What Are My Options?

My old mare has dropped pasterns, not as bad as the worst of yours though and although she would willingly be ridden as she is very obliging there is no way I would consider it. She is with me for as long as she is comfortable and will be pts when either she isn't any more or my situation changes and I can't keep her. No way will she leave my possession alive and yours should be the same. Please do the right thing by her and give her a dignified end.
 
If it helps, there is a better way to frame it than 'It's all gone horribly wrong' and you're thinking of PTS for convenience - earlier in the thread you said people close to you were giving you a hard time for considering PTS.

You took her back in good faith that she was in good health; she isn't, she is more than likely in significant pain as it is and is only going to get worse. The kindest thing to do is to PTS rather than expect her to carry on - anywhere. It's a good job she came back to you so she wasn't passed on to someone else who didn't find out about the DSLD, and who wouldn't have been prepared to put her first.

If she was in good health, comfortable and without any clear conditions then there would be a strong argument either way over passing on an older horse, but that isn't the case, and there isn't a strong argument (or even a weak one) for passing her on - the decision is taken out of your hands, so there's nothing for anyone else to make you feel guilty for as you will be doing right by her to PTS.

The other things going on with her not settling, unexpected car issues and other horse issues are separate to all of this, they don't figure.

If she didn't obviously have DSLD then they would figure, but she does, and that knocks everything else out of the park really.
 
Honestly, the guilt that comes with having a horse PTS that looks fine on the surface is nothing compared to the guilt you will feel when you find her emaciated, lame and being ridden by people who are too heavy, having been passed around. I got mine back but if he hadn't been on loan there would have been nothing I could have done and I couldn't have lived with that. I'd have been demented.
 
Be kind to yourself. You had this mare back so you have been able to look after her and you know that she is being looked after well.

I agree that PTS is the best option, for a very good reason that you have looked after her in her last days and know that she is well cared for and make her last days happy. Do not tell anyone (other than the YO), ask anyone.

Please do not try to give her away, unless it is someone you know well, and trust and you can go and see her. Although it sounds as though she wouldn't be a good companion horse. Strangers will see a free horse and give you the most believable sob story. Having got the horse home they will drug it and pass it on asp to some unfortunate person and put the cash in their pocket. And your horse will suffer.
 
I'm Dun said:
Honestly, the guilt that comes with having a horse PTS that looks fine on the surface is nothing compared to the guilt you will feel when you find her emaciated, lame and being ridden by people who are too heavy, having been passed around. I got mine back but if he hadn't been on loan there would have been nothing I could have done and I couldn't have lived with that. I'd have been demented.
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I've put a 😍 there because your post is spot on. Sorry, decided to change my smilie. It just didn't look right.
 
rextherobber said:
Why don't you sell one of the other horses, then you could keep her? If you don't want to pts, this is the only way of assuring her future.
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Agreed, i have 2 horses one ridden one non ridden. If I really had to sell one it would be the ridden one as I would never forgive myself if the non ridden one ended up in some dodgy dealers doped up n sold as ridden x
 
Sorry OP, but it is highly unlikely that anybody is going to pay £500 for an aged, stressy money pit of a horse. Unless they are planning to knock ten years off the age, bute it up and sell it on to the unwary as a riding horse.

It would cost around £150 to secure her future for definite. There are too many Pilgrims out there already.
 
Bellalily said:
Just trying to avoid her being pts. She’s perfectly rideable, behaved beautifully on a ride and lead (she was lead) last weekend, other than being a stroppy mare when we turned for home. I just want another home, someone who can afford her bills.
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There is nothing wrong with euthanising an animal if the alternative is risking a horrible fate. It's a mercy, the ultimate rescue if you will, sending them out of reach of the awful things a bad home can do to an animal.
At the current time people cannot afford to take on someone else's vet bill. I'd have her if I wasn't skint but I am and can't afford another with medical needs, as is the case for many private owners and rescue organisations.

I'm presuming you wouldn't consider selling your car whilst it needs money spending on it, yet you will a horse - which can feel pain and fear and thirst, whilst a car cannot.
The guilt that will eat at you not knowing where she is or if she's cared for once you've handed her over will be awful. You don't deserve that just as much as she doesn't deserve potentially ending up drugged up and sold on, or left to languish in a field underfed and with untrimmed hooves. There's so many horror stories out there, please don't let her become another one.
 
skinnydipper said:
People have said 'do what's best for you' but as an animal lover I think she should do what's best for the horse who has already been failed by the previous owner.

Please don't pass this broken horse on again. Do the best thing for her and have her pts.
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To be fair, I think 'do what is best for you' translates as 'have her put down to relieve you both of stress' and 'don't let family members/people at the yard dissuade you from putting the mare down'. 'Do what is best for you' doesn't mean 'sell the mare for as much as you can to recoup your losses' because that doesn't make sense. You would have to get several thousand pounds, for a start.

:)
 
I'm coming back to this thread after reading Pilgrims & IM, Pmpfw story with him along with nearly the whole of HHO😔🧡

OP have a read over a couple of days, if you can. People are not suggesting PTS as an of the cuff thing here at all. Hope this wasn't a kind of 'advert' for her. Sorry if I'm way off the mark saying that.

