Would you put this horse to sleep?

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Alphamare

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My mare is off from a bad tendon injury, she has been off for nearly a year now (9 or 10months now). She is probably 1/10ths lame in the field and has a slightly weird gait.

I have a couple of choices. I may put her in foal as she is a wonderful mare, great personality as well as conformation and very well bred. I would keep the foal for myself. Even this option may lead to being pts though and at least i would have her foal as she is a mare in a million.

The problem i have is whether or not she will come sound for work. Its looking like 50/50 and i will trying bringing her in before i make a decision.

I dont WANT to put her down, BUT she is so unhappy. This mare is NOT a field ornament. She needs to work and be doing things. Hand walking just isnt cutting it for her. If i take one of the others out or even walk passed her with a bridle she gets very very upset. She actually sulks if thats possible.

This is why i am considering pts for her. She just isnt a field ornament. :(

Would you keep her going or consider pts? I dont want to be heartless about this but i also dont want to be a tree hugger either. She isnt in any pain except that in her head.
Also its looking like she may have some sort of respiritory problem (for the last week she has been constantly snorting and i have the vet coming out to scope her.) so thats another nail in the proverbial coffin.

ugh :(
 
I wouldn't consider putting her in foal.

If she is unhappy/in pain/suffering then there are worse things than PTS. How important is it to you that she comes back into work?
 
Its not that i want to bring her back into work. Its that its important for her to be able to work! She is miserable being out of work, she isnt a field ornament.

If she cant work i can only see her getting more miserable

If there is no respiratory problem (it has been dusty here because of no rain) i dont see why i shouldnt put her in foal, it gives her something to do while she is off. The tendon injury (front leg suspensories) was an accident in the field.
 
Putting her in foal will not give her something to do until the foal is born, she has to endure doing nothing until then and it's getting a bit late in the year.
 
If she were mine I'd put her in foal. If you fully intend to keep the foal then it won't matter how late she foals so could you catch her last season now? A foal will give her something else to think about and you may find she settles down to being a mother well. If she does and is good enough to breed performance horses then how about sending her on breeding loan to a stud? You never know, another year and half of doing nothing may well heal her up nicely and you could have your ridden horse back again. Time is a wonderful thing to have and by putting her in foal you won't feel as though you are doing nothing at all with her.
 
How is she kept? If she's stood in her stable watching other horses going in and out then she's bound to get upset. If she's off in a field away from all the action, with some quiet chums and an appropriate amount of grass then she may chill out. I never thought my boy would cope without his work but he has but his whole routine changed.

If she's in no pain and only 1/10th lame could you ride her out in walk.

p.s. my horse did his leg in November 2009 and against the odds now looks to be pretty sound after 9 months box rest followed by a years turnout! I'm going to leave him retired though as I don't know how much the tendon could cope with and he's 23 so deserves a rest.
 
EKW said:
If she were mine I'd put her in foal. If you fully intend to keep the foal then it won't matter how late she foals so could you catch her last season now? A foal will give her something else to think about and you may find she settles down to being a mother well. If she does and is good enough to breed performance horses then how about sending her on breeding loan to a stud? You never know, another year and half of doing nothing may well heal her up nicely and you could have your ridden horse back again. Time is a wonderful thing to have and by putting her in foal you won't feel as though you are doing nothing at all with her.
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Oh yes definitely keeping the foal. She could potentially make a good broodmare loan it is a possibility. If she likes it. She seasons very regularly and i have the vet coming out to do swabs as well as scoping her to check if its just allergies or dust or something more serious. I think she will be coming back into season in just a week or two. I have a couple of stallions in mind and would do AI so can move quickly. I know its late in the season but its not impossible.

I also thought that if she has the extra time off (and maybe something else to think about) she will come back just fine (as you know it can be up to two years off for this kind of injury) and will be a happy mare again.

Its a tough situation really. She isnt in any pain and is just off (ie 1/0thslame) somtimes seems quite sound unless she trots or canters and so pulls up funny. She would be able to carry a foal without any further damage to the leg my vet has already confirmed that
 
TBTH, probably. Their mental health is as important for them as much as soundness and it's ludicrous to think otherwise just because you can't actually see that pain. I was in exactly the same position with my horse of my lifetime but there is no way he would have coped with retirement at all; he even hated his summer holiday from hunting. Very sad and I still miss him but it was the right thing to do for him. You know your mare inside out, do what's best for her.
If it were me, I'd give her another month, see what this coughing is too and monitor her lameness carefully; if no improvement at all then yes, I would put down and I wouldn't feel guilty either because it's in her best interests.
It's never easy when they mean so much to you, I do sympathise a lot.
 
