Those of you who have horses you can't ride

[TicTac]

for one reason or another, what do you do with them?

My mare recovered well from a big kissing spine operation 17 months ago only to be rendered un-rideable ( well at the moment) recently with articular ringbone of the coffin joint. She is only 12, has a huge personality and likes to be out there doing stuff. Her diagnosis is only recent and she hasn't had time to stabilise yet. She had her shoes removed for the xrays but is happily walking now on the soft.

She is on 2 bute a day and still very lame in trot. I'm not sure whether to have her shoes put back on to help her or try her without. I have been told by the vets that I can start riding her for 30 mins per day at walk for 8 weeks and see how she is from there. If I dont ride her I will take her out for walks. I dont have to do much road work ( mostly tarmac) to get onto the bridle ways.

My point is that if my mare doesn't have a job to do, she will get upto mischief and as hard as this may sound, I cannot afford to keep a high maintenance field ornament. While I am not yet at that point of having to make a decision about her future, I just wondered what other people do in the same situation.

 

[Wagtail]

for one reason or another, what do you do with them?

My mare recovered well from a big kissing spine operation 17 months ago only to be rendered un-rideable ( well at the moment) recently with articular ringbone of the coffin joint. She is only 12, has a huge personality and likes to be out there doing stuff. Her diagnosis is only recent and she hasn't had time to stabilise yet. She had her shoes removed for the xrays but is happily walking now on the soft.

She is on 2 bute a day and still very lame in trot. I'm not sure whether to have her shoes put back on to help her or try her without. I have been told by the vets that I can start riding her for 30 mins per day at walk for 8 weeks and see how she is from there. If I dont ride her I will take her out for walks. I dont have to do much road work ( mostly tarmac) to get onto the bridle ways.

My point is that if my mare doesn't have a job to do, she will get upto mischief and as hard as this may sound, I cannot afford to keep a high maintenance field ornament. While I am not yet at that point of having to make a decision about her future, I just wondered what other people do in the same situation.

My boy is sound enough to lunge, as is my mare. I find my mare, who is 18 now is ready for a quieter life so I do a bit of clicker training and long reining with her in the winter, but leave her to mooch in the summer. My boy is proving to be a nightmare out of work . He is so excitable and in the winter he only gets 3 hours a day turnout. I will have to lunge him regularly if I can't ride him, in order to keep him sane. If I can't curb his behaviour, the only option is to PTS though I am loath to do it.

 

[staceyn]

Both my ponies are too young to ride so I take them on walks ,trick train them . Maybe lunge when there bit older

 

[Patterdale]

Someone needs to invent some kind of 'wheel' (off of hamsters) for horses who can only do light work. A wheel that powers electric? Horse has a use, cheap power, ultimately renders solar panels obsolete.

Crikey I'm a genius!!

 

[Jackson]

Turn her in to a circus pony! Okay, I joke but you could do some ground work with her, teach her to 'ground tie' in the school, walk over different materials and under hanging things. Umbarellas can be scary

Walking out inhand is actually quite enjoyable too

Even if she's fine with all of that sort of stuff already, it will keep her mind occupied.. this is what I have been doing with mine while he's been out of work.

 

[Neburu]

I have a rising 14 year old gelding who is retired and he is still shoed all round because his feet literally crumble and crack when hes barefoot.

He found it very hard at first to settle without the ridden work but 6 months of stressing and he finally settled to being a field ornament.

Other than becoming stressy he never went through any fencing or caused any trouble. He's been retired for 12 months + now and hes back to his old self, really calm and cuddly.

All you can really do is just see how your horse copes with it and decide what to do if you need to.

My pony doesn't go for walks as he doesn't like road work anymore due to an accident. He is literally left in the field and brushed a couple of times a week.

 

[*hic*]

I have two old broken geldings - 18 and 27 who are not currently ridden. I don't "do" anything with them. I turn them out together and they have a fine old time playing like a couple of two year olds and both looking completely and utterly sound. IF they weren't in together they'd be annoying the heck out of whoever they shared with but as it is they are perfectly happy. They are stabled next to each other with a low wall between so they can interact if they want to but when they are out for their few hours (bloody weather) they hardly stand still they are so busy playing.

 

[Ranyhyn]

for one reason or another, what do you do with them?

Swear at her.
Makes faces at her.
Sometimes throw things at her (treats make a good weapon!)
If she really gets on my nerves I call her from the window then hide from her.



Sorry I'm no help, I have no idea. Some days I can't even look at her anymore but others we muck along.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Our 30 yr old retired cob enjoys a nice walk to say hello to the neighbours, every now and again.

The WelshDxTB who had to be effectively retired aged 10 because we couldn't stop passers-by feeding her the foods that made her loopy and dangerous, thoroughly enjoyed her job as a companion. We had a stable herd of 4, she always stayed at home when 2 of the others were ridden. They all spoiled her rotten and indulged her every whim.

 

[blood_magik]

spend ages grooming and generally faffing around with him
we go for walks in-hand or I set up a wee obstacle course for him in the school to keep it interesting.

