so frustrating! hurt horse :(

[neigh.neigh]

My 7 year old mare has been off since September and after having an M.R.I. done last week the vets told us she has arthritis in her hind leg caused by injury and navicular issues in the front. We are going to give her at least 6 months off and see how she is. Instead of hoping that she will get better I am going to lease a horse for my last 2 years as a junior. My parents don't want the expenses of breeding her either (even though that would be fun!)

My question is has anyone had experience with this type of situation? She was my 3'6" equitation horse so if she is sound, is she sellable as maybe a 3 foot horse? Or are we just going to have to give her away? Do people buy brood mares? She is beautiful and its really a waste to put so much time and money into something that gets hurt! I guess thats the business though :(

I know there really isn't that much hope to make some money on her, but I thought i would ask! Thanks everyone!

http://i49.tinypic.com/2s6120m.jpg

[Melyni]

My 7 year old mare has been off since September and after having an M.R.I. done last week the vets told us she has arthritis in her hind leg caused by injury and navicular issues in the front. We are going to give her at least 6 months off and see how she is. Instead of hoping that she will get better I am going to lease a horse for my last 2 years as a junior. My parents don't want the expenses of breeding her either (even though that would be fun!)

My question is has anyone had experience with this type of situation? She was my 3'6" equitation horse so if she is sound, is she sellable as maybe a 3 foot horse? Or are we just going to have to give her away? Do people buy brood mares? She is beautiful and its really a waste to put so much time and money into something that gets hurt! I guess thats the business though :(

I know there really isn't that much hope to make some money on her, but I thought i would ask! Thanks everyone!

here is a picture
http://i49.tinypic.com/2s6120m.jpg

Just how bad is the arthritis?

Did the vet not suggest one of the many ways that the pain of arthritis be treated (though the navicular could pose more problems).
HA or adequan injections, shock wave, joint supplements etc. Or have these already been tried?

Ditto for the navicular.

However a lame horse is very hard to sell and usually has to be given away. It'd be worth while finding out if the hocks could be treated first.
MW

[neigh.neigh]

Just how bad is the arthritis?

Did the vet not suggest one of the many ways that the pain of arthritis be treated (though the navicular could pose more problems).
HA or adequan injections, shock wave, joint supplements etc. Or have these already been tried?

Ditto for the navicular.

However a lame horse is very hard to sell and usually has to be given away. It'd be worth while finding out if the hocks could be treated first.
MW


they said they could do something starting with a "t" i cant remember it right now... but it was expensive and it made more sense to use that money to pay for her board or a lease fee

[Quinn]

You're likely referring to Tildren. Yes, it is pricey but can be quite effective. As can IRAP but it too is expensive. I guess it depends on where your priorities lie.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ballyduff

[neigh.neigh]

You're likely referring to Tildren. Yes, it is pricey but can be quite effective. As can IRAP but it too is expensive. I guess it depends on where your priorities lie.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ballyduff

Yes, Tildren thank you

[LauraKY]

Think about what happens to give aways with injuries. Not a happy ending a lot of times. If she is truly pasture sound only, do her a favor and put her down.

Have you asked about hock injections? Have you talked to your farrier about special shoeing for the navicular?

[Melyni]

they said they could do something starting with a "t" i cant remember it right now... but it was expensive and it made more sense to use that money to pay for her board or a lease fee

But there are other therapies that could help her, and then you would not be paying to lease a horse.

You might ask the vet for other options.
MW

[Tegan]

I have heard a lot of good things about Tildren. In the grand scheme of things, it's probably not that expensive. The MRI cost a whole lot more, and there was no point in even doing it if you can't treat the problem. I've heard the Tildren costs around $1000 (does it?), and if you have to do multiple injections, then you're probably running in that range as well. Plus the Tildren is supposed to last longer.

If horse is not sound, 3ft isn't going to be any easier than 3'6". If she does become sound though, it's reasonable to sell her as a lower level horse.

She's very pretty! Do you know her breeding? How lame is she? I wouldn't want to breed a horse that was still in pain, the extra weight won't be good. I would be afraid to sell in case she ended up in a bad place, but maybe you could work out a breeding lease for next year if she's not jumping sound.

[skyy]

Just did Tildren on my daughter's pony (argh!!! but that's a whole different story!) and it was right around $1000. This was to help with a fusing hock. The Tildren could help your horse's hind end lameness but I have read that it seems to be very successful with navicular.

