What would you do if your horse became unsound beyond use?

charleysummer

charleysummer

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Just a thought crossing my mind today, had the physio out to see my pony as she seemed 'wobbly' turning into lameness and she had a badly fitting saddle for 2 years, so seemed worth it anyway- although today pony had gone so downhill she couldnt do the full examination :( she is now really dropping her shoulder in trot, limping in walk and dropping the shoulder and holding the foot up on the toe so she doesn't have to put weight on it-

thing is she has always been a bit 'odd' and she has war wounds i.e a filled bursa on the poll from when she was younger- so i think shes been in an accident coming over from holland as a youngster, she always tripped and didnt like the leg in particular being picked up (although vet passed off as being a gangly youngster with no balance and she never liked any legs being picked up to start with)

..anyway i could go on forever :P but just thinking- what happens if your horse becomes unsound beyond use? as i'm thinking there is going to be a serious underlying issue with my mare now (really hope not!) but thats my gut feeling... would you sell as a companion? breed from? :( just feeling quite upset at the possibility

ETA- vet is out first thing tomorrow morning!
 
When it happened to me my mare was 6 years old. I wouldn't breed from a mare with physical issues, I wouldn't put the extra strain on her body. As my mare was happy enough in herself, I pay for her to live in my friend's field with companions. As long as her eyes are bright and she seems happy, she remains in retirement.
 
Try not to worry yourself before you know more (easier said than done I know!). Wait and see what the vet says.
If the horse was comfortable and happy in the field then I would retire (after having tried vet routes). If the horse wasn't comfortable enough to be turned out then I would consider pts.
I wonder if she could have an absess? They can give really rather frightening lamness?
 
I'd defo have a full examination done, and would certinly not breed, dosn't sound like she'd comfortably carry a foal.
I personly would keep her as a companion, or loan her out as a companion, i don't think i could sell because i would worry where she'd end up.
 
If I could afford it and they were field sound, I would let them be a big pet!

Realistically though, if I couldn't afford it, I would have the horse euthanised as I woudn't want to risk it being passed from pillar to post. If the quality of the horses life was poor (eg had to be buted up to the eyeballs to be sound) I would also have it euthanised as it's not fair to dope it up just to make me feel better.
 
charleysummer said:
..anyway i could go on forever :P but just thinking- what happens if your horse becomes unsound beyond use? as i'm thinking there is going to be a serious underlying issue with my mare now (really hope not!) but thats my gut feeling... would you sell as a companion? breed from? :(
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No absolutely not. Assuming horse is healthy and field sound, if money wasn't an object or I had my own land, I would retire to the field. Failing that, enquire about availability of places and suitability of the horse for embryo transfer and blood banking. Failing that PTS.

I hope the vet finds something treatable. :)
 
She's just 7 now. I'm not sure, she went lame onthe same leg last winter- but it seems odd how she's never liked picking that leg up and has always tripped :( she never seemed uncomfertable and would love to jump but now shes reluctant to even trot and it's horrible to see :/ i just think it's something deep underlying that has taken the time to show up- due to some type of accident. I just can't afford two horses if i got another and i couldn't pts- she is the nicest pony i have ever known, always been really friendly and more of a dog that a pony! so it is going to be very difficult if it is untreatable
 
I am really sorry to hear this and I hope your pony will be fine. Good luck with the vet tomorrow!

I am actually in this situation with BOTH of my horses - by a cruel twist of fate they have both suffered unfortunate accidents, one broken withers and one broken leg which mean that many months on they are not able to be ridden.

So this is a question I have been giving a lot of thought to.

I would not breed from an unsound mare when you don't know what the cause of the lameness is. In fact I would only breed from an exceptional mare. I will not list all the reasons this is a bad idea, I'm sure someone will be along to do that :)

Would also not sell as a companion. There is no guarantee that a good natured horse will not find itself back in the ridden market. People can be very unscrupulous.
Companions rarely get the attention and care they deserve.
This is not always the case, but sadly they often end up passed on and on. I have decided that I do not want to take that risk for my horses. As my horses are both tbs they are particularly unsuitable companions, but a pony might be a different story. I wouldn't sell, but loaning might be a possibility where you can keep control of them and to an extent how they are looked after.
Be very, very careful about that though, especially with an unsound pony with special needs.

