Injured Knee Boomerang TB- Decision time?

[McNally]

As some of you may remember from my at times slightly hysterical posts (!) i have a TB who ive tried to get to grips with- often for months at a time successfully other times its a nightmare relationship.
I rehomed him twice but he keeps coming home hence the nick name Boomerang! He's a difficult horse to keep happy hence the reason no one wants him. Ridden wise he's actually quiet 95% of the time and highly strung/erratic 5%. This said in 5 or 6 years ive only every known him buck twice both times when i let someone else ride him, better riders but he didnt like the aggressive "get on the bit" way they rode him.
He's spent each and every summer on box rest due to having an accident of some sort- just pure bad luck not ill health or ongoing injuries.
He's almost ready to go out after this summers session! maybe another 2 weeks and he will be ready to turn out on field rest for a short time.
My problem is i now have another horse who was just more suitable to ride out with my daughter and her young currently naughty pony (this is my reason for riding to accompany her i dont compete) So money is a huge issue- I can afford them as in feed, farrier, worming etc but like just now ive had to sell some stuff as the dentist is due- this is fine til i run out of stuff to sell ;-).
I could keep him- he's settled well back with me (tho is currently at my work so he has company inside) this would really require a sharer but we are unsure he's going to be up to much now after this injury, it may be light hack only. who's going to want to pay towards the keep of a horse who cant do a lot!? (also had a very hard job finding anyone before this problem!)
He's not suitable to ride out with my daughter at the moment (due to her pony's ridden issues more than him) and theres no one else really to ride out with except a girl down the road who's lovely but is keeping hunters fit and firstly my confidence might not keep up, secondly he might not be up to it.
He's not a suitable companion as he wont be left alone he also really needs to be kept stimulated or he gets bored.
Ive contacted Great Wood but hold out very little hope as he's not a welfare case.
I guess my worry is that i will never ride him- although i do enjoy hacking him when we are up and running its just having no one suitable to ride with, wether he will make a "quiet hack"
Not sure- any suggestions or ideas?

 

[pip6]

If you knew he was likely to return, why get another horse if you couldn't afford two & weren't prepared to make a decision? Sorry to be blunt but it seems you've put yourself in this position.

I had an oldie who needed to retire & had to stop riding as I couldn't afford a second one to ride. You either make the decision to forego riding & keep them in retirement or have them pts (knowing there are issues in order to get another one. Not passing judgement on decision you make (I made mine but understand everyone has unique circumstances), just don't understand why you got a second without deciding what to do with tb first.

 

[McNally]

Ok-
Where did i say he was likely to return???
I permenantly signed him over to a TB rescue/rehoming centre where they guarenteed him a good home for the rest of his life. It took a lot of thinking and heart ache to do this but they seemed the most amazing home. 6 months later i took the plunge and got my new horse a year later they sent the TB back saying they could no longer keep him.

 

[McNally]

Also id like to say before this horse i had my old horse 20 years to the age of 38 and i too had to give up riding for a very long time. It wasnt a decision it just had to happen and id have had it no other way.
This question is less about money more about this particular horse and the way he is "v" only being able to do light work but keep sane and safe

 

[spottybotty]

I cant understand why a legitimate TB rescue/rehoming centre sent him back to you? I have followed your posts on here and elsewhere and you constantly go on about not being able to get the vet out because of money issues! Your poor pony has severe Uvieutus and is blind in one eye THATS WHY IT IS MIS-BEHAVING!!! I am being blunt here as I really am concerned for the welfare of your TB and pony! If the TB is such a pain to keep the put it out of its misery and PTS.

 

[HazyXmas]

If he was mine & i was in your situation, i'm afraid that i would have him PTS.

I have had several oldies that have been out on loan to quieter homes for a few years before returning to me to fully retire. If you are not able to retire him, either because of money or if he isn't suited to it then i think that your only option is to seriously consider PTS.

I'm sorry to appear blunt, i really don't mean to He is obviously not an easy horse to re-home & may not return to any sort of work at all, & of course you will always have the possibility that he will be returned to you unexpectedly or at short notice.

You seem to have spent a lot of time, money & energy trying to do the best for him, he has been very lucky so far, do you want to risk him falling in to the wrong hands now?

Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

OP you said in your first post the horse keeps bouncing back and is known as boomerang because nobody wants him. That's why I think the second poster assumed you'd know there was a risk he'd be returned to you.

Now you've explained about the TB rehoming place, it makes more sense why you bought another. What I don't understand is, if you signed him over to the rehoming place he would have become their property. They owned him not loaned him. So why did you take him back? Especially knowing you couldn't really afford him. I'd have told the rehoming place to PTS as he was their responsibility.