[asterix]

so your current plan is what? To not do anything to treat, turn her out for 6 months, and if she appears to be sound, "make some money" off of her?

Is she not insured? This would cover at least SOME treatments.

Since you are a junior, now is a good time to think through what horses mean to you. When we buy them, we do have a responsibility to care for them, and, yes, sometimes they do go lame, sometimes permanently. It stinks. But we can't just abandon them because they don't meet OUR needs any more.

Whatever you do, please don't just sell on a horse who is not really sound. What do you honestly think will happen to her? If you can't afford to treat her or retire her, or find her a truly good longterm home that will do one of those things, then you should put her down.

[LauraKY]

so your current plan is what? To not do anything to treat, turn her out for 6 months, and if she appears to be sound, "make some money" off of her?

Is she not insured? This would cover at least SOME treatments.

Since you are a junior, now is a good time to think through what horses mean to you. When we buy them, we do have a responsibility to care for them, and, yes, sometimes they do go lame, sometimes permanently. It stinks. But we can't just abandon them because they don't meet OUR needs any more.

Whatever you do, please don't just sell on a horse who is not really sound. What do you honestly think will happen to her? If you can't afford to treat her or retire her, or find her a truly good longterm home that will do one of those things, then you should put her down.

Bravo. Hate to make a judgment here, but (and here I go), OP sounds like the spoiled, entitled young teens that I have come to really dislike.

How does that happen, that a person could care so little for a horse in pain? I guess the money and the achievement are more important. Very sad. For both the horse and OP.

[whbar158]

I am guessing that the plan was to sell her likely when the OP went to college/aged out of the juniors. I think the real question was would someone buy a horse that had had these problems even if they were sound later.

Also likely it is the parents that are talking about the money, I would not think that a junior would get the money from the mare.

I don't think it is a bad idea to turn the mare out for awhile and see where it goes.

I am also guessing that horse is not lame lame but is off enough for her to not be able to do her job pain free. They may find that in 6 months she feels better, but may not be able to hold up to being a 3'6" show horse.

Not everyone can hold onto a horse its whole life after it gets hurt at 7, but there are many people who can rehab and enjoy the horse later, not all horses with problems go to bad places. I know lots of people who have been able to get nice horses for cheap because they have problems and they learn to manage them and may not be trying to show at a level where the horse once was.

[cottagefarm]

Tildren sounds like a good option for her.
Shop around a little and see if you can't find a vet that has better pricing.

[AKB]

We did Tildren as a regional perfusion because it was far less expensive than giving repeated doses as a usual IV. We have also done navicular bursa injections of steroid and HA, as well as coffin joint injections of IRAP. There are lots of good treatments for navicular disease. None of them is a cure, but you can often get many good years out of a horse with navicular. Our guy is now 22 years old, and looking reasonably good.

Call several local equine practices to price Tildren by regional perfusion and you may find that it is worth a try. In our area, the race track vets are very cheap.

[lplotkina]

Since you are a junior, now is a good time to think through what horses mean to you. When we buy them, we do have a responsibility to care for them, and, yes, sometimes they do go lame, sometimes permanently. It stinks. But we can't just abandon them because they don't meet OUR needs any more.

Whatever you do, please don't just sell on a horse who is not really sound. What do you honestly think will happen to her? If you can't afford to treat her or retire her, or find her a truly good longterm home that will do one of those things, then you should put her down.

I completely agree with this sentiment.

I am a few years out of being a junior, and my parents also purchased an expensive eq. horse for me in high school. After two years of hard showing, he went inexplicably lame, and long story short, ended up with bone-on-bone in the stifle joint as result of a bone chip. I also did not have the money to lease another show horse, but catch rode whatever my trainer could find me to qualify for finals on. Unfortunately, family troubles rendered my last years as a junior basically horse-show free, but I STILL pay for the care and upkeep of my eq. horse, who is only pasture sound. I had many options for recovery, and to me paying for surgeries and his upkeep meant more than me getting to horse show. It still does. And, when the time comes and he is not happy anymore, or in pain, I will make the right decision by HIM, not by me.

You owe it to this mare to either put her down or keep her and take care of her. She gave you hundreds of good fences, good memories, and all of her love. It's the least you can do.

