What would you do? is it time to give up?

First of all congraulations on bringing her round to looking as fantastic as she does in those pictures.

What a tricky situation for you to be in, silly question but would you have any kind of clue as to what your friend would advise you to do? If you know deep down its time to say goodbye then you are doing the right thing by the mare. I wish you all the best.
 
she looks lovely but unless you can get her able to be ridden comfortably it may be time to call it a day. i would discuss with the vet and make a decision.

the loan and real owner is another issue~~~what a nightmare. solicitor i suppose. i belong to bhs and have over years used their legal helpline. they have been absolutely spot on each occasion ranging from disagreement on lorry to pony being dumped on us (long story!). it is absolutely free you just need to be a bhs member. if you are not then pm me the story and i will call them on my membership.
 
I have had 2 ponies with foot problems, both in their teens. One was a T/B type and after spending a fortune at the vets and trying different sorts of shoeing, I was at the point of giving up with her. She had very flat feet and sheared heels and my farrier had great difficulty as her feet did not seem to grow. I tried all sorts of supplements varying in price for this and in the end spotted some homeopathic remedies at my saddlers. I got some Silicea as this promised hoof growth. Whilst I didn't notice any difference in this respect, she became quite sound after 3 weeks. I stopped the tablets, she became lame again and so it went on. In the end I gave her a couple of tablets a day and she went on being usable for 5 more years or so.

My present chap, a little Connie/Welsh D, battles with his weight. At 14 he became slightly unsound and the vet was unable to diagnose anything specific, although felt it could be arthritis or early signs of navicular. Last winter he became rather large and found walking on hard ground very uncomfy. I managed to keep his weight down this summer due to work and restricted grazing but he has continued to 'feel' his feet. I decided to try Silicea with him and lo and behold he is sound and showing no difference when walking on hard ground to soft. He is 15 now.

It may be worth a try. You can get it in Boots for about £5 and if you do decide to use it, give it a couple of weeks to kick in.

Best wishes with whatever you decide to do.
 
get legal advice as suggested as she is not officially yours.
I would not PTS, i have perserved for months with success, if the horse is still eating and is interested in whats goin on around them then it is not time to PTS.
Anyhow she is not yours to make that decision so until you seek legal advice and speak to owner you have no actual pts decision to make.
 
so sorry to read this. My heart goes out to you. My advice would be to send a letter by recorded delivery to the owner giving her 7 days to respond and copy in the vet report. I dont think a vet would actually PTS without the owners consent.

The very best of luck! x
 
I don't think anyone has the right to tell you whether you should or should not have your mare PTS. You have done a fantastic job with her, and what a beautiful girl she is. You know her - You know how much she is suffering, and deep down you will know what is the right decision.

You really should have the owner's permission as she legally is not yours, and I don't think the vets would be in the position to PTS without agreement from the owner, and if you do manage to get in touch, she may not want the mare PTS. Before you make any decisions please please do seek advice off the police/lawyer to see where you stand on legal grounds, as the last thing you want is to be sued or worse prosecuted for not contacting the owner about your decision.

Really hope this has helped, wish you lots of luck.
 
Smitty said:
I have had 2 ponies with foot problems, both in their teens. One was a T/B type and after spending a fortune at the vets and trying different sorts of shoeing, I was at the point of giving up with her. She had very flat feet and sheared heels and my farrier had great difficulty as her feet did not seem to grow. I tried all sorts of supplements varying in price for this and in the end spotted some homeopathic remedies at my saddlers. I got some Silicea as this promised hoof growth. Whilst I didn't notice any difference in this respect, she became quite sound after 3 weeks. I stopped the tablets, she became lame again and so it went on. In the end I gave her a couple of tablets a day and she went on being usable for 5 more years or so.

My present chap, a little Connie/Welsh D, battles with his weight. At 14 he became slightly unsound and the vet was unable to diagnose anything specific, although felt it could be arthritis or early signs of navicular. Last winter he became rather large and found walking on hard ground very uncomfy. I managed to keep his weight down this summer due to work and restricted
grazing but he has continued to 'feel' his feet. I decided to try Silicea with him and lo and behold he is sound and showing no difference when walking on hard ground to soft. He is 15 now.

It may be worth a try. You can get it in Boots for about £5 and if you do decide to use it, give it a couple of weeks to kick in.