What does the vet say???

If she were mine I would put her in foal . Hormones and such could make her happier.

Next door the guy has a grey mare who he adores she did tendon injury . He put her in foal got a lovely baby and with all that time off the mare has come sound.
 
This is almost the hardest situation to face, because essentially being retired to the field is something that should not be a problem for her.

But some horses simply do not do well when they have no job to do.

Personally I'd give it until the end of the summer - and if her mindset does not improve then yes, I'd put her to sleep.
 
AshTay said:
How is she kept? If she's stood in her stable watching other horses going in and out then she's bound to get upset. If she's off in a field away from all the action, with some quiet chums and an appropriate amount of grass then she may chill out. I never thought my boy would cope without his work but he has but his whole routine changed.

If she's in no pain and only 1/10th lame could you ride her out in walk.

p.s. my horse did his leg in November 2009 and against the odds now looks to be pretty sound after 9 months box rest followed by a years turnout! I'm going to leave him retired though as I don't know how much the tendon could cope with and he's 23 so deserves a rest.
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She is field kept 24/7 with other horses. Her field mate is a retired mare, they get on quite well. She does see us coming and going with the riding horses though and i cant help that.

I am glad your boy is better!

I am a heavier rider (within her weight limit but still heavier) and would rather wait longer to bring her back into work.
 
Then I would suggest putting her in foal (providing you really, really want a foal) as being pregnant does seem to chill most mares out and by the time foal is born and then weaned she may well be sound enough for at least light work or have proved herself as a broodmare.

But at the same time, I hate to see people breed from their horses as a last resort so only do that if it's what you really, really want.
 
I would put her in foal.

lot's of mares personalities change when they are in foal - my mare who is very people oriented and loves being ridden didn't want to know me when she was in foal and made it very clear that she was uncomfortable being ridden.
 
Thank you amymay. Also measfan. I appreciate the advice. It is a situation where I feel so helpless. She is just not happy. Not so depressed she isn't eating or anything but I just know she isnt happy and won't be happy unless she has a job.
 
Thank you everyone for the kind advice. It's a split it seems between a foal and Pts. Which is exactly how I feel. I just think that if she had more time off and could come back into work it would be worth it, she is only 12. But I don't want to make her suffer needlessly.
 
I think that many horses don't do well retired because they remain on livery yards / places where lots of other horses are coming in and out and doing things. I'm sure taken away from that sort of routine and living somewhere where everyone is retired, it would be a different story. (Although I realise its not always as simple as that to find somewhere)
 
I would put her in foal ONLY if her conformation and temperement is excellent.

It is not cheap raising a foal to the point of being able to ride it or to sell it if thats what you end up doing.

Be aware that mares conceiving late in the season are more prone to foaling problems. So do consider the posibility of additional foaling costs.
 
I apologize now for the really really thick question here!....but surely if she is uncomfortable in one of her feet/legs/shoulder then the weight of a foal is only going to make it worse???
 
Give her more time - it may take her a while to adjust to no work. Unless she is not eating, no appetite, not drinking, she may perk up, and come sound enough to ride eventually. It takes a long time, but may be worth the wait if she can be ridden again, and as others have said, I would put her in foal in the meantime.
 
TBH, in the greater scheme of things that is not a great amount of time off work imho. I think if you give her more time (in foal or not :) ) you could be surprised and she may get better. Of course, she may never get better, but footballers/sportspeople can have a year or more off with injury so I think just more time may be needed. Additionally, if she has always been very active, it just might take her more time to adjust to her new routine.

Could you do some in hand showing with her if she is fine enough to travel? something like handsome horse where all they have to do is stand still? Sometimes just making them feel special again can work wonders. We took our 24yo pony to a show the other week to do a veteran in hand class so he could go alongside our youngster to his first comp, he hasn't been anywhere in years other than out hacking, I'm sure he was cheekier when we got back! :)
 
I'm usually anti-breeding but somehow this situation strikes me as a reasonable, purposeful and properly considered one. As long as in the interim she is able to be kept mentally happy (your main concern) then it's a bit of a win-win if she foals well. If she also comes sound, then you have something to ride until foalio is ready to step in and take over.

Good luck.
 
Thank you brighteyes.

I was worried I would bashed on here for wanting to put her in foal and I have spent a long time considering it, actually since I bought her.