[Fharoah]

I would suspect this mare is not curable but may be manageable. I think turnout can be very positive for a horse, in conjuction some joint theropy your mare may be manageble as a lower level horse. If this was my horse I would work with my vets to try and get her comfortable. How lame is she?

[FineAlready]

When I was a teen, a horse of mine developed a chronic lameness (most likely navicular). When I graduated from high school, we donated him to a college. Two months later, that college sold him at an auction. As an adult, I am haunted by this horse and deeply regret that I did not do more to prevent what I imagine was a tragic end for him (he was an unsound horse at an auction and not at all novice-friendly - I suspect he went to slaughter). I urge you to consider your mare's situation very seriously and ask yourself not only what is best for you, but also what is best for her.

Being a true horseman means accepting that our equine partners sometimes get injured, that they sometimes don't recover, and that it is our responsibility to do right by them always. If we cannot do that, we don't deserve to have them in our lives.

Please don't make a decision that will haunt you for the rest of your life.

The only positive aspect of what happened to the horse of my youth is that I learned that it is my job, and my job only, to protect the horses in my care. Sometimes it's tough. Heck, I'm over six months in to rehabbing a suspensory injury on my four year old horse. I owned him less than a year when he was injured. It has not been cheap, and it has been emotionally draining. I would not trade him for anything, and I will do everything in my power to keep him until his dying day. Sound or not. FWIW, he was supposed to be my 3'6" prospect. I will probably never ask him to do that though, even if he is sound. He's my partner, and it's just not worth the risk to his health.

Your mare's injury is an opportunity for you to grow as a person and learn that doing the right thing is not always easy. But, doing the right thing is always worth it. Always. Please do right by your mare.

[Quinn]

Some really good pieces of advice here neigh.neigh. When I said it depended on your priories, after reading some of the above, perhaps reassessing your priorities is more accurate. The decisions we make today have such an affect on our tomorrows.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ballyduff

[Quinn]

neigh.neigh I forgot to add that her navicular syndrome issues may very well be caused or at the very least exacerbated by the hind end problem. If you address the hind issue you may "fix" the front end issue. Good luck.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ballyduff

[mvp]

Please do not consider a mare who is unsound at 7 breeding stock.

So sorry she won't to the job you want. But there is no point in creating another one like her.

[Fharoah]

After re-reading your first post I think if this were my horse, rather than spending your money leasing and showing another horse I would work with your vets to find a plan to try and get your poor mare sound. My guess is time in conjunction with conventional therapy and a gradual reconditioning program may benefit this mare. She looks like a nice mare who really gave you her all, doesn't she deserve more than being thrown out for six months?

[Lazy Palomino Hunter]

She is a lovely, lovely mare. I agree with the posters who express that she is not a great candidate for breeding, since she's having soundness problems at such a young age.

If she will probably be sound with treatment and proper management, it might be worth looking into donating her to a school. Your parents could get a tax writeoff for her value.

HOWEVER- not all schools are equal, especially in a case such as this one. If this is something you might be interested in, I urge you to do your homework.

Personally, I am an alumna of Sweet Briar College in Virginia. I know that their school horses are treated wonderfully, and receive top notch medical care. Additionally, I know of several instances in which they have accepted donations of horses that are very nice (i.e. when sound are competitive 3'6" hunters/eq horses, 4' hunters, or big time jumpers) who need some work to become sound again.

The highest school horses there ever jump is 3', and most never even jump that high.

This is just something to consider! Obviously I can't guarantee that anyone would take her, but it might be worth sending out some feelers about. If you would like to know about the program at Sweet Briar, send me a PM or email me at aecarr10(at)gmail.com. I'm sure there are other schools that might fit the bill as well.

Best of luck with your mare.

[FineAlready]

Please be very careful if you donate her to a college. As I mentioned, my donated horse was sold at an auction two months after being donated. The school never told us. I found out when I called to check on him (the person on the phone didn't even have a record of my horse but said that he "thought all of the horses were sold at an auction"). The school came highly recommended by many people, but in the end, they really didn't give a damn about my horse. In fact, when I expressed that I was upset about them selling him at an auction, they told me to "rest assured that my donation still helped the school by providing them with financial support in the form of auction proceeds." A-holes. I don't give a crap about your stupid school! By the way, the school was Southern Virginia University (Southern Seminary). They discontinued their riding program shortly after my horse arrived and sold everything at an auction. I am pretty certain they knew this was going to be happening when they accepted him as a donation. I will never again donate a horse.

