What To Do With An Old Horse

[Lord_Helpus]

I thought about titling this thread: “Euthanasia – when and why”, but I chickened out.

First, I just had to put down a 25 year old horse who had broken his jaw. After surgery to repair it and a month of trying to keep him pain free and to get a nasty infection under control, I made the decision that it was his time. He was in a lot of pain and getting 4g of bute and 72cc’s of antibiotics and pain meds a day. The vet and the surgeon wanted to keep going, but I said no.

Should I have kept going with him? I do not think so; I am content with the decision I made at the time. But in retrospect, I am now wondering if I should have even let it get that far. A 25 year old horse with a very painful displaced fracture… Would it have been kinder to have him euthanized after discussions with my vet and the surgeon? Once I found out he would need surgery and 8 - 10 weeks of recuperation before the wires/screws and plates could come out, should I have said “STOP” then? Looking back, I think, yes, I should have yelled “Stop” before surgery.

Horses do not understand the concept of “the future” or “retirement”. They live in the moment. Yes, they can remember things, but they cannot anticipate things. My horse did not know that there might be a pain free future if only he could survive for another month. He was hurting, not eating, and not drinking. Hence no poop or pee at the end.

Now there is a thread of H/J about donating horses to college programs. One poster said she would euthanize a horse before donating it. ------ Two months ago, I would have raised my eyebrows and, in a knee jerk reaction, disagreed. But, now, I agree with her (in principle).

Aren’t we anthropomorphizing when we consider what is best for our old friends? Is sweating and swatting biting flies in summer and being in a cold pasture (even with an open fronted shed) in the winter really better than euthanasia? Not everyone has the luxury of giving an old horse a grassy pasture in good weather with a stall to come in to if it is too hot or too cold. And, does a show horse even WANT to be put in a 50 acre pasture without a lot of human contact? A horse who has lived his entire life surrounded by people and being ridden?

After a lot of angst and consideration, I now I believe that euthanasia is/should be considered a viable option after a horse’s useful life is over. We do not “owe” them a retirement. We “owe” them a life full of caring and compassionate treatment right to the very end. It is our duty to keep them well fed, and pain free, both physically and psychologically. Unless we can guarantee that Dobbin will have that for the rest of his life, I now believe that euthanasia is a viable choice. Keeping an old horse alive because it would make us sad to see him die is not an emotion which should be taken into consideration when planning for the horse’s future. The ONLY question we should ask ourselves is : “What is best for my horse?”

Anyway, that is what I have been thinking about since Bear died.

[goodhors]

Sorry about your loss of the old horse.

I have to agree, it is time to put them down when they reach the point of no use. Before the pain, not going with deteriorating problems on their plate.

We have kept some horses who have served us long and well, for a retirement time. But when things start going downhill, it is time to let them go BEFORE they are hurting, gimping around. I don’t EVER want to find one who can’t get up off flat ground, out in bad weather, because I waited too long. Keeping a horse past his time, is cruelty as bad as other abuse of a horse. Reading stories on here about “What more can I do for my old horse?” can be awful. I mostly don’t open them anymore because I feel so bad for the horse who is deteriorating but can’t be let go.

Folks no longer think of horses as livestock, but pets, family members, which not a kindness to them in their old age. Yet as an owner, YOU need to suck it up, call the Vet and make the needed preparations so things go smoothly for that horse at his ending. Horse lives in the here and now, sure not going to hold a grudge for you letting him go. If he is in pain, that is what he focused on, he needs to get the pain ended by a humane euthenasia.

As mentioned, no one “owes” a horse a retirement, spending their last few dollars to keep up his meds, instead of putting the horse down. Don’t kick yourself over it. Some things are just not workable in a person’s life due to funds, time, cash available or locations. Better to let the horse go easily than drag out an unstable living arrangement in his life.

None of my “old Reliables” would ever get sold or given away, the horse is put down first. No CHANCE of him ending badly. Selfish? A bit, but then I never have to worry about where he went or how he was handled later either.

