Neurological Issue? Need Help. Gelding with strange behavior that no one has seen

[TXKing99]

Thanks for sharing your story. Very interesting.
Dressage is my favorite discipline and I ride the lowest level movements. Or I did.
I too have a Wintec Isabell. I fell in love with a Custom Saddlery saddle that my trainer let me borrow so that’s when I got a saddle fitter out. I didn’t like any of the saddles she brought for me to try, but she also brought a western saddle. When I put that on Jasper, he seemed much happier. I decided it he was happy in a western saddle that was fine, I just wanted to be able to ride and we could do western dressage. That’s how I ended up with a western saddle.

Jasper gets 6g of magnesium in his forage balancer. I did have him on MagRestore as well, which is another 4g. I didn’t notice a huge difference in him but I could put him back on it and see if it helps now. Maybe even up the dose to give him more.

He has no problem laying down, getting up, or rolling completely over on both sides.

I should get video of him in the pasture and how he is when he comes in for feed. How timid and cautious he is. If he were chill and this was just pain, in many ways it would be easier.

Thanks for all the suggestions and positive thoughts.
The picture is from last July, about 6 weeks after getting Jasper.

[atr]

If he’s timid and cautious in the pasture and unrideable, you probably need to start thinking about his overall quality of life in your decision making.

I’m sorry. This is a horrible introduction to horse ownership for you. Its not always like this.

[TXKing99]

Thank you. Yes, it is horrible. It is obvious that although I thought I did everything right, I didn’t choose the right horse. I have to believe that although he wasn’t the horse I was looking for, perhaps I was the owner he needed. Especially if what he has going on isn’t going to get better. Since it has progressively gotten worse, that certainly seems to be the case. I have already spent as much as I paid for him on his care in just this first year, and that doesn’t include board, tack, etc… Not that it is all about the money, but to a certain extent it is.

If he were chill and not at all spooky, he could potentially be a therapy horse. But he isn’t. I can’t think of a job he could do, other than be a pasture ornament. While I have questions out to my vet about doing an ultrasound and doing a bute trial, I am going to start looking to see if I can find him a safe home. I think that will be a challenge, but I have to try.

If anyone has experience rehoming a horse as a companion horse, I would love some suggestions.

[Macimage]

I would not rehome a horse with these issues as you will lose all control over what happens to him and I do not foresee a happy ending for him.

I would either keep him as a pasture pet if he can be kept comfortable or euthanize him. I am sorry you are going through this but you are the owner he needed/needs.

[Simkie]

@Macimage

I would not rehome a horse with these issues as you will lose all control over what happens to him and I do not foresee a happy ending for him.

I would either keep him as a pasture pet if he can be kept comfortable or euthanize him. I am sorry you are going through this but you are the owner he needed/needs.

This 1000 times over. It’s very challenging rehoming a useless horse, and there’s so much risk of a poor end. A good death is an incredible kindness. I’m so sorry.

[TXKing99]

I know you are probably right. It’s just hard to wrap my head and heart around as this being the best option. But I can see how it can be the most loving thing to do. I would hate for him to fall into the wrong hands and you are right, no matter what kind of agreement you put into place, you lose control. Ugh!

[RhythmNCruise]

Yeah, I kind of agee with the poster who said that Jasper’s not put together very well to start with. Add to that any underlying issues that he’s dealing with (and there are so many that it could be), the fact that he’s obviously not just uncomfortable when ridden but also timid and spooky in general, and you have a horse that has not got a great quality of life. Yes, if you could afford to put him in a pasture for the rest of his days, he’d probably be just fine. But losing control over him means that he will likely pass through several owners. Not many people want to feed and care for a horse that isn’t even nice to be around much less good for riding. If he’s spooky and timid most of the time, he’s not happy.

I can say that some horses simply don’t settle into certain barns/farms though, and are perfectly happy and content with a change of address. Not that he’s likely to be a riding horse again, but he might be more relaxed in a different setting. There’s no way to know. And if he isn’t, he’s likely to get sold and sold again, and on and on until who knows where he ends up.

Maybe let him go on trial to anyone interested in rehoming him. If it works out…great! If not, he comes back to you. If he fails to work out for enough prospective new homes, it might be your cue to start thinking about euthanasia.

[JB]

@TXKing99

It is obvious that although I thought I did everything right, I didn’t choose the right horse. I have to believe that although he wasn’t the horse I was looking for, perhaps I was the owner he needed.

Sometimes what we really need, what someone else really needs, is so far removed from what we thought we needed, that we might not even see it until it’s in the past.

@TXKing99

I am going to start looking to see if I can find him a safe home.

With his issues, if it truly turns out that he can be happy as a pasture ornament and that’s that, I think I would strongly consider euth before attempting to find even what you feel a great companion home UNLESS it’s a place you can see regularly and know someone isn’t going to go “oh hey look, he looks so happy and sound out there, surely I can ride him”, and either gets hurt, or does wrong by him in treating behavior as a training issue.

Meaning, IMHO he’s not for sale. Ever. Loan sure. Close. Otherwise, pts would be safer for him

There are simply way, way too many “oh sure, I just need a companion horse” situations that go too wrong, including pulling “sound” horses out of the field to ride.

[TXKing99]

From what I know of his history, he has been passed around too many times. My guess is that when people realized he had issues they assumed it was a training issue or just not a good fit and sold him.
He has taught me so much. In that respect, owning him has been priceless. I will be a better owner for the next one.
If I knew someone I trusted who would let me put them on their land and contribute to his care (which would be less than his board) it might work.
I will talk to my vet about what makes the most sense. Thank you much for your kind and honest opinion.