I think I will make a Plan for mental happiness. I will also try some on the ground natural horsemanship and the showing suggestion is a good one.

I had actually always wanted a foal from her and I will be choosing a quality stallion that compliments her. Is she doesnt take on the first go I think it will be to late for this year. I will sit down and come up with a happiness plan. I have considered riding and leading her along so that's my next plan. She doesn't seem to much like handwalking but maybe if it's with a buddy. The semi/retired mare might enjoy that too actually.
 
Not wanting to sound stupid (it probably won't work!) but how do you KNOW she's unhappy as a field ornament? If she is a good weight, her cat looks good and she's not getting herself in a frenzy if other horses go out then i would suggest she was ok. I think we can tend to put human emotions on our horses when, in reality there are just horses (I am guilty of this aswell). Yes, if a horse was becoming a danger to themselves or others or was visibly going downhill yet not having any physical illness then that's a different matter.

My horse neighs everytime any of the other horses go out and returns and he is generally hanging about around the stables so he can watch for them coming back - I don't think he is unhappy if they've gone out without him though. I don't believe they think like that. If you believed in it and you wanted to you could get one of those animal communicators to come out and 'talk' to your mare and find out!

Personally I think there are too many horses about and too many people breeding foals just because they can. However, i guess if the intention is to keep the foal yourself instead of it becoming yet another unwanted horse then that's a little better.
 
Alphamare said:
Thank you brighteyes.

I was worried I would bashed on here for wanting to put her in foal and I have spent a long time considering it, actually since I bought her.

I think I will make a Plan for mental happiness. I will also try some on the ground natural horsemanship and the showing suggestion is a good one.

I had actually always wanted a foal from her and I will be choosing a quality stallion that compliments her. Is she doesnt take on the first go I think it will be to late for this year. I will sit down and come up with a happiness plan. I have considered riding and leading her along so that's my next plan. She doesn't seem to much like handwalking but maybe if it's with a buddy. The semi/retired mare might enjoy that too actually.
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Maybe she could be led from a horse in front or put a VERY lightweight rider on her (if shes not lame).Let her have another year off being in foal,(if thats what you want to do) and see if she comes right then.If not put her out as a brood mare maybe.
 
Alphamare said:
My mare is off from a bad tendon injury, she has been off for nearly a year now (9 or 10months now). She is probably 1/10ths lame in the field and has a slightly weird gait.

I have a couple of choices. I may put her in foal as she is a wonderful mare, great personality as well as conformation and very well bred. I would keep the foal for myself. Even this option may lead to being pts though and at least i would have her foal as she is a mare in a million.

The problem i have is whether or not she will come sound for work. Its looking like 50/50 and i will trying bringing her in before i make a decision.

I dont WANT to put her down, BUT she is so unhappy. This mare is NOT a field ornament. She needs to work and be doing things. Hand walking just isnt cutting it for her. If i take one of the others out or even walk passed her with a bridle she gets very very upset. She actually sulks if thats possible.

This is why i am considering pts for her. She just isnt a field ornament. :(

Would you keep her going or consider pts? I dont want to be heartless about this but i also dont want to be a tree hugger either. She isnt in any pain except that in her head.
Also its looking like she may have some sort of respiritory problem (for the last week she has been constantly snorting and i have the vet coming out to scope her.) so thats another nail in the proverbial coffin.

ugh :(
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If she is field sound and you can afford to keep her then no, I wouldn't put her down. Please don't take offence, as I know exactly what you mean as I have my horse of a lifetime as a field ornament (again through a tendon injury) with no hope of being ridden. Yes, she gets jealous when I take another horse out or walk by with tack but it really is anthropomorphising to say that she is miserable not being ridden. You feel sad about it, as do I and we project those feelings onto the horse. What the horse wants is attention and praise for doing something well. Some don't care and will happily settle into a life as a field ornament, others need more stimulation at least until they settle into their new life. I do clicker training with my mare and that gives her the same satisfaction as when she was being ridden as she loves showing off and being praised. You could try something like this with your mare.

At the risk of anthropomorphising again, I'm sure if given the choice between field ornament and death, then unless she is in pain and suffering, I think she would choose life. Of course, horses cannot make these choices and we have to do it for them.
 
Ze Donk said:
There is no way I'd even consider putting her in foal, it will not alter her mental state In a nutshell.
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Sorry I do not agree with you .We had a mare here who was stroppy and moody, she changed being in foal and after having a foal much sweeter to be around, Its called hormones. They change when they are in foal as do people when they are pregnant .
 
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