[FLeventer]

I always choose euthanasia when a horse is suffering. Always. Any animal that is suffering I euthanize. Its what you do. Its whats fair to the animal. Its the right thing to do. You owe the animal a kind death, even if it hurts you.

I have one who is my retired 1* horse. Hes not sound, but he is happy and content. He isnt suffering, but he will never be able to go around prelim/intermediate again. I could most likely inject him some more and build him up and try to sell him or lease him, but I wont. I just wont put him in a situation where he could get hurt/crippled and sent down south. I would rather euth him. He is so special to me. I am lucky that I can afford to care, feed, shoe, and keep him for the rest of his life.

I see him everyday and he goes out on hacks twice to three times a week. But I wonder if hes not happy out in his field sometimes. It kills me to not ride him like I used to. I miss him, I think he misses it as well. He had a fabulous work ethic. But for now he is happy and healthy so I cant say anything.

But if he was in pain and his quality of life dropped, I would make the hard decision. We all have to make that hard decision sometimes. It hurts and its not fun, but its what we have to do. It can rip the heart right out of your chest, it can make you ask what else can I do, but deep down its the correct choice. We have to make the right choice for the sake of our horses.

We as riders and horse owners need to say enough is enough. I watched a neighbor of mine put down his old guy a few years ago. He was dying from cancer, the horse had something wrong with him as well. He was wheeled out by his daughter and he said clear as day “I wish they could put me down as well”

I feel like at the end of the day we as a cutlture dont make the right choice on ending lives. There is a time to live and a time to die. “Oh he can hold on, hes still fighting” no hes not. Hes not fighting and you are keeping him alive to make yourself feel better because you dont want to live without him.

Death is a hard thing to face for many people. But at the end of the day it can be the best thing. Death opens up an opportunity for someone or something else to touch our hearts. It opens us up for a new partner and friend to take the old ones place.

I am so sorry for your loss. I agree with your sentiments.

[SMF11]

As my vet has said, everyone draws the line in a different place, and there is no one right place for that line. I strongly believe that.

Given that I board retirees, I’ve thought about horsey end of life issues quite a bit.

In Lord Helpus’s situation, I can tell you that none of the horses here have owners that would want to put them through an expensive surgery and tough recovery. But I am not at all saying LH was wrong. You can never know, can you? There was a chance LH’s horse would recover, and he got several more good years it probably would have been worth it.

I was literally half an hour away from euthanizing my sick donkey this past winter – she really looked and acted like she was dying. I voted to give her a little more time . . . and she turned the corner, and is now fat and healthy. You just never know. I’ve never seen that horrible end of life roller coaster go in a positive direction, but sometimes it does, and this is the source of my angst in making the decision.

I disagree with goodhors, in that I do think some owners do owe their horses a retirement. I also do not at all agree that the time to euthanize is when they are of no use. (Though, perhaps s/he meant something other than unrideable).

As for gimping around – depends. If the horse seems happy and can get up and down without problems, is happy to eat, keeps its place in the pecking order and has a sparkle in its eye – not time to euthanize. One of the horses here had a HUGE knee that meant her leg could not straighten. She was TOTALLY lame. She was totally happy. (Before many of you disagree with me, she was owned by an equine veterinarian, a former New Bolton surgeon). When she dropped weight and we couldn’t really get it back on, when the spark went out of her eye, her owner euthanized her then, before this tough winter. But she spent years gimping around the fields here.

Lady Eboshi has posted the AVMA euthanasia guidelines and they are a very useful thing to consider.

[HorsesinHaiti]

LH, I followed that thread. I thought you considered things well and it did sound like there was a decent enough chance that he would recover to take the chance.

I also followed vet’s advice in not euthing my old cat struggling with diabetes on the day I first wanted. The vet did an evaluation and thought kitty still had spunk and played readily with vet (no mean thing, for that cat!) and advised I try one more diet change to try getting him better under control. Vet promised he would come back out if anything else developed and do the euth.

