If your horse was no longer rideable, what would you do?

[Happy Horse]

When my old horse was no longer rideable he was kept as a pet because he was happy loafing about the field with his friends and I enjoyed looking after him. Had he not been able to enjoy this life he would have been PTS.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

This is what we did:
Retired her, bought another (that made 4) and kept them all together at livery. A few years later we then found out how difficult it was nursing an ill horse (who made a full recovery although we lost her foal) at livery. That made our minds up and sister and I sold both our houses and bought a smallholding together. The 'unrideable' horse stayed with us until she had a stroke aged 24. The last of those that came with us has been retired for about 5 years now and will live out her retirement with us until she is no longer fit to do so. We think we have a responsibility to them.

 

[gemmahodgkinson]

elsa has just turned seven and has been out of work since last october following SL complications caused by a fractured splint bone.
i bought elsa as a forever horse 2 years ago, she fractured her leg 2 weeks after getting her home and since then she has only been in work for 10 months. She may never be ridden again, only time and rest will tell. At the moment, I'm prepared for worst case scenario that she can't ever be ridden.
She will stay with me until her time comes, whether that is next year or twenty years, because quite simply i owe it to her. It's not her fault what has happened, so why should she receive any less care or commitment than when i could ride her? I also would not forgive myself if someone sold her on as a riding horse and she was in pain or moved from pillar to post.
if a riding horse isn't what you want and you just don't gel, I wouldn't have any issue with selling on.
But if you just want to get rid because they are old or injured and cannot be ridden anymore I would either keep or PTS because difficult, old and injured horses are the types of horses who are vulnerable to poor treatment.
I have cried in my tack room looking at my dusty saddle sitting there while my friends all go off doing fun rides etc, i have to pay for riding lessons at a riding school and i have to beg steal and borrow hacks on my friends horses but the fact that i know elsa is happy contented and safe makes up for it.
sorry for the ramble and slight rant!
(I didn't see the original post by the way so am not having a dig about that, this is just my opinion on crocked horses!)

 

[ladyt25]

My horses now would be kept til 'the end' as it were,if they were unrideable then they would be retired and maybe we are lucky as we have our own land and a fair bit of it so we don't have the expense of paying to keep a horse on livery.

I couldn't put a horse down just because I couldn't afford to keep it and wanted something new, if that horse could live perfect happily out in a field. It just isn't in my nature I'm afraid as I put the life of anything (animal or human) above finances if I'm perfectly honest and keeping my animals is my responsibility and something I 'signed up for' when I got them.

I haven't had to sell any of my horses - we tried once to sell my 14.2hh but realised, due to his erratic behaviour my conscience wouldn't have coped with and we still have him now. I am glad, he had a sh*tty life before we had him, was a nervous wreck and, although talented he was too scared and nervy to be a jumping pony which is what he'd been use for previously. Instead of him being passed around again and again (he already had been) we decided to keep him.

I haven't read whatever thread it was previously that this one supposedly relates to but I don't believe in passing on a problem horse really, it makes you as irresponsible as the last person and it isn't fair on the horse at the end of the day. Still, with any luck maybe that horse will eventually find someone who maybe does ;click' with it. I did find it amazing the amount of stories you hear of "unrideable horses" who actually turn out to be perfectly rideable with the right match of owner.

 

[saddlesore]

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe in this instance, i.e. Pixxie and Marley, as she cannot pay for the horse's keep, she might have to move him on - their might be outside pressures. I don't know if this is the case in this instance, it is a hypothesis only.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this. She is only 16 and especially if she is not from a horsey background then there may well be pressure put on her to sell on. As an adult, or a teenager with financial backing and support, things can be different and it is then your choice. I dont know the details but things are rarely as straightforward as they seem. Besides, Pixxies advert has made it clear that the horse isnt rideable. I dont think she is letting the horse down. Just my opinion.

 

[Donkeymad]

I have not yet read the other post, by Pixxie? I assume that has been done and dusted within that thread.
So, in answer to Puppy's question, I would keep any horse that I own for as long as possible, with their health being the most important deciding factor. being unrideable does not enter into the equation. As for breeding from them, get real!! That is not a good reason to breed.

 

[xspiralx]

If the circumstances allowed, then I would hopefully keep the horse as a companion/field ornament or maybe loan out for breeding or light hacking if that was possible. However, that would only be possible if I had my own land, or access to very cheap grazing. It would also depend on the horse - if it was a horse I really loved I would make a lot more effort to keep it than another.

If the circumstances weren't there then I would probably PTS.

