Run out of money and no answers… what next?

Exasperated said:
Please don’t question the OP’s ethics or conscience!
it is fairly obvious that they know the horse has started with issues to resolve, are very worried about this, has other commitments to finance, and quite simply is unable to spend such money right now. OP may well be able to spend when saved up for a while, but clearly not now! That is clear enough, surely?
suggesting all these possible veterinary explorations - unless you are offering to finance them -isn’t constructive.
It may be the horse is never going to come right, which would be another distressing loss, too, but at present seems reasonable to give the (young) animal the benefit of the doubt rather than destroy him, and selling him on to get out of the situation is likely to be equally ‘ unethical’.
If he is turned away and deteriorates wildly, sadly OP will have no choice, but that does not currently sound the case at all.
Plunging into debt won’t help the OP, either of her horses, or her peace of mind - don’t!
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OP specifically asked what people would do and folk answered what they would look at next 🤷🏼‍♀️
By the sounds of it OP found the replies helpful, not accusatory.

Wishing you the best of luck OP and hope you can get your lad comfortable
 
lialls said:
I have no real knowledge of Thermal Imaging but have seen some Chiros advertising them, could this be used to pin point the area the issue is in? Hoping someone with more experience in this area will comment and educate me!
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Thermography is something I considered with my first pony but the person I booked never turned up. If I were going to try it again now I'd book out a thermal imaging camera from the local library and do it myself then run the results past the vet. Could be worth considering if you can get your hands on a camera for free/cheap.
 
Could you turn away for a month and upgrade your insurance to ridden and then he will be covered when/if you look to re-explore?
Not insurance fraud surely as you have been paying to insure him, just not got the classification right?
(obvs if it is fraud, I'm sure someone will yell at me if it is, then don't do it)
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
Could you turn away for a month and upgrade your insurance to ridden and then he will be covered when/if you look to re-explore?
Not insurance fraud surely as you have been paying to insure him, just not got the classification right?
(obvs if it is fraud, I'm sure someone will yell at me if it is, then don't do it)
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Sounds like OP has already informed them there's an issue, and even if not the ridden cover would need to be in place at the point the signs of something not being right first started. As some vet work has already been done it would be clear whatever the issue is started before the horse was insured as a ridden one. Otherwise everyone would do this, pay the cheaper premium and wait to increase it.
 
If it were one of mine, I would:

Get a good set of X-rays - hocks, fetlocks, feet, spine, preferably.

If still no clearer, do a bute trial.

If the horse improves, it's a clear indicator that it's a pain issue and I would either find funds to investigate further or pts.

If the horse shows no difference with pain meds, and is still looking clinically sound, then I would turn away and monitor. I would check regularly though, even if just trotting up or lunging every couple of weeks, and I'd watch herd dynamics, whether the horse is lying down and resting properly etc.

Then what I would tend to do is bring back into work after 6 months or so by doing extensive groundwork. As in 6 months minimum but properly working in hand, working over his spine, getting him to engage properly behind. I'd hack in hand, long rein if you like long reining, do raised poles in hand, do in hand classical dressage clinics. Just really enjoy the in hand stage. I wouldn't get on the horse until I was certain he was moving well and happily in hand.

Once he has developed some strength and flexibility, I'd have the vet back to check his soundness again before starting him under saddle. I'd probably also get someone else to ride him. Partly so I could watch and partly because if there was anything in the way I was riding, or any natural lack of straightness which could be putting pressure unevenly on the horse, I would want to rule it out. I'd engage a lightweight pro or very skilled rider, and I'd watch every step, every tail swish, every bit of resistance and satisfy myself that he was moving freely and well before getting back on myself.
 
Bellaboo18 said:
I know Tom Beech gets a lot of recommendations on here but I think it's important to show other experiences and honesty I found the appointment a waste of money and he's not cheap.
I'm sure he's great when you've tried every other avenue but this horse hasn't had X-rays yet so I'd say other than scoping no investigations done.
Tom doesn't see them move, he saw my mare and the others that day in a stable. We came away with a suggestion for an ulcer supplement (she'd already been treated for ulcers and scoped clear) that I'm pretty confident he suggests for everyone and to contact someone for groundwork exercises.
Turns out she had PSD, there was no way he was ever going to find that.
Just my opinion.
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I'm afraid I've heard similar. My vets at the time I wanted him for Lari didn't rate him much.
 
My EDT tells the story of a horse with very similar symptoms. The owners spent thousands on investigations. EDT was asked to do a routine dental check, and found a cracked molar, presumably from a kick to the face at some time. He referred on to a vet/EDT for removal, and symptoms disappeared. Hope you can find something so simple to resolve.
 
little_critter said:
I suppose the problem then is, if you find the money to do x rays etc or even put a bone scan on a credit card…then what?
It’s likely that if those procedures give you answers, you will then need to find money for treatment.
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Precisely the issue: at this present time, the owner has very honestly stated- unaffordable. Where things must rest until there are sufficient funds to proceed.
Best of luck.
 
little_critter said:
I suppose the problem then is, if you find the money to do x rays etc or even put a bone scan on a credit card…then what?
It’s likely that if those procedures give you answers, you will then need to find money for treatment.
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But that isn’t a reason to not diagnose what is wrong. If you find something then you can make a choice which course you take. Many injuries do respond well to rest, but that might be better off in a stable, paired with in hand work, with the use of painkillers etc.
Or it might be something that isn’t fixable without a lot of expense, in which case you can make a sensible decision for the horse based on that clear knowledge
 
This is quite a long thread so you may have mentioned it- but if you haven’t - before spending loads on seeing what medical/behavioural issues your horse has- my first point of call would be a saddle check.

