Is there anything can be done?

CastlelackSportHorses

CastlelackSportHorses

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I sold a filly I bred to a lovely home in the UK 3 years ago, she was bred from another homebred pony we had and unfortunately never grew big enough for me!
I advertised her on Horse Quest and withing 20 mins had a buyer.
The lady who bought her is absolutely lovely, wanted my filly for riding club etc.
She bought her unbroken, untried, unseen but Vetted. (No xrays)
All the fillys back breeding are now well into the 20s and still competing and ridden.

The owner contacted me yesterday to tell me the Rossdales had confirmed Degenerative joint changes in naviculars and arthritis in coffin joints of both fronts.
Owner is shocked, as am I. The filly is only 6years old:(
She is now thinking of not going down the injection route and having her PTS.
I know I cant do anything as she is her horse but she was my baby!
I feel so bad for owner and my filly.

I guess I was just hoping someone may have some helpful ideas??khali.jpeg
 
SEL said:
You could offer to buy her back I guess - at least then you could see if her trim, posture etc are optimal and if not rehab & injections might be useful.

Very pretty pony and very upsetting news 😢
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If I had money to buy her back I would in a heart beat.
I was going to offer to pay for injections just to see if there was chance she would come sound?
 
You could offer to take her for free, as above she isn't worth masses with these issues. It gives the current owner a get out of jail card, ensures a future- whatever that may be for the horse and you could either try injecting or as above see if trimming or farriery may help. If nothing helps and she gets put to sleep with you then she is no worse off than currently, but you may both feel a bit better about the situation.
She is very pretty!

It's a difficult one and kudos to you for caring years later.
 
poiuytrewq said:
You could offer to take her for free, as above she isn't worth masses with these issues. It gives the current owner a get out of jail card, ensures a future- whatever that may be for the horse and you could either try injecting or as above see if trimming or farriery may help. If nothing helps and she gets put to sleep with you then she is no worse off than currently, but you may both feel a bit better about the situation.
She is very pretty!

It's a difficult one and kudos to you for caring years later.
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I think the chances of her giving to me for free are low. She may wants some compensation :/
Its hard not to care when you breed and rear them. They all have very special places in our hearts.
 
Is she field sound and just not able to be ridden, or in significant pain enough that it's a QOL decision rather than a ridden longevity decision?

If she's in significant pain it might be kinder to know she's being let go now, because inevitably even if the injections help, they're likely to only have a limited window of help before she is hurting again.

If she is field sound and likely able to live out a few years happily as a horse without veterinary intervention, then offering to give her a home - with a contract in place saying she can't be ridden or sold on (so that the current owner is confident of that, not suggesting you would do that) - would release the current owner from a horrible decision and the cost of it and they might welcome it, knowing she is going to live happily until she can't. They might still feel they want to be the one to be responsible for that decision though - either outcome would show that you sold her to a good home I'd say.

Are you in a position to be able to support her for a few years as a non-ridden horse, or would it put you under pressure?

You couldn't possibly have known this would happen, and you shouldn't feel guilty or bad about it - just sad for everyone. I think that's an important difference.

I do understand how you feel, having sold a horse to friend who several years later developed an unexpected and expensive condition - it is hard not to feel responsible for the situation, but there's no way you could have known. (Very different if it's done knowingly.)
 
Has the current owner got her insured? If there is an option of further treatment in the form of injections then it is unlikely that the insurance company would pay out for PTS unless there is loss of use in the policy.

On that basis might the owner consider letting you have her for free or for merely the cost of vets fees at Rossdales for the diagnosis?
 
PurpleSpots said:
Is she field sound and just not able to be ridden, or in significant pain enough that it's a QOL decision rather than a ridden longevity decision?

If she's in significant pain it might be kinder to know she's being let go now, because inevitably even if the injections help, they're likely to only have a limited window of help before she is hurting again.

If she is field sound and likely able to live out a few years happily as a horse without veterinary intervention, then offering to give her a home - with a contract in place saying she can't be ridden or sold on (so that the current owner is confident of that, not suggesting you would do that) - would release the current owner from a horrible decision and the cost of it and they might welcome it, knowing she is going to live happily until she can't. They might still feel they want to be the one to be responsible for that decision though - either outcome would show that you sold her to a good home I'd say.

Are you in a position to be able to support her for a few years as a non-ridden horse, or would it put you under pressure?

You couldn't possibly have known this would happen, and you shouldn't feel guilty or bad about it - just sad for everyone. I think that's an important difference.

I do understand how you feel, having sold a horse to friend who several years later developed an unexpected and expensive condition - it is hard not to feel responsible for the situation, but there's no way you could have known. (Very different if it's done knowingly.)
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This sounds like a great plan.
I have offered to take her home and retire her to the field with my own retired boy(Thankfully we own our own land)
So I will wait to see what the owners decision is.
She is lame apparently but I havent seen videos.
We have 2 OAPs retired here(one is 26YR) and he has had coffin injections last year and is still lame but loving life.
So I believe even with slight lameness they can live happily retired.
 
reynold said:
Has the current owner got her insured? If there is an option of further treatment in the form of injections then it is unlikely that the insurance company would pay out for PTS unless there is loss of use in the policy.

