Note that my entire statement said that padding all of the horses for an adoption/rescue facility is extreme. Not that padding itself for anyone is extreme. Usually those facilities have 20-30+ horses in their care, and are frequently running on a tight budget, so yes, IMO padding every single horse is unnecessary and extreme.
Although not the same as Canada, central and northern Ohio (where I’m from) get good amounts of snow that sticks around for much of the winter, it doesn’t always melt the next day. I never ever had a problem with my shod horses that did not have pads of any kind getting such dangerous ice balls built up in their shoes.
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I wouldn’t have gotten her in the first place but yes I suggest you send her back. Better luck next time, glad you have that option.
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@mmeqcenter & @PrincessSparkles - The horse had full pads up front, barefoot behind.
The horse is further north than Lake Erie. 
@Bluey No one is trying to convince me to keep the horse. The adoption agency replied with their return policy document (which is publicly available on their website) when they replied to the video I sent of the horse showing her being off under saddle. I simply came here to talk through what I’m doing next (send her back, ask for an extension for the return policy, etc.).
@Angela Freda My vet appointment was around 11 am on Monday morning. Apparently the barn staff brought her in on Sunday missing a shoe (and pad) and gimpy. I did have some strong words with the facility and the director spoke to me and explained the site manager was in the ER with the flu that morning, and the adoption organization credited me that vet visit expense. I suppose sh*t happens.
Again, I’m not trying to throw the adoption place under the bus. I paid for a vet’s opinion, the vet told me the horse was off, but she didn’t know why - I made the decision to take a gamble since the vet said the legs were clean, that flexions didn’t produce worse results, and the horse did lose a shoe while they were having significant winter weather. I’m not accusing the adoption place of trying to dupe me or anything. I’m not ranting about having to send her back (the way I look at it I’ve seen many people BUY a horse that didn’t end up as the right horse for them and they had to deal with paying board while trying to resell the horse, and taking a huge loss, and only wished they could have had a trial) - and I’m ok with sending her back. At least I CAN take / send her back, and I do get a credit on the adoption fee. I’m out the vet fee’s and the transport to me, and back to them fees.
At any rate my farrier came tonight and watched me ride her, then trimmed/reset her shoes. He told me she was off, gave me his opinion, and told me to send her back.
Such a shame. This little mare could totally be a youth horse she is so easy to work with and ride. And so damn people oriented/friendly it’s almost sad.
I contacted the adoption agency and expressed my desire to return her. I’m waiting for a reply.
Thanks everyone for your input. 
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Yep. This horse has had plenty of time already, there are many more horses out there in need of a home who would literally be a more sound investment.
I live in Illinois with Illinois winters and I can tell you that NOBODY I know has ANY breed of horse they own all padded up just because winter happens. We pad IF we have a problem with snowballing and/or if the horse has problems, but NEVER “oh, it’s winter out, put pads on”. That doesn’t make any sense at all unless the rescue has a frozen AND rocky yard, in which case they aren’t “rescuing” anything if it gets worse once it arrives there.
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Sorry you met a nice mind, but iffy body, horse. Glad you’re sending her back - it’s the perk of going through the rescues - no guilt about her ending up in a bad situation due to your decision. Keep looking - so many awesome brained horses with fewer issues!
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I would have stopped at the first PPE. Really that many times being unsound with a vet looking at them? Unless those were snow pads which are very different than regular pads I would have stopped there.
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[QUOTE=
@Bluey No one is trying to convince me to keep the horse. The adoption agency replied with their return policy document (which is publicly available on their website) when they replied to the video I sent of the horse showing her being off under saddle. I simply came here to talk through what I’m doing next (send her back, ask for an extension for the return policy, etc.).
I contacted the adoption agency and expressed my desire to return her. I’m waiting for a reply.
Thanks everyone for your input. :)[/QUOTE]
Glad to hear that no one will put pressure on you.
I have seen that happen, but a good rescue organization won’t do that.
It is so sad when you try a very nice horse, but for some important reason, unsound is a big one, you need to pass on it.
You won’t forget this one, but maybe another will fit the bill better for you soon.
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If you own your farm and have plenty of room + finances to keep an extra pasture horse (should mare never be sound)…AND…if you have one of those less pragmatically oriented hearts, a real ‘soft spot’ for giving a horse a forever home, then you DO have the option of keeping mare and ‘waiting’ to see how she turns out with R&R, farrier work, etc.
In time she might end up being 100% sound + her infinity walking might stop, and voila, you have a great horse to ride. Conversely, she might never be the perfect horse and thus be relegated to the pasture forever.
I only say this because a particular OTTB I adopted a few years ago, was a soundness disaster when he arrived. All sorts of ‘mystery’ lameness, horrible feet and he couldn’t even canter. But no way was I sending him back-- I fell in love with him. So I just turned him out, worked on his feet and let him BE (thinking I had a permanent pasture fixture) and a year later he was 100% sound – feet were gorgeous – and he’s a superstar to ride. This could have gone south – but as I said, I wanted to keep him no matter what.
So… if you don’t have the set up, the finances, the desire, the luxury (and I mean this in a positive, non-judgemental way ) – of keeping this mare whatever the outcome might be…
… then I would certainly send her back.
