Travelling an arthritic older horse

[ClaireM4]

We have a 25 year old horse who is arthritic in his hind quarters. He is still ridden gently and only in walk. My daughter is talking about moving him to retirement livery about and hour and a half away, it is an hour by car so would be at least an hour and a half by horse transport.
Just wondering what people's opinions are on whether this sort of journey would be fair/good for him?
Many thanks.

 

[Birker2020]

We have a 25 year old horse who is arthritic in his hind quarters. He is still ridden gently and only in walk. My daughter is talking about moving him to retirement livery about and hour and a half away, it is an hour by car so would be at least an hour and a half by horse transport.e h
Just wondering what people's opinions are on whether this sort of journey would be fair/good for him?
Many thanks.

Just give him so bute prior to travelling and put a deep shaving or straw bed down for him in the trailer/lorry. I'm sure he will be fine.

I would just say if he's off to retirement will he be given a daily sachet of bute or will you medicate his joints prior to moving to retirement? I realise that's not what you've asked and it's none of my business but just wondered if you've considered ongoing pain relief.

The reason I'm asking is because my boy is retired and is in a large mixed herd of at a retirement yard and we visit twice a week and can see first hand that he's coping fine.

But he had a tough winter last year (as did most) and he was fed a sachet of bute a day during that time due to mud fever and foot abscesses. He list weight and go rainscald.

We said if he didn't rally this Spring we'd call it a day but we've seen witnessed several times him roll, trot and canter, buck and chase off another horse so know he's OK and fat! We will closely monitor him over this winter but it's just something to bear in mind.

 

[Zoeypxo]

We have a 25 year old horse who is arthritic in his hind quarters. He is still ridden gently and only in walk. My daughter is talking about moving him to retirement livery about and hour and a half away, it is an hour by car so would be at least an hour and a half by horse transport.
Just wondering what people's opinions are on whether this sort of journey would be fair/good for him?
Many thanks.

If hes an experienced traveller and wont get stressed out he should be fine, i would ask the vet for a small amount of bute for travel though to make it comfortable for him

 

[Tiddlypom]

There’s quite a lot of nuance to this.

If he’s sound enough to be retired he ought to be able, assuming that he’s normally a good traveller, to cope with the journey with a bit of bute to tide him over.

Is there someone known to you close to the retirement livery able to keep a close eye on him? Personally, I don’t trust retirement liveries and would PTS rather than send a horse to one if I wasn’t able to keep a very close eye on the horse myself.

 

[ClaireM4]

Just give him so bute prior to travelling and put a deep shaving or straw bed down for him in the trailer/lorry. I'm sure he will be fine.

I would just say if he's off to retirement will he be given a daily sachet of bute or will you medicate his joints prior to moving to retirement? I realise that's not what you've asked and it's none of my business but just wondered if you've considered ongoing pain relief.

The reason I'm asking is because my boy is retired and is in a large mixed herd of at a retirement yard and we visit twice a week and can see first hand that he's coping fine.

But he had a tough winter last year (as did most) and he was fed a sachet of bute a day during that time due to mud fever and foot abscesses. He list weight and go rainscald.

We said if he didn't rally this Spring we'd call it a day but we've seen witnessed several times him roll, trot and canter, buck and chase off another horse so know he's OK and fat! We will closely monitor him over this winter but it's just something to bear in mind.

Aww bless him, he did lose weight didn't he, but thankfully looks a lot better now. Our boy's arthritis is more in his hind end, pelvis, that sort of thing, nothing in his lower joints. He runs around in the field, is happy being ridden in walk, but not comfortable on trot. Before we had him he did a lot of travelling, but none recently though.

 

[ClaireM4]

There’s quite a lot of nuance to this.

If he’s sound enough to be retired he ought to be able, assuming that he’s normally a good traveller, to cope with the journey with a bit of bute to tide him over.

Is there someone known to you close to the retirement livery able to keep a close eye on him? Personally, I don’t trust retirement liveries and would PTS rather than send a horse to one if I wasn’t able to keep a very close eye on the horse myself.

I don't trust retirement liveries either! My daughter has recently moved with her controlling partner, and baby so will be close enough to visit, although I don't know how often she'll be able/allowed to. I'd rather he stayed with us tbh, but it's space, and the fact that I'm currently looking after him completely, physically and financially and struggling to do so, especially with winter approaching

 

[MrsMozartleto]

There’s quite a lot of nuance to this.