Darn cat had his first seizure the next day. Vet tore out here the following morning early, which was a three hour drive. As I told the vet, with some issues all you can do is make your best hypothesis as to the best action to take, and roll the dice by taking it. Sometimes life rolls in your favor like with SMF11’s donkey, sometimes it rolls against you like Bear’s retrenched infection. Either could happen and you can’t know for sure which result you will get before you try.

Either decision would have been justified with Bear as his age (old but not ancient), injury (bad but not catastrophic and with a decent chance of sucess) and spirits (still showing some interest in carrying on) meant things could have gone either way. Not putting him through trying would have been fair, giving him a chance was also fair.

[LauraKY]

I’ve had a couple of retired boarders (one very young, suffering from EPM). Their owners elected to keep them alive as long as they were happy, mobile and still had a spark in their eye. The ancient pony found his first and only friend at my farm and they were inseparable.

It’s important to know when it’s time. I lost the pony over the summer, I imagine if he had made it to the fall, we would have let him go. Another winter just wasn’t in the cards for him.

[HorsesinHaiti]

To separate points and to show another case of ‘the euth decision is really foggy sometimes’, I may have another tough call here very soon. The owner of the mare that became 5 mares finally gave me (at least custody, ownership is a delicate thing) the two smallest and crankiest ponies as companions for Hoover. I’ll also try and train them so they might have a chance at a decent life when the owner and I are someday both no longer in Deschapelles.

After a week it’s clear that the coming two year old has more than a bad rear end conformation with ‘tight tendons’. With the help of a passing DVM and with watching her for hours this week, she can move at speed but she clearly has at least one major defect in her rear end and she was clearly born with it. Maybe just tight tendons, maybe something higher and much more. We have no access to x-ray let alone major diagnostic equipment, no specialty farrier. Filly bunny hops so bad she sometimes hops on one foot behind at a canter - and it can be either hind. A passing DVM said she didn’t seem to be in pain - but her crankiness could certainly be stress from knowing she can’t run right. Or it could be she inherited her mom’s personality. Or pain. Filly’s capable and willing to chase sheep any chance she gets. She likes hanging with mom and teasing Hoover until he chases her, the little instigator. She also lies down more than adult horses I’ve seen, but maybe not more than a growing coming two year old- or maybe more. Hoover likes his naps also.

So how much is too much before we say this filly has ‘too poor a quality of life’? How much is that influenced by the facts that a) I could have to leave town permanently at any time given the instability here, b) that the locals will work any animal no matter how deformed, until it can’t carry a load anymore, c) that the owner is never going to make such a call until he’s pushed by people he trusts? She seems to cope as a pen puff now so just euthing because she has a problem would be throwing away a life. But with a careful look, where are the dice really falling - and when will Life in General throw a new roll at her?

[Lord_Helpus]

SMF, Thank you for your views. They are caring and valid, and I agree with you. The advantages your boarders have is that they are in good hands, with someone who puts their well being as a priority. Many people cannot find or afford a quality retirement situation. Your boarders are very lucky.

I did not mean to imply that that living a long life is a bad thing. I really wrote my post as a carthartic reaction to a lot of emotion I have been holding inside me.

It was the thread on H/J about donating an older horse to a school/college that got me really thinking about moving a horse on to someone else when he cannot fulfill his role under your ownership, that precipitated my post.

When a person no longer can or wants to keep a horse, there are 3 choices: 1. sell/give/donate, 2. retire or 3. euthanize.

If the horse is not old and has a career ahead of him, then, of course selling or giving away is the obvious choice.

And if you have $4000+/year for perhaps 15 years (that’s $60,000!) to retire your horse at a good place, then that is a very good option for an older horse.

BUT if neither of those options are feasible, then (IMHO) the idea of euthanization should definitely be “on the table” and seriously considered before deciding to give him away or donate him.

Had you asked me 2 months ago, I would not have had the same mindset. So I am assuming that many others don’t either. Hopefully, an open discussion of the issue will get people thinking of what they feel comfortable doing. Because the time to think this through is long before a decision needs to be made.

