I donated my wobblers horse to a university. He wasn’t there long- I want to say a week max. But he was neurologic and falling at that point. He was used for a study on wobblers and neck issues. For him, I felt right about that. Like his life and his unfortunate issues at least maybe can be used to help others in the future.
I do know somebody that thinks that the university is are monsters that basically just want to murder animals… I don’t agree at all. I found them to be compassionate.
Interesting - did they have you sign a contract? How did you go about finding that option?
I ask because I ASSume the vet schools aren’t dumping horses at auction - if anything they are euthing for dissection or what have you. But I could be wrong.
Also I’m glad your horse could help educate some students, and I’m sorry you went through all that.
I think I did sign something. He was euthanized there. As far as I know, they don’t typically rehome the horses at least from that university. But most of the studies that they do seem to be on pretty serious things.
He didn’t just educate students, professors there regularly do studies to learn more about things for new techniques, diagnostics, surgeries and what not. So I felt it was even more beneficial for all- wobblers is a devastating thing and I figure the more we know about it the better! I just offered me a tiny bit of peace.
Also the way I found out about that option was because they were advertising that they were doing a study on wobblers. I believe my vet told me about it. They also had wanted my trigeminal nerve affected horse years ago but I opted not to donate him that time. Sometimes I regret that as I wonder if he would have been really useful as he was really perplexing to many vets at the time including them. But they were not starting the study for two more months, and they were going to keep him alive and do a lot more tests before euthanizing. My horse was very uncomfortable and I don’t feel like waiting was the right option for him and he was really over all the vet visits. I felt he needed to be at home for it.
That’s a good point about who decides when “it’s time”. I hadn’t considered how complicated that could get.
I went to an agricultural college where live horses were donated to be euthanized. They were very well cared for right to the end.
I’ve been faced with that twice. Euthanized one (lame) and kept one(KS). It depends on whether you listen to your heart or your brain more. You will never forget making that decision. It just depends on which one you can live with.
There’s also debate about what is actually pasture sound or not. That’s a tough one. I could see some kissing spine horses being able to be more pasture sound than other conditions.
That being said, kissing spine is something that sounds like it always comes with other conditions (Bad hocks or stifles, NPA behind, SI or neck issues) So I do question whether you can just chuck these horses out into a field with no continued maintenance for comfort at least. I bet it various from horse to horse. And back pain, especially chronic, is no joke as many if us know!
My plan if my horse cannot be rideable is to retire with hopefully minimal maintenance but probably something to maintain comfort. And then I would just lease or take lessons for a few years. Not ideal but I cannot euthanize (my heart can’t )unless things get much much worse.
My Old Man is “pasture sound” with lameness that never gets better and it never gets worse (even when he’s ridden, or even jumped lightly).
I know what it is. I’m sure other parts of his body have gotten worse due to the original lameness cause, but I haven’t pursued them. I’ve spent LOTS of money to get him sound, and I’m not going to spend any more. I’ve even taken him off of equioxx as of late, because he’s beyond the point of help.
For me, I watch him every time he rolls. The day it takes him multiple tries to get up, I will make the appointment.
ETA: My Old Man is 25 though, can still be ridden WTC and on trails etc, is an easy keeper, etc. I’ve had him since he was 3, we competed in 4’ jumpers for many years before he had to step down. It’s not the same as the 5 year old lame horse. As bad as it sounds and as hard as it is to explain, I’d euth the 5 year old faster than my Old Man. I feel like I owe my Old Man his golden years. I would not feel the same about a younger horse.
As the lowly amateur who posed this conversation in another thread I love (prob wrong word choice) to see this conversation getting the thoughtful time of day. I am luckily not in this position at the moment and pray I won’t find myself in this situation. But it is a very very real concern of what if my young horse is diagnosed with something that is a retirement worthy, so extensive to manage, or something that causes low level chronic discomfort (or some level of all three).
For the people that comment “well retirement should always be in your plan when you get an animal” its very different to have a horse maintain some level (even just trail riding) career until their late teens/ early 20s and then you manage those waining years. But what do you do with the say 8 year old who then gets bad x-rays, was always a little fussy under saddle, and has a relatively constant pain face. Drain yourself financially and emotionally and hope they come right? Sell as a lower level home and hope they don’t get passed around? Or make the call that Euth?
Again I don’t have the answers. But I definitely wouldn’t argue with anyone that choices euth over further financial burden.
Don’t forget neck. I’m planning to get my KS horse’s neck looked at, for a variety of reasons. One being if his spine looks like that, and his tail is jammed too, what are the odds his neck is “normal”?
I do think there’s a difference between “a few affected spots that make riding uncomfortable” and “major interference and remodeling”. We don’t yet have a good idea what a horse can handle as far as KS - and it’s so individual.
Also, a “pasture sound” horse might not be limping or struggling to get up, but horses are SO stoic. When they stand around with a wrinkle pain face 24/7 and the littlest things seem to push them into a meltdown, one has to wonder how much pain they may be in even unridden? But they aren’t limping or falling over (yet?) so it can be so hard.
It is questionable? But whats the possible solution? I think this issue is less with the one-horse amateurs and more with rising cost of living and reduction in land. We have always been a sport with the one-horse amateurs, now its just a lot harder to find final homes for horses at the end of their careers. Retiring a horse use to be relatively easy and inexpensive to find a suitable facility. Now try to find such a facility with-in an hour of any major metro and people are looking $1000 plus. Which just isn’t in most people’s cards to effectively retire an animal. So if they can’t offer that to them what is the kinder option? Kick the can down the road or make a plan with the vet.
Of course there are people lucky enough to have a small hobby farm where sure having a few senior free-loaders doesn’t net-net change the feed bill all that much.