[magnolia73]

I think that there are riders and there are horsepeople. I don't think you can really judge "riders" who make decisions based on the advancement of their career. If the goal is to acheive a certain level of riding skill, you may well end up with hard decisions. It's nice to keep and retire lame horses- but at 7, she is looking at potentially 20 years of supporting an unsound horse. Not everyone can or wants to do that.

That said- 2 issues that are manageable are navicular and hock issues. Shoeing, injections, supplements, management. There is a good likelihood that some combo can get your horse sound. Maybe get a second opinion from another vet if you feel that you have been given few options. I personally would want to keep control of the horse- maybe get her sound and then lease her out for an easier job. If she is an easy ride, she might even make someone a fancy 2' horse or something really easy on her.

[Lazy Palomino Hunter]

Please be very careful if you donate her to a college. As I mentioned, my donated horse was sold at an auction two months after being donated. The school never told us. I found out when I called to check on him (the person on the phone didn't even have a record of my horse but said that he "thought all of the horses were sold at an auction"). The school came highly recommended by many people, but in the end, they really didn't give a damn about my horse. In fact, when I expressed that I was upset about them selling him at an auction, they told me to "rest assured that my donation still helped the school by providing them with financial support in the form of auction proceeds." A-holes. I don't give a crap about your stupid school! By the way, the school was Southern Virginia University (Southern Seminary). They discontinued their riding program shortly after my horse arrived and sold everything at an auction. I am pretty certain they knew this was going to be happening when they accepted him as a donation. I will never again donate a horse.

I've heard a number of stories like this. It's the reason I included my caveat in my post.

Just to elaborate- there are good schools and bad schools to donate horses to. Do your homework if it's something you're thinking of. Ask around for others' experiences. Ask what the school will do with the horse if it is not suitable for the program. Include in your donation contract a stipulation that the school must contact you if they decide to get rid of the horse.

There are lots of things that you can do to be proactive. I can't attest for all schools, but I can say that Sweet Briar must be doing something right. Louise Serio often donates horses, and in my 4 years some donated school horses we had were: Allstar (well known working hunter), Lindros (a former horse of the year), Nassau (a former working hunter), Hatrick (a former conformation hunter), Chinook (a top junior hunter), Red Dog (also a former top junior hunter), Renaissance (who was once the highest scoring Oldenburg stallion ever in North America), and many others.

Some retired, others went on to more suitable homes (Allstar is now a dressage horse with Lendon Gray, Lindros is an A/A hunter for a former SBC student), and others remained long-term successful show team horses (at the 3' level) or were beloved and well-treated lesson horses.

I have VERY high standards in horse care, and I would not hesitate for a moment about donating a horse there. The school horses have nutritionists, masseuses, chiropractors, top notch vet care, etc.. I cannot say that for everywhere.

[FineAlready]

There are lots of things that you can do to be proactive. I can't attest for all schools, but I can say that Sweet Briar must be doing something right. Louise Serio often donates horses, and in my 4 years some donated school horses we had were: Allstar (well known working hunter), Lindros (a former horse of the year), Nassau (a former working hunter), Hatrick (a former conformation hunter), Chinook (a top junior hunter), Red Dog (also a former top junior hunter), Renaissance (who was once the highest scoring Oldenburg stallion ever in North America), and many others.

Some retired, others went on to more suitable homes (Allstar is now a dressage horse with Lendon Gray, Lindros is an A/A hunter for a former SBC student), and others remained long-term successful show team horses (at the 3' level) or were beloved and well-treated lesson horses.

I have VERY high standards in horse care, and I would not hesitate for a moment about donating a horse there. The school horses have nutritionists, masseuses, chiropractors, top notch vet care, etc.. I cannot say that for everywhere.

Good to know that there are nice places out there. I personally will never donate a horse again after what happened to me, but this is great information for those who do chose to donate a horse. I do understand that not everyone has the option of keeping their horses forever, so I am glad that places like this exist. In my case, my family was advised by multiple people we trusted that we were donating my horse to a place where he would be well-treated. I was a kid at the time, but I wish I had been more involved in the process, and I wish we would have gone to visit the place before we sent him. Perhaps we would have found out about what was to come. :(