If he’s sound enough to be retired he ought to be able, assuming that he’s normally a good traveller, to cope with the journey with a bit of bute to tide him over.

Is there someone known to you close to the retirement livery able to keep a close eye on him? Personally, I don’t trust retirement liveries and would PTS rather than send a horse to one if I wasn’t able to keep a very close eye on the horse myself.

Why don't you trust them?

I ask as we have one and if there's something people would need to keep their minds at rest then I'd like to know. I send a message every day to the owners and photos usually at least every week (sometimes more). Regular farrier and dentist visits. Specialist vets five minutes away. Owners welcome to visit when they want as a general rule.

 

[MrsMozartleto]

Sorry, just realised didn't answe the OP's question.

I'd think travelling should be okay, though I'd have a word with your vet, and if possible use a lorry as they tend to be more stable.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would travel on a dose of bute.

There is an amazing horse grass retirement place near me in Hemel Hempstead they have about 200 acres in total, I went last week as my friend has a retired horse and a young colt that need to live out.

She actually knows the people that run it and they have a very good reputation and the place is beautiful they are the sort of fields horses should really be on.

My friends horses are going there this weekend.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Why don't you trust them?

I ask as we have one and if there's something people would need to keep their minds at rest then I'd like to know. I send a message every day to the owners and photos usually at least every week (sometimes more). Regular farrier and dentist visits. Specialist vets five minutes away. Owners welcome to visit when they want as a general rule.

Your retirement livery sounds good, MrsM, and you have always seemed like a good HHO egg .

Unfortunately I know of far too many suspect retirement liveries set up because the yard owner wants to make money out of liveries without the nuisance of daily visits by the owners to check up on their horse. Liitle empires. Sad stiff horses living out standing in a crowd in hock deep mud around a feeder becasue living out is ‘better’ than stabling at night.

I have quite a high bar re what I call being pasture sound enough to happily retire. If a horse is noticeably stiff after spending a night in the stable then IMHO it is not sound enough to live out either. So more pain relief or PTS.

I do retire my neds here at home but I continue to keep a very close watch on them and adjust their management and call in the vet as necessary. I wouldn’t farm them out to a livery unless I was able to check on them very frequently.

I don't trust retirement liveries either! My daughter has recently moved with her controlling partner, and baby so will be close enough to visit, although I don't know how often she'll be able/allowed to. I'd rather he stayed with us tbh, but it's space, and the fact that I'm currently looking after him completely, physically and financially and struggling to do so, especially with winter approaching

How difficult and worrying a situation this is for you . I’m sorry to hear it.

 

[MrsMozartleto]

Your retirement livery sounds good, MrsM, and you have always seemed like a good HHO egg .

Unfortunately I know of far too many suspect retirement liveries set up because the yard owner wants to make money out of liveries without the nuisance of daily visits by the owners to check up on their horse. Liitle empires. Sad stiff horses living out standing in a crowd in hock deep mud around a feeder becasue living out is ‘better’ than stabling at night.

I have quite a high bar re what I call being pasture sound enough to happily retire. If a horse is noticeably stiff after spending a night in the stable then IMHO it is not sound enough to live out either. So more pain relief or PTS.

I do retire my neds here at home but I continue to keep a very close watch on them and adjust their management and call in the vet as necessary. I wouldn’t farm them out to a livery unless I was able to check on them very frequently.



How difficult and worrying a situation this is for you . I’m sorry to hear it.

I think that sometimes 'some folk' think it's the easy option, when it really isn't. Takes a lot of time and energies, and the emotional toll can be high - one spends a lot of time with them and get really quite attached.

A few of ours would stiffen up overnight in a stable, but out 24/7/365, with shelters if they want to use, and they're moving well and have friends so owners are happy. We're making the call with one as she really won't comfortably do another winter. Her people will be here and she'll go munching carrots and Polos (currently her two favourites).

 

[Melody Grey]

I wouldn't worry about the travel of the horse is experienced and generally good to travel. As others have said, bute would help. It’s a needs must situation to get to retirement livery so not like you’re proposing doing the journey three times a week or anything. Consult your vet if you’re really worried, they may be able to give something else?

 

[Vodkagirly]

If it's by trailer, can you move the back partition so that he has more space? Older horses particularly prefer to stand at an angle.