so I think the vets are uncertain of the prognosis.
 
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If Izzy was sound in the field and happy in himself then I would keep him going for as long as he was happy.

I am lucky in that he is on loan from a rescue so he could always go back to the rescue for retirement if I couldn't keep him. But he thrives on one-to-one attention now and I love him to bits so I wouldn't ever send him back.

I would probably get a share to keep doing some riding.
 
Little Fat Pony said:
If my horse was in any sort of pain I'd PTS, if not I'd keep him as a field ornament, not 100% sure which box to tick :)
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Have been in this situation, old mare was a field ornament for 3 yrs then she got an infection in her back legs 1 months worth of diff, antibiotics (400.00) later still couldnt move, so done the right thing for her, PTS (200.00) remove (220.00)

I ticked the pts box cause that is what i done.
 
All ours are currently field ornaments.
Hopefully one or two will earn their keep next year and we'll have a couple of foals out of them and the others will be brought on and ridden soon.
I'd happily keep as field ornaments if none were ever worked again though.

That said if any needed medical treatment they'd be pts. OH would pain manage and keep. I would have mine pts if daily pain medication was required. Anything medicated that could be controlled I'd have done. Box rest or a long stint at the vets for anything requiring an op would be almost definitely pts, I couldn't put any of mine through that.

Pan
 
If Bluebell was in constant pain I would pts him as he is such a nerd lol :)

But seen as I don't even ride now as I am too big, obvs I would keep him lol! He is no field ornament though I have him out inhand at least 3 times a week for as long as we can, do any type of groundwork I can think of plus he has a little rider once a week.

I just love him and all the time caring for / being around him :)
 
I would definately PTS if my mare was in pain without relief. It just wouldnt be fair to her to have her in a field in pain.
I know of an owner whose horse has been diagnosed with arthritic hocks (both) and possible arthritis in front legs too.
Horse is on maximum dose of Bute, and now is going to insist on further investigations as the horse has very quickly deteriorated.
I feel incredibly sorry for the owner, but also for the horse who is now going to be subjected to all sorts, and for what? A difinative diagnosis?
 
some horses just dont do field ornament and not everyone can afford one.
I had one which had we known at the beginning what happened at the end we wouldnt have put him through all the diagnosis and treatment which didnt work anyway. I had said all along that this horse did not do field rest or any other rest tbh very well. 3 months of box rest I was then advised field rest, I went along with it only for him to have a horrific accident in the field 3 days later and the decision that should have been made 3 months previously was then made :(
Only you know your horse, your circumstance & your thoughts.
 
AMW said:
I had said all along that this horse did not do field rest or any other rest tbh very well. 3 months of box rest I was then advised field rest, I went along with it only for him to have a horrific accident in the field 3 days later and the decision that should have been made 3 months previously was then made :(
Only you know your horse, your circumstance & your thoughts.
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I do agree that box rest is often not the best form of action to take. 3 months cooped up in a 12x12 sends most horses off their heads and then once turned out, if not in a tiny pen for a few weeks first, straight into a big field it can all go horribly wrong. I don't 'do' box rest. Ever. For this precise reason. Tiny paddock is what I use. And then gradually increase the size of turnout over the space of weeks/months.

Have to say in my experience there are very very few horses who cannot be pasture ornaments. I've had many competition horses here who (truthfully, you seriously wonder whether they can come down from that high of competing) after time and very careful management became most happy spending the rest of their days roughed off and out 24/7. Actually there has only been one where I felt I may have made a bad judgement about doing this however just as I was considering PTS the horse came right and that was the start of enjoying the different lifestyle afforded to her.
 
Wagtail
Thanks for the history

I could put a pen in the field but horse has a history of walking through them and coming in to winter I would want the option of him finding the most sheltered bits.
However he is a horse who doesn't mind being out whatever the weather despite being a tb what he is desperate for is company.
I think he will be quietest in one place with the other retirees so I will try that and monitor closely.

The joint is stable and I talked to the vet in detail about the danger of catastrophic injury if I put him out but it's not that sort of problem as the tendon is not weight bearing.
 
the horse we had was on 3 months box rest but we were walking out in hand 3 times a day (on vets advice)
He was an ex racer and an old racing injury was his problem, he lacked social skills with other horses but did not like being on his own in the field. He was turned out in a small paddock but managed to have an accident pulling a front shoe off with a back hoof, the shoe embedded in his pedaL bone & coffin joint and was going to need another few months box rest for him to recover ( if at all), it was the other back leg & I decided enough was enough and called it a day (with 2 vets support)
 
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