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| Post-incident care is another huge issue. It is easy in the heat of the moment to say "I'll do anything to save him" - but will you really? And perhaps more importantly, can you? In any serious case, you have to consider the length of time it will take to rehabilitate your horse. You also have to look at the amount of effort that you will be putting in during that time. Both of those factors have to be considered when you make the decision to euthanize your horse or to attempt to restore him to full health. Not only do you have to agree that the time, money and effort is worth it, but you also have to be practical - you can't take a break when your horse needs to be wrapped every day, or medicated twice a day - it has to be done, no matter how busy your schedule is. If your scheduled doesn't allow for it, someone else will have to be available to assist you. You have to think about your facilities - a horse with veterinarian orders to be on stall rest for three months needs exactly that, not to be turned out in small paddock because you don't have a barn. You'll have to make extra plans in these cases - like moving the car out of the garage, clearing space in an old shed or creating a stall inside another building. Portable panels can also come in handy in this case - they can be shifted around to create any size of stall or pen, including a simple tie stall designed to prevent almost all movement. They do cost around $120 per panel though, so either plan to purchase some when you have extra cash on hand (you'll find them invaluable for other things too!) or add it to your growing list of rehab costs. Consider what you will do if you are boarding your horse elsewhere and can't get out to see him every day due to commitments from work, school, family, etc. This puts a serious glitch in the middle of your already bad situation - you'll have to make arrangements with friends, the people who board your horse, etc. You could also ask around with different friends to find somewhere else to board him where they can help you - I did this once with a young gelding who had slipped on the ice. We hauled him to a friend's place who had an extra stall and I went out once a day. My friend took care of him for me the rest of the time - without her help, I couldn't have rescued this horse. There are ways to work around your obstacles, but you have to be willing and able to do what has to be done. More on rehab considerations next week. |
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Jenny from Alberta wrote this in response to someone else facing the tough decision of putting her horse down, and has graciously allowed us to print it here. Thanks, Jenny. I read your e-mail today and I can understand your dilemma. This spring we were in a similar situation in regards to our second horse that we had for about three years. She was a buckskin quarter horse that looked like death when we originally purchased her. I wasn't sure she would make another week, however, with the help of a friend who knew more than me, and a trainer that I found who had access to information on nutrition, we brought her back to a reasonable health. Over the next couple of years, my daughter learned to ride and so did I. This past winter it didn't matter what we fed her, she just lost so much weight that it made me cry every time I saw her. I knew that her mind was wonderful but her body was saying it was time to go. It was the most difficult decision that I have ever made. I loved her gentle nature and she always greeted us when we left for the day to go to work. But it wasn't fair to her to keep her just for us, so we let her go in peace this spring. I still go and visit her grave on our property. I miss her very much, however, I know that it was the right decision - it wouldn't have been fair to keep her here when it was so hard on her. I will always miss her and be grateful for the time we did have with her, and for the special gift of riding without fear that she gave to my daughter. Jenny |
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If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com
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