WWYD...

[AlDestoor]

So I posted at the weekend about my boy with kissing spine.

I've been yo yoing and decided he isn't the horse for me however, retirement with me is not an option and luxury I have- plus I don't think he would cope well with it.

Now the question is, once this horse lets you mount him, he works lovely. People recommended that I sold him however, selling a horse with KS is hard enough and I could never forgive myself if he was passed around, neglected etc.

The thought of putting him to sleep is still on my mind as that way, I can ensure he leaves me feeling loved; but I can't get it out of my head that he would make an amazing horse in the right hands but you can't guarantee that with a healthy horse, never mind a horse with issues like his....

I've put him up for sale however, I'm still contemplating the idea of putting him to sleep- I wanted your honest opinions about what you would do if this was your boy?

I want to add, this horse means the world to me; he has the most funny personality in the stable and is so loveable , and has taken my soul for the last 18 months to get him right; but I can't keep throwing money at him "hoping" he'll be my dream ride and that he won't keep having issues. He's too much for me and needs someone more confident to fulfil his energy levels so now I just want to do right by him to ensure that he is loved.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

I would PTS.

 

[milliepops]

has the vet looked at the horse again yet?
I don't think I could sell something with KS and PSD even if it's been rehabbed.

 

[shortstuff99]

Honestly if he was mine and I couldn't retire then I would PTS. Are you able to guarantee that the new owner will treat him? Will they inject him and then sell him on to an unwitting buyer (as recently happened to a friend of mine)?

OR can you loan him? That way all the costs and time (livery not vetinary really) are taken care of but you have some control still.

 

[AlDestoor]

Honestly if he was mine and I couldn't retire then I would PTS. Are you able to guarantee that the new owner will treat him? Will they inject him and then sell him on to an unwitting buyer (as recently happened to a friend of mine)?

OR can you loan him? That way all the costs and time (livery not vetinary really) are taken care of but you have some control still.

I don't want the stress of loaning, and again it falls down to finding someone suitable; it took me ages with my mare.

I think I know the answer but its just hard when you see him work, he is lovely but he is literally just too much horse for me. He's been fully rehabbed by me and has been working nicely over the summer but now winter is here, he's a bit too much to handle. If he hadn't got his KS, then I would defo sell him however, because he has his KS, it makes finding a home for him extremely difficult and my morales are screaming out to me don't do it.

 

[AlDestoor]

has the vet looked at the horse again yet?
I don't think I could sell something with KS and PSD even if it's been rehabbed.

No they're ringing me back and scoping for ulcers. His osteo is due today, but I'm still exploring my options. My heart is completely torn about doing what is right as even if the vet comes and theres no issues, what do I do as I can't afford 2 horses...

 

[cauda equina]

If he's field sound one of the blood banks might take him

 

[Baywonder]

This is such a horrible situation for you to be in, and I understand this is so heart breaking for you as you have put to much into his rehab.

Personally, I would not sell him on with the issues he has. There are no guarantees he will find the right home who can; a) deal with him and his limitations / KS as a ridden horse, and b) have the facilities and / or finances to retire him if the former does not work out.

There is always the danger of him being sold on time and time again, and the only way you can be sure this will not happen is to PTS.

 

[AlDestoor]

If he's field sound one of the blood banks might take him

They're not taking on this year and they're not even sure if they are next year

 

[RHM]

I don’t think this is a horse you could reasonably sell. I am normally in the PTS camp of rather a day too soon than a day too late, but if I have understood this correctly - he is now sound and happy in work, just too much horse for you? If that is the case then I would loan him out, I don’t think I could justify putting a healthy horse down just because he wasn’t right for me. However, I haven’t read your previous threads on him so I could have got the complete wrong end of the stick!!

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I am another that would not sell him but would PTS if I could not retire

 

[HobleytheTB]

I think you ought to wait and see whether he has ulcers or not before making a decision. If he does have ulcers, he may be a totally different horse once treated and back to what he was like before.

 

[AlDestoor]

I think you ought to wait and see whether he has ulcers or not before making a decision. If he does have ulcers, he may be a totally different horse once treated and back to what he was like before.

is rearing at the mounting block a symptom? I've read about it and it's usually sligglish behaviour not the rearing

 

[AlDestoor]

I don’t think this is a horse you could reasonably sell. I am normally in the PTS camp of rather a day too soon than a day too late, but if I have understood this correctly - he is now sound and happy in work, just too much horse for you? If that is the case then I would loan him out, I don’t think I could justify putting a healthy horse down just because he wasn’t right for me. However, I haven’t read your previous threads on him so I could have got the complete wrong end of the stick!!

I can't deal with the stress of loaning- I've loaned before and it wasn't good and also, I'm in the same position of finding someone suitable and confident enough to take him on.

 

[Polos Mum]

If you can't find someone who you think is sensible enough to have him for free (and with the option to return him if it doesn't work out) - i.e. a loan.

There is no way you will find someone to buy him.

There are good loaners out there (you have to kiss a lot of frogs). But if someone turns up to buy him, doesn't ask any meaningful questions and just hands over the cash - will you be happy he's gone to a good forever home?