For me I think I have made the sad decision to have my mare put to sleep. She is in pain all the time and although it is controllable with bute, it is only going to get worse. I am absolutely heartbroken but I think this is the way it has to be.

My gelding is only 6 and still *might* come sound, so I am persevering with him in the hope that he will come right and will at least be able to find a nice forever home as a hack. He is easy and has a lovely personality so should make someone a lovely friend. (This was always our plan for him... a buy to sell gone wrong!)

So that's what I think. Sorry if it is very negative and not what you want to hear.
Fingers crossed all goes well with your pony and that it is nothing too sinister.
 
If horse is happy, and sound enough to live a retierment i would keep it and retiere it myself, whether i could or couldnt afford another. IMO when you buy a horse, you cant just sell/pts when you can no longer ride it. But i can see why people do/have to.

On the other hand if it wasnt happy eg, in constant low grade pain, i would pts :(
 
If she's sound enough to be a happy field pet, and was happy being a field pet I would keep as long as I was able, or loan as a companion if I could find a home I was really happy with..

If not, I would (and sadly have) pts. I wouldn't want to breed unless she was likely to produce an amazing foal ,and I knew the problem was from an injury and there was no risk of it being passed on to the foal, and I wouldn't sell on, or give them away as I think there is too big a risk of the horse being filled with bute and sold on.. which doesn't seem fair.

Fingers crossed for the vet! X
 
So sorry for other people who are in this situation :( it really is awful- i don't think i could keep her if she went unsound beyond use :/ i (well my parents) just couldn't afford it and my parents would not be prepared to spend all the money and time (especially now it's come to winter!) on a pony i can't use for anything.

why do these things have to happen?! :
 
If horse was happy and not in pain I'd keep him. I made the decision to buy this animal and therefore he's my responsiblity for life. If keeping him means I cannot afford another horse for me to ride then so be it, it's a no brainer to me. As long as the animal isn't in pain then I'd find a place and way of keeping him happy.
 
This happened to us 3 years ago. My beautiful boy Sid broke his leg and whilst recovering from that it became clear he had a deep seated degenerative joint disease in his foot.
He'd probably had an issue all his life and the 13 weeks box rest for the broken leg just pushed it beyond recovery.
He is a 17.2HH handful of a hanovarian so not suitable for being a companion and we were scared to death he ended up being ridden again on bute. He's a stunning horse with amazing paces and we daren't risk it.
So at the 11th hour we were offered somewhere to send him to retire in a field with other horses and for 2 years he's been there. We brought him home a month ago due to a change in circumstances and he's now in a field with other horses belonging to a local riding school.
We were told when he was first diagnosed he had a year at most before we would have to consider pts as he'd be totally lame. 3 years on he's still going strong, looks amazing and is on no pain relief at all. The x-rays confirm he should be on 3 legs but actually is trotting up sounder than he ever has!
I couldn't / can't face the thought of putting to sleep whilst he is still field sound but i know how close we came as we just couldn't find anywhere nor could we afford it. We still can't really afford it but just seeing him float down the field is worth every penny.

All i would say is whatever you decide to do is up to you. People have very emotive feelings about this subject and thats fine but its your life, your horse, your situation and ultimately your decision. Don't feel forced or pressured into anything.
 
All i would say is whatever you decide to do is up to you. People have very emotive feelings about this subject and thats fine but its your life, your horse, your situation and ultimately your decision. Don't feel forced or pressured into anything.
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Sorry you had to go through that- i guess i will have to decide what is right at the time, i'm not heartless and going to just treat her like a broken bike- get rid of it and get a new one, i'm really close to her and it is heartbreaking just thinking about it! i will post up what the vet says tomorrow anyway and what happens- but like i said, gut feeling is not good =/ i'd look at every possibility before pts as i just don't think it is fair to put a mentally healthy horse down that is happy for a physical injury that may not cause too much pain when healed over.
 
