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If she needs bute to cope with shoeing I'm afraid riding might be too much for her.
If she has severe arthritis, why are you riding? It sounds like she's trying to tell you she's in pain
Yea... I was thinking that but everyone at our yard is telling me to keep her going.If she needs bute to cope with shoeing I'm afraid riding might be too much for her.
Yea... I was thinking that but everyone at our yard is telling me to keep her going.
You are responsible for her welfare. She doesn't sound happy and those legs don't look great. You need to do what's right for her, not what other people tell you.
Not only that it doesn't sound very fair to push her to do something at her age that is clearly not pleasant to her, but as you said you've already ended up in a neck brace , so you are risking serious injury to yourself. Take this from someone who broke her back 7 months ago.
As others have said, please get a vet out to give her a thorough assessment. Yes there looks to be a lot of swelling on the knee but even if it is arthritis it may not be causing a huge problem - I knew a mare whose knee looked nearly as bad but when the vet looked at her and did flexions it actually wasn't a problem for light work because the changes were all outside the joint. However you don't know without a vet examination and possibly x-rays. Without this information you can't decide whether or not she's best kept in a level of work and also whether or not she'd benefit from a bute a day.
IF she gets the all clear, or the vet says best to work her on pain relief, then you need to get some help with the hacking. However you may find that with some bute she's happier and the problem sorts itself out.
Plays**Hi,
Yes the vet is coming soon and will get them to check her over, all of the spooking is out hacking and i don't think i then help by having no confidence. We are going to try and get hold of this other bute (i can't remember what it is called), that isn't bad for there liver and try her on that.She is normally quiet in the arena. (only really places up if a lorry goes past)
You may mean Danilon. You really need a good care plan from a vet. A bute for the farrier isn't sufficient. It might still be possible to medicate the joints to ease her arthitis - but the photos look fairly poor. It might be that she has gone past the point when that would help now. Another option to look at is devils claw.
She may still have a decade or more of life left - but it really does sound as if she is saying loud and clear that she is not longer capable of being worked. If retirement won't suit her - or you can't afford it - you are going to have a serious conversation with your vet.
I have a 29 yr old athritic cob still happily capable of short slow hacks a couple of times a week - but he has had his joints medicated every year for the last 5 or 6. He was hunting until 25. But I also had a 17yr old ISH who we had had as a BS 148 who would never have retired and we had to say goodbye. You have to so the best thing for the horse in front of you.
Selling her is not an option i think anyone here would urge you to do. You need to give yourself a break, this is not something that is avoidable. All horses get old and all horses get to the point they need to slow down and retire.
Is she happy in the field? If she is, its an option to move her to retirement livery, take her shoes off and then you won't have the bees in your ear buzzing about this and that...cause the other liveries will understand more.
Don't get too hung up on shelter. Thats why we invented rugs stabling is the enemy of the arthritic horse.She doesn't have shoes on as i had them taken off a month after i got her. She likes the field and has lived out before but i started stabling her last year to keep the weight down. I have been thinking about it but i just over think everything. I have been considering her living out but can't find anything with shelter.
Ellie can your parents help you with some of these tough decisions? It sounds like you were enjoying walking her in hand and wanted to retire her but somehow got pushed into riding her again. Maybe if you could explain to your parents that you would like her to be retired they can help you a little. For example, if they agree, you could just tell those on the yard that your parents pay for her keep and they do not want her ridden. You can still have a wonderful relationship with your pony and it sounds like she would appreciate a gentle life without being ridden.
Also I don't think that those who advise you to sell are being realistic. There is not really a market for older arthritic ponies. This is not a pony to sell, it is a pony to love.
Good luck and do make sure that you take the advice of the vet, not random people who happen to be on the same yard.
Hi,
Thanks for your reply.
Yes i have talked to my mum but not yet brave enough to tell my dad. Especially because he has just got me a new bridle and don't have the most amazing relationship with him. I work to pay for my livery myself and unfortunately most of them know this. I will try though. My parents are going through a separation but i will try and talk to them both.
Hows your relationship with your yard owner? Could they be some support to you?
You're doing really well, please don't think you're not. You're clearly a caring owner.
What did your Mum say? Can she help you?
Remember that this won't be your last horse. You can tell your Dad that bridles last for years and that you will keep it for when you have a horse that you need it for. Chin up.
Can you long-rein her in the arena? That would be easier for her than being ridden and any light work helps with weight gain and arthritis. Definitely speak to your vet about pain relief. It sounds like she was last assessed three years ago a lot can change in that time. Your confidence issues will not be helping but because you are going through counselling right now it is maybe not such a good time to work on confidence issues too? Perhaps discuss that with your counsellor. So find things to do with her that you already feel confident doing. Consider if the counselling could help you with the grief if you needed to PTS or if it would be too much at once right now and if that is true then tell the vet your situation and see if there is extra pain relief which would keep her going until after your counselling finished. If it would be a short term thing this extra pain relief then the long term health problems side effects like liver become irrelevant.
When we got her they said to give her bute for the farrier.Then we just ask the vet for more when we run out.
Yes the vet has seen her.But that is 3 yrs ago! Has your vet actually seen her?