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it sounds like you’re making the right choice for you. As others have said, shame such a nice brain isn’t paired with a sturdier body
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Is her temperament calm enough that she could be a therapy horse for walking and only occasional trotting? If she is, and if you send her back, you might want to strongly recommend to the rescue group that she be marketed for that use. This really is a sad story though, and a tough decision.
The thing is, winters in Illinois and Ohio are still relatively mild compared to other parts of the US and Canada. I’ve lived in southern Michigan the past 6 years. Before that I lived in Ontario (northwestern and eastern). The only part of Michigan that has a winter comparable to what I’m used to in Canada is the Upper Peninsula. I wouldn’t use pads in this area for the winter either unless there was a specific reason. we get snow, but not that much compared to other places. But in every place I’ve lived in Ontario, pads are totally normal for the winter (rim pads most popular but full pads used too). And whenever I’ve boarded somewhere and there’s a horse that didn’t have pads, it’s became really obvious when they were brought in from their paddock. So personally, if she was from an area with lots of snow, the pads wouldn’t concern me.
That said plenty of other issues have arisen (and personally, the pasture walking would concern me). Like others, I agree that returning the mare is the best bet. On the plus side, it sounds like she has a lovely personality for a companion horse, so hopefully she finds someone who is the right fit for her.
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She has been lame from the very first video you saw. Either keep her and hope she eventually comes around or cut your losses and find one who is indeed sound. I would send her back. If she walks figure eights continually for hours in a pasture setting, I see some mental issues there as well as soundness.
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I agree with others that sending her back is the right thing to do, I think you made the right choice.
I know more than one reputable TB adoption facility that tries to get horses adopted by minimizing issues and crossing their fingers that things will “work out.” By “working out” they hope that either there is some minor problem that will improve with time or rest, or the adopter will fall in love with/talk themselves into keeping a horse with an ongoing issue, whether it is physical or behavioral.
Sounds to me like the mare has something that falls in the category of an “ongoing issue.” You’ve given the horse a chance, I’d return her and cut your losses. A loss in the $1,000-2,000 range is a lot better than 20 years of retirement and vet care for a chronically lame horse.
FWIW I’m not blaming the adoption facility. However, whether you adopt or buy, I think you need to do the same level of due diligence.
I have to respectfully disagree. Frozen is still frozen. The past couple of winters have been mild south of Chicago where I am, but otherwise? We have had nights of -20-30F. The ground also stays frozen regardless of what the temp does unless it warms up for longer. Now, southern Illinois might be more the pattern that you are thinking of.
OP, glad you have talked thru your decision. Hopefully this mare becomes sound and the agency can find her the perfect home when that happens.
On pads in the winter - When I had shod horses I would typically add snow pads in early winter. Never waited to see how bad it was, never waited to see if it was a problem, etc. Snow meant snow balls if there were no snow pads, I did not want my horse to have to stand on snow stilts so snow pads went on.
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Something about TBs bred for racing. The lack of a tattoo does not indicate that the horse has not been in serious training. The lack of a tattoo may just indicate that the horse never stayed sound enough to get tattooed, or had an injury that would have taken too long to resolve.
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Send the horse back. While a horse can be perfectly fine when it arrives, it can be injured even in a stall. Since this horse has either preexisting issues or new ones, send it back. This is one reason that I always go look at horses in person. I think that is the only way to buy a horse.
Respectfully, I am not thinking southern Illinois (never been south of I-80 in the state to be honest). The ground might stay frozen most of the winter, but that doesn’t mean the climate is the same. IME it’s not so much the cold, as it is the combo prolonged cold and amount of snow that really contributes to the formation of snow balls in the feet. And when you live somewhere where it’s common for ground to be totally snow covered from beg Nov to mid/late April and where it’s common to have weeks of -30 F (day time high) from Dec-March, then some sort of pads really do become a necessity. It’s one of several challenges in terms of caring for horses in that type of climate.
Where I am now (SE Michigan) pads are sometimes used in the winter. Where I grew up and the different areas of Ontario I’ve lived, they were almost always used. I don’t think it’s overkill in these areas as I’ve seen horses shod without pads (owners delayed putting them on) and leading them into the barn becomes terrifying since they are essentially on slippery stilts.
In general, pads on a horse from a northern climate with lots of snow isn’t a sign for concern. But in terms of this horse it seems there are plenty of other signs of concern.
(Edited to add: same poster as historicurrents, I thought I lost my password to this account but somehow my computer seemed to have remembered today.)
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OP sounds like you’re making the right decision for you and the adoption agency is acting in good faith.
FWIW I would only keep a horse in this situation if it was something similar to what danacat described–e.g. you fall in love with the horse and can’t fathom life without it. For the first time in my life, I have a horse like that…you’ll have to pry him out of my cold dead hands. He is the only horse I have come across that I would even consider compromising my financial position for if god forbid some $$$$$ issue arose. Deep down in my gut I have this feeling that we were meant to find each other.
Sounds like your gut is telling you something very different; good for you for listening. Logic and rationality are wonderful things, but on rare occassions can convince us to do things that our intuition is screaming at us NOT to do. There’s plenty of sound horses out there that are suitable for what you want to do. Best of luck with your search!