Me personally, I bought Tilly to ride, but if she became unrideable, then I would keep her as a pet - if she was happy with that. She loves her work and not sure years of no work would suit her.
I was looking for a companion for her and ended up with a 3 yr old that I'll back next year so again, if anything happens, she was bought as a companion first of all so a companion she would stay.

Every situation is different and it depends on your own thoughts.
I hope everything turns out okay for you. x
 
Cruel as it might sound, but if she is this bad I would imagine she is in pain, however a vet would need to tell you.

Why have you never looked into this before?

If you cannot afford 2 horses and you want a ridden horse I would pts, no-one wants a companion horse at the moment, going into winter, many people want a companion that can perhaps do a little work and if you are not willing to pay for her in her retirement - why should anyone else?

My 5 year old has been lame for 17 of the 18 months I have had him, I have paid for all the best treatment for him, he has had in total over 1 year of box rest, cost me a blooming fortune! I was downhearted about whether he would recover and we are very early stages - he was operated on in June and I am just starting to walk under saddle, the problems he has make it likely that he will break again or have an early retirement. Whilst he is healthy and pain free I will keep him, when he starts being in pain he will be pts, he has had all the treatment he can have and anything else I will fund.

I bought a second horse to actually ride who is pretty amazing and is winning everything and great fun, however, if financially I needed to get rid of one I would sell my competition horse and keep my youngster even if he was just my pet for life.

I also wouldn't even be thinking about breeding. (luckily mine are geldings)
 
To answer the thread question then i would retire to the field or if there was no quality of life pts. i know there are alot of people on HHO with a different view but i own horses unconditionally- that is if i can no longer ride them i dont get rid of them, they live out their days with me.
 
I had it looked into before and it was down as possible abcess so poulticed and box rested and she seemed fine, and then she was sound again (this was last winter) kept asking proffesionals but as she seemed sound, pain free and happy it was just down as a youngster being unbalanced etc and nobody really thought it could be serious as she was winning classes happily and going very well under saddle. its just recently she gone really bad.
 
I have not read the other replies but please please do not sell as a companion - if you cannot afford to keep her as a pet or she is too unsound to put out to grass then please be brave and PTS. Breeding from an unsound mare sounds a bad idea - more strain on her feet and legs, and possibly passing on genetic unsoundness issues is never a good thing.

Having been in this situation we were lucky enough to keep ours as a field ornament until he became too uncomfortable but I would have PTS sooner rather than risk him going as a companion and being sold on. You owe the horse a secure safe comfortable future - if you cannot offer this then please PTS. And yes - I DO know how hard that is:(
 
jsr said:
If horse was happy and not in pain I'd keep him. I made the decision to buy this animal and therefore he's my responsiblity for life. If keeping him means I cannot afford another horse for me to ride then so be it, it's a no brainer to me. As long as the animal isn't in pain then I'd find a place and way of keeping him happy.
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I agree.
I find too many people cast off unwanted horses 'as it won't do the job I bought it for' it drives me nuts. You buy it, you should be responsible for it. If its in pain, do the right thing. Either drugs or if really bad, PTS.
I'm not having a go, just my opinion.
I have a 4 yr old, who has OCD.
I have had lots of people telling me to PTS, sell it, loan it etc. :mad:
IT MINE!!!!
I will ride him while I can, give him pain relief if he needs it then do the decent thing if and when I need to.
I am hopeing he has a decent life as a ridden horse, then he can retire and be a big pet. If that is cut short, well at least I have done as much as I could.
I know most people on here are responsible, its the odd few that are not.
If we remember, the horse gives its all to us, most of the time anyway. :D We owe it horses to treat them as best we can.
Hopefuly your horse has something that is treatable, with drugs, supps etc. If not, just by getting the vet out you are being responsible. Fingers x'd
 