Best wishes with whatever you decide to do.
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I also rate homeophic ( spelt wrong) iv used it for alsorts sweetitch, sercoids and always have success with it. The sercoids droped off and the pony with sweet itch was 100% better. Could be worth a try. I use the equus health tables from local tack shops and find they do work. Could be a route to try.
What % off rotation did your mare have?
I wish you luck it's so hard when it's a beloved friend. Iv got 2 old horses and when they go down hill, it's gona be the worse time off my life. It's so so hard. Xx
 
Personally, if I was looking after her and couldn't find her owner I would have her PTS anyway and then simply send a letter saying it was on vets advice. Failing this and if your can't find her if you do ever get in touch with her telling her horse had something inoperable may also work (ie very bad colic, broken leg) I know this sounds harsh and isn't possibly legal, but as the owner has effectively dumped her on you and can't see to own up to her responsibility as an owner it may be for the best. The LAST thing I would want is for this harebrained owner to think your having it PTS and turn up and collect and not continue with the care this horse obv. needs. It's a very grey area, ad if you think she has no quality of life then it becomes more of a welfare issue. I don't mean to sound harsh but she's looking good with you, far better than when she came and is obv. loved and some owners will tend to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to these sorts of things.
 
Thanks everyone, I need to make things really really clear - Connie is not going anywhere until i have managed to get hold of her owner - the ideal situation would be that she signs her over to me for a minimal contribution (i.e. £1), then i can make a fully informed decision with my Vet & Farrier - this make take weeks or months - Connie will continue to receive all the care she needs in this time.

The rotation of her pedal bone was really quite drastic , and is wholly caused by the confirmation in the foot - we have managed to address the balance to a certain point, however my issue is knowing when i am actually doing this for me rather than for her. Her quality of life is poor - stuck in her stable, lame on turns and basically isolated. She's such a lovely girl she doesnt kick up any fuss, and is very quiet in the stable (although a complete tramp and it takes ages to muck her out!). i also have to consider me... I have lost all my passion for horses and my hobby of over 23 years, and it is costing me a small fortune to keep her ticking over. I think my decision is made, however like i have said action will not happen until it is my decision to make.

I have considered many 'alternative' therapies, however i am i'm afraid a little skeptical of many (but if they work for you thats great!). I'm very lucky to have a close friend who is a Vet (we keep our horses together), and she has been through all different options with me, but as yet there isnt anything either of us 'trust' enough to use.

I'm grateful to everyone who has contributed to this post, i'll keep you updated, i'm just praying for a miracle!
 
Reading this makes me realise you are under an awful lot of strain.
I can TOTALLY relate to the issues you discuss, have been there myself.
Best of luck with everything and keep brave.
Bryndu:)
 
I don't think I would have her PTS. If she is sound in a straight line, is she no good for hacking? If so, could you advertise for a sharer who wants to do some light hacking and could help with her care and keep? What about trying to find a home for her as a companion? Or, if she's had a foal before and has any good breeding then maybe she could be loaned out as a brood mare?
 
Wagtail said:
I don't think I would have her PTS. If she is sound in a straight line, is she no good for hacking? If so, could you advertise for a sharer who wants to do some light hacking and could help with her care and keep? What about trying to find a home for her as a companion? Or, if she's had a foal before and has any good breeding then maybe she could be loaned out as a brood mare?
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Hi Wagtail,

Yes she is sound in a straight line, however hacking would not be suitable for her, it is a concussive laminitis - hacking on hard ground will only (although i appreciate very slowly) cause her further issues if she ever did come back into work it would be on a soft school surface or soft field - she isnt my horse to find a sharer for, and i just dont think its right (also hacking does involve some turning...)

As for breeding from her, i wouldnt dream of it, she has had foals in the past, however the fact that she has a deep seated confirmational issue puts me off - let alone breeding for the sake of breeding - sorry if i sound harsh, but that really isnt something i would even begin to consider
 
Just read through a few more posts. I have a mare who is only 16 and permanently lame (broken shoulder). If the vets had their way she would still be on box rest (after a year). But I know she will never be sound, so what would be the point? I now turn her out daily (24/7 in the summer). Her paddock is only half an acre so she can't gallop too far, and in the winter she is in the sand menage for 4 hours a day. She is VERY happy and full of herself. Sometimes she does her shoulder in again and is on 3 legs, but it's only happened twice. She then stays in for a day or two and goes back on the bute, and she quickly recovers to being only 2 tenths lame. What I am saying is, if there is no chance of this mare getting better, then why not get her some old mac boots (or similar) and turn her out? She will find her limits. My mare sometimes goes a bit OTT and my heart is in my mouth, but she seems to be learning to be more careful. If your mare is to be kept in 24/7 then I agree, then that is no quality of life and she would be better off PTS.
 
Hedwards said:
As for breeding from her, i wouldnt dream of it, she has had foals in the past, however the fact that she has a deep seated confirmational issue puts me off - let alone breeding for the sake of breeding - sorry if i sound harsh, but that really isnt something i would even begin to consider
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I had meant to add, if she had some good breeding, then often people are on the look out for coloured horses to put TB stallions to and some offer good permanent homes for the right mares. But obviously, if she has some conformational defects, or her breeding is not that good, it would not be an option. :)
 
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