Think about how bad you will feel when you see him advertised for 3 x the money with no mention of KS a month after you sold him. Look on here, there are enough examples of that happening to be sure he's an ideal target for a disreputable dealer

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Unfortunately this horse is your responsibility, so you need to step up and do the right thing by him. IMO, that is either loan him to a fully vetted home and keep in close contact with that home, or pts. I'm not sure why you bothered with the surgery and rehab, tbh

 

[Tarragon]

As I see it, the costs of horse owning are nearly all associated with the costs of keeping the horse and not the cost of buying the horse. I was once trying to sell a much loved pony and I had two families wanting to buy him. In my guts I knew that family A would be better for him but they were only prepared to pay about 2/3 of the asking price, and I sold him to family B as they were prepared to pay the asking price, even though we are only talking about a few £100, and it was one of those decisions that often comes back and haunts me.
So, if in in your guts you feel that the right decision for you is to PTS, so that you can guarantee that your horse will be loved until the end of his days, perhaps it means that the money you could get if you sold him pales into insignificance in the bigger scheme of things.
I am sorry, you are in a hard place at the moment with a difficult decision to make, and I have found it very hard to word this post.

 

[ihatework]

I would not be selling this horse outright.

Depending on the horse, I’d either scope for ulcers and treat as required plus get a new orthopaedic review done - if that’s all good I would invest the energy into finding the right loan home, monitoring the situation closely with a view to hopefully gifting long term.

Or I would PTS.

With KS, PSD and either behaviour issues or ‘excess enthusiasm’ (the latter I doubt), this horse is worthless in a monetary capacity

 

[Bellaboo18]

is rearing at the mounting block a symptom? I've read about it and it's usually sligglish behaviour not the rearing

Could easily be a symptom. He's protesting to being ridden. I think it'd be a surprise if he didnt have ulcers with everything else going on.

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

If you don't think you'd find anyone suitable to loan, then I'm not sure selling would be a much better option. A buyer would come across all the same problems as a loaner, it would just be out of sight, out of mind.

 

[sherry90]

I’d scope first. See what you are dealing with. Do you have insurance money/time left since the Ks/PSD? Horses aren’t ‘naughty’ deliberately. If nothing on the scope, see if your trainer can get him more consistent. If so, then it could be just a mis-match in partnership with you. If the scope shows, treat it and see what he’s like come spring.

 

[Jeni the dragon]

I know the market is bonkers just now but I really don't think selling him would be a good move. As others have said, the idea of him being passed around would be terrifying.

There are good loaners out there, I was one. He came to us from a friend and stayed until we lost him at the start of the summer after 14 years.

 

[Xmasha]

Ive seen a few that sound very similar to your chap, who always seem to behave for pros, but then act out when ridden by the owner. Ive got to be honest and say non have them have ended well. Good pro riders can generally ride through most things, and the horse can learn to tolerate it. But back in the hands of an amateur the horse reverts .
There are way too many horses like this, that end up being passed from pillar to post. You see them on the dodgy dealer sites, they get doped up and come across as easy and hey presto dodgy dealer makes a quick buck. In the meantime the horse suffers, its an awful merry go round of neglect.
Do the right thing, and either find a good retirement livery or PTS.

 

[HobleytheTB]

is rearing at the mounting block a symptom? I've read about it and it's usually sligglish behaviour not the rearing

Could well be. It's not always sluggishness, it can be the total opposite. My mare had quite bad ulcers and she was spooky, tense and could barely keep her feet on the floor at times. If he's anticipating pain when ridden, from ulcers or something else, this could well explain the rearing.

You will also struggle to sell him if you disclose the KS and PSD. If you hide it then you're also risking him going to someone inexperienced to deal with it.

 

[IrishMilo]

I think you know what you need/want to do, and are looking for reassurance and validation (which is totally natural). You would be doing the horse a favour by ending/preventing suffering down the line. The problem with KS is that retirement isn't necessarily a good option for them - they need to be worked to keep the muscles supporting the body and spine and without that they deteriorate very quickly.

You'll never know what will happen to this horse if you sell it - can you live with that? Knowing that he might be passed around, or worked in spite of chronic pain?

I think this is a case that the hardest decision is very much the right one for the both of you.

 

[caileag]

I was in pretty much the same position as yourself. Drove myself mad trying to decide on the right thing to do. Moving him on was not an option, I wanted to be certain of his ongoing happiness and wellbeing which would have been out of my control. Also decided against taking him away from his settled home to put him on retirement livery. His happy place was in the field with his buddy so that's where he stayed all last summer then sadly I had him quietly PTS in the November.

 

[canteron]

There is the option of giving him a year in a field and then PTS at the end of the Summer - as caileag - that may be a compromise between your heart and your head.
And sometimes a year in a field can work wonders ..... ?

 

[honetpot]

I have a pony, who is/was talented but turned out not to be anybodies' ride, even with adults riding him. As I sold him as a just backed three year old, and I have tracked his career, when I sold him he had no health, handling or ridden issues. Looking at his passport he changed hands every two years, and one year he was sold three times, and that's when I bought him back. Would I have sold him at three if I had known this, probably not, but he was a young pony, and as my daughter was too big to ride him, it seemed the best thing to do, and he was sold to a knowledgeable home, where he competed.
If you have any doubts PTS, don't be like me, seeing the pony advertised every six months for not a lot of money. Unfortunately horse people tend to bend the truth to fit their circumstances, I had one in the field that was spotted being sold as a ridden whilst it was on loan as a companion.

 

[Trouper]

Please, please don't sell him on. If you don't think you can easily find a loan home which will take care of his specific needs correctly,then how much more uncertain that future will be if you sell him. You lose all control.
I could not live with my conscience if I sold him, but I think I could live with my decision to pts because it would be done from a position of long-term welfare for the horse and not immediate gain for me.
As I have said before, if all medical advice and help suggests he has a future then I would investigate some of the re-homing charities where his long-term future would be monitored and assured.

 

[Chinchilla]

I would pts or put on permanent loan to the blood bank