Is my horse sellable?

[TrussSucks]

11 yr old ISH, 17hh, had both hocks fused 12 months ago, history of ulcers (last treated April). Loves to jump but has no talent, I've done a bit of everything on her (eventing, dressage, xcountry, hunting etc) but struggling to find time for her now as I have a baby so currently just hacking.

I think she's probably unsellable with her medical history. I can't afford to keep treating the recurrent ulcers so am faced with either selling, retiring, or PTS.

Are they safe? The market is full of such nervous nellys at the moment that people will overlook a lot for a very safe sort

Exactly this.

A loan wouldn’t be impossible either, assuming you could afford to cover the vet bills if you didn’t have the regular upkeep.

As pp have said, if she's a safe fun ride then she'll sell to a novice who wants to potter around.
I sold a lovely, safe cob type, placid to ride and kind in the stable but unspectacular and completely dire to load so couldn't ever really compete or do much.
I was completely honest and he sold quickly to somebody who didn't mind.
So it she's easy then she'll sell.
More quirky and difficult though and you'll struggle.

She's safe. My DD has shared her from the age of 12, like a little pea on her. Good in traffic etc but she can get stressy when taken to events so I've stopped doing that as she's so big she's hard to handle on the ground. At home she's a doll though. The trouble with selling her is that I don't want her to get passed around and mistreated if she keeps getting ulcers. I think I'm going to have a final go with the vet to see if there's a reason for them coming back (i.e. pain) and then reconsider.

Loan then?
What’s her routine? If you’re on the average livery set up with limited turn out it’s quite possible the ulcers wouldn’t be as big an issue in a more natural environment.
Obviously it’s not an alternative to veterinary treatment or practical for everyone on livery, but ime it can make a big difference for some. From both the physical and stress/mental perspectives.
I’m not looking, and if I was I wouldn’t honestly buy one with known issues, but with a fixed herd and 24/7 turnout I’d certainly take a gamble on loaning one with them if safety was my requirement and I had a small budget.

Good grief don’t PTS, poor horse. Don’t you have insurance?

That is unfair. Sometimes the only kind option is to pts. If the ulcers require 24hour turnout this is not always an option for an owner who keeps their horse on livery. And it would be far kinder to pts if the health can’t be managed. However the fact that the horse is safe is massively in its favour

Of course I have insurance but ulcers are excluded after the first claim and I can't keep paying £5k every time she gets them, it's just not feasible. I've paid that out several times now but enough is enough. There's a point at which you have to say no more. PTS is obviously a last resort but if it comes to it it would be far kinder to do that than let her live a life of pain or have her passed around a succession of people all trying to offload an expensive problem.

I doubt you'd find many people who'd have spent as much on their horse as I have over the years to fix various things, I'm taking tens of thousands in addition to what insurance has covered.

Where abouts are you OP?
I'm looking for a loan horse at the moment in North Yorkshire to work with a charity. Our horses all live out 24/7.

Have a look at www.ksbequine.com/product/horse-supplements-gastric-health/ for ulcer treatment/prevention.

Absolutely no shame in putting a horse to sleep, I’m not an expert on ulcers but could she just stay on a maintenance dose of omeprazole? I thought the cost had gone down now it wasn’t just licensed to Gastro Guard?

In your situation I would consider loan as a happy hacker? Even if she comes back after 6 months it gives you some breathing space and as others say, safe horses are always wanted!

I'd go for loan/lwvtb eventually. If she's a safe hack, then you'll find someone for her- at 17hh, could she be a sort of "boyfriend horse", or does she need to be in more work than that?

If she's on long term loan, and is suited to the job, you may find the loaner is willing to cover some or all of the vet costs. You might also feel more confident selling her to them if they've already kept her for a year and are happy with her.

I totally get not wanting her passed around, and I would PTS some horses rather than sell- but as she can do a job, and potentially be happy, it feels a shame not to give her a chance?

I think the comment about not putting to sleep is harsh. It has to be an option in a horse with an ongoing medical history like yours. Ulcers can be very difficult to get on top of and the medication is ridiculously expensive. However if your horse is well at the moment I would consider loaning (I wouldn't consider selling if it were mine due to the possibility of the horse being passed on or abused). I hope you reach a decision that suits you both.

I think you could loan her out long term to someone who owned grazing ie an older woman fairly easily but you may have to cast your net quite wide to an area where houses with land are more common.
My last horse wasn’t totally sound and I knew that when I bought her but the rest of her was perfect and the work we did was fine for her.

There are some excellent supplements available now to deal with ulcers. Have a look at Ron Fields Nutrition and also Premier Performance Gastro Premier. They’re a lot cheaper than repeated scoping and omeprazole and if they work to make her comfortable then consider a loan. I also found that changing the management (ad lib meadow hay, chaff before each ride) has been great - not sure whether you’ve already done this but worth a mention.

If you do loan, and she stays at your yard you stand a good chance of keeping her on the supplements and on a regime which is kind to her gut. Safe, sensible horses are very sought-after at the moment so you may well find a good loaner.

I'm not loaning her out and I've tried every supplement under the sun! I think she has ulcers again but the vet is coming next week so I'll discuss options then. I've found a nice retirement yard that would reduce my monthly costs by a significant amount so that remains as option. I've also sent off samples for PSSM1 testing and faecal DNA testing for hindgut health. Both total punts but it's a final throw of the dice as I can't and won't cough up thousands for ulcer treatment again.

I think at the very least I'd give her a few years in retirement if she can do so without pain. No one in their right mind would take on a horse with recurrent ulcers.

Why wouldn’t you consider loaning? I’m not suggesting you stick an ad on preloved and let any old person move her across the country, but ulcers and the cost of treatment aside she does sound like the type you take your pick of loaners for even if you specified which local yards you’d consider allowing her to move to. You could also find a sharer easily enough and use their contribution towards the vet bills.

I had to put an 11 year old down a few years ago. He had multiple issues and developed even more. This is the best option for the horse, rather than being passed around to end up in an unsuitable home.

with rising costs more horses will be ending up being rescued this winter, do not let this happen to your horse.

If her hocks have now fused them I'm assuming she's sound behind unless there's any other issues? Hopefully the ulcers have been caused by the pain in her hooks but now they've been treated she would be pain free and the ulcers should not reoccur providing she's been treated and scoped once the hocks were pain free. I think this horse has a good prospect of a useful future. Many horses have ulcers the difference being you're aware of yours problem and have treated them the only problem is if you've had a knock on from the hocks ie SI joint but I'm assuming as it's been done under insurance this has been covered. Selling horses is always difficult but be picky open and honest insist on a vetting and take your time to choose. Maybe an equine college would like her? Best of luck.

Have you looked at Abler for cheaper treatment of the ulcers?

Have you tried sucralfate rather than just omeprazole?

I'd consider a part loan to help meet her costs if her ulcers can be managed.

I'd suggest using regular slippery elm/marshmallow once the ulcer treatment is finished to keep the ulcers at bay. Marshmallow root is cheap but coats the stomach lining and protects it. Maybe a calmer if stress is the problem rather than pain. Really look carefully at diet too, often vets don't give the best and most up to date dietary advice.