Taking on a 25 yr old, I think I must be mad

[thatsmygirl]

On the livery yard I'm at there's a 25 yr old who isn't looked after and is just left in the field without the owner coming up for weeks on end. We check on her daily and give her a meal everyday out of our own feed bins but everytime we speak to the owner she don't seem to care and just can't get her up the yard to check her. Iv txt her to see if she would sign her over to me so at least she will get the care she needs in her old age and the girl is very keen to speak to me about it or so she says! I went and gave her a good check out at the weekend and she has 1 and a half front teeth left :/ and the holes above her eyes are bulging so think she may have metabolic issues. I'm starting to think I'm mad if I consider taking her on

 

[WelshD]

I wouldn't do it. I have taken on elderly animals before and poured money in to them before them having to be PTS, good for the soul but crippling on the bank balance and sometimes you have to let your head rule your heart

I would withdraw your help and alert a welfare agency if I was in your shoes personally

 

[wills_91]

Tricky one. We took on an elderly pony, late 20s early 30s as he wasn't being cared for. Got him sorted, fed him up & under vet advice he enjoyed 18 months of hacking out. We lost him to colic in the end & he did cost us a fortune but I would do the same again in a heartbeat. Why has the YO not got involved?

 

[hotair]

This is a very hard situation and its lovely of you to even consider doing it, but as mentioned above you run a very big risk of spending a fortune on her just to have to put her to sleep. I wont say dont do it because in your situation i know i probably would take her on aswell but do go in with your eyes wide open if you decide to as its not only the cost of any vetinary treatment she may need but also the cost of an extra horses livery, feed, dentist, farrier, rugs etc which for oldies all adds up! If you decide not to take her on i echo above and say contact a welfare agency . Good luck with what ever you decide and do keep us updated

 

[Doormouse]

Elderly horses are very expensive to keep and very time consuming. It is a lovely offer you are making for the mare's sake and I know in the same situation I would be very tempted to do the same but from your own point of view it could be seriously costly and you could find yourself tied to her financially and time wise for several years just to keep her going. I would second the idea of contacting a welfare organisation for her.

 

[touchstone]

I agree that it will probably be costly to take the horse on, but I don't think that a welfare agency will be able to help either, the responsibility for an abandoned horse falls to the yard owner as they have a duty of care. In all honesty pts sounds the sensible option for this horse, unless you really don't mind the additional costs, and if you don't then good on you for helping.

 

[paddy555]

I was in this position exactly 3 years ago with a 24 yo mare belonging to someone else. I had been feeding her but she got to the stage when she wasn't going to manage any longer unless someone did something and took charge of the situation. She needed shelter at night, her teeth sorting, her worms sorting and most of all good quality food and plenty of it. I got her signed over to me.
It was a long struggle but as I watch my extremelyy happy mare cavorting around the field I don't regret a penny that it cost me or a second of the time spent. She has lost about 10 years in the last 3. Looks fantastic and I hope to be tied to her financially for several more years to come. Looking back now I know I would have regretted not giving her the chance even if I had lost her after a short time (which I came close to doing)

 

[horsebenny]

I would do it personally. Poor old girl deserves someone to love her at the end of her days.

 

[Optimissteeq]

Hi, I have two oldies and in terms of cost - the additional costs really that I have is feed, the other costs mentioned above are not much different (for me anyway) whatever the age of the horse.
The thing here is that my oldies have been with me for years, and I'd like to think, well cared for, so I know their history. I wouldn't discourage you from taking on this horse and I think it's very commendable, BUT if you don't know the mares history then you need to factor in potential problems, you mention her eyes are 'bulging' - I think you may mean she has fat pads above her eye sockets? If so, this may be a sign of cushings, so please try and be as prepared as possible so you don't get any nasty surprises.
One of my boys has half a tooth missing at the front - I have to brush his teeth regularly to get out any food wedged in the hole and have the dentist every 9 months as the missing tooth means the teeth in the opposite jaw, don't wear down. Just thought this may be useful info for you!
Good luck with your decision.

