Hormonal Filly
Well-Known Member
Really do feel for you. I've been through it with my old mare, its awful, I’ll try and keep it short. She was only 9 and this was 6 years ago. She was diagnosed with Kissing spine first, 4 vertebra touching and one over lapping. The vets operated on her back. She had lots of box rest, she was very mareish, so box rest was awful. She’d bite, kick but we got through it. She then went lame once rehabbing, diagnosed with bad arthritic hocks, injected and re started rehab. Rehab was hard work, working her every day, long lining, pessoa work etc. She had physio weekly. She then was SO grumpy I couldn't touch her without being attacked, she was diagnosed with bad grade ulcers. We treated those. She then started bucking and bolting again, something wasn’t right. My insurance at this point was reaching maximum pay out because we had claimed so much at this point.
My vet took another look and said she could possibly have arthritis in her stifles, SI issues and suspensory issues at least. All secondary from the kissing spine. I gave her 3 months field rest, thinking she could possibly come right.. in which she got so aggressive with other horses due to the pain she was in. The vet agreed she would of always hurt and wasn't in a good state, she got abscess after abscess in her hoofs and was so crippled I couldn’t even bring her in from the field. I then took the hardest decision I've ever had to make of putting her to sleep, I had such good support and the vet agreed it was for the best. A lady at the yard said I was cruel ending her life and should be sold as a field companion or brood mare (?!) but I couldn't cope with the thought of her being in pain or sold on to be ridden, she was my responsibility.
Shes now at peace.. but I do regret more than every putting her through all of that, the op, multiple vet hospital visits, box rest, before finding out the full picture. If I found out the full picture first I wouldn’t of put her through it.
If I were you, I’d have a serious conversation with your vet. It’s your personal decision at the end of the day, will he be pain free retired? Are you happy to keep him as a field ornament to live out his days? Or if not, will he ever become sound/pain free to be ridden as a light hack? If you have your own land its much easier but I was at a costly livery yard with good facilities and it’s too expensive to keep a retired horse there. Therefore, if he was mine, in my circumstances, I would speak to the vet then depending on his response, possibly give him a couple of months turned away, being spoilt and lots of cuddles and then put him to sleep.
All the best xx
My vet took another look and said she could possibly have arthritis in her stifles, SI issues and suspensory issues at least. All secondary from the kissing spine. I gave her 3 months field rest, thinking she could possibly come right.. in which she got so aggressive with other horses due to the pain she was in. The vet agreed she would of always hurt and wasn't in a good state, she got abscess after abscess in her hoofs and was so crippled I couldn’t even bring her in from the field. I then took the hardest decision I've ever had to make of putting her to sleep, I had such good support and the vet agreed it was for the best. A lady at the yard said I was cruel ending her life and should be sold as a field companion or brood mare (?!) but I couldn't cope with the thought of her being in pain or sold on to be ridden, she was my responsibility.
Shes now at peace.. but I do regret more than every putting her through all of that, the op, multiple vet hospital visits, box rest, before finding out the full picture. If I found out the full picture first I wouldn’t of put her through it.
If I were you, I’d have a serious conversation with your vet. It’s your personal decision at the end of the day, will he be pain free retired? Are you happy to keep him as a field ornament to live out his days? Or if not, will he ever become sound/pain free to be ridden as a light hack? If you have your own land its much easier but I was at a costly livery yard with good facilities and it’s too expensive to keep a retired horse there. Therefore, if he was mine, in my circumstances, I would speak to the vet then depending on his response, possibly give him a couple of months turned away, being spoilt and lots of cuddles and then put him to sleep.
All the best xx
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