If you have to sell things to pay the vet then IMO now is the time to sell everything you can. You have three horses and I believe it costs aprox 500 pounds to have a horse PTS and disposed of? If so that means you need 1500 pounds in the bank. Anything left over can be used to pay vet bills but when you get down to that last 1500 you have any ill or injured horse PTS.

The TB you could give him a few months retirement until his next injury then PTS, or sell him on when you've established how much work he can do, or sell to a dealer/send to auction as sound but unfit with an unknown capacity for work. I don't think there's any point in trying to full loan or half loan him, if even a professional place couldn't find someone.

If he was mine I'd ideally PTS to avoid the possibility of him being passed from new home to new home in a downhill spiral, if you sell him on. But it sounds as if you maybe need the vet for one of the others and if you sell him, you could use the PTS money and the sale money for the TB to fund treatment of the other one. Or perhaps you'd be better able to afford one horse properly, if you PTS both ill/injured animals and shared the one good horse with your daughter. You do sound as if you're stretching yourself a bit thin financially at the moment. Were you the person who recently posted about working yourself into the ground to afford them all anyway? If you end up ill and can't work you perhaps won't be able to afford any of them.

 

[AmyMay]

Which TB re-homing centre did he go to?

 

[Wagtail]

I really feel for you, OP. But to be frank, if I was in your shoes then I would sell up completely and any horse that was unsellable, if I had no one who would take them on, then I would PTS. It is not fair to keep horses that you are unable to afford. They will never have the necessary veterinary care and you are in effect gambling that nothing terrible happens to them that requires the vet. If for example, one of them suffered a compound fracture in the field then you could be looking at close to £1 k for emergency vet call out, destruction and removal of the dead body. I often think what I would do if we suddenly found ourselves in a financial disaster. I am lucky in that my parents and sister both own land that I could put my horses on, but if I couldn't afford their keep, then I would have to PTS as neither of mine are useful as riding horses.

 

[AmyMay]

one of them suffered a compound fracture in the field then you could be looking at close to £1 k for emergency vet call out, destruction and removal of the dead body

Sounds a bit over inflated.

Call out £50, destruction with a bullet £100. Kennels for fallen stock £50.

But I agree with the principle.

If you can't afford the horse - have it destroyed.

 

[Wagtail]

Sounds a bit over inflated.

Call out £50, destruction with a bullet £100. Kennels for fallen stock £50.

But I agree with the principle.

If you can't afford the horse - have it destroyed.

Call out on bank holiday for my sister's horse was £120. Humane destruction by lethal injection - another £450. Then desposal another £400. She then paid another £800 for individual cremation. My vets would charge a similar amount. Most vets nowadays do not carry a gun and so lethal injection is often the only option if it's an emergency.

 

[AmyMay]

Call out on bank holiday for my sister's horse was £120. Humane destruction by lethal injection - another £450. Then desposal another £400. She then paid another £800 for individual cremation. My vets would charge a similar amount. Most vets nowadays do not carry a gun and so lethal injection is often the only option if it's an emergency.

But it can be done for a couple of hundred, depending on your preference.

 

[Wagtail]

Not if it is a dire emergency. You call out whoever is quickest. What if the hunt is out when you call? What if you don't live close to the kennels? My vets is 5 miles down the road, the nearest hunts kennels is 25 miles away.

 

[AmyMay]

Not if it is a dire emergency. You call out whoever is quickest. What if the hunt is out when you call? What if you don't live close to the kennels? My vets is 5 miles down the road, the nearest hunts kennels is 25 miles away.

No, I meant in terms of destruction. Vet can do with lethal injection or a gun. The choice would be the owners (of course depending on the policy of the veterinary practice). Hunt would then remove the body.

 

[McNally]

He got nick named boomerang because the problems started after i got my second horse. Like i say i waited a good 6 months i thought he was sorted.
I know this is my problem and god knows its killing me. I cant remember the last time i was actually happy. Im doing my best by them and resent the people implying they are not looked after properly. I currently work 7 days a week- not full days but what i can fit in.
Affording a horse and affording a horse can be two different things. Mine are well looked after because im working myself into the ground to do so...BECAUSE i screwed up.
Also i lost my job last summer very unexpectedly- I took on another job but had to take a big pay cut. These things can and do happen- it could even happen to some of you, I'd not wish this on anyone but if the shoe were on the other foot id certainly not be doing the bi****g
I really dont need everyone jumping on me and rubbing in how much better you all are.
Spottybotty- are you a vet? Im following vetrinary advice on the treatment of our pony. Its regularly reviewed and in the past 6 months he's had one flare up which lasted 2 days. He gets treated instantly according to the qualified vet who's treating him not the poster on a forum. Its also the vets view that hes not playing up due to pain and that when his eye is ok ie the majority of the time he's in no pain.
Amymay- I cant give names out on here sorry, They are really lovely people who very successfully rehomed many horses- some of which are from my workplace. I expect there are failiure sories behind every rescue place its not to say they are bad or need their name dirtying in public.
A big thank you to all those in the past who have genuinly been kind and tried to help with various things but im done with being judged