 

[OWLIE185]

The owner of the horse and the yard owner are both clearly being irresponsible and in fact could easily be prosecuted for failing to care for this elderly horse under the animal welfare legislation 2006.
A phone call to the welfare department of WHW (World Horse Welfare) will result in them sending one of their inspectors to take a look at this horse and also to speak to the owner of the horse and yard about it's future care.
Obviously if you have deep pockets then you could afford to take on this horse but be aware that if the horse has any medical conditions such as Cushings Disease then the medication per day could be well in excess of £1 per day if not more. It would be very kind of you to take this horse on but make quite sure that you can afford it.

 

[_GG_]

I don't think you're mad, but I do think you need to be careful. I also think you need to make sure that you can afford to have the horse pts and disposed of without putting you under extra financial/emotional pressure.

You have some potentially huge bills with taking on this horse and with all the will in the world, we can't save them all, but I applaud you for thinking about this and I am by no means saying not to do it. Just that I think this is something you really need to take your time over, think on really seriously and speak to your nearest and dearest as they are going to be there to support you through it.

Speak to WHW or BHS welfare about the situation and to get a realistic idea of how they might be able to help. I know from the RSPCA perspective, when wanting them to take action, you cannot, under any circumstances give the horse food or water unless they expressly give you permission as they have very strict rules to work by and it makes no difference who has fed or watered the horse, if they visit and there is food or water present that was not put there with their agreement, they have to report it as having been fed and watered, which will make it impossible for them to do anything as the basic needs are being met.

It's hard, but when you really need them to take action, you have to be willing to work with them and not do anything that they haven't agreed to, which can mean seeing a horse go without food or water for up to a day, sometimes more, until they can get an officer to you.

 

[OWLIE185]

The urban myth about watering and feeding a horse is not true any more as a result of the animal welfare legislation 2006 - animals have to be cared for in other ways as well and even if it is fed and watered an owner can still be prosecuted for denying the animal basic care such as regular veterinary check ups, regular monitoring of worm burden etc.

 

[_GG_]

The urban myth about watering and feeding a horse is not true any more as a result of the animal welfare legislation 2006 - animals have to be cared for in other ways as well and even if it is fed and watered an owner can still be prosecuted for denying the animal basic care such as regular veterinary check ups, regular monitoring of worm burden etc.

Not going to disagree with that, but it was only early this year that I last went through all of this and the act you mention is what the RSPCA were following...basically, that yes, you can feed and water, but they needed to know who was doing it, hence wanting communication and not just having unknown people doing it. That's what I got directly from them and it was written in all of the literature for the court as well.

 

[Spring Feather]

I've taken on quite a few very old horses and yes it is true they do cost a lot to keep looking in tip top shape, especially when they run out of teeth. I really enjoy having old horses though so the cost doesn't really matter to me. The conformation of old horses is a bit different to young horses though and often there are dips and bulges where there aren't in fit young horses so that part wouldn't put me off. Just be aware of the cost and if you're okay with that then good luck to you.

 

[B&J]

First off well done you for considering it, it is very rewarding but incredibly expensive to keep them tip top.

I took my oldie on at 28, in a terrible state and have thrown money and time at him. For me it was worth it to see the life come back into his eyes and personality wise he is amazing and very rewarding BUT he costs me at least triple the amount my semi-senior ones do. He has to have soaked good quality hay, Aubiose bedding with very deep banks (gets caste) which costs a fortune. Not to mention the £30 a month supplements, different feeds, extra feeds, extra rugging, stable boots to help arthritis. A simple slip in the field in the summer turned into a £300 vet bill. 6 weekly Scenar visits, retired but fully shod.... the list goes on and on and on. After all of that though to see him back to health and hear that loving whinney every morning and every night when he see's me.. that... I wouldn't change for the world and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

 

[ridefast]

I took on an (atleast) 25 year old - had her teeth done, blood tested, fed and rugged and pampered her all winter and come spring she went rapidly downhill, more blood tests revealed she had cancer and that was that. I don't regret it though, she was a real sweety and while 8 months isn't long in horse ownership she really left her mark. I'll never forget her and I'm pleased that I could give her a good last winter and a dignified end.