[merrygoround]

Lord Helpus, you made a good common sense decision. I am sure that there are many humans who wish the choice was so easily obvious.

Rest easy!

[Dare1]

LH I think you did what you thought was best for Bear at that time. No one can predict the future. You gave him a chance and he made the decision for you.

I also agree that letting an anima lsuffer because you don’t want to part with it is not right at all. We as the owners and caregivers must make that decision for them.

[Lady_Eboshi]

[QUOTE=SMF11;8058461]
As my vet has said, everyone draws the line in a different place, and there is no one right place for that line. I strongly believe that.

Given that I board retirees, I’ve thought about horsey end of life issues quite a bit.

In Lord Helpus’s situation, I can tell you that none of the horses here have owners that would want to put them through an expensive surgery and tough recovery. But I am not at all saying LH was wrong. You can never know, can you? There was a chance LH’s horse would recover, and he got several more good years it probably would have been worth it.

I was literally half an hour away from euthanizing my sick donkey this past winter – she really looked and acted like she was dying. I voted to give her a little more time . . . and she turned the corner, and is now fat and healthy. You just never know. I’ve never seen that horrible end of life roller coaster go in a positive direction, but sometimes it does, and this is the source of my angst in making the decision.

I disagree with goodhors, in that I do think some owners do owe their horses a retirement. I also do not at all agree that the time to euthanize is when they are of no use. (Though, perhaps s/he meant something other than unrideable).

As for gimping around – depends. If the horse seems happy and can get up and down without problems, is happy to eat, keeps its place in the pecking order and has a sparkle in its eye – not time to euthanize. One of the horses here had a HUGE knee that meant her leg could not straighten. She was TOTALLY lame. She was totally happy. (Before many of you disagree with me, she was owned by an equine veterinarian, a former New Bolton surgeon). When she dropped weight and we couldn’t really get it back on, when the spark went out of her eye, her owner euthanized her then, before this tough winter. But she spent years gimping around the fields here.

Lady Eboshi has posted the AVMA euthanasia guidelines and they are a very useful thing to consider.[/QUOTE]

Here it is again: http://www.aaep.org/info/horse-health?publication=850

These are what I share with clients, and I have always found them a good gut-check. But it’s still a highly individual decision always, for owner and caregiver and vet. I do not stand in judgment on what ANYONE else decides. I DO draw certain lines for what I myself am willing to do–and I stick to them.

I do feel strongly that a healthy, non-painful horse should be kept as a retiree or light-use in lieu of being put down for financial convenience’s sake or unrideability only. The latter smacks too much of making broken toys disappear. That was the way many old-time trainers handled things, dumping someone’s oldie at the auction while giving them a sweet story about a grassy field. To me the best analogy is football players; most of them will live into their healthy 70’s or 80’s, but they’re not going to play football after 38 or so. Find them something they can do; if that means trail horse, lead-line or pet, well it beats a hole in the ground!

When you buy a dog, you generally expect to keep it for its lifetime. Except in the case of a major mismatch (unsuitability), I think most horse people hope to do the same. It’s fine to find a family that offers good care and a lower level of work as the horse ages, etc. but I know very few people who’ve EVER considered Craigslist-style selling of their aging horse on the open market. There are three separate mindsets out there who each shade this a bit differently:

(1) Horse is a pet/companion/family member to be kept through thick and thin.

(2) Horse’s keep is contingent upon suitability for riding/sport use.

(3) Horse is “livestock” and “property” and can be converted to cash.

Each of these people is going to see the Old Horse question differently.
While I might not agree with everyone’s choice, as long as responsibility is taken to prevent stress and suffering, from the horse’s POV it should be OK.

[RhythmNCruise]

I’ve yet to lose/euth a horse in 28 years of horse ownership, but my oldest is 26 now (horses prior to him got sold to new homes), so I do think about it a lot.

