unexpected retirement

N

newhomefordylan

New User
Joined
30 April 2012
Messages
8
Visit site
Hello. I am new to this forum and am looking for some help and advice. My lovely 16yr old welsh section D has suffered tendon damage just as i was trying to put him out for sale or full loan. My circumstances have changed dramatically and i can no longer afford to keep him nor do i have the time to give him the care he needs and deserves. The vet has said he needs a 2K op to help and my insurance wont cover it. He is therefore facing retirement and constant lameness, which is terribly sad as he is full of life. It also means its now practically impossible to re-home him. i dont know what to do. He is a worryer so he needs company and prefers to live outside so he is fairly easy to keep. How do i ensure he has a safe and happy future? I have heard a little about retirement homes but they seem costly and i havent heard of any near me. I live on the Isle of Wight, does anyone know of retirement liverys near there? i have approached charities but understandably they will only help where a horse is in danger or suffering abuse. Any help or ideas greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
If I were in your situation and the horse faced constant lameness and was not suitable as a companion horse - and I could not secure his future I would do the kindest thing for him and have him put down. Sorry if that isn't what you want to hear, but I can think of no other alternative that would ensure his future was safe.
With a tendon injury you'd still be paying out for vets fees etc on top of livery costs. Someone may know of a place near you, but if finances are an issue then I can't see that being helpful. It would be cheaper to put him on grass livery and keep him yourself.
 
really? I feel he shouldnt suffer because of my financial burdens. he would be so happy just left out in a herd. I feel like just releasing him in the newforest or something! No, i know this isnt feasible but it seems so unfair.
 
If he will remain comfortable put him on grass livery somewhere.

If you cannot afford treatment and he will be lame then PTS is the best option.

There are two issues here it seems, your horses lameness and your finances.
 
he'll suffer more if you chuck him out with a herd and leave him to it, or give him to a 'good' home or one of these retirement 'charities'. A decent retirement livery will cost you £££ because they'll be doing the 24/7 care.

If you want to ensure what happens to him in the future then there is only ONE way of doing that.
 
He would make an excellent field companion its just finding someone who needs one! The vet has said he will not really be in any discomfort just he wont be able to be ridden and is at obvious risk of damaging the tendon again. He is happy as larry in himself and you wouldnt really know he was ill if you werent told.
 
My horse has lived out happily for the majority of the last 13years so i certainly didnt mean "chuck him out with the herd" he is just at his happiest with companions living out as nature intended.
 
Retirement livery is not a cheap option unfortunately :( The local one near me charges £8 per day, and that doesn't include vet fees, wormers, trims ect.

I feel really awful for you, my baby broke down with a tendon problem and needed the two grand op (though it came to about 3 grand by the time I had paid for everything else). My insurance also wouldn't pay so I sold my other horse whom I had big hopes for for much less than what he was worth because I needed the money there and then.

Firstly, is your boy in constant pain without bute because if that was the case I would pts.

If he isn't, and he could live as a lawn mower for the rest of his days then you have two options. You either sell everything/anything of worth, try and get extra work (evening shelf stacking or bar work) and you find him a nice retirement centre where you know he will be looked after well...Or you pts.

I wish there was an easy option but unfortunately sound, problem free horses are struggling to find good homes, never mind ones that are lame. If you loan him out as a companion there is always the risk that he will be buted up and sold by a dodgy dealer, or taken to an abbitoire.

I wish you the best of luck. Oh and I live in the newforest, the ponies that roam the forest do not have an easy life at all, especially the older ones.
 
Op what is the tendon injury he has obtained? How do u know he can't recover enough to have a happy hacking life? Has he completely ruptured the tendon? Many horses with tendon problems cone back into work after having time off...cancu tell us more about the actual injury?
 
Retire him yourself at grass livery or PTS. Vets will never advise PTS unless it is for humane reasons, so it is not surprising your vet has not suggested it. I retired my mare two years ago due to a shoulder tendon injury. There is always the risk she will do it again and so needs plenty of supervision. You could not just turn a horse with a tendon injury away unless you are checking on him at least twice daily to ensure that should he reinjure himself, that it is dealt with swiftly. If I was looking for a companion, I would never consider a horse with a condition that could easily recur. People looking for companions want easy and cheap equines that are unlikely to cause them problems.
 
newhomefordylan said:
it just seems strange that your all very quick to say pts yet the vet never suggested it as an option?
Click to expand...

That will be because the vet expects you to take responsibility for affording your horse a quiet decent retirement.

There are some very nice professional retirement homes out there if you want to pay for them. Some of us keep our old retired horses on our own land, others can find a suitable companion home, others again only loan out to companion homes.

