So my 8 year old OTTB gelding I bought back in september has some lameness issues (sesamoid fracture and moderate osteoarthritis in right front) and we did PRP, put him on previcox and he was already on equithrive and he’s still unsound to really ride him. I decided to move him out of my current barn so I could buy another horse I could actually ride. He’s pasture boarded for almost nothing, but I still can’t afford to keep him around when school starts up again and I can’t work as much. It pains me enough having him further away and not seeing him but maybe twice a month, so I know I couldn’t handle selling him. I’d love to have him retire with me when I get my own place, but, as I’m still in high school, that’s a long ways off.
So any ideas what I could do with him to keep him around? I thought about leasing him out (he’s sound to walk/trot and do trail riding and hopefully more when the PRP has time to work). But are there people who want to lease a horse that can’t do much?
Where are you and the horse located? If the horse is beginner friendly and has a good temperament, you may be able to find him a job as a therapy horse.
If you are a member of any local Facebook equine pages you could put a lease ad out. Unless your horse is a proven rock star on the trails and very beginner friendly, I am afraid you may have a tough time finding a good situation for him since he is only sound for walk trot. OTTBs are coming back into the spotlight as performance horses, but are still fighting a bit of a stigma as pleasure horses (at least around me).
Whatever you end up doing, be very careful that the horse doesn’t end up in a bad spot. The reality of the situation is, there is a very slim market for a horse with lameness issues and you will need to be very cautious. I understand you want the horse to retire with you, but if you are still in high school, finding your own place with room to retire a horse could be a long ways off. I absolutely encourage you to explore all your options, but be sure you aren’t looking at any through rose colored lenses.
I have done this for many, many years and an 8 year old chronically unsound horse which is where this sounds like it is going, most likely has a very bleak future–it is even more likely if you do not have the means to keep him. If you sell him (and you won’t be able to–at best he’s a giveaway) that is just shuffling your problems somewhere so you don’t have to see them or deal with them. Sure, it would be nice if all horses could live happily until their natural end, but that is unrealistic. That is Disney. If he were mine I would beg or borrow to give him a year of turnout from the time of the PRP. If after a year he is not sound enough to have a real job I’d euthanize him. Spending 20 years of benign neglecte in a field and unsound is not a quality life. Sometimes being a responsible horse owner means doing things we cannot bare but must.
Sorry to be blunt, but maybe you shouldn’t buy a second horse if you cannot afford to keep the first?
Riding is a privilege. You have an obligation to do the right thing for your first horse, not add to the problem because you want to ride.
Did you get him from a OTTB rehoming organization like Canter or New Vocations? If so, you’ve only had him for 9 months, and he’s not sound to ride, so the best thing that could happen for both of you is to return him to the rescue. They will make sure he’s taken care of properly, and has time to get sound (if that’s going to happen). You could even re-apply to adopt him again if he does become sound and you are in a situation where you can afford him.
I know you think you love him, and probably think this is harsh, but you really don’t want to get stuck with a horse you can’t ride or afford at your age. He’s only 8 years old - are you prepared to pay for his retirement for the next 20 years? You probably won’t have too much extra money over the next 10 years or so, with high school, college, and getting started in a career, and starting to pay rent, etc. Don’t let your love for this horse drag you down financially if there is a good alternative for his care.
Lame = pain. A chronically lame 8 y.o. OTTB is extremely unlikely improve. He is living a life with chronic pain. A job as a trail horse or doing W/T with a beginner is just asking him to work in pain. Is that fair to the horse? You can treat the symptoms but you can not address the cause and with increasing age the cause is likely to get worse. The tough side of owning horses is making the decision to euthanize them when it is most humane action to take. You can’t afford to keep him and have recognised that. You say that he can’t do much. Are you willing to pass him on, for free since no one is going to buy an unsound horse, and simply hope he does not fall into some horrible situation? Wouldn’t giving him a good summer and then putting him to sleep be the kindest thing to do? Horses give you the best of times and also the very worst.
Honestly? Sell the second horse. Put the money you get from his sale toward the first horse’s board. Why would you buy a second horse when you can’t really afford one?
This. I would never buy another horse if caring for the first horse was all I could afford. You OWE him to do right by him. If that means euthanasia because he is chronically lame and in pain, then euthanize. Don’t push your problems off on someone else that doesn’t have that bond and love for him…he will end up pawned off to worse situation to an even worse situation, possibly even Mexico bound. Is that the end you want for him?
My daughter asked me yesterday what would happen if her horse became permanently lame (he is 20, he may have a few good years in him yet, but you never know). I told her bluntly then we retire him (if able to live a retired life comfortably of course), and care for him the rest of his days. We cannot afford a third horse, and that is what we signed up for when we bought him. She complained she wouldn’t have a horse to ride then (she is 10), and I told her she could catch ride or part lease. Period.
I just don’t agree with pawning off a horse when they fail to be “useful” anymore, or replacing with another horse and skimping on care and attention for that first horse. Just my two cents.