I did have my dear old dog, (best dog ever, love of my life!!) euthanized a few years ago. When he was healthy, I couldn’t imagine losing him and would cry at the thought of it. But I watched him slowly deteriorate, and there came a day when it was obvious he was suffering. I took him that day and had him put to sleep. He was 15, and he was done.
I believe if you truly love an animal you will not be able to watch it suffer. I couldn’t. I sobbed like a baby and hated to lose my dog, but it was still better than watching him suffer.

ETA: I wanted to add that if my 26yo gelding suffered an injury or illness that would mean a difficult recovery, I’d opt to put him down. He’s perfectly healthy right now, but if that should change, even if there was a good chance he might come out the other side okay, I just don’t think I could put him through all of that at his age.

[Laurierace]

Sort of an aside, I was talking to someone about declawing cats and I said cats would be better off euthanized than to declaw them in my opinion. It is a radical stance I know but that is how I feel. We owe our animals to make the tough decisions. It sounds to me that you are coming to terms with things now that you have had some time to grieve. I am glad you are at peace because “this, it be right.”

[HungarianHippo]

Can someone help me understand how a horse can be “not sound” but at the same time say they are “not in pain”? What is “pasture-sound”, anyway? Are there really many disabilities that are painful/cause unsoundness only when the horse is ridden, but if they’re in the field they’re pain-free?

The arthritic horse that is stiff for the first 10 minutes out of the stall, but limbers up and gets smooth once he’s moving, trots and canters at will? I’m cool with that-- he is, to me, is the ideal “candidate” for pasture retirement.

But when normal movement becomes is short-strided, mincing, careful, avoids hard surfaces, etc. – it’s because normal movement is painful.
Put a tiny piece of gravel in your shoe and walk around like that for a couple days, and tell me that mild, low-grade pain doesn’t affect one’s quality of life.

[LauraKY]

One of my boarders was pasture sound. He was fine and not at all gimpy as long as he wasn’t being worked.

[4THEHORSES]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8058546]
Can someone help me understand how a horse can be “not sound” but at the same time say they are “not in pain”? What is “pasture-sound”, anyway? Are there really many disabilities that are painful/cause unsoundness only when the horse is ridden, but if they’re in the field they’re pain-free?[/QUOTE]

Here’s a real life example in relation to my OTTB. Sustained severe tears to DDFT and suspension branches on the track. Right hind. Not rehabbed correctlly and they didn’t heal well.

Per the vet’s latest update. He’s sound W/T/C on a circle. He also appears sound (in the sense that he looks to be moving correctly) if you do light W/T/C under saddle. HOWEVER, he isn’t considered sound for riding as nobody really knows how far he could go under saddle and how much weight he could carry before there would be a very high likelihood of the tendon/ligaments rupturing completely and beyond repair.

This horse WANTS to work so I do some very light and occasional trail riding and flat work under saddle plus ground work about 1-2 per week but it’s more to help engage his mind and keep him happy in that respect that anything else.

[Lady_Eboshi]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8058546]
Can someone help me understand how a horse can be “not sound” but at the same time say they are “not in pain”? What is “pasture-sound”, anyway? Are there really many disabilities that are painful/cause unsoundness only when the horse is ridden, but if they’re in the field they’re pain-free?

The arthritic horse that is stiff for the first 10 minutes out of the stall, but limbers up and gets smooth once he’s moving, trots and canters at will? I’m cool with that-- he is, to me, is the ideal “candidate” for pasture retirement.

But when normal movement becomes is short-strided, mincing, careful, avoids hard surfaces, etc. – it’s because normal movement is painful.
Put a tiny piece of gravel in your shoe and walk around like that for a couple days, and tell me that mild, low-grade pain doesn’t affect one’s quality of life.[/QUOTE]

Well, I put it in human terms. If you’re over 40, are you ever a little stiff when you get up in the morning? Right next to your BED, could you perform sound on a flexion test right there and then? :winkgrin: Or does it take a little limbering up, walking to the bathroom and back, maybe getting a kink out of your back while bending over to pick up your socks? By the time you get downstairs though, you’re walking well enough that your MD wouldn’t sound the alarm.

