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The tack room

Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

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Original poster

I think that this will be my old mare's last summer...

37 replies

MrFibble · 18/07/2010 20:05

She's lame behind due to a ligament injury 3 years ago. Now the navicular in her front hooves seems to be rearing its ugly head again.

All I have been able to do with her in the past 2 years is light (walk only) hacking so she's now getting fat and hard to handle.

But I still love her to bits and always have to think about the amazing stuff we have done together.

How do you make the decision? I don't want to be one of these owners who keeps a suffering horse alive because they can't take a hard decision but equally I don't want to put down an animal that still enjoys life.

Shit.

It's hard.

Any wise words?

OP posts:

Original poster

MrFibble · 04/08/2010 20:27

It's done. Now raising a glass to Bertha.

OP posts:

seeker · 04/08/2010 21:38

You did the right thing. I'll drink to Bertha too.

BollockBrain · 05/08/2010 11:28

oh just come back to this thread. RIP bertha. Hope you are ok today x

Original poster

MrFibble · 05/08/2010 14:22

It was the right thing but it was so hard. I just howled after she went down and DH blubbed too. The vet was excellent and so was the yard owner's son who happened to be there too. Horrid experience though. Don't want to be in that situation again but I guess I will be since my remaining mare is now 21.

Anyway, we drank a bottle of fizzy wine to celebrate her life last night. All in all she had a good innings.

Thanks for all your support.

OP posts:

CluckyKate · 06/08/2010 16:29

So sorry to hear you've done the deed but rest assured that you have done absolutely the right & kindest thing.

RIP Bertha.

xxx

Itsthawooluff · 10/09/2010 17:33

Apologies for reinstating this thread, but I've just had to make the same decision for our eldest. He stands in a way that really shows how much pain he is in all the time. I couldn't get any condition on him over the summer at all, and I didn't want to put him through a winter again where he needs his rug on to keep warm, but groans when it goes on because his legs hurt from the extra weight .

Our vet agreed that for the next few weeks he can have a much higher dose of painkillers, because we don't need to worry about long term damage to his digestive system. of course, now he feels much better and is tootling round the fields like he is 5 yrs younger. I wanted him to have his last few weeks as pain free, and see out the summer.

I know I've made the right decision because keeping him pain free by increased meds can only be temporary, and that ultimately he would be back in pain again...............but it is still so hard, and I feel crap about it. Reading this thread has helped, so thanks OP for kicking it off.

marge2 · 13/09/2010 12:38

Wooluff, So sorry for you. Glad your old boy can have a few happy pain free weeks.

Struggling myself with my mare who is only 18 year old mare but who has recently been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome the symtom of which is her first ever bout of laminitis. Been in lame for over two months now. God awful decision to have to make. My mare MAY go sound again but if she does the vet has said she can never have even a blade of grass again. which means she will have to live in, which I will struggle with financially, or out for some part of the day with a muzzle which she will hate.

So many people keep older horses going in pain when they are ready to go, just because the owners are not ready, or feel guilty about making that choice.

If my lovely girl is not sound in a couple of months I think I am going to have to say goodbye to her too. Had her 15 years!

I do feel incredibly guilty even putting finances into the equation.

countingto10 · 13/09/2010 16:50

Marge2, that happened with my old mare 17 years ago but she was 27, went down with her first ever bout of laminitis in October !!! I was told she would have to be transported to the equine hospital for a battery of tests etc (she had Cushings).

I had decided beforehand that I would not shy away from what I had to do however painful. She had been badly abused in the past and as a consequence did not like to be loaded at all so I had already decided that at her age anything requiring transportation was out of the question and also (and in a way I am very grateful to him), the vet told me he really didn't want to treat her at all but wanted to put her to sleep. To this day it is the worse thing I have ever had to do, she had built up her trust in me so much so that I felt I was letting her down but it was the right thing to do.

Re the finances, you have to take them into consideration. I was told that if I decided to have her treated, it would have been at least £20 per week in medication 17 yrs ago !

There is something about these animals that seems to make it so much harder than other animals IYSWIM.

marge2 · 14/09/2010 12:16

Oh dear it's awful isn't it. It does seem harder as they are such big animals and live so long we get so attached.

My girl tested negative for cushings. This meatbolic thing can't be medicated and the ony way to conrol it is to keep her off any grass and to keep her weight down through diet and exercise. ( Hmm sounds familiar!!) If she is lame she can't be exercised and is getting fatter in the stable even eating barely anything. Just the barest minimum of hay. She is getting pretty grumpy. and she now has fluid retention under her bely which is concerning the vet.

You are right I do have to take finances into consideration as I have a family which also depends on them. Time is one of the biggest factors too. I am going to try to do DIY as I just can't afford to carry the part livery on. But I have two young boys and it will be hard on them being dragged to the yard before school some days. Hubs will get sick of me vanishing at weekends too.

SOOOOO HARD!

countingto10 · 14/09/2010 16:36

Have you got a school she can be turned out into ? And a friend in the yard who would be willing to turn her out for you. I had a good relationship with a girl who has turned into one of my best friends. We took it in turn to turn each other's horse out so we weren't both up at the crack of dawn.

I am considering getting another horse (started riding again about 6 months ago after 4DSs and the youngest now in school). But DH has said he doesn't want me tied into going up to the stable twice a day . I have told him that is one of the parts that I enjoy - building that relationship with the horse etc. Won't be til next spring now anyway .....

Itsthawooluff · 15/09/2010 09:34

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that she comes sound, marge2.

marge2 · 15/09/2010 10:16

No - we had to down grade to a yard with no school to save dosh last year. Its a really lovely friendly yard with mainly older horses or ones that don't compete much. The hacking is AMAZING though!!! There is a school down the road that we can use to school in for £5 a go. It's miles to walk to. - Belongs to a private house - Can;t imagine they would be happy about having a horse turned out in it.

It's a bit of a waiting game now!!

10 - I managed to keep my girl through having the kids - she was on loan for a while. IT's been REALLY hard finding time to get to the yard and fitting it in between kids and work. If I were you I would share or loan a horse to see how you cope timewise and moneywise. There are millions of owners out there desperate to find a good sharer. ( I was one before all this trouble - no chance now!)

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

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