 

[pip6]

Thought I was anything but judgemental, just asked a fair question. Think it is unfair to expect a poster to know your full history or assume they are familliar with previous posts which you don't link or refer to. I still don't understand the question, he is elderly, with a history of lameness issues & now you state that even a rescue centre don't want him as he can't be rehomed. You don't have the finances to keep him, so what's the question? Make the decision & be certain of his future. It's not about how you feel, or how you care for your horses, or how hard you work (on that note I have 1 full-time & 3 part-time jobs so do not need to be lectured in working hard to care for my horses).

 

[zaminda]

McNally, I understand your predicament. Between my partner and I we have 7 horses, one currently out on loan, but soon returning. If we didn't keep ours the way we do, in a rented field out 24/7 things would be much harder. I have never had to have one PTS, or rehomed one, but I have been lucky. In your situation, I would be seriously considering the future of the TB, as it doesn't seem a fair situation on you. If the horse is unlikely to be what you, or realistically someone else wants, I would be letting him have some time, then wishing him good bye. This may sound heartless, and I'm not, but from everything you have said, the strain of it all on you is immense, and something has to give. Could he be a field ornamentwith you, or would that mean he was on his own when you rode? I am lucky, my field ornaments all keep each other comany!!

 

[Hippona]

But it can be done for a couple of hundred, depending on your preference.

True.....emergency vet, colic drugs.....then PTS via injection, and disposal....less than £400 in total.

 

[spottybotty]

These are your own words! I really do worry for their welfare!
1,A TB who i cant rehome due to major major seperation anxiety and dont really want to ride tbh- Is difficult to do anything much with - plants himself and refuses to come in unless i get all 4 in togeter. He's pretty hysterical and although i love him not the easiest of horses to deal with (although to be fair he has changed since before i went and is much much easier is than before.
2,A beautiful pony who is currently whipping round dangerously into traffic so much so that i cant let my daughter hack him and she's scared to anyway. He's also become a nightmare to catch and needs meds twice a day which is near impossible.
3, A lovely little shetland who was a companion but beats the others up (his saving grace is he is ok with the TB)
4, The lameness horse who is currently sound and is the only thing that keeps me saneish but he's not happy to hack alone really so although we do its not the most fun ever! (I keep them on a private field/yard)
I just dread having to go and do them it seems problem after problem and i have neither the money, knowledge or enthusiasm to be able to deal with them and their ongoing issues and just feel like crying everytime we attempt to do something

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

At the moment though the horses do seem to be being cared for. It's OPs welfare I'm more concerned for. As someone posted above, carry on like you are OP, and eventually something has to give. If something goes wrong with one of the horses you can PTS. It's sad to PTS due to finances, but we don't live in an ideal world. If something goes wrong with yourself OP, then what? Do you get sick pay from work? Who will take care of your daughter? I didn't suggest you consider PTS some horses because I'm judging you, but because you need a solution to your problems.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Was the person that gave your daughter the pony not coming out to advise you.

I would have the TB put to sleep myself. His life does not sound happy (not due to you but his temperament).

 

[Flummoxed]

McNally - to be brutally honest, I think you need to seriously consider whether to have the TB put to sleep. I have followed your posts and recognise that you would do anything to keep him BUT you are already struggling to afford to keep them all. Life sucks sometimes, doesn't it?

 

[Goldenstar]

I would PTS as well in your situation sorry not to sugar coat it but it is what I would do .

 

[CLM]

At the moment though the horses do seem to be being cared for. It's OPs welfare I'm more concerned for. As someone posted above, carry on like you are OP, and eventually something has to give. If something goes wrong with one of the horses you can PTS. It's sad to PTS due to finances, but we don't live in an ideal world. If something goes wrong with yourself OP, then what? Do you get sick pay from work? Who will take care of your daughter? I didn't suggest you consider PTS some horses because I'm judging you, but because you need a solution to your problems.

I agree with this. You need to simplify your life and bring some fun back into it. There is no point in having the horses unless it gives you & your daughter pleasure. How about making a deal with yourself , next time he goes lame/needs more expensive treatment, or just when it is winter & the workload increases, then that is the time. Do not feel guilty, it is the right thing to do - he has had a much better life than many.
I would also give serious thought to selling the daughter's pony and getting something less complicated. Or her just having confidence giving group riding lessons for a while. She might enjoy this more.
I hope you feel happier & more in control of the situation soon.