I’m going to be blunt but hopefully not unkind, because you are young. Owning a horse is a huge responsibility. Once you assume that responsibility you make decisions for the best interest of the horse. Your “feelings” about it do not count. I won’t presume to know your situation or what the best answer is, but feeling sad about something doesn’t make it the wrong thing to do. Suck it up, do what is right for the horse and then deal with your pain on the side. Let the pain of this situation inform your future decisions about how many horses you can responsibly afford. Best of luck to you AND your horses.
I have to laugh a little at a bit of self righteousness here. A HUGE number of people have horses they can’t really afford. They are working on a shoestring month to month and if any major expense comes along they really don’t have the means–short of debt–to handle it. The OP is neither a bad person or particularly unique or unusual. Perhaps this is too esoteric, but I hate this idea that she somehow “OWES” this horse who she has owned a matter of months whom she has never done anything with 20 years at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars of care. $300 a month for 20 years is $72,000 and that’s about as cheap as I can imagine it can be done. It’s a a college education or at least a big dent in one. That we continue this myth that we OWE horses like this, that they are somehow pets (or human!) makes it harder for people to make the tough decisions and often the morally right decisions on euthanasia. They are livestock. We are stewards. We owe it to ourselves to be decent human beings and make moral decisions of stewardship and I have to say a high school girl making the decision to financially truncate herself and her future to keep this horse is not in my mind a morally good decision. People will disagree, but think it is wrong for anyone to guilt her into keeping him by telling her what she “owes” him instead of discussing the hard realities here.
The hard reality is that rehoming a horse with only limited abilities is not likely to happen.
She has two choices and the decision must be hers. Unless he came from a source that will take him back, the kindest thing is to put him to sleep. The other choice is to forget about getting another horse, and support the first.
My opinion:
First off, see if you can give him back. If that’s not an option, and you can afford it, then give him a year of total turnout (pull the shoes, etc). Don’t put any more vet money into him, apart from vaccinations, etc. If he comes back sound, great. If he doesn’t, either donate him to a research hospital (with the understanding that they will use him and euth him once they are finished – some people cant stomach this, but research improves the treatment options for horses down the line) or put him down.
Don’t cripple yourself financially on a horse that will probably never be truly rideable. Also, with his injuries, he’s probably uncomfortable just standing around. They can’t get off their aching joints like we can. The animal doesn’t know when you put it down. Giving him away opens him up to the possibility of ending up on a truck to Mexico. A nice little shot on a pretty day is not a bad way to go.
I don’t disagree with @subk either, but I think the reality is that more and more people do look at horses more as pets than as livestock - particularly non-pro owners.
It’s nothing new, but I see a lot of high school age kids buying, selling, and trading horses, and I don’t care for it. Of course, lots of adults leap into horse ownership without being too well informed about it either.
Subk worded her post way better than I could. Horses don’t know the difference if they have a happy life, be it short or long. I’d board him at pasture for the season and you may be surprized at how you do not feel the pain so much after a
few months. We have all had to part with horses for various reasons and it is hard and euthahasia is not a bad option.
If he can get by with Nature’s cure you will have an option. It is a dose of reality…we all have to face.
Except she is looking to purchase another horse…but complaining she can’t afford this one
I think you are misreading the OP. She can currently afford both, but is looking to figure things out before she goes back to school.
There’s nothing wrong with her exploring her options and asking for help. Best case, she’s able to find a good situation for the horse. Worst case… she’s gotten some good advice in both her and her horses best interest.
It’s tough. I think you have gotten some good advice. I’ve had to make the tough decision several times. It is never easy. Especially not in a younger horse. And no, you don’t have to have owned them long before they worm their way into your heart. He is not a good candidate to rehome. You might find a free lease if he is really serviceably sound and a good egg but that is a real long shot…and you need to really monitor him in any such situation. It sounds like you have injected…what is the time frame your vet has said to see a difference?
honestly…if he is not sound on daily previcox…I would put him down. This is just an opinion and you are better placed to consult with your vet but an 8 year old on that level of maintenance and not fully sound is just not a good thing. I would be having frank discussions with my vet. You can see about some of the retirement rescues (reputable ones) and ask them about their euthanasia protocols. He may be one they will be telling you the same thing (they would put down) or maybe have other suggestions.
It SUCKS…it’s a hard decision… but it is often the responsible one. I had one. Injections…not sound. Even on previcox. I put in the $$ for full diagnosis and it just was not fixable. I gave him the summer/fall and put him down while he was safe and happy. He was in pain (lame) and his prognosis was not going to improve no matter how much I wanted. I hated making such a choice but you do what is right for the horse not easy for us.
I have have two homebreds now that I love dearly. Both young (4 and 6). Its not time yet but both I’m dealing with different issues and for both it is on the table lurking not far from the horizon if they don’t start improving (with expensive top vet care). It’s a quality of life question for me. But considering financial aspects is NOT horrible. It has to be part of the equation as well.
My parents pay fully for the horse that I can ride and am planning to event. I have to pay for the lame horse all by myself and during the summer, when I can work all day, it’s easy to afford but when school starts, I won’t make much money. I would not buy another horse without assuring I could properly care for him
Thanks for clarifying OP. The kindest thing might be to euthanize. It is a hard decision 
Hugs whatever you decide