It really does take a better horsewoman/man to make the hard decisions. Take care 💐
 
FieldOrnaments said:
There is nothing wrong with euthanising an animal if the alternative is risking a horrible fate. It's a mercy, the ultimate rescue if you will, sending them out of reach of the awful things a bad home can do to an animal.
At the current time people cannot afford to take on someone else's vet bill. I'd have her if I wasn't skint but I am and can't afford another with medical needs, as is the case for many private owners and rescue organisations.

I'm presuming you wouldn't consider selling your car whilst it needs money spending on it, yet you will a horse - which can feel pain and fear and thirst, whilst a car cannot.
The guilt that will eat at you not knowing where she is or if she's cared for once you've handed her over will be awful. You don't deserve that just as much as she doesn't deserve potentially ending up drugged up and sold on, or left to languish in a field underfed and with untrimmed hooves. There's so many horror stories out there, please don't let her become another one.
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She doesn’t have medical needs. No idea where you got that from. I’ve advertised her everywhere in a last ditch attempt, but no luck as yet. Also, yes I’ve obviously had my car repaired, since no car = no income = no home. Not sure if you live in the real world.
 
ycbm said:
If you think selling her means she won't then you need to read Pilgrims story.
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I appreciate it’s a gamble, but I cannot keep her. I’m about to fork out another livery bill for her that I cannot afford, and having spent ages digging myself out of a financial pit after Covid and all the worry and ill health that caused, I’ve no intention of going down that route again.
 
FieldOrnaments said:
There is nothing wrong with euthanising an animal if the alternative is risking a horrible fate. It's a mercy, the ultimate rescue if you will, sending them out of reach of the awful things a bad home can do to an animal.
At the current time people cannot afford to take on someone else's vet bill. I'd have her if I wasn't skint but I am and can't afford another with medical needs, as is the case for many private owners and rescue organisations.

I'm presuming you wouldn't consider selling your car whilst it needs money spending on it, yet you will a horse - which can feel pain and fear and thirst, whilst a car cannot.
The guilt that will eat at you not knowing where she is or if she's cared for once you've handed her over will be awful. You don't deserve that just as much as she doesn't deserve potentially ending up drugged up and sold on, or left to languish in a field underfed and with untrimmed hooves. There's so many horror stories out there, please don't let her become another one.
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Yet even though I am in dire straits, you are finding excuses not to have her. So you are no better.
 
Lois Lame said:
To be fair, I think 'do what is best for you' translates as 'have her put down to relieve you both of stress' and 'don't let family members/people at the yard dissuade you from putting the mare down'. 'Do what is best for you' doesn't mean 'sell the mare for as much as you can to recoup your losses' because that doesn't make sense. You would have to get several thousand pounds, for a start.

:)
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She’s not broken. What on earth made you think she was. She’s perfectly fine.
 
Bellalily said:
What are you talking about?
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DSLD, a painful and degenerative condition which your horse almost certainly has, from the drastic straightness through her hocks and the dropped fetlocks.

Look it up.

Bellalily said:
She’s not broken. What on earth made you think she was. She’s perfectly fine.
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She almost certainly is broken. She is not "perfectly fine". Have you even consulted a vet about what's gone wrong with her back legs?


Bellalily said:
I appreciate it’s a gamble, but I cannot keep her. I’m about to fork out another livery bill for her that I cannot afford, and having spent ages digging myself out of a financial pit after Covid and all the worry and ill health that caused, I’ve no intention of going down that route again.
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Then do the right thing and have her PTS. It's not a fair gamble to take given what could happen to her.


Bellalily said:
Yet even though I am in dire straits, you are finding excuses not to have her. So you are no better.
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It's outrageous to blame another poster for not being prepared to take on your walking vet bill!

If you are really stuck for cash then I will pay the bill for someone to shoot her, and if you're close enough I'll come and hold her for you.
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Roxylola said:
Possibly the posts from you at the beginning saying "I'm advertising her as a companion because I can't afford retirement livery" and "next door are saying she may come right..."
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Well obviously I can’t afford retirement livery if I can’t afford DIY. And yes, she’s majorly calmed down and has come right. No issues at all now. And yes it’s taken time, but she’s fine. So your point is what?
I cannot afford to keep her. End of. One way or another she has to go. I still have at least three people who are interested.
 
Bellalily said:
Well obviously I can’t afford retirement livery if I can’t afford DIY. And yes, she’s majorly calmed down and has come right. No issues at all now. And yes it’s taken time, but she’s fine. So your point is what?
I cannot afford to keep her. End of. One way or another she has to go. I still have at least three people who are interested.
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14 minutes before this post you said you'd had no luck finding her a home.
.
 
ycbm said:
DSLD, a painful and degenerative condition which your horse almost certainly has, from the drastic straightness through her hocks and the dropped fetlocks.

Look it up.




She almost certainly is broken. She is not "perfectly fine". Have you even consulted a vet about what's gone wrong with her back legs?





Then do the right thing and have her PTS. It's not a fair gamble to take given what could happen to her.




It's outrageous to blame another poster for not being prepared to take on your walking vet bill!

If you are really stuck for cash then I will pay the bill for someone to shoot her, and if you're close enough I'll come and hold her for you.
.
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The previous owner had the vet out for her hocks a few years back. Nothing untoward, said she’s just stiff with age.
I’m not blaming anyone. You got that wrong.
 
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