It can be really hard. I’m in the camp of euthing sooner. Any amount of pain is still pain.
I’ve always been prepared to stop riding to fund my horses retirement, even if that ends up being a 10-15 year retirement. I’m not going to the Olympics, I’m just as happy enjoying my horse. As long as the horse is comfortable than I’m ok with paying the bills. There is more to horses than riding and showing (don’t get me wrong, I love these parts of it). But we should be able to enjoy going to shows as a spectator, and going home to brush and spoil the horse that we made some level of commitment too. Things like groundwork and teaching some fun tricks can help fill the void.
Deciding what comfortable is can of course be tricky. But keeping a log or a diary can be helpful. Tracking things like resting heart rate and respiratory rate, noting “pain face”, noting if the horse still bucks and plays, noting if the horse is dropping down the hierarchy, noting if the horse still grooms and enjoys the company of his buddies, noting if the horse has trouble getting up and down, etc.
Just checking this is the phrasing you meant? Because your lead up means one thing but this seems to say the opposite (you WOULDNT agree with anyone).
Thank you! Edited to add wouldn’t ARGUE with not Agree with.
Personally, I would elect to euthanize. When there is no prospect for recovery, only deterioration, I see no benefit in prolonging the inevitable.Horses have no concept of tomorrow or next month or next year, only today. If today means some kind of chronic condition or discomfort that may or may not be manageable, the kindest thing (IMO) is to let them go peacefully.
This is the brutal reality of horse keeping in today’s economy. I don’t know that my current boarding barn would keep a retiree. Owner/trainer needs and wants clients who can participate in the program and support her bottom line. Other suitable facilities are fewer and farther between.
I think it’s valuable to have a conversation with your horse’s care team about prospects for different potential issues. Is Dobbin a candidate for colic surgery if the need arises? If a medical retirement was necessary, can the horse live comfortably with minimal intervention? Obviously we can’t foresee every eventuality, but it’s worth considering these things before you’re in an emotionally or financially-fraught situation and have to make decisions on the fly.
I agree to a point. I haven’t rode my horse hardly in 7 months before we found the kissing spine. Because I just knew he wasn’t right and then I was dealing with a family crisis anyways… I couldn’t even emotionally make myself ride.
But I just calculated what my cost would be for the next 20 years (my horse is 6) if I were to have to retire my horse right now and keep him until his twenties. My very conservative cost would total about $170,000, /(hopefully my math isn’t kooky from being tired),over his lifetime retired. Ouch. Now I totally can get some enjoyment with just groundwork and Liberty. At the moment I don’t feel like my horse even enjoys that. Although I’m hoping that there’s some ulcers at play that we can treat and we can continue to see about managing the kissing spine.
It’s just so different than other animals. I don’t know what the answer is and like I said I’m not planning on euthanizing my horse but I’m also not sure that I would keep him for 20 plus years either. I’m not even sure he would be comfortable until then without lots of treatments. Hard to say yet. But I definitely don’t have to show or even ride to get enjoyment out of them. But right now since he’s not 100% comfortable, none of it has been enjoyable.
First of all, sending you some good vibes cause I do not envy your situation at all. Sounds like you are doing best for both you and your horse, but you also have to remember your mental health too 
This! I see a lot of people on the internet advocating for stop riding and just play with your horse. OK. But thats not fun for anyone if the horse fundamentally just isn’t that comfortable even standing around. It becomes emotionally exhausting to watch an animal struggle to have their hind feet done, bit at grooming cause they are so sore, and make general stressed faces in day-to-day life.
And when you lay it out like that it becomes quite staggering. Thats a down payment on a quite a nice home, or a college fund, or a chunk of retirement. For an animal that may or may not be bringing you $170k worth of joy and very likely more stress about “am I doing the right thing” “am I doing enough” “are they in pain”.
Yes it’s questionable. By default every single horse will need to retire one day (unless catastrophic death or planned euthanasia takes them sooner). So therefore it’s ethically questionable for a person that can “only afford one riding horse” to get a horse bc that riding horse will need retirement eventually. Or the in between. Horse maybe is suitable for some type of low level work but not the owner’s “goals of moving up the levels of competition”. So then what? Either the ammy doesn’t have a riding horse or the horse gets foisted off on another home or horse is PTS.
Is it ethical to acquire an animal knowing you can’t or won’t fund his pension? That’s pretty durn questionable.
flame suit zipped
Don’t need to zip the flame suit. At least I won’t flame you.
But this also isn’t a new problem, and it is most definitely a problem cause the vast majority of one horse people buying a young horse I guarantee you don’t have a 20 year plan lined up. Not saying I agree with it. Just the culture is shifting, it used to be you see 15yo horses in for sale adds all the time to try and find them step down or companion homes. That just isn’t the trend anymore. Now I am curious how this with hypothetically shake our for these owners of maybe less than sound horses and for the horses themselves.
And like I said pain is pain and it sucks. I’m definitely not advocating for keeping a horse around for 5, 10, 20 years if they’re uncomfortable. I would never question someone for euthanizing a horse that is no longer sound for riding, there is obviously some level of pain there.
Just mentioning that personally if my horse was comfortable I would foot the bill until I decided they weren’t, I wouldn’t be that upset about missing out on the riding aspect. Horses are the hobby for me, riding is a bonus.
But of course I understand that not everyone sees it that way. And I understand that many people don’t have access to good retirement facilities or good turnout. It’s probably an easier decision for me because my barn offers 24/7 turnout on either small paddocks for horses that need to be managed, or 5-10 acre parcels for the ones who can just be kicked out. The horses can just be horses.
If my options were retire the horse to a stall and an hour or turnout, or turnout in a small dirt paddock than I would definitely lean harder towards euthanasia earlier.
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