He is only 5 which is really young. Saddles are quite rigid and the weight of a rider pressing on small points can be unbearable- which could be causing the issues in one so young. It’s just worth doing that first
 
LadyGascoyne said:
If it were one of mine, I would:

Get a good set of X-rays - hocks, fetlocks, feet, spine, preferably.

If still no clearer, do a bute trial.

If the horse improves, it's a clear indicator that it's a pain issue and I would either find funds to investigate further or pts.

If the horse shows no difference with pain meds, and is still looking clinically sound, then I would turn away and monitor. I would check regularly though, even if just trotting up or lunging every couple of weeks, and I'd watch herd dynamics, whether the horse is lying down and resting properly etc.

Then what I would tend to do is bring back into work after 6 months or so by doing extensive groundwork. As in 6 months minimum but properly working in hand, working over his spine, getting him to engage properly behind. I'd hack in hand, long rein if you like long reining, do raised poles in hand, do in hand classical dressage clinics. Just really enjoy the in hand stage. I wouldn't get on the horse until I was certain he was moving well and happily in hand.

Once he has developed some strength and flexibility, I'd have the vet back to check his soundness again before starting him under saddle. I'd probably also get someone else to ride him. Partly so I could watch and partly because if there was anything in the way I was riding, or any natural lack of straightness which could be putting pressure unevenly on the horse, I would want to rule it out. I'd engage a lightweight pro or very skilled rider, and I'd watch every step, every tail swish, every bit of resistance and satisfy myself that he was moving freely and well before getting back on myself.
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Sounds really well thought out and sensible.
Unfortunately, at this time, OP has stated that it is unaffordable.
maybe some people can offer to lend the necessary funds?
 
Exasperated said:
Sounds really well thought out and sensible.
Unfortunately, at this time, OP has stated that it is unaffordable.
maybe some people can offer to lend the necessary funds?
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OP hasn't said that they can't afford that. They've said they've run out funds in the context of having a quote for a £2k bone scan. And they are considering retirement so may well have the funds to turn the horse away.

OP might not be able to afford a huge outlay up front but, in some cases, that may not equate to not being able to afford iterative costs over the course of a year or two.

At least with a plan, there is an ability to predict future costs and save for them.

So initially, X-rays can be done over a couple of months. Remember the horse isn't presenting as clinically unsound, although clearly it is not happy being ridden at the moment so it's not a welfare issue to keep the horse in a field and stable while investigating. It would be a grey area, for me personally, to keep a horse which is clearly unhappy without investigating.

Turning away can be an opportunity to save, and then bank the livery costs for future support in getting the horse back into work.

It's what I'd do, as I said, and it's an option. And sometimes it's just useful to see how other people would handle things, and consider options. Especially if OP feels backed into a corner at the moment.
 
Exasperated said:
Sounds really well thought out and sensible.
Unfortunately, at this time, OP has stated that it is unaffordable.
maybe some people can offer to lend the necessary funds?
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I read the OP to say the £2000 bone scan was unaffordable which is why people have offered cheaper ways of getting some answers

Eta OP has also since stated she's considering putting X-rays on a credit card.
 
OP - is your vet an expert at loss of performance workups? As in is that their day job? If not, I'd find one who is before spending more money. I no longer use GP vets for anything tricky as I've found it to be a total waste of money. I'd expect a specialist vet to be able to identify where they thought the problem could be, do some targeted xrays or scans to diagnose the issued, and come up with options.
 
NR88 said:
Not having money isn't a reason to leave, or turn away, a horse that is possibly in a considerable amount of pain. NOT aimed at OP who seems entirely sensible about the situation.
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Well this one seems comfortable enough in a field and she is getting x-rays.

I still think it is not reasonable to put yourself into lots of debt that you can't pay off, if a horse has had all the standard checks by a good vet. In this scenario I think you are probably better off pts. But then don't go and get another one, save up for a decent vet pot first because with horses big vets bills are more common than not :/
 
ester said:
Horse is experiencing progressive symptoms. I certainly read this bit as not just when ridden

‘In the last few days he’s begun head shaking quite badly too.’

Given the extremes of the reaction described I don’t think it follows that this horse is just fine in the field
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Fair enough. If rest is not an option then my answer would possibly slightly harshly and sadly be if you can't afford to treat whatever answer comes up then there is not a lot of choice.
 
Just a little update for anyone interested:
Neck and back xrays clear.
Still very sound on soft/hard/circle/flexions
Vet is quite confident he is not in any pain at rest - he shows no signs of discomfort in his daily life at present. Happy to graze and fart about the field.
Decision now made to rest for the winter - i will not be turning him away, he'll just be going out in the field and into his stable at night with no structured exercise so I can keep a close eye on him.
Fingers crossed for the spring.
 
lucy_108 said:
Just a little update for anyone interested:
Neck and back xrays clear.
Still very sound on soft/hard/circle/flexions
Vet is quite confident he is not in any pain at rest - he shows no signs of discomfort in his daily life at present. Happy to graze and fart about the field.
Decision now made to rest for the winter - i will not be turning him away, he'll just be going out in the field and into his stable at night with no structured exercise so I can keep a close eye on him.
Fingers crossed for the spring.
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I really hope the few months off does the trick for you OP. Everything crossed for a long term successful outcome.
 
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