[Turntable]

When considering pasture retirement vs euthanization keep in mind that if one day he is not able to urinate which is a medical emergency it may not be noticed in time if he is to pasture. Maybe discuss with your vet but that, for me, would be a major factor in my decision.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

I watched the first video, and saw that the second your rider is in the saddle, he drops. He’s definitely in pain. In the second video, at the beginning, that left leg keeps stepping under as if he’s trying to balance himself, or alleviate pain somewhere. Even in the last video, ridden on a straight line, he does it. It reminds me of how I walk when I’ve got a pinched nerve down in my lower back. And look at the way he is when the ride is over and your rider gives him the totally loose rein - he never stretches down, never chews the bit. He still stands with eyes cast backward and ears back.

I lean towards something in the spine - perhaps an old fracture that has healed wrong, a lesion, a tumor. I would want film of his spine before I tried anything else. I don’t see anything in his behavior that says EPM - he backs, he turns, there’s no wasting of the hindquarters.

ETA: this is not a horse you are going to be able to ethically rehome. If you have the means to pasture retire him, where you pay board and oversee his care, that’s one thing, as long as he’s comfortable like that. But an un-ridable horse with undiagnosed pain issues is a ticking time bomb; you can’t pass him down the road. Depending on the ultimate diagnosis and prognosis, euthanasia may well be the best and kindest option.

[SuzieQNutter]

I am so sorry this has happened to you. I swear that it does not always end this way,

I am also sorry to be so blunt. To put him on someone’s land and expect them to contribute to his care? No way. I can fill my paddocks with horses I can ride, why should I contribute to a horse that is in pain?

This is a cop out. It is not just a right that the final gift is to put them permanently out of pain and danger of being neglected and not fed. It is mandatory. JMHO.

[TXKing99]

good point. Thank you for sharing.

[wanderlust]

I really am so sorry you are going through this. We thought my horse had EDM and euthanasia was recommended. I gave him 4 months of turnout under the oaks with a very geriatric bff, they were happy as could be, and someone had eyes and hands on them 2-3 times a day.

But as the summer heat and bugs and storms started up, I worried constantly that he would go down or injure himself and no one would see him for hours or until the next day. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to him and he suffered. He was going to continue to decline, it was only a matter of time, and he lived with my trainers halfway across the country so I couldn’t personally check on him regularly.

So when it was time to euthanize his elderly bff, we also euthanized him at the same time. And it turns out he didn’t have EDM, but instead had something even rarer and while he likely wasn’t suffering too much at that point, he was going to sooner than later.

It was terribly sad, but I’m glad he landed with me so we could figure out his issues and help him pass peacefully, instead of unloading him to someone else where he’d get sold on continually. Because he was big, gorgeous, kind and sound he would have been ridden, and someone would end up very injured.

[skydy]

I think you’re right. He’s been passed along too many times.

You may have to make the decision to put him down sooner rather than later, for his own sake. If you do, don’t let anyone make you feel bad about your choice for him.

You do not have to watch him be put down. It can be difficult emotionally and the horse doesn’t care who is holding him at that moment. If you end up deciding to euth you can ask that the vet bring a helper, or ask someone who has seen a horse put down to hold him.

Most all of us have had to make the tough decision to end the suffering of a beloved horse.
It’s not easy, but sometimes it’s the right thing to do.

[IPEsq]

If you want to rehome him, you’ll need to be ok with him getting passed around more, potentially hurting someone, or put on a meat truck at some point. I’ve been there, and the kindest thing to do is to let him go if you cannot continue to care for him in an environment where he will be able to get around ok and be observed regularly.

[Feathered_Feet]

If you decide to go the PTS route, you might ask a neurologist like dr. Johnson at New Bolton (ie, someone with an active research program) if there is any value to sending them any tissue for research. Really depends on their area of research, but if you can find someone interested, any one of his tissue samples could potentially help save a life in the future (including non-horse lives, as a lot of biomedical research is translational with applications beyond the immediate organism under study).

Regardless, it sounds like you are trying your hardest to do right by this horse. Best of luck and you have all our sympathies

[Ghazzu]

@skydy

ou may have to make the decision to put him down sooner rather than later, for his own sake. If you do, don’t let anyone make you feel bad about your choice for him.

You do not have to watch him be put down. It can be difficult emotionally and the horse doesn’t care who is holding him at that moment. If you end up deciding to euth you can ask that the vet bring a helper, or ask someone who has seen a horse put down to hold him.

This.
In spades.
I despise people who attempt to guilt owners into being present if they are hesitant.
The last thing anyone needs in that situation is a distraught sobbing person.
Say goodbye, sedate the horse, and then leave.
It is easier on everyone, and safer as well.

[skydy]

I agree wholeheartedly. There is no need for the owner to be present. Those who try to make people feel bad for not wanting to see their loved animal put down are unkind, and rather sadistic IMHO.

[NaturallyHappy]

Perhaps you could contact the Vluggen Institute of Osteopathy. It is in Texas and in Germany. The people I’ve seen practice after attending are pretty amazing and work way beyond the capability of most body workers/massage therapists. You’ve done a fabulous job following up w people. If the problem is in Jasper’s spine somewhere, perhaps someone who has been through this intensive program could help. And, since he is so unique, perhaps one of the instructors might be interested in helping you.