I think I'm putting down my difficult horse

[whattodowheretogo]

I've posted about my horse on here before but I'd just like some last minute opinions.

I bought him a year ago from a TB breeder and trainer as she felt that she was too old for a horse like him and she couldn't sit his spooks.

No ground manners, didn't know where to put his feet, didn't respond to pressure.

I wanted a project and he was one in every sense of the word. I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him.

When I tried him out he was good, but at the end, he took off with me across the field and didn't stop until he physically couldn't go any further. I wasn't concerned about that, I just figured he was green and overwhelmed and these things would come with time.

When we got him home he needed a chifney to be taken anywhere or he would just set his neck and try to canter off (my ex was looking after him for a lot of the time - he's a racehorse trainer and rehab yard owner so he knows what he's doing!) and even he would struggle with him.

Through the months his ground manners improved but to this day he can suddenly try to drag you somewhere and canter off.

His biggest issues are ridden. I've had many rides on him when he's simply decided to take off and nothing can stop him until he's done himself in. One lesson I had we were cantering for so long with him screeching round the corners and bucking that I was getting lightheaded. My trainer couldn't do anything but stand and watch.

He will do things like take off, then screech to a halt in front of the fence, then shoot off again.

I've taken everything right back to basics, over the winter I worked solely on the ground with him, teaching him the saddle and bridle is a positive thing, we learnt to stand stock still at the mountain block, yield to pressure etc.

But he is so unpredictable - he'll do a nasty spook at "nothing", just completely drop his shoulder.

I've spent months just walking and trotting in the school to make it a nice calm experience for him. I've honestly tried everything.

He's just messed up his only saving grace - to hack he is brilliant and super calm. But this weekend he took one look at something on the floor, bolted for home and ran into the main road. I came off, got concussion and fractured my foot.

I've been riding for 17 years, I'll ride literally anything. I ride friend's difficult horses for them if they've come off and had accidents and have a great time. But there's just something about this horse that I just think.. what is it going to take?

I'm so thankful that this wasn't a worse injury for either me or him.

I'm pretty certain that I'm going to put him down. It's something I've discussed with my vet before after he remarked what a difficult git he was.

I feel like it would be unfair on him to pass him on, I'd worry about how he'd be treated given all his quirks, whether he'd be passed on again etc but also I'd worry that he may seriously injure himself or someone else.

Thoughts/suggestions?

OP I’ve had time to read the full thread since my previous post and see that you scoped a while ago. I would personally stick him on a month of treatment (the brand that I use also does hind gut which as another poster pointed out will not show up on a scope) and see if you have any improvement before PTS if that fails.

My ex racer has had many issues with ulcers costing in excess of 3k to treat and on this specific brand of treatment I swopped onto (after insurance ran out and vets lost interest) I managed to keep her ulcer free and comfortable under saddle long term and affordably (previously was on omeprazole (gastrogard/ulcergold etc) which only worked at a very high dose and the ulcers returned as soon as we weaned off and cost a fortune too).

I now know that she has probably had an underlying issue (arthritis and an oedema in her navicular recently diagnosed) which has probably been manifesting for years unknown and no doubt triggered the ulcers in the first place as I could never understand why they happened when there was no change to feed/routine etc. So the supplement I swopped to must be pretty good to keep her rideable despite those underlying issues and the fact the grazing was less than brilliant at my old yard. A month on the treatment at the strongest dose would cost less than a rescope anyway so I’d just give it a go as a last resort as most people who try it say they see a definite change in a week or two if it’s going to work.

Perhaps the change of yard since you split from your ex has exacerbated issues if he is uncomfy. Failing that there are worse fates than death and it would be the morally right thing to do if there are no other options to follow up with the vet etc. As my friend once said ‘why keep a dangerous horse when there are so many nice ones out there who need a home just as much’ and we can’t rehab them all sadly. Please message me if you’d like to chat or for the name of the treatment that worked so well in our case. Good luck.