What if... (1)

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What would you do if your horse became unridable? Not in pain, just injured so that you couldn't be sat on...

My parents say our future ones would have to be PTS, but I would want to keep them on turn-out if I could afford it. Or is that cruel? Would they suffer from lonliness or lack of excercise?

I know this is a gloomy question, but it's been on my mind for ages now ;_;

It doesn't help that my mum keeps saying how we must prepare ourselves for heartbreak ¬¬
 
Depends on ALOT of factors....I wouldnt worry, you will know what decision is best if, and only if, you ever find yourself in that situation...

Focus on getting the pony first! Not it breaking! xxx
 
If one of mine became unrideable but wasn't in pain I would not even consider putting them to sleep. If you can't keep the horse I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who want companions.
 
I would (and have done) keep them as a companion horse.

It won't get lonely if it is near other horses (and horses should always live near other horses whether they are being ridden or not).

I personally would not have a horse pts just because i could not ride it (unless it was in pain).
 
I think that if my horse will be happy and I can afford it, then I would keep him on turnout. If he became depressed or unhandleable (sp?) I would have him PTS as it is just not worth it. I would like my horse to have a life of happiness -not necessarily a long life.

It upsets me to think about it, but oneday my horse is going to need to be retired, and he really thrives with his work and gets depressed standing in the field, so when he needs to be retired, I will probably have him PTS and taken for meat for the local hounds or something useful. Sad I know, but it's going to happen
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As long as the horse had a quailty of life he'd still be living. Rather nature took its place. Let them grass. If there qauilty of life was poor and there wasn't hope...pts. I would never pts a horse because i couldn't make it do what i wanted it too. Horses weren't designed for riding so i wouldn't kil one who couldn't.
 
Interesting question... depends on the horse if it was bred specifically for jumping and got morose/depressed when seeing the lorry going out/not being worked and not having much to live for I would consider PTS -am i being cruel?
I think a horse that was specifically bred/worked a\nd not being used and more importantly unhappy I would PTS. Sorry guys - if the horse in question was quite happy being put to grass then I would.
 
I would keep them as pets/companions. I'd probably still to the odd bit of in hand work so they didn't get totally bored, but would never pts unless there was a serious problem.
 
My first pony had to be retired after a year of me owning her. I kept her as a pet for a year until her condition deteriorated and she was PTS.

Luckily she was a cob and easy to keep. I'd have to think seriously about any other horse, but Finni I would keep as I love him so much
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i had to make this dission january 2004, with my Lottie, i decided to let her have the summer and have her pts before the winter, but come winter she was still happy living out, last year she was still very well and sound so we had the vet check her over and we put her in foal
this was a big decision and not made lightly she was a good comp horse and well bred and put togeather, we were advised by lots of knowledgable people (breeders)
the foal is due at the end of April and Lottie is coping extreamly well is sound and happy doin a job.

H x
 
We kept one of ours for years after we decided she was unridable for many reasons, she stayed with the herd and her very best friend until three years ago when she was pts having gone down in her box. We now have two retired ladies, both in at night and out during the day in winter. Both will stay until they are unhappy/unwell. We also have two who we ride, we are lucky and have our own land, but would keep the oldies and not ride if that was the only alternative.
 
While they still show enthusiasm for whatever they are able to do, allow them to do it. When they have had enough of life, let them go. Repay in kind as far as you can - including the hardest decision of all.

Gosh - did I really write that miserable post?!
 
I still have a mare that is on loan as a companion. She suffered a complete degloving of a hind leg several years ago and while she is sound, she does drop lame if worked.

I had a long discussion with numerous people (vet, chiro, physio) and they were all of the opinion that my mare was in no pain. There was a slight irregularity of her gait when in work whereby she was protective of her hind leg and over compensated on the opposite diagonal.

There was no way I could consider having her PTS given she was happy and pain free. She stayed with me for a few years but last year she went on loan as a companion to a lady who does a bit of breeding. She spends her days in the field stuffing her face and playing with friends and she's happy.

Hopefully, she'll be coming back to me at some point in the future as we're looking for somewhere with land and the person loaning her always knew that it was a temporary thing.