 

[Coffee_Bean]

Tbh I honestly don't know. I'm 15 and my parents aren't in the position to afford 2 horses. I doubt they would want to shell out money for one that I couldn't really get anything back from. It would depend why it was unrideable- if it was unsound, it would depend to what degree whether I would try to loan out as a companion, possibly try and send to a place that takes mares for embryo transfer or PTS.

Pixxie has made it very clear that marley is so bad in his advert, and it is likely people would want to take it on as a project?! There is a website called project horses for crying out loud, so are they all being irresponsible by selling those horses? I know people on here have bought off there too, so I don't get why people are so quick to judge when they don't knows the ins and outs of the situation.

 

[Swift08]

If I couldnt ride Pharaoh anymore I would probably keep him as he is just minus the riding aslong as he's comfortable/hapy. If we could afford another horse to buy/loan/share then I would do that... if we couldnt then I would be happy to not ride regulary.

 

[Grey_Eventer]

The thing is guys, Pixxie has made a decision not on her own. It was made by her YO,YM, instructor and parents. Call them heartless, call them whatever, but at the end of the day the decision was made with everyones best interests.
Alot of you are talking about old horses, Marley is not old, he does not need to be retired. He loves being handled, he thrives off it. He shouldnt just be put out in the field as a pet, that is not fair on him as he loves being groomed and cared for. Due to his history he is scared of being ridden, Pixxie has got far further than any professional has/would/could as she was patient and they built up trust. But due to his past he is just too much for Pixxie to cope with. She would LOVE to keep Marley. But the thing is she cannot. All of you are saying (apart from a few) that once retiring a horse you bought a new one. She cannot do this. She is going to college in septemeber, and when she bought Marley, she bought him to have fun on, take to college etc. She made allowwances for him so she had enough money for any vet bills, feed, livery, bedding and any extras she thought she may need, but when you buy a horse you never think this is going to happen. She has been through hell and back over the last 6 months or so. She has made so many decisions, trying to keep everyone and everything happy, but for a 16 year old child to do on her own is very hard. We both understand why you are cross, angry, upset etc. etc. but it is the nature of this situation that means she has to come to this decision. This is breaking her heart, and you can go on and on about retiring,loaning,PTS etc. etc. but there is no point in putting a happy horse down. there is no point in retiring a horse that isnt in pain. He just needs a home with time and experience to work through this mental block he has towards riding. He is by no means dangerous- far from it. He just needs some help as is very scared of being ridden.
Im sorry if you think this is a bad decision, but it is one that has to be made. I am sure you will all have to make decisions you neither want to or agree with, but you have to. it is life. we have to live it. we get one chance at it.
I think this post was way too over the top, and a very personal attack on a 16 year old girl. i understand this is an open forum where people can express their views but i think you could have done so in a far kinder way. instead of attacking her decision, i ams ure you could have offered support and help. she would have received it with great pleasure as she needs all the support and help she can get at the moment.

 

[Chestnuttymare]

Both of mine will stay with me until the end. When i bought my mare, she was so disturbed, nervous wreck which made her dangerous as she would attack rather than run. I tried to take her back to the person who sold her to me )because she terrified me) and was told that she would go for meat if she was that mental. I couldn't do that so thought that if we were stuck with each other, then we had better make the most of it. I got help from a good horsewoman and i persevered and i now have a wonderful, loyal, talented horse.
She still has some insecurites but she is all the horse she is going to be. I could never part with her, we know each other inside out. My other one is my sons pony who is in his 20's, still rideable but got no little jockey. He is my little honey and will stay with me forever too.

ets, small part of reason that i would not sell her is because she would be a different horse for someone else and would be the type to be passed around or go on the bad lorry.

 

[spotty_pony]

Mine are all with me for life, if I could not ride any of them ever again, I would still keep them ... I love them too much to sell them!

 

[AmyMay]

Clearly in Pixxie's case - there are no winners. Pixxie, because she is being dictated to. Marley, because he faces a very uncertain future. I don't know enough about either of them to really have much of an opinion on their situation - as I have tended not to read her posts. But it does seem such a shame that this horse is to be moved on again.

But, it's a sad fact of life, that the majority of us keep our horses on livery - and so are not necessarily in the position of being able to afford more than 1 horse. Let alone a field ornament. In an ideal world a 'safe' loan home as a companion would be the perfect solution. But of course we don't live in the ideal world....

In answer to Puppy's question - my beloved Amy May was put down. And I struggle with that decision every day. However, I would not have dreamt of selling her on. And for various reasons I felt unable to put her out on loan as a companion. That's the short version.....