Well, that ^ is “pasture sound.” Especially if you can do it without the help of any NSAID’s. It does not necessarily follow, however, that you could go run 13 miles as easily. Or run the 440 hurdles. Or hike up Mt. Washington or play on the UCONN women’s basketball team without the coach cussing at you. :lol: You may have some old wear and tear like an old bum hamstring or torn meniscus that make those things unappealing. But you’re going to live a long and healthy life and ordinary activities are no problem for you.

Lots of show horses are like marathoners, recreational tennis players or hikers who very definitely DO need “a little Bute to be comfortable.” That’s “serviceably sound for the use intended.” Maybe a little “help,” but they can still do a heavy-duty job. Think landscapers and construction workers, too.

I have yet to EVER see a horse “pass” a pre-purchase without SOME kinds of reservations about present or future soundness. I’ve never heard a vet say, “Yup, go foxhunt over a 4’ country on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and take him Prelim eventing on Sunday!” Not. EVER. Instead, it’s more like, “He’s sound before my eyes today for what you want to do, but here’s what you need to be aware of for where you’re most likely to see problems in the future, and here are some strategies to minimize and manage that.”

Again in human terms: Old age. You can be pretty damn creaky but still able to enjoy eating, reading, going to plays, watching Downton Abbey and lying in the sun. Maybe to keep doing that you need a little medical help, but it’s a mighty long way from “creaky” to “begging for a bullet.” And that’s where all the nice stuff we now have to make horses’ lives better comes in. I have NO PROBLEM with a horse needing a Previcox, Pergolide, some special feed, maybe a little Naquasone for a leg that fills, etc. to keep him happily pasture sound. As long as he eats with enthusiasm, poops properly, enjoys his companions and can get up and down in my book he’s not begging for euthanasia UNTIL the maximum safe doses of the best meds can NO LONGER keep him comfortable and his quality of life goes downhill. We recently put down a 35 year old for whom that literally NEVER happened; he had to go only when his circulation started shutting down from pure old age. Should his owner have euthanized him at 20? That would have been a tragedy, because for the last 15 years he’s been the happiest horse in the world, and very valuable as a babysitter!

When a lot of money in care, board, etc. is in the balance, it can be very easy to rationalize euthanasia when it isn’t really warranted, though IME this is rare. Far more often I find myself talking an owner into it, because I see her horse on a day to day basis and know he’s struggling, even if she and even the vet miss it if the horse looks perky that one day in months they see her.

Again, the decision always depends on many variables. I always swore I’d never take one of my cheap, mostly rescue horses to colic surgery; until the day my vet thought my adorable 4-year-old had a twist, and you never saw anybody hook up a trailer so fast in your life! That’s how I found out how much I really like this little guy, that I’d have taken a $17,000 dive for a $300 rescue horse!
(Fortunately, it was enteritis and he stayed overnight and came home next day).

OP, in your shoes I’d have done what you did. Don’t second-guess, though I know how impossible that is. You gave him every chance, but in the end it WAS his “time.” Vets, like doctors, will rarely talk you out of “practicing medicine”–it’s who they are and what they do, and often they consider death an enemy they must vanquish. In the end, WE as owners have to decide where our own line is drawn that we will not cross, for the HORSE’s sake above all other considerations.

[seabreeze]

Lord Helpus, I’m sorry for your loss. You did the best you could with the info you had. That’s the best any of us can do.

My 27-yo TB looks wonderful. Great appetite, not a rib in sight. But a few weeks ago, I noticed something off in the hind end. Vet believes DSLD, and I tend to agree. At his age, I’m not going to spend a bunch of money on diagnostics. Since the ground has thawed and he’s been put on pain meds, he’s doing better. It makes me sad that he won’t make it until his 28th birthday. I truly love him. But I love him enough to let him go sooner rather than later. Vet said to let him have spring and summer. I think spring, maybe. Summer will bring flies and stomping and hard ground again. I’d rather not get to the point where he’s sore, and he’s not going to get any better. It’s so hard to say goodbye, but I can’t let him suffer.

