Good Lord. Calm down. The horse is obviously unsound. The owner is having to come to terms with a very difficult decision. I feel for the OP. Not particularly interested in your drama. To me it feels like you are questioning the OP in their decision and I don’t think that is necessary. You are quite limited in your ability to access this horse. Challenging the OP and what multiple specialists and vets have advised is simply not helpful and I don’t know why you are taking things so personally.
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If you aren’t interested why respond with a series of veiled ad hominems? To what end does this benefit the discussion or OP?
I asked a few questions I didn’t see answered in the three hundred and up replies on this thread. None of them placed blame on OP and if you read into that, that is on you. I have zero judgment directed at OP and my heart goes out to her.
The only thing I “challenged” was how the vets who saw the horse thought he was sound (note: scroll up to OPs early post where she said “Vets say he is completely sound”). You seem to agree with me the horse is unsound, so other than some good old fashioned COTH unpleasantry, what’s the issue?
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Sorry, but I used that one piece that you wrote as an example, but I read your overall post as pushing management changes and more vet workups on this poster as well as twice telling them that this horse has really been like this since day 1 and she should have run from the red flags and/or was screwed over by her trainer and vet and the seller. I think that’s really insensitive. It’s too late; she has this horse and cares about him. And now there are serious safety implications as well as quality of life questions.
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I didn’t read Beowulf’s posts as haranguing the OP of the situation or what she should’ve seen. I think I understand Beowulf to say that there are multiple problems going on - feet and other, less defined stuff, on top of that. I don’t think she’s slinging blame at the OP. It’s clear OP is trying her level best.
OP, I really feel for you. I think we all do.
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Would you be willing to try steroids? Prednisolone is inexpensive. Might be worth it, just for the data point, even for your vets to better understand what might be happening.
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When a horse owner, who has had to come to the difficult decision of euthanasia WITH the help of a veterinarian team, has to deal with people continuing to offer suggestions of treatment, “what-ifs” or “have yous” it makes a heart-rending situation worse.
Please offer support to this horse owner (as most people have done here), who clearly has done all possible within financial means and the horse’s limitations as to travel, availability of specialists and so on.
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While I agree with the premise of what you’re saying, I think that @beowulf pointing out there were some red flags at the start might be helpful to OP, in the sense that maybe she needs to surround herself with better horse people in the future to avoid this happening again.
Where she is now - there is no fixing the current situation. The only way out is through, wherever that path may lead. It is a shame that OP’s first horse, that she clearly cares about deeply and loves, has such bizarre issues. @TXKing99 I am so sorry that you’re faced with a tough decision. I support you in whatever choice you make - I had to make similar choices a few times in my life and I’m here for you if you need someone to talk to.
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Thank you! Seriously, I cannot thank you all enough for the knowledge and care that has been shared here. Many of you have put in quite a bit of time reading and commenting and it is not lost on me. This group has been the support I truly needed.
I have replayed my choice in my head so many times to see where I failed and could have done better. As much as I thought I had done all the right things, I didn’t have the right people around me to make the decision. That is a mistake I will not make again.
Thanks for being a big and important part of our story. Very thankful for this forum.
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You, my friend, are a class act.
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Agreed. I’m sending you some big jingles OP. Jasper is so lucky to have landed with you and I’m keeping the both of you in my thoughts.
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We can only do the best we know how with the knowledge, skill, and experience we have today. That goes for your service providers as well. While some do less than their best for their clients, despite some horror stories on this BB, most of the time mistakes or errors are not necessarily the result of incompetence, greed, or bad actors. It’s a perpetual learning experience, sometimes with heartache. The best you can do is to take the knowledge you’ve gained with you on your way forward.
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Well said and excellent advice. 
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As Maya Angelou says, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
You jumped into horse ownership with a kind heart and the best intentions, and Jasper is extremely lucky to have had you in his corner. But you see from this thread that experienced horse owners and even some vets have been completely puzzled by him. I imagine there is far more going on than we can ever know. Perhaps a necropsy would reveal the reason behind everything, but perhaps not.
I don’t think there was anything you could have done differently, and I don’t think you have failed at all. I think that sometimes, there is simply nothing we can do; an animal is put into our lives for the sole purpose of letting them have kindness and love, and then a kind and loving crossing.
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Just wanted to build on gaining knowledge …
I have been on an almost 4 year journey to find the source of pain in my horse. I love him dearly, but he has exhausted every dollar I have ever had trying to make him well.
The journey, though, has been amazing in how much I have learned, not just about veterinary medicine, but about my own agency around decision-making. Now that I’ve had this experience, I am a very engaged owner, and help my friends also find their voices to get more information around diagnoses and treatments.
You’re doing great. Wish I had your sense of self and ability to make decisions when I had my first horse.
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Great post @Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom and I agree.
Horses are just humbling on so many levels. No matter how long you’ve been doing it, there is always more to learn. @TXKing99, be kind to yourself with this. This is a very unusual case and it’s complicated. Every good horseperson has those humbling moments where they scrutinize what they did wrong and how they could do better but that’s what makes you a great horseperson. Embrace the experience and the many things you have learned and how you’ve grown with it. That’s the very best you can do with it all.
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All I want to say here is that I am glad he landed with you and will meet a kind and dignified crossing. Thank you for caring for him and giving him final peace.
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Thank you for this…
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Thank you so much.
I have been talking with our vet about doing a necropsy and he is making some inquiries with Texas A&M to see if they would be interested. He would very much like to know the cause of his disorder and I as well. Hopefully there is interest as this could prove to be helpful to others.
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I’m so sorry it’s looking more and more like an unsolvable mystery 
I think it’s a fantastic idea to try to use his body to try to uncover at least something that could be useful. Hugs.
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That would be a wonderful gift. I’ve never been in a position to do that (all my horses suffered from typical old age issues that caused their euthanasia) but it’s a great way to turn a negative into a positive under the circumstances. Let someone learn from what he experienced. Maybe it will save a horse in the future.
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