Retiring my gelding :(

[trailrider2015]

I recently had to make the decision to retire my 21 y/o TB gelding, he is suffering from spinal compression and isn’t sound for riding anymore. So now, I have a lesson gelding who cannot do lessons. We also cannot afford another horse until we decide on whether or not he should be put down. If he has to be euthanized, then he does, I do not want him walking around in pain, but the vet is hopeful that he can just be retired to companion horse status, so we are exploring those options.

I’m going to add that we own our lesson horses personally, we are a recovering non-profit barn (the old barn manager let it go to the way side), so not only do we have to do something with our gelding so that we can continue our program, but we need a new lesson horse to keep our programs going. Any suggestions on what to do is greatly appreciated. TIA

[keysfins]

Location?

[trailrider2015]

We are in Philadelphia.

[keysfins]

Soooo, are you looking for a retirement situation for him? He cannot be a pasture puff/companion to a new horse you get for your lesson program? Or are you limited to having only a certain number of horses? Not sure what the question is, sorry!

[trailrider2015]

Sorry! The problem is I can only have three horses. And I can’t have him and get a new horse for our program, but I’m not sure if he can even be a pasture puff because I’m unsure about finding someone who will be able to give him his supplements and Previcox so that he is sound (and this was before the spinal injury). I guess I’m weighing the options of euthanasia or trying to find him a pasture situation with someone will the means to give him his meds.

[sewhorsey]

[QUOTE=trailrider2015;8176103]
Sorry! The problem is I can only have three horses. And I can’t have him and get a new horse for our program, but I’m not sure if he can even be a pasture puff because I’m unsure about finding someone who will be able to give him his supplements and Previcox so that he is sound (and this was before the spinal injury). I guess I’m weighing the options of euthanasia or trying to find him a pasture situation with someone will the means to give him his meds.[/QUOTE]

I doubt you’ll be able to find someone to take him on with a pricey medical regime. Would you be able to afford his medical expenses if another person kept him as a pasture puff? Or consider splitting expenses?

Philly area has Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines near Pottstown, though it costs a mint and has a waiting list. There is also the Last Chance Ranch near Quakertown.

Good luck!

[SMF11]

You can easily find someone to pasture board him and give him his meds, but you’ll have to pay for it.

If the horse cannot be kept comfortable then I’m all for euthanasia.

As a general rule, I do not respect lesson programs that euthanize horses that have given them good service vs. retiring them. I do not know if my general rule applies here.

[trailrider2015]

Back story: We took him on as a free to a good home horse. He was an eventer who’s arthritis wouldn’t allow him to do the stadium and cross country anymore. We started him on joint sups and bute, vet cleared him for flatwork w/t with cantering in low doses, but has always walked with a limp and trots with a hitch. After about a year and a half of this we changed joint sups and put him on Previcox, which is specifically for arthritis. Had a whole new animal, he was cleared for regular work and has been almost fully sound for a few years. A month and a half ago, he came out of his stall unable to walk. I had to damb near drag him out and get him to one of our turnouts. He spent a week unable to to walk straight, vet told us he had spinal compression, and he was put on steroids. He is now walking better, but is not riding sound. We are waiting for steroids to completely leave his system and we are going to see if he will stay the way he is, or if he will go back to not being able to walk.
If he can stay the way he is, we will be finding him a proper retirement home. (she also just suggested taking him off of his arthritis pills since he wont be ridden). if he goes back to not being able to walk around she fears he will get hurt in a pasture and in stall and will most likely need to be euthanized.
I guess I was just asking for advice on what to do and how to find a nice place or new pasture home. We have never had this problem before. All of our retirees were over 30 and didn’t make it over a year of retirement. (One to seizures, one to faulty hips, and another to colic) He has given us 4 great years and I can’t imagine him not being with us but we have limited turnout and it would be best for him to be at a place that he can walk around all day.

[Ibex]

[QUOTE=SMF11;8176402]

As a general rule, I do not respect lesson programs that euthanize horses that have given them good service vs. retiring them. I do not know if my general rule applies here.[/QUOTE]

And I’d rather see a horse euthanized than sent into an unknown future. OP… I know you want to do right by this horse, but unless you can afford to board it out in a retirement home, please consider that losing control of the horse could mean it ends up on a truck bound for Canada or Mexico

[SMF11]

[QUOTE=Ibex;8176711]
And I’d rather see a horse euthanized than sent into an unknown future. OP… I know you want to do right by this horse, but unless you can afford to board it out in a retirement home, please consider that losing control of the horse could mean it ends up on a truck bound for Canada or Mexico :([/QUOTE]

I agree with you, Ibex. But retirement does not equal an unknown future. I mean the OWNER retires the horse at their expense, whether it is boarded somewhere or is on the owner’s farm.

