Suggestions please.

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jrp204

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Daughters mare slipped off the step outside her stable about a year ago, after intermittent lameness she was scanned.early September and found she had damaged a ligament in her hock and had a small bone chip. Took vets advice and put her on box rest for 6 months, turned away for a month then brought back slowly into work. She is now being ridden in the grass fields with some trotting and a bit of canter, no circles or schooling. She has come in again lame.
We are gutted, we had only had her 2 weeks when she slipped!
So, what to do next? Her scans have been sent to Bristol which is at least 3 hrs away, they have said they could operate but it will more than likely cost more than our insurance cover (with no guarantee of success ) we have used 1k of it already, she is not insured for LOU. We cannot afford to keep her a field ornament nor do we want to breed from her.
Will she have any value as a brood mare? She is ID x TB, 8yrs. Do we persevere with the riding once this lameness subsides or is this just going to keep reoccurring.
Sorry for ramble.
 
I'd be inclined to turn her away for four to six months, see where you are at the end of summer. Find a share for your daughter perhaps? I wouldn't be riding her.

Other option is to continue with the vet's route and operate. You will have more insurance left, no?
 
Have you scanned/ xrayed since resting her? that would be the first thing to do if not as the ligament may not yet have healed, the chip could have moved or still be settling, turning her away for longer then very slowly returning to work may be the best option.
Even if she was insured for LOU you would not be able to claim without trying whatever the vets advise, if an op is over the insurance you have left that will not be taken into account, it could be worth getting another opinion and possibly another quote for the op they do seem to vary.
 
She was scanned in January, they were very happy with the ligament, they found another chip, 1st one hadn't moved. We have taken her very slowly, it is so demoralising for daughter to have something more established that she could get out and have some fun with and then for this to happen, horses, who would av' em?
 
Can you afford to turn the mare out for a year and let her have four seasons on it and get another horse on loan as well? I sympathise greatly as we'd only had our big mare 13 and a half days when she slipped in the field and injured herself, potentially fatally - only 24% chance of healing. We bought another horse to replace her as we weren't sure at what point she'd have to be pts and he managed to drop one leg off the lorry ramp and permanently damage himself. We'd had him a couple of months:(

We were very lucky that the big mare came back to full work.

If your mare is nicely bred and/or the right size it might be worth seeing if someone wants a foal from her which would / might mitigate some of the costs of her being turned away for a year.
 
As soon as I read bone chip I though.
Why haven't they removed it?

Can't you speak to langford about a payment plan?
If you have used £1k insurance you should have another £2kor £4k left.
Plus payments plan should see you though.
Is she likely to make a good recovery after op?
I done believe in having broodmares unless for specific breeds.
There are far to many unwanted horses out there.
If you can't keep her as an ornament and no one wants her as a companion.
Then I feel an important decision has to be made.
 
We have 4k left, I insure as I couldn't afford to fund treatment otherwise. Apparently the chip is in an awkward place, so there are no guarantees. We have no problems in making in hard decisions, just want to avoid writing off everything, that includes the mare.
Our vets don't do that sort of surgery and recommend Bristol, they also said she may have had the chips before the slip, daughter had been competing her for 4 months before we bought her with no problems.
 
Update. Our vets referred her to Penmellyn who are more specialist. After xrays we were told the joint between the Proximial Tarsal and the Tibial Tarsal has been severely damaged, she reckoned the slip virtually dislocated the joint. Because of the damage she will have to be retired from ridden work but could still be used as a brood mare. To say we are gutted is an understatement. No horse, obviously not bad enough to PTS as far as insurance is concerned, so no money to replace her. Pain in the arse all round. Have now advertised her as a broodmare although i feel this will be a waste of time. Will have to seriously rethink if she doesn't sell.
 
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