I want to ay its wonderful that you are helping this little guy out, and a big thank you for stepping up to the plate...Now for the harsh part. How is his quality of life? If you choose to geld him and fix him up , do you have a forever home for him? How is his temperment ? Is it worth keeping him alive , yes harsh, I know , but if the stiffles are locking , it can be painful , and you have to ask yourself ..is it fair to keep him going if he will live in cronic pain or discomfort , and possible later be in the wrong hands AGAIN, where owners dont monitor his pain. A horse like this is definatly worth holding on to and spending the money , if you have the money, if his temperment is great, if you have the time to help him heal and build the trust propably lost by now , and if you can be sure that he wont be rescued then later given away to someone that wont take care of his medical issues. I have delt with horses confined and as a result leg issues, if they are young they have a chance if its minor , the longer confined , the older the horse , the more likely the issue wont be resolved with just space and movement. Its not horrible to love him , make him comfortable, assess his medical needs , and let him quietly and peacefully go if the medical problems are too advanced. as hard as that may seem, sometimes horses come into our lives for a reason , sometimes its not to be saved but to be let go in a humaine way. that being said , i also love the reward and satifaction of saving the life of a horse , done it many times , and I dont regret any of the money spent , time given , and tears shed while helping in recovery. you can ask your vet what he recommends, and please give us updates. I think a lot of people on the forum , especially me love to hear success stories like this one.
Hi Krissy! Thank you for your post! Well, of course there's always the hard part . . . never fun, but part of life, and unfortunately I feel that unrealistic expectations can be one of the key elements that put some of these horses in a neglected and/or abused situation. People don't reallize that they can't just go out and buy or acquire a mini (or any other horse) and immediately have it be what they had drempt about(or only in rare cases). They take the animal home and maybe it has a behavioral issue, health issues, it's too much of a financial burden etc. etc., and all of the sudden the animal isn't as fun any more, and that's where the trouble starts. As I mentioned in my original post, we're in an area that is struggling to survive during this economic down turn and as of now I have had 7 horses "given" to me since January of last year. I have found good homes for all of them but one, and he's the first one I took in. Bottom line, I'm probably going to have to put him down. He's a huge, beautiful Hancock bred, blue roan quarter horse gelding with a mean streak as long and deep as the river I live on. I have enough logic mixed in with the heart to know when I "can" and when I "can't" (and can't is a word I despise!). Considering I have an amazing husband, two great little boys, a herd of horses who need me, and a ranch to help run, I CANNOT AFFORD TO GET HURT. And, hurt is the only place the roan will get me
. . . (unfortunately, due to someone abusing him he has chosen or been forced to "fight", and it has made him unsafe). After working with him for nearly a month, he would still try to strike you when you would walk up to catch him. My husband said enough was enough, I wasn't allowed to mess with him any more.
So, that said (I'm rambling; sorry). I will logically evaluate, along with the vet, Cuz's probability of having a good comfortable pain free life. I'm letting you in on a little secret here
, when I went to look at Cuz, I promised my husband that if I brought him home I would get him on his feet and re-home him as soon as possible. Well, the secret is, I think even after one night, my husband is already attached to him
. So, if we do put all this time and effort into him, and he's able to be comfortable without chronic pain, he just may have that forever home right here with us. As far as finding a home in this area, I don't think I would even try. We're in "cowboy" (the sarcasm just doesn't come through the computer does it?) country here, and the locals are happy to have there horses feet done once a year. In other words I just don't think I'd find someone who would give him the care he needs, the resources just aren't here (farriers in particular). In the even that he does need to be re-homed, I will start advertising his availablility in Southern and Eastern Idaho, where there would be adequate resources available to keep him doing well. As for guaranteeing a good home, I don't think any of us ever can. I can do my best to try to make sure that the new owners would be knowledgable, kind, fair and loving, but in the end we can't guarantee how another human will treat a horse. That's the simple reason I don't breed horses EVER, unless it's a foal for myself.
As far as him being "worth" saving, his great big personality is what he's got going for him right now. We are smokers, but not in the house with our kids, so we go out to our garage (still terrible, I know). My big horses come in, eat grain, hang out and generally be a nuisance. So, we decided to bring Cuz in last night to get to know him a little better. He was just like a kid in a candy store, with just a little handful of grain. He buzzed around the place dragging his hind right leg, and never missed a beat. Just like he knew he hasn't been dealt a great hand in life, but happy to be here none the less. The killer was when he walked up behind my husband, who was seated in a "camp chair), and rested his head on my hubby's shoulder
. I'm pretty sure that's when "Mr. Pants of the Family" melted
. This big hearted little horse, HAS been loved at some point in his life!!!
I'll let you all know what happens with the vet this afternoon! THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!!!
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