 

[Optimissteeq]

First off well done you for considering it, it is very rewarding but incredibly expensive to keep them tip top.

I took my oldie on at 28, in a terrible state and have thrown money and time at him. For me it was worth it to see the life come back into his eyes and personality wise he is amazing and very rewarding BUT he costs me at least triple the amount my semi-senior ones do. He has to have soaked good quality hay, Aubiose bedding with very deep banks (gets caste) which costs a fortune. Not to mention the £30 a month supplements, different feeds, extra feeds, extra rugging, stable boots to help arthritis. A simple slip in the field in the summer turned into a £300 vet bill. 6 weekly Scenar visits, retired but fully shod.... the list goes on and on and on. After all of that though to see him back to health and hear that loving whinney every morning and every night when he see's me.. that... I wouldn't change for the world and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Hi B&J,
I have to say that mine don't really costs anymore apart from extra feed. I wouldn't say they need triple bedding etc I really just notice the extra costs more maybe in joint supplements. I would give mine good quality hay whatever their age so i wouldn't say this is an extra cost. It does cost more yes but not massively so....or maybe I don't notice given they are both aged and I've been forking out for years?

 

[thatsmygirl]

Thanks for all your replies its going to take a lot of thinking to make the right decision but I mustn't let my heart rule my head I know that. Body condition at the mo she's a good doer and is coping with the grass and the feed we are supplying and dont seem to stiff walking about. She's tb x shire ( think mini shire about 14.2) no mistaking the shire in her
I shall haven't got the owner to turn up to speak to her but the one thing that is really putting me off is her lack of teeth! Iv got old horses now ( oldest 23 yrs) and he's still in work and lives by it, tried retiring him but no chance. I work closely with feed companies etc so iv got no issues on feed side of things and the care but I'm worried about her teeth and the fact she could colic easily by not being able to chew properly?
But she's been ok up to now. She's still ridable and is a very forward going bouncy ride. It is more her teeth that I'm concerned about. Vet does think she could have cushings but she said she's coped up until now so not to worry to much. I have suggest that pts is an option as something has got to change for her. Yard owner isn't horsey and never on site he's just a old man with a stable yard that he rents out and only collects the rent, he has been told but he's told us girls to try and sort it if we can. We pay such a little amount for the stables which are so so posh ( under £15 a week DIY) I don't want to course any kind of trouble and sorting it between us should be doable even if that means involving WHW.

 

[Rapidash]

I would take the horse on but set a budget to spend on her and when her care goes over this, pts.

She's not your problem, but if you are considering doing her a kindness, then I can only encourage you.

 

[Luci07]

Cushings doesn't have to mean using Prascend. I would most defiantly try herbal alternatives first. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[thatsmygirl]

Cushings doesn't have to mean using Prascend. I would most defiantly try herbal alternatives first. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

You are quite right and in fact iv seen some depressed horses on prascend only to improved once taken off it and put on Chestetree berries and careful monitoring

 

[debsflo]

First off well done you for considering it, it is very rewarding but incredibly expensive to keep them tip top.

I took my oldie on at 28, in a terrible state and have thrown money and time at him. For me it was worth it to see the life come back into his eyes and personality wise he is amazing and very rewarding BUT he costs me at least triple the amount my semi-senior ones do. He has to have soaked good quality hay, Aubiose bedding with very deep banks (gets caste) which costs a fortune. Not to mention the £30 a month supplements, different feeds, extra feeds, extra rugging, stable boots to help arthritis. A simple slip in the field in the summer turned into a £300 vet bill. 6 weekly Scenar visits, retired but fully shod.... the list goes on and on and on. After all of that though to see him back to health and hear that loving whinney every morning and every night when he see's me.. that... I wouldn't change for the world and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Just love this story......how rewarding