Retiring them young...

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Megibo

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Anyone got a horse retired fairly young?

Had the vet out today who said that my mare is now even worse than when he first saw and treated her (in March). Disappointed doesn't really cover it!

Bilaterally lame on both hinds and back is fairly bad too. He is confident she will have to be retired and she's only 14. Just needs further X-rays to see if she can still have her foal next year..

Did this happen to anyone else and how did the horse cope, as she enjoys her work!
 
I had one retired at 7 due to navicular and another at 13 due to hind suspensory issues - both were far happier about it than I was. If they have company/grass most horses happily revert to being semi feral & unemployed! I think the key is in the roughing off - in my experience it's no use just keeping them in their normal turnout routine minus the work, if at all possible they need to go onto proper 24/7 turnout with large acreage and no field mates that come in at night or get worked etc. as that tends to cause the upset/unrest. My field ornaments are in a big field 5 mins walk from the yard where they cannot see/hear the comings and goings etc and they are completely relaxed/switched off/oblivious but if they were at the yard they'd be clamouring to come in.
 
Yes, happily retied with company in a large field with good shelter. But to throw a spanner in the works why would you want to breed from a horse who's had to retire young with what sounds like multiple issues-not the best genetics!
 
SusieT said:
Yes, happily retied with company in a large field with good shelter. But to throw a spanner in the works why would you want to breed from a horse who's had to retire young with what sounds like multiple issues-not the best genetics!
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Because up til last March she's been sound as a pound and its not a genetically related issue..have asked the vet who is very good and confirmed this...wouldn't even consider it if they were hereditary problems.
 
I've had two retired early. My welsh a was retired at 9 as he has arthritis and is far too sharp for a child to ride, he is in the same routine as my ridden Connemara (bar the riding) and is very happy nearly 5 years later. He can't really go out 24/7- we've tried that and he is much happier in at night along with my connie.
My previous mare was retired aged 10 due to navicular and went out in a herd 24/7 very happily indeed. Sadly she had to be pts not long into her retirement due to the damned navicular :( but she would have been very happy to live out her retirement had that not been the case.
 
I think that's the problem with insurance too, it railroads you into expecting the horse to be fixed within a year, which is unfair all round! Give until march with vets then if still not right, turn away and don't even look at how lame she is or is not for at least 6 months?
 
Tinselface said:
I think that's the problem with insurance too, it railroads you into expecting the horse to be fixed within a year, which is unfair all round! Give until march with vets then if still not right, turn away and don't even look at how lame she is or is not for at least 6 months?
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I was considering that. She had had a long break before as I thought it may help but when she comes back into work all looks well to start but the more she does the more downhill she goes
 
I've no problem with retiring a horse but not if it is discomfort. If she is bilaterally lame and has back trouble it doesn't bode well. I wouldn't think that it would make carrying a foal a pleasant experience either.

What is the insurance going to come up with before March? I'd agree to turn out for a year and see how she is then, if she's still sore then that is not good.
 
Tiddlypom said:
I've no problem with retiring a horse but not if it is discomfort. If she is bilaterally lame and has back trouble it doesn't bode well. I wouldn't think that it would make carrying a foal a pleasant experience either.

What is the insurance going to come up with before March? I'd agree to turn out for a year and see how she is then, if she's still sore then that is not good.
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She's perfectly happy in herself otherwise though. Will have a thorough discussion with vet about it all but in any case I'll never her pass on so she'll stay with me.
The insurance wont come up with anything they'll just pay for investigations etc, once we pinpoint the cause we can make decisions.
She owes me nothing though so if she needs to retire that is fine and I'll obviously keep her. I've only just lost my ex-racer mare to a similar issues but aged 17 so I refuse to say goodbye to my baby before I know everything.
 
Tiddlypom said:
I've no problem with retiring a horse but not if it is discomfort. If she is bilaterally lame and has back trouble it doesn't bode well. I wouldn't think that it would make carrying a foal a pleasant experience either.
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This exactly. While carrying a foal there will be constant pressure on her body, no let up until after the foal is born. I wouldn't like to put my mare through that as well as what else she has wrong. By all means turn her away for a year and then reassess but I wouldn't be putting her in foal next year until her problems have been sorted.
TBH, while the insurance is handy, I wouldn't let them dictate to me how the horse should be treated or what should be thrown at it just because they're in a hurry to have a decision and time is possibly the only thing that might help your mare.
 
If I could afford the treatment myself I would by all means give her a year off doing nothing. I have been looking forward to having a tobagoling for about 3 years now..