I could never contemplate having a healthy and pain free horse PTS purely because it could no longer fill the job originally intended.
 
If Star was no longer rideable I would still keep her and spoil her rotten!! She's getting on in life, and retirement is pretty inevitable, but I certainly won't be putting her down when she is no longer up to work. That will only happen when she is no longer capable of enjoying life.
 
I have two unrideable horses. I have had them a long,long time and we have had loads of happy time together. It is not their fault that they can no longer be ridden. I look after them just the same as I have always looked after them - they are in at night in the winter, rugged up with loads of hay, etc. and they are very happy in their retirement. In the past they have looked after me, and now it is my turn to look after them. To me they are more than "just horses" - they are dear friends.
 
I think you have to be realistic about the economics of this.

If you have your own land or are in a position where you can keep an extra horse at no extra cost to yourself, or indeed can easily afford one that is doing nothing, then the ideal would to be to allow a long and hopefully happy retirement.

Sadly many of us have to pay livery for each horse we keep, whether it can be ridden or not, and at this stage tough decisions have to be made. It will be suggested that these horses can go off to be companions by sale or loan...this represents a very uncertain future to an animal that has been a loyal servant. In those circumstances it might indeed be kinder to have an animal PTS if the owner really couldn't afford continuing proper care for an indefinate retirement.

Sorry to be brutal, horses are expensive, they potentially live for a very long time, and sometimes economics have to overtake sentiment.
 
One of mine is unrideable now. He went away to a nice big grassy paddock for a holiday for 9 months, then I moved house and brought him home. He now sits in the paddock relativevly happily, but is a bit bored. Unfortunately I can't put him with the others any more as he gets bullied rather badly (has just had the stitches removed from a 20cm long, 3cm wide, 5cm deep gash from what I thought was a kick, and has also been chased through a fence)

If he comes good, I might try working him again as I hate seeing him looking so bored and his soundness is looking better. I was going to try lunging him today just to have a look, but it's raining so will have to wait.

If he's still lame (it's been a year now) I will probably send him back out to pasture. I couldn't sell him as a) I don't know if anyone would want him and b) because I don't think I could trust anyone else to look after him. After his 2 recent incidents, I worry too much about him.
 
My mare became unrideable and wasn't though pain. She has gone to a lovely lady who shows her in hand and has done very well and she is now going to be a mummy in April.

She loves having it easy! She thinks all her Christmas's have come at once!
 
If at all possible I would keep them - they are my pets but I'm realistic...if they had to go they would be PTS. They would never go to anyone else.
 
Depends on the horse. Cairo would be happy being a pet - but he does love hacking out. Fleur was retired as a broodmare - she has excellent bloodlines and confirmation and is very happy.

Breeze I would have pts - she lived to work and when injured was very depressed, my vet advised me to never attempt to retire her as she would be very unhappy. She broke her leg in the field at 29 so I was never faced with having to make this difficult decision, ie too old to be ridden but not injured or sick enough to pts.
 
I have 2 who aren't ride-able. 1 is tiny so has never been ride-able! She's always just been a companion though. My other is my very first pony who's now retired, he can be ridden and does go for a little hack sometimes but Im way too big for him and cant find a rider for him so he plods about the field with the rest of my herd!

If the horse isnt in pain then I would never ever consider putting them down. I would only consider it if the horse WAS in pain or was going downhill (basically the last option and on the advice of my vet). Horses live perfectly happy lives being retired, as long as they arent left on their own (they can get depressed which leads to other problems). Lack of exercise isnt really an issue if they're turned out at least during the day. Although when they get older and athritis sets in, their best being out 24/7 and with mine who has it mildly, I take her for a walk in-hand about once a week which she loves!

Of course it depends on factors like if you can afford to keep them and if you can keep them with others etc. Im lucky in that my retired ones are small ponies who are very low maintenence (dont need much feed etc.) but obviously a bigger horse would cost way more to keep.

If yours is a pony, they make ideal companions. You could always offer the pony out on loan to someone you trust.
 
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