[caryledee]

Would the original owner be interested/able to take him back? As someone who has both given away and sold horses, I would always be interested to know when they are in this situation.

[trailrider2015]

[QUOTE=Ibex;8176711]
And I’d rather see a horse euthanized than sent into an unknown future. OP… I know you want to do right by this horse, but unless you can afford to board it out in a retirement home, please consider that losing control of the horse could mean it ends up on a truck bound for Canada or Mexico :([/QUOTE]

See and that’s what I’m terrified of. For certain, I will not give him to a stranger. The farthest I’ll go is a “friend of a friend”. For now I think we have settled on he will just have to hang with us lol and see what the vet says. I was just fishing for advice if someone had gone through a similar experience. Bottom line, if i can’t place him with someone close, that I know or a friend knows and trusts, then he will have to hang out with us until we do. But unfortunately the vet may still have us put him down.

[trailrider2015]

[QUOTE=caryledee;8176746]
Would the original owner be interested/able to take him back? As someone who has both given away and sold horses, I would always be interested to know when they are in this situation.[/QUOTE]

We contacted him and he is not in a place to take him back, but told us he would be comfortable with whatever we choose to do. (he held right of first refusal)

[trailrider2015]

[QUOTE=sewhorsey;8176193]
I doubt you’ll be able to find someone to take him on with a pricey medical regime. Would you be able to afford his medical expenses if another person kept him as a pasture puff? Or consider splitting expenses?

Philly area has Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines near Pottstown, though it costs a mint and has a waiting list. There is also the Last Chance Ranch near Quakertown.

Good luck![/QUOTE]

Ryerss has about a 3 year waiting list and I would be afraid that any rescue would try to re-home him. which i know they take precautions to keep them from going to bad people but it still could happen. I also wouldn’t want them to go “oh he looks sound enough” and someone get on him and they/him get seriously injured.

[choice]

Experience with Ryerss Farm…apparently they had an employee embezzling money during the time my horse was there…

I didn’t know about any of these things that were going on at Ryerss but it explains a lot. My horse was on the waiting list for many years and right before he was suppose to enter the farm they said it would be an extra $2500. I paid the extra for a total of $7500. I brought my horse there during this time and apparently he got very ill two weeks after he arrived. They never told until a month and a half later when they called me for more money. i don’t know how you can go through $7500 in two months. They also told me the wrong diagnosis for him so I assumed he was going to be fine. A month or so later they called me and told me he was dead and all they were worried about was if I wanted to buy a calendar from them or give them $1000 so I could get some of his ashes. Very shady and strange. This was a horse a had for 20 years.

[keysfins]

[QUOTE=choice;8621158]
Experience with Ryerss Farm…apparently they had an employee embezzling money during the time my horse was there…

I didn’t know about any of these things that were going on at Ryerss but it explains a lot. My horse was on the waiting list for many years and right before he was suppose to enter the farm they said it would be an extra $2500. I paid the extra for a total of $7500. I brought my horse there during this time and apparently he got very ill two weeks after he arrived. They never told until a month and a half later when they called me for more money. i don’t know how you can go through $7500 in two months. They also told me the wrong diagnosis for him so I assumed he was going to be fine. A month or so later they called me and told me he was dead and all they were worried about was if I wanted to buy a calendar from them or give them $1000 so I could get some of his ashes. Very shady and strange. This was a horse a had for 20 years.[/QUOTE]

This thread is almost a year old, and Choice, you have two identical posts. The other is the same post in the Off Course forum, on the thread about using a non-profit horse sanctuary as a horse retirement home. That thread is dated October 2015.

Link:
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?478847-Using-a-Non-Profit-Sanctuary-as-a-Retirement-Home-for-Your-Horse&p=8621463&posted=1#post8621463

What gives? You have two posts which are identical, dragging up threads from 2015. Why not start your own thread if you have something to post?

[HealingHeart]

Have you tried Chiropratic work? Is that an option?

[Pippigirl]

[QUOTE=HealingHeart;8621697]
Have you tried Chiropratic work? Is that an option?[/QUOTE]

might have been an option a year ago