On that basis might the owner consider letting you have her for free or for merely the cost of vets fees at Rossdales for the diagnosis?
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I dont know about insurance.
 
I would say that, hard though it is, she is lucky to have found an owner willing to make the decision that would spare her future pain and uncertainty. If you can have her back for her final years, on Bute if needed, then pts at home, then she can have a bit longer somewhere safe. But at least if you cannot, she will only ever have known kindness and love.
 
CastlelackSportHorses said:
I sold a filly I bred to a lovely home in the UK 3 years ago, she was bred from another homebred pony we had and unfortunately never grew big enough for me!
I advertised her on Horse Quest and withing 20 mins had a buyer.
The lady who bought her is absolutely lovely, wanted my filly for riding club etc.
She bought her unbroken, untried, unseen but Vetted. (No xrays)
All the fillys back breeding are now well into the 20s and still competing and ridden.

The owner contacted me yesterday to tell me the Rossdales had confirmed Degenerative joint changes in naviculars and arthritis in coffin joints of both fronts.
Owner is shocked, as am I. The filly is only 6years old:(
She is now thinking of not going down the injection route and having her PTS.
I know I cant do anything as she is her horse but she was my baby!
I feel so bad for owner and my filly.

I guess I was just hoping someone may have some helpful ideas??View attachment 158000
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my gelding was diagnosed with a bone spur in his coffin joint (pedal osteitis) and hock spavin when he was 4, he had remedial shoes for a year, then the vet told me to take him barefoot, he's now 15 and had 1 steroid injection at 4 and has been sound ever since! so I wouldn't say that this is a reason to PTS!
 
kerrieberry2 said:
my gelding was diagnosed with a bone spur in his coffin joint (pedal osteitis) and hock spavin when he was 4, he had remedial shoes for a year, then the vet told me to take him barefoot, he's now 15 and had 1 steroid injection at 4 and has been sound ever since! so I wouldn't say that this is a reason to PTS!
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This filly has never been shod, always been barefoot. So I am thinking maybe she needs to be shod by a remedial farrier!
 
maya2008 said:
I would say that, hard though it is, she is lucky to have found an owner willing to make the decision that would spare her future pain and uncertainty. If you can have her back for her final years, on Bute if needed, then pts at home, then she can have a bit longer somewhere safe. But at least if you cannot, she will only ever have known kindness and love.
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I also see the comfort in this. She never wanted for a single thing this little horse :(
 
CastlelackSportHorses said:
This filly has never been shod, always been barefoot. So I am thinking maybe she needs to be shod by a remedial farrier!
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it's definitely worth a shot! mine had remedial shoes to try and raise his heels, to alter the angle, which they expected would stop the bone spur from causing pain! that didnt work for him, but for the first few years of being barefoot, he was actually self trimming, the vet wanted him to sort his own feet out, which he did! now his heels have naturally done what they wanted them to do with shoes, and he's able to be trimmed normally! I really hope you can get her back and try some alternative options :)
 
First of all - mega kudos to you for being willing to take her back after all these years - it goes to show what a compassionate person you are 🥰

I would message her current owner and say that you are willing to take her back and offer her a home for life to see if she can be rehabbed with injections etc successfully and that if all else fails you will follow through with making the final decision to let her go to the big field in the sky.

I would offer a token amount of money for her as you'll also need to factor in getting her transported back to you and other relevant costs and see what her owner says.

Given that she has always been barefoot, some remedial shoeing could be the exact thing she needs to help her.

I'd try not to get your hopes up too much of having her back - just in cases her current owner says no xx
 
AppyLover1996 said:
First of all - mega kudos to you for being willing to take her back after all these years - it goes to show what a compassionate person you are 🥰

I would message her current owner and say that you are willing to take her back and offer her a home for life to see if she can be rehabbed with injections etc successfully and that if all else fails you will follow through with making the final decision to let her go to the big field in the sky.

I would offer a token amount of money for her as you'll also need to factor in getting her transported back to you and other relevant costs and see what her owner says.

Given that she has always been barefoot, some remedial shoeing could be the exact thing she needs to help her.

I'd try not to get your hopes up too much of having her back - just in cases her current owner says no xx
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I have sent the owner a message asking so will wait to hear back.
And thank you, she meant the world to me when I bred her as her granddam was my very first pony who I owned for nearly 20 years.
So she is very special!
And thankfully I have space to retire her!
 
CastlelackSportHorses said:
I think the chances of her giving to me for free are low. She may wants some compensation :/
Its hard not to care when you breed and rear them. They all have very special places in our hearts.
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If she were to try to sell her to anyone else they would laugh in her face. What kind of compensation could there be for a horse whose prognosis is pts?
 
Assuming you are not in the equation owner has 3 options:

Attempt to treat
Retire as is
PTS

All of them cost money and the last 2 options means the end of her ridden life.

You have offered an option 4: return to breeder for a home for life. At the very least you have removed the cost elements. But actually you are doing far more than that - securing the horse's future and protecting the owner from having to make an awful decision. I'd bite your hand off if I were in that position.
 
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