minmax said:
I agree.
I find too many people cast off unwanted horses 'as it won't do the job I bought it for' it drives me nuts. You buy it, you should be responsible for it. If its in pain, do the right thing. Either drugs or if really bad, PTS.
I'm not having a go, just my opinion.
I have a 4 yr old, who has OCD.
I have had lots of people telling me to PTS, sell it, loan it etc. :mad:
IT MINE!!!!
I will ride him while I can, give him pain relief if he needs it then do the decent thing if and when I need to.
I am hopeing he has a decent life as a ridden horse, then he can retire and be a big pet. If that is cut short, well at least I have done as much as I could.
I know most people on here are responsible, its the odd few that are not.
If we remember, the horse gives its all to us, most of the time anyway. :D We owe it horses to treat them as best we can.
Hopefuly your horse has something that is treatable, with drugs, supps etc. If not, just by getting the vet out you are being responsible. Fingers x'd
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I agree. However, some people keep horses that aren't even field sond alive through their sense of duty to the animal. Horses will not limp for no reason, so if they are lame just walking around a field, and need bute to keep them sound, I would seriously be questioning how long to keep it alive for. My general rule is if a horse can be a horse without being in pain, then yes, it's our duty to keep it well and look after it, even if it can't be ridden. If it will be subject to being kept in a way that it would struggle to be a horse without discomfort, I would be PTS.
 
I hope she is okay hun. Hugs.

As to what to do, I have kept mine: Tiggy was in the end put to sleep as she was too broken; Little Lad is too much of a g!t to do anything much with, other than let him eat and play with him; and Little Cob, well, we don't know what's happening with him, so he's currently happy in a field :)
 
Good question, I'm in a similar situation with my 18yr old. He's field sound and the vet reckons hes not in pain as such, that at the moment its more mechanical. He's bright eye'd and my vet is recommending riding him out at walk, BUT he has to be on bute to keep him sound.

This is something I'm milling over and over in my head, is it right to have him on bute for me to ride him, the vet seems to think this is ok for the moment but I know the time will come when its going to mask pain rather than generall stiffness and thats the point that I hope I will recognise the time has come for him to be pts. Gawd, makes me want to greet just thinking about it :(

One thing is definate though, he's not going anywhere that I'm not, he's with me till the time comes, he's given me such amazing times I owe him as good a retirement as I can afford, even if that means my heating stays off all winter and I learn to love value beans!

Hope the outcome is positve for you.
 
glosgirl said:
Try not to worry yourself before you know more (easier said than done I know!). Wait and see what the vet says.
If the horse was comfortable and happy in the field then I would retire (after having tried vet routes). If the horse wasn't comfortable enough to be turned out then I would consider pts.
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Totally second this
 
GinaB said:
If I could afford it and they were field sound, I would let them be a big pet!

Realistically though, if I couldn't afford it, I would have the horse euthanised as I woudn't want to risk it being passed from pillar to post. If the quality of the horses life was poor (eg had to be buted up to the eyeballs to be sound) I would also have it euthanised as it's not fair to dope it up just to make me feel better.
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ditto this
 
what a sad post to read but could happen to any of us think it all depends on the pain of horse ,and finances really and your own reasons ,if my boy couldnt be ridden for what reason ,at the end of the day mine can live out all year round anyway ,and im an older person so i could quite happily keep him as a pet , hes gave me so much in the time ive had him and hes got such a loyal personality ,it would mean id have to give up riding though but id be ok with that .
If i really wanted to ride though id pts for another horse or if finances changed as breeding is a nono from unsound horses or sound from me anyway and if unsureness of future it would be the best thing ,good luck
 
I would keep mine even if he could never be ridden again, I would be very upset but I wouldn't sell him. He is part of my family.
 
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Bear is with me til the end of his days, I've not riden him for five years due to a tendon injury and he's only 14. He's perfectly sound in the field - had a really loony session when they were cubbing near by at the weekend - but won't stand up to work. If he was in pain I'd PTS in a heart beat, he means the world to me and has taught me more than I ever thought possible. With twins going through Uni I can't afford another horse as I don't have my own land and he's at livery, but this is my decision and can fully understand why someone else would PTS rather than pay out for a horse they cannot ride.

I really really hope your vet has good news for you but please don't 'sell' her as a companion, you will totally lose control of her future and you sound like you care too much for her to let that happen.

Good luck

JDx
 
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