With my current horse - if the worst happened, but he was able to be a field ornament - that's what he'd be. And I would forgo the riding. However, I'm not 16........

As I said, in Pixxie's and Marleys case - there are no winners. And all that Pixxie's family can do is to ensure the best possible outcome for him as possible (whatever that might be).

 

[Booboos]

[ QUOTE ]

I think this post was way too over the top, and a very personal attack on a 16 year old girl. i understand this is an open forum where people can express their views but i think you could have done so in a far kinder way. instead of attacking her decision, i ams ure you could have offered support and help. she would have received it with great pleasure as she needs all the support and help she can get at the moment.

[/ QUOTE ]

I feel very sorry for Pixxie and her pony, but as she did choose to post on an open forum people did respond to her story and some people thought that it might be best to PTS (myself included). If this is something she cannot bring herself to do, that is fine, after all this is a forum, people express opinions and others are free to disregard them for whatever reason they want (good or bad).

As for this thread, I think you are exaggerating a bit. Given that the topic was raised, I do not think it was a personal attack by the OP to ask the general question.

 

[xspiralx]

[ QUOTE ]
This is breaking her heart, and you can go on and on about retiring,loaning,PTS etc. etc. but there is no point in putting a happy horse down. there is no point in retiring a horse that isnt in pain. He just needs a home with time and experience to work through this mental block he has towards riding.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think the problem is so much that she wants to rehome him with somebody competent and caring, but the fact that in her previous post she stated that she was sending him to a person who would "probably pass him on." Anytime you sell a horse you cannot guarantee what will happen to it, but to willingly send a horse with severe problems to a totally uncertain future is just irresponsible.

A horse is far better off being PTS than simply passed on to a future where he would very likely be passed from home to home, getting increasingly miserable and possibly suffering abuse or mistreatment. As the owner of the horse, she has a responsibility to do her best to ensure the horse's future, whether that is by putting the horse to sleep or finding a truly suitable home. There is no excuse for passing the buck on this, however heartbreaking it is. That is just horses for you.

 

[Ranyhyn]

Neither do I - it was a genuine question spurred on perhaps by Pixxie's post - but not aimed at her. Plus it should serve to make good reading for Pixxie - to see how other people would manage the same situation.

 

[diggerbez]

i think it depends upon the horse for me. My TB had intermittent lameness 3/4 years ago- was told he would never stay sound enough the event. was fortunate that my dad lent me money to buy a new horse and my mum still pays rocky's livery bill (even tho i'm 27

)
i could never ever sell him- he was bought for me by my grandpa and he is with me for life (altho i do have a sharer who rides him).
But...other horses that i have bought have all been bought with the aim of selling them in the future (hence why i've bought younger horses in the hope that i can sell around 8/9 years of age). if they went lame or whatever and couldn't be ridden then i'd have to PTS as could not afford 2x field ornaments. its sad but a harsh reality unfortunately.

 

[kellyeaton]

if it come to the day where i could not ride my boy any more i would have him as a lawn mower/babysitter until the day he dies as long as he was healthy happy and fit!

 

[Hippona]

Retire him in the field for as long as he was happy ( he is knocking on a bit now).......then PTS when he is in pain/miserable/no quality of life.

I have another 2 I can ride, although neither would be my first choice ....I would continue to bring on the ponio for daughter, and ride OH's mare who is pampered field ornament most of the time anyway. And I would save up for a horse of my own again once Desi is gone

 

[Laafet]

I am in this situation and it is pants. I am now struggling financially but would never pass Murphy on. There is only one place he will go after me and that is final.

 

[Amaretto]

My boy was 15 and had been on box rest for the best part of 18 months and had got gradually more lame with coffin joint problems, collateral ligament damage, deep digital flexor tendon damage and bony changes. He had every treatment possible thrown at him with 2 x £5K claims (for different injuries on the same leg) and £2K of my own money. I followed the vet's advice to the letter, but we couldn't do anymore. I had the option of turning him away as a field ornament, which I would happily have done if I could have guaranteed that he wouldn't hoolley around - but he would have and almost certainly completely severed the ligaments. It was the worst decision I have ever had to make and I still cry over Felix (my picture), as he was an amazing horse and I loved him sooo much. But you have to do what is right for the horse at the end of the day and put your own feelings on the back burner. I think it all depends on the situation, as everyone's is different and the decision is not always cut and dried. I often think that I should have had him PTS earlier, so he wouldn't have had to go through extended box rest, injections, being depressed and bored etc, but I had to give him every chance - I owed it to him.