Selling a horse with arthritis

[MereChristmas]

A statement of my feelings after reading the thread.

There is a responsibility that comes with owning animals which many people shy away from for various reasons. It is having the animal PTS.

I have only sold healthy horse and ponies. All the other, except one who had EGS, have been PTS in their later years.

One mature mare, a 15.2 warmblood with separation issues who had bucked occasionally, began to buck more and drag her hind feet.
Hock arthritis was diagnosed. The discussion with the vet went something like this..

Vet.. hock injections could work at £xxx each.
Me.. How often would they be needed?
Vet... It varies, 6 monthly, possibly less.
Me.. And I know when they have worn off by
Vet, interrupting..She bucks you off again.

I am elderly. I do not wish to be bucked off. I would not keep a horse in pain. I don’t have the energy or the money to keep this horse and a riding horse for me. I would not let her go anywhere I did not have full control.

She was beautiful, I loved her but she was PTS.

The final decision obviously always rests with the owner.
Good luck OP what ever you decide.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Friend of mine bought a TB with the intention of racing him. Problems cropped up pretty well straight away with him being explosive on the lunge. Long story short he turned out to have back issues, no idea what but probably KS. She did a lot of rehab with him but it all came to an end when she got on him one day and he dumped her on the yard. She broke her back, months in a back brace and on high grade painkillers. Another rider tried and horse did level best to remove him too. She did the responsible thing and had him PTS. To my mind a big horse that will drop a rider like that if in pain should not be ridden. No way of knowing when the next explosion will come.

 

[mariew]

From a buyer's point of view, having had to retire my soulmate at the age of 11 with neck arthritis, I wouldn't go anywhere near another one. I suspect you will find it difficult to sell her. If you do sell her on be prepared for her to have an uncertain future.

 

[TPO]

From a buyer's point of view, having had to retire my soulmate at the age of 11 with neck arthritis, I wouldn't go anywhere near another one. I suspect you will find it difficult to sell her. If you do sell her on be prepared for her to have an uncertain future.

That's another valid point. Hock arthritis is fairly common and "known" with established treatment plans that help most, but not all, horses.

Neck arthritis seems to be getting diagnosed more often in recent years. I presume due to improvements in diagnostics. From the threads in here it appears to be hard to manage and nearly always serious as it I'd almost always an "unknown" in regards to the effect/impact/pain.

Selling on an established horse with medicated hocks to a lower level home is one thing.

Selling a green and sharp horse who has only just been medicated and with no idea of suitability to return to what level of work, if at all, is another

Then selling the above horse who also has diagnosed neck arthritis is another matter again.

If OP searches in here I'm sure she will find the threads by people managing horses with neck arthritis. Iirc it has been quite common for there to be a rapid decline and increase in signs of pain even as pasture ornaments.

 

[Fransurrey]

Is loaning from current yard an option? Or a couple of sharers to take the bulk of the workload/finance? I'm another that wouldn't let her go on loan or sell. Either way, she'll be off site and in the care of someone who may or may not appreciate that this will degenerate and need further medication. She's a big girl to handle if she's uncomfortable so you'd need to be 100 % that anyone in charge would be able to deal with her AND respect that it's a pain response. That's quite a gamble and as others have said, neck arthritis seems to go downhill quite fast, probably as there is a lot of mobility involved, even for grazing.

 

[milliepops]

From a buyer's point of view, having had to retire my soulmate at the age of 11 with neck arthritis, I wouldn't go anywhere near another one. I suspect you will find it difficult to sell her. If you do sell her on be prepared for her to have an uncertain future.

I agree with this, I have accidentally ended up with 2 pasture ornaments with arthritic necks, mine are accident related but the effect is essentially the same.. its not something i would knowingly buy into. Esp not with the hocks involved because you'd just be waiting for the next joints to get affected.
I would potentially look into a loan from the horse's existing yard so you can keep an eye on it, retirement livery or PTS.

 

[SEL]

I attract walking vet bills and the 3 in my paddock won't ever be sold on because I can't guarantee their health issues will be managed. I am forever grateful for having the big boy in my life but both the vet and i were horrified when we got his previous vet records. He's very, very lucky to have found himself my field where I'm prepared to pay for his medication and give him the retirement he so deserves - really he should have been PTS not passed on as a light hack.

I may take on a horse with known arthritis if it was safe and sound - but I would only loan and I'd expect the owner to help with injections and have back if it got too advanced. I would not get on anything "quirky" because I already have one of those and she's riddled with problems sadly. I'm pretty sure "quirky" often related to pain.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do OP.

 

[Birker2020]

Would she be any good for a blood bank?

That's what I said. At least for a couple of years anyway.

 

[pansymouse]

My friend has horse retired with hock arthritis - it's an expensive and time consuming condition to manage. He's now into his third year of retirement and now requires sedation to have his feed trimmed and can only work in straight lines (she does regular ground work with him - he enjoys it). He is still happy in himself and bright eyed - as soon as he isn't she will take the heart-breaking decision.

I can't imagine that anyone with the time and skills to manage an arthritic horse in retirement would willingly buy one in; it's an obligation they fulfil to a horse that has served a working life with them. If you don't have the time or finances to offer a horse a good retirement than there is not shame in having them PTS - the shame lies in dodging your moral obligations and pushing them into an uncertain and potentially miserable future. The world is full of low end dealers that 'bute lame horses and sell them cheaply to unsuspecting homes.

 

[Nasicus]

Echoing others and adding in that she's a big horse, 17hh. They tend to go downhill quicker with things like this, as they're much larger and carrying a lot more weight/strain on their joints than say, a wee little pony, especially if they are no longer able to work and keep the muscles in the condition they once were, and therefore are unable to carry themselves as correctly as they should be in order to protect the joints.

I'd say, if time is the only factor as you say, find her a nice full grass livery and let her live out her days there until she's no longer comfortable or field sound. Shouldn't cost you too much. And if you're not willing to do that, then either a loan directly from your yard (although be prepared to pay for the ongoing medication costs yourself) or give her a good last day and have her put to sleep in comfort, knowing that her future is secured and she'll feel no more pain.

 

[Birker2020]

If you don't have the time or finances to offer a horse a good retirement than there is not shame in having them PTS - the shame lies in dodging your moral obligations and pushing them into an uncertain and potentially miserable future. The world is full of low end dealers that 'bute lame horses and sell them cheaply to unsuspecting homes.

Very well put Pansymouse. I think in the OP's case the horse is much younger and could potentially go 12 -24 months without needing further medication. Or it could only go 6 months. It is as much the old adage 'buyer beware' as it is for the vendor to declare what is wrong with any horse they sell. But the buyer should ask appropriate questions in respect of any potential purchase, that goes without saying.

 

[fankino04]

Very well put Pansymouse. I think in the OP's case the horse is much younger and could potentially go 12 -24 months without needing further medication. Or it could only go 6 months. It is as much the old adage 'buyer beware' as it is for the vendor to declare what is wrong with any horse they sell. But the buyer should ask appropriate questions in respect of any potential purchase, that goes without saying.

And it's this uncertainty about how well the medication will work that makes it so hard to find the right home for her, but I can also appreciate the OP having a much loved and currently happy horse in front of her and therefore not wanting PTS until there are no other options, I'm in the camp of retirement livery or loan out locally knowing it may be only short term.