If you can't find him a suitable companion home, don't wish to afford to keep him yourself or to afford to keep him at a professional retirement home then the only way you can assure his future is to pts.
 
Thank you so much. I will do all i can to keep him happy and lawn mowing!!! I have the vet coming back in two weeks and i will make sure i consider his pain levels before i decide what to do.
 
newhomefordylan said:
it just seems strange that your all very quick to say pts yet the vet never suggested it as an option?
Click to expand...

That will be because most of us suggesting PTS have been about long enough to have seen numerous well meaning owners give their horse away as a companion only to find it doped up and sold through a market as a riding horse, left to starve half to deth in a field when the home that seemed too good to be true turned out to be just that (or the retirement charity) some horses end up being sold to an abattoir for meat.

The above makes PTS at home quite a nice option.
 
Is he sound? what is the injury? I would presume he is going to require a period of box rest in order for him to do some healing whether he is operated on or not, and hence cannot just go in a field somewhere on retirement. What has the vet said the outcome would be if you did not operate?

If you cannot afford to keep him or to fund any rehab of the tendon as required then yes you should PTS.
 
While you may be surprised at the main body of opinion re having your horse PTS, this I am sure is because we will have "been there" re your situation.I certainly have.
You have to decide what is best for your horse's welfare, quality NOT quantity of life I feel is the issue. Unless YOU can guarantee he will have a pleasant future then you are trusting others to look after him. I have witnessed far too many retired horse who have had a miserable existence being left in poached fields with little or no attention to their feet/teeth, ill fitting/trashed, inadequate rugs or no rugs. Do all retirement establishments have a facility to bring the horses inside should we have another winter like 2010/11?
IMHO horses should be horses and be able to enjoy being just that. If you horse is lame and in constant pain/discomfort can you believe he will enjoy his retirement? Long term bute just causes other equally painful problems. Unfortunately the best thing to do isn't often the pleasant one!
 
Wagtail said:
Retire him yourself at grass livery or PTS. Vets will never advise PTS unless it is for humane reasons, so it is not surprising your vet has not suggested it. I retired my mare two years ago due to a shoulder tendon injury. There is always the risk she will do it again and so needs plenty of supervision. You could not just turn a horse with a tendon injury away unless you are checking on him at least twice daily to ensure that should he reinjure himself, that it is dealt with swiftly. If I was looking for a companion, I would never consider a horse with a condition that could easily recur. People looking for companions want easy and cheap equines that are unlikely to cause them problems.
Click to expand...

^^^This. Personally I'd be inclined to just turn away at grass for a while, (obviously still checked/fed/groomed twice daily) Mine came sound after doing her ddft in a hind, on vets advce we left her to it and she finally came back into full work after two years off.

If that isn't practical due to your circumstances then I'd pts.
 
vet did ultrasound. she sees some damage to either the superior flexor tendon or deep flexor tendon, she says it has partially healed and she can see tough scar tissue. her concern is actually for a different area which she described as like an elastic band around the pastern which she thinks needs cutting to reduce pressure. She says left to rest he would probably come sound eventually. minimum 6 to 12 months and possibly be ok as light hacker but there is always the risk of further injury.
 
There's always the risk of further injury. I'm guessing the vet is suggesting cutting the annular ligament.

Well, seems you have an alternative form of treatment - field rest.

So if you can find some decent grass livery, this might be a great option for you.
 
I would look on www.go-grazing.com at grazing in nearby counties. A lot of the people on there are private individuals with their own horses so may well be prepared to agree a small fee on top of a standard grass livery charge to just check on your boy and give hay as needed if he is out 24/7 with their horses. Often cheaper than 'official' retirement livery.

One reason a lot of people on here are saying PTS is that we see a lot of cases on here where loving owners give their horses to unofficial charities or free retirement homes to save them being PTS and it ends in tears with the horse suffering. That is why most of us would rather PTS than give a horse an uncertain future. However, if the vet thinks he can be sufficiently comfortable to live out and you can afford to pay for grass livery then that is a great option for both of you, especially as it gives you control of his future and if he starts to suffer you can make sure the right thing is done.

Good luck :)
 
you do know that you can't just turn him out on the New Forest? It was a joke right?

Your only option is to pay to put him on retirement livery. I woud be very wary of just giving him away as you will never know that that person may try and bring him back into work.

If you cannot pay to keep him, then I would also be considering PTS
 
Thx for the info op. For the injury you have described I would certainly turn away and re-evaluate in a few months time. I believe that given time horses are great healers, turn him away and see how he goes. If the vet has said he should come sound then I would listen, if you can and find grazing etc of course. Good luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top