deleted
It is so hard to find a barn that fits all your (general you) needs so I totally understand why you do not want to just move your horse when your horse is happy someplace.
I think it is time to sit down with your hubby and simply run the numbers. You will either see what he is saying or you will see that you are right and you need to do something else with your horse.
A barn with slightly less amazing care might work if you are able to find one that you can get to regularly.
24/7 turnout is generally far better for feet than stall rest. Horses are designed to move 24/7/365, so more movement is always better than less movement for an otherwise healthy horse. But it sounds like she has some other issues that make a combination of stall and turnout the best balance for her.
Horses like this are tough to manage no matter what you do: you won’t know how she fares until you move her and see for yourself. Sometimes horses surprise you, other times you can tell right from the get-go that it won’t work. For me, at the end of the day, the horse’s welfare is the most important thing. If I cannot provide what I feel is excellent care for an aged horse, I euthanize them. I realize you aren’t asking that question, necessarily, but there’s an undertone to your query.
So, you have an aged equine with multiple chronic health issues that is doing well in her current set up. If you run your finances with your partner and decide that you cannot absorb the cost without your parents help and there is not another barn around that could provide similar care to what she is getting right now, it might be time to think about end of life for her.
Your parents are paying for your horse and you’re old enough to be married? Girl.
Everyone who has horses, if they aren’t a trust fund child, is going to run into financial issues at some point. If you have a senior horse, it’s important to balance quality of life with quantity of life.
We don’t know your horse. If she doesn’t do well outside, and you like where she is, then pick up a second job to bring in more income.
If she does, then look for a more affordable option.
If she doesn’t do well outside, and you can’t afford inside board for her - then you DO have to look at options including euthanasia. It’s not fair to an animal to suffer because we can’t afford to give them the care that they need. That’s selfish and emotional.
If she is sound for flatwork, then perhaps a half lease can cover some bills - but I didn’t get that tone from your post.
*As I’m responding, the OP deleted the post.
@shadesofbay3 why did you delete all of your posts?
This is a good topic. Good information for all to read and talk about.
There is nothing wrong with your parent’s paying for your horse, even as an adult. That is between you and them. And the fact that you are now seeing that it is time to take over paying says good things about you.
No one means any harm when they bring up euthanasia as an option. It does not have to be the only option. It is just one other option.
CoTH apparently now sends email alerts when someone responds to your post. OP responded to mine by simply saying “That is NOT an option”.
So I am gathering OP did not like the advice she got, i.e. that it is perfectly reasonable option to look at euthanasia for an older horse with chronic health issues that need specific management.
This is a setting option. You can change that if you do not want the emails.
Those emails have an opt-out, unsubscribe option also right in the email, at the bottom, if not desired, for those that may not have noticed the settings here provide other options.
In this case, I’m glad she hadn’t, because we did get an insight into OP’s mindframe before she got delete happy.