 

[Montyforever]

Walks inhand, longreining from behind is good as you can get them on the bit and using their brains instead of walking along like a donkey! Light lunging, teaching tricks and generally fussing them can you tell I've got two ponies I can't ride ..?

 

[abercrombie&titch]

I suppose it depends on your circumstance and the ponies personality - we had a lovely old lad who couldn't work due to an old injury - he used to potter round the road or field with the kids on on his better days, other than that he was a field ornament - he thoroughly enjoyed his retirement, being groomed, generally pampered, popping up to the house for a picnic in the garden..... The kids old Dartmoor is now the old ornament - retired on health grounds - and he also enjoys a similar lifestyle. Both were very happy when they were younger and worked, and off to parties every other week, but were/are equally happy enjoying a well earned retirement. Perhaps we've been lucky that they have been so amenable to a less active lifestyle?

 

[wyrdsister]

I sent both of mine away to a retirement centre. The yellow gelding (31) because I was really struggling to find the time for him (and he cannot be kept near or in sight of mares or with confrontational geldings, as he's an ex stud stallion and WILL fight until he or someone else hits the deck) and my mare (13 today) because she is definitely a high maintenance field ornament. (By comparison, the gelding is not, which should say something about her personality!!!).

Kept with me, I honestly thought I'd have to pts, because she HATED retirement. I tried it at one yard we were at, turning her out with a bunch of barren ex-broodies, and she just hung around the gate, bitching. After a year, giving her attention, deliberately not giving her attention, you name it, I tried it, I gave up and tried to bring her back into work - including moving yards to see if another set up would suit her better. Short version: epic fail! She ended up needing retirement again, on restricted grazing, kept in at night, and muzzled - not much of a life. Not to mention getting into mischief, becoming very hard to handle, starting to rip rugs and hound other horses, just out of sheer boredom.

In the end, I sent her down to the same place as my gelding and there she's finally settled. She doesn't expect work from the owner of the place, she has an established herd, she doesn't have to watch others come in and out, and I deliberately don't go and see her very often, as all the old behaviour kicks off for a few hours/days when I do. She's always so excited to see me, but I suspect she thinks she's coming home and coming back to work. When I'm not there, the reports, pictures and videos the owner sends suggest she's a bit bored but generally chilled and comfortable, as well as out 24/7 on grazing that suits her somewhat funky metabolism. It's not cheap, but cheaper than keeping her with my others - and certainly with the time and management that would have required.

Maybe an option for yours?

 

[Marzipan12]

Slightly different because I work at a horse sanctuary. Some are up for rehoming but others are with us for life because of health reasons or because they are now ancient.

The oldest ones are just happy to mooch about, they get groomed and faffed about with and receive plenty of attention and they all have friends in their field.

The shetlands get taken on walks to keep them fit and keep their bellies away....or at least attempt to!

We do clicker training with some of them whilst others that are very nervous have trust technique sessions.

Most of the ones we have, even those for rehoming tend to be unrideable, at the moment we only have one potential rideable horse (we will not know until he has gained more weight) but we just make sure they all get plenty of fuss and handling.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

My retired TB nannys the youngsters - when she's not teaching them naughty things.

Chestnut mare is still unknown RE whether or not she will be retired. If she has to be retired but is sound enough to walk out, I'll take her out for in-hand potters down the lane as she does love it.

 

[FinkleyAlex]

My older gelding is on loan but has athritis so is limited in what he does. He generally does a little mooching around the school and some hacking, the rest of the time he gobbles grass and hay (and I don't have to foot the bill for the first time in my life!). Baby pony is too young to do anything - he comes in to practice picking up feet and being tied up then goes back out to play in the field.

 

[asbo]

Feed them, cuddle them, brush them and spoil them as much as i can.

 

[Gleeful Imp]

Feed them, cuddle them, brush them and spoil them as much as i can.

This! Retired two, first to a retirement livery, then for their final summer they came home. No work or playing, just left to be horses with grooming and loves whenever I went to see them.

And I miss them so much, the coloured handsome cob and the little grey princess in my sig. Cost me a fortune and I'd spend it all again 10 times over to have them back.

 

[Parker79]

Such a difficult one - I think you have to just deal with this stage by stage and do not plan too far ahead.

My girly was loss of use at 11 and deemed a light hack...well she was barely that...she would stay sound for 5 mins...enough for me to love riding again and then she would go lame. She is 20 now and fully retired.

I kept my mare and I am glad I did....its been really tough at times but she has repaid me by being the kingest more loving mare and also AMAZING with my daughter who can pootle on her occasionally. For me it meant not being able to ride unless I borrowed other peoples.

OP - it really tough...try not to think this far yet, she may come right.

 

[milesjess]

My 13 yr old is retired due to arthritis. He doesn't do anything other then live out with his friends and be a horse

I bring him in now and again to groom and pamper him. I'll go down each day to change rugs, feed etc... He has had his time pleasing riders so it's now his time to enjoy himself.