But as I have said..I will discuss in depth with the vet and if it will stress her further to have a foal then I won't let her have one. Simple as that really. But I wont have her PTS just because she needs retiring.
 
sorry, missed those. I can understand where they're coming from, I'd be in the same situation as retirement would not be a feasible/economic situation for me either but you seem to be better placed for that.
 
I have a 25 yo mare thats been retired since she was 11. She is more than happy retired and just needs some bute when the ground is hard. She is turned out 24/7 with friends and shelter, well rugged with adlib hay. She is not one who missed her work, routine nor does she get stressed when I ride her companion out hacking and she is left with just neighbouring horses. She is the perfect companion, I hope she lives for a bloody long time.
 
Bilaterally lame-I'm guessing tendon or ligament issues? I personally think a lot of issues we get are from breeding from mares who make it to early middle age (12-14) and then their suspensories go or collateral ligaments etc. You can't really expect their offspring to have long lasting careers if the dam didn't get past 13/14. I'd give her a year out, then go from there.
There is no proven link, but I'd far rather find a sound older lady and breed from her.
 
Thanks for everyone's opinions regarding breeding from her.
In any case if the vet says she will be ok to carry a foal and I go ahead (which is becoming a big 'if') that is my business especially as I'm only breeding the one, to keep no matter what. If I was planning to breed to sell I would have already decided not to do it. But breeding to sell in this market is a bit pointless anyway IMO.

Good to know other horses have retired around her age and not been bothered-she's a welsh D so imagine would rough off fairy happily!
 
Yes, retired my TB last year at 16. He really struggled with his feet and we were increasingly finding that he was lame more than he was sound. Decided it was kinder to let him be a field pony than persevering.
 
I effectively retired my WelshDxTB aged about 9. She remained with us until she was pts aged 24, living in exactly the same routine as the other 3. She always had a companion when 2 others were ridden and she meant that none of the others had to ever be left alone.
 
Could be the way you're working her, have you looked into classical dressage, straightness training, inhand schooling etc to get her to use herself correctly? If you're not already.
 
In terms of breeding, if there's any question over her health I wouldn't. She can't tell you when she hurts, it wouldn't be fair if she's already got back pain to then expect her to go through pregnancy and labour.
 
I retired my 14 year old this year. She had evented to a good level but had some arthritic changes and I wasn't keen to continue pushing her. I retired her in July and abandoned her to the field 24/7 and she is still out despite being mollicoddled for the 10 years I had her. She has adapted well but will be put in foal in the spring.
 
My stables is a Semi retirement for my young horses, the 3 that are ride able get ridden when and if and it doesn't bother them if not, the other 2 have yet to be backed, they are all happy little sods. :)
 
My mare is effectively retired and has been since she was 10. It's not even a soundness issue with her. She's a total nutter and finds everyday life totally stressful. It got to a point where we both stopped enjoying going on rides so I took her shoes off and put her in a field. I was concerned about her being bored or getting more stressy without exercise (she's a Thoroughbred) but she has improved leaps and bounds- she seems to actually enjoy life and will come up for a cuddle quite happily. I still hack her occasionally- once or twice a year! I think she enjoys just being left alone to be a horse. If you've got the money and space, yours will be a lucky horse.
 
I have recently retired a 12 year old.

She's had on going behaviour problems, orginally caused by a physical issue (now resolved) but she is still very unpredictable and when she feels like it has a very serious rear on her.

Made this decision a couple of weeks ago when I decided I would take her out for a hack, got on and first thing she did was go up twice vertically.

That was the final straw. Sure maybe she's put her back out or whatever but physio had only been 2 weeks prior and I can't keep throwing money at her when even at her best all she will ever do is hack (she finds schooling very stressful so not worth the risk, whereas hacking 95% of the time she manages to keep her front legs on the floor). So she's now a field ornament for as long as we can comfortably afford her.

Well my mum pays for her (we've collected 4 somehow,, we pay for 2 each) and my dad retires next year so she may struggle to pay for 2, and I can't afford any more, in which case she will be PTS.

Sad yes, but she's not sellable and only 1 of the others is. (1 retired with navicular, crazy mare described above, 15 year old 1 eyed gelding who is off with colaterial ligament damage, saint of a horse and my pride and joy and my 4 year old)
 
My mare had a tendon injury a year and three months ago. She was operated on and pronounced sound enough for light hacking in May however I have decided to retire her and she will now live out her life as a field ornament! She is now 16. She lives out 24/7 from March to Oct and then comes in at night from Nov to Feb. As long as she is field sound then she will end her days with me!
 
Looks like I may have found somewhere for her :)
Close to my new job so I can pop in and see her daily. It's just a field to yourself for £90 pcm but that includes your hay and you get different paddock for summer and winter. Sounds a good deal to me! So at least I have an option for her now depending on what the vets have to say.
 
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