What to do with our pony?

[irishredwood]

Our pony had laminitis last year and with careful management came sound again. He then showed a very slight hind leg lameness. This was investigated at a veterinary hospital resulting in a diagnosis of psd and mild arthritis in both hocks. We went along with injections into his joints and shockwave treatment before we ran out of insurance money. We followed a rehab programme which consisted of stable rest and walking in hand with restricted turn out. On a recent examination by our vet he was judged to still be slightly lame on his back legs but it was suggested we give h bite and start riding him again. Today he was ridden for the first time and looked a bit stiff at walk but much lamer than he has ever been at trot. We then trotted him up in hand and he looked almost sound. We are at a loss now to know what to do. He is my grand daughters pony and in the 18 months we have owned him he has only been rideable for a few months. He has also been diagnosed with EMS so no chance of rehoming him as a companion as he is
quite high maintenance. He is only 11 years old and he was bought after working in a riding school for 6 years. He is a sweat heart to handle and deal with but not the pony club pony my granddaughter had hoped for. Any advice?

 

[splashgirl45]

a very difficult one......there may be a companion home out there do you know of anyone? if not you need to be very careful he is not buted up and sold on especially as you say he is a sweetie to handle. so, maybe have a really good chat with your vet as PTS may be the best solution for him. it is not the best for those of us who care for them but the pony will know nothing and it may be the best for him if he is in pain. sorry i cant think of any other solution and PTS is better than letting him go to an uncertain future...so sorry

 

[be positive]

If today was the first time ridden then it is the start of the next stage of rehab and I would not be trotting him, or expect him to be totally sound under saddle, for another month or possibly two depending on how much muscle he has lost and how much walking in hand has been done so far, he is almost sound in hand so there are several other things to consider, has his saddle been checked recently, a change to muscle tone may mean it no longer fits, has he been seen by a physio, if not that is almost an essential part of any rehab but one the vets do not always suggest.

I understand the pony is not able to do the job he was bought for but in my experience most ponies are tough and if given a real chance will often have a better outcome than a bigger horse will to get back to doing a useful job, if you can put the hours in now he could well be fine for PC next year, otherwise I think pts is your only other option so you can move on, I would give him at least until the Xmas holidays walking as much as possible before making that decision, obviously with the vets agreement as to how long he can be on bute.