Whew. Thanks for letting me get that out. Didn’t mean to hog your thread.

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

Thank you for a very courageous post, Lord Helpus. I have been thinking about this subject quite a bit recently and not just with respect to old horses.

I’m thinking of a couple of different situations I have encountered in the past - keeping details somewhat vague -

Youngish (7-8?) TB, sound but a handful and not a good match for his owner. After minimal attempt to sell/re-home without success, owner planned to euthanize horse. A friend heard of the situation, took the horse, moved him on to a trainer, trainer then sold or gave him to one of her students. No idea what happened to horse after that. Original owner (who was going to euth horse) was blogging about a new, different horse not long after.

Stall neighbor in boarding barn. Morgan horse (age in upper teens) owned and loved by a family (mom and two girls). Older girl showed in 4-H. Horse developed some lameness issues - seemed hoof related. Lots of vet and farrier involvement in trying to get horse right over a period of several months. Lots of intensive care. Went to barn one day, and horse was gone. Nothing catastrophic had happened, the owner had just had enough. Again, search for new horse commenced not long after, and replacement horse is still owned - and loved - by the same owner.

Thing that strikes me about both of the above cases as I type them out - both owners had single horse and boarded because they did not otherwise have resources to keep a horse at home or on a family farm. They did not have resources for a second horse unless the first one was gone. So, yes, financial “convenience” was a factor in their decisions to euthanize.

When you consider the cost of even retirement type board for 10 years, that is a huge chunk of money for most normal folks. Not something most people – especially folks new to horse ownership – think about when they acquire the horse.

As one of the earlier responses said, the line is different for everyone. One person’s bad match (see example 1 above) might be fine in other hands. Every circumstance and situation has different variables. But it’s a loaded question. At what point do you start sliding down the slippery slope to horses becoming disposable? Or will they always be somewhat disposable?

I am definitely not someone who thinks they should all be saved. Not enough space or good homes for that. Because of that and because there are still so many ways for horses to end up in bad situations, I tend to be on the side of the line to euthanize rather than take a risk if there are other factors that would not be in the horse’s favor as he continues on.

[Louise]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8058546]
Can someone help me understand how a horse can be “not sound” but at the same time say they are “not in pain”? What is “pasture-sound”, anyway? Are there really many disabilities that are painful/cause unsoundness only when the horse is ridden, but if they’re in the field they’re pain-free?

The arthritic horse that is stiff for the first 10 minutes out of the stall, but limbers up and gets smooth once he’s moving, trots and canters at will? I’m cool with that-- he is, to me, is the ideal “candidate” for pasture retirement.

But when normal movement becomes is short-strided, mincing, careful, avoids hard surfaces, etc. – it’s because normal movement is painful.
Put a tiny piece of gravel in your shoe and walk around like that for a couple days, and tell me that mild, low-grade pain doesn’t affect one’s quality of life.[/QUOTE]

My first horse was diagnosed as “unsound for riding” at six. Yet, it was very obvious that, if not under saddle, she felt fine. So, she was a pasture pet for 20 years and was much mourned when she finally died. So, yes, there are degrees of unsoundness, and you have to judge each case on its merits.

It’s a hard decision to make, sometimes, especially if you’re older yourself, and deal each day with your share of aches and pains. Yes, there’s a difference between an animal, who lives in the minute and a human being who is capable of understanding why the pain is there and what can, or should, be done about it. But, knowing that I can, and do, cope with “unsoundness” every day would, I think, make me be a little more tolerant of gimpiness in my horse.

I have a 28 year old now. She’s arthritic, but it’s managed with medication. She drags my barn owner out to the pasture every day, and is still boss mare. She also has very worn down teeth, but manages quite nicely on her slop. Her coat shines and she’s in good weight. I’m sure she has her share of aches and pains, but, IMO, it’s not time yet. She’s watched very closely, and when she begins to slide downhill, euthanization will certainly be strongly considered.