when is enough enough

[bliss87]

My horse injured his near side hind suspensory ligaments 18months ago. 3months box rest and he seemed sound so started a rehab programme and he broke down again on it so moved onto 12months field rest. He did 8 months rest and due getting fatter and fatter I brought him back into work as he was trotting around the field sound. Slowly bringing him back into work we didn't even make it to trotting as he came in from the field hopping lame one day on near side fore. Within 48hours he was sound again. Would give him a week off get back on then would go hopping lame again. Got vet to see him who said its a difficult to say what it could be and could be expensive to investigate and hes not insured and also we still don't know if he's recovered on the the hind leg. So we decided back to some some rest and see where we are. So he sound in walk on the soft and concrete. Lame soon as we go on anything soft or uneven concrete in trot.

He grossly overweight and needs work to get the weight off him. He has a small soaked haynet goes out in the starvation patch with 4 lami prone ponies for a few hours in the morning. I've been trying to hack him out in walk to try and give him some work in the hope shifting some weight might help. But to say he's not happy hacker is an understatement, misbehaving to the point cars are turning around to not come past him. He's really not happy a d is turning aggressive with it.

I don't know what to for the best. I had discussions with vet before that if hes lame in 50% of his legs he'd be best PTS. but I feel guilty as he's not that lame it feels cruel but at the same time I can see how un happy he is

 

[be positive]

If you cannot change how you keep him, it would probably mean finding a yard where he could be on a track or similar, so he could be out 24/7 moving about and dropping weight naturally, then being pts is not the worst thing that can be done, as he is so overweight it will not help whatever he has going on, being shut in a lot of the time and starved to get weight off is not ideal and obviously making him unhappy, as well as you, if possible look at your options as a different way of keeping him may give you a way forward or at least somewhere he can enjoy the rest of the summer while you come to a decision.

 

[Henry02]

I was going to suggest would you consider sending him to a yard with “poor” grazing so he will loose weight naturally

 

[Meredith Brouillette]

I agree. If you have that option let him out on the field so he can lose some weight. There are many horses held out in the open, eating and drinking by themselves. All of them in great shape. I understand you are frustrated. My horse had laminitis, because of being overweight. I could not train him so he got more weight on him. Ever since we moved him out, he seemed better. Best of luck to you!