Foxy is getting to be unmanageable. She has not settled into living here at all. She is at the point where she will not leave the front part of the yard. At all. Not to drink water. Not to eat grass. Nada. Sometimes that includes coming to the front corner by the porch to eat hay and drink from the buckets I put there. Sometimes it doesn't. If I halter her and bring her back into the shelter, she acts like an idiot trying to get back up front.
I'm thinking I have a few options. Fence off the front part of the yard. Maybe if she did not have the option of going up there, it would not be such a big deal? I locked her into the dog pen the other day when I had to drive the truck to the shelter to unload hay....she had no interest whatsoever in being back there but once I locked her in, she ate grass the whole time a-okay. When I opened the gate back up, she came trotting out and went right to her corner out front.
She woke me up this morning chewing my porch railing. She chewed quite a bit of it up. I will have to replace 3 to 4 12-foot boards, plus the top rail. Assuming she does not chew it anymore. I think she was pissed off that she had no food. She has no food from last feeding to first feeding, of course......
I am thinking I will fence the front part off and stick a round bale in the back. If I don't fence her into the back area, she won't stay there, even to eat. And maybe the round bale will solve her food issues. Who knows.
All I know is that I am getting sick and tired of all of these neurotic issues. I spent more time and money getting this place ready for her.....she needs to live here 6 months to just get that money back, to be honest. If not longer. I can't keep pouring money into this damn horse. She is completely worthless and lame, total mental case, unsafe to ride even if she was not lame. But nice and friendly and not dangerous to handle or unhealthy to just live out her life as a pasture puff. But as a 10 year old horse, can I justify paying hundreds of dollars a month for the rest of her life? This was the whole point of moving her home.....she is a pasture puff, at least at home she is not sucking me dry financially. And it is not as though she is a horse who earned her retirement from me. I rescued her, poured tens of thousands of dollars into her. At least ten thousand, probably more between getting her and getting her healthy, dealing with the colic, all the special food/bedding/training/etc. Now I'm looking at hundreds of dollars a month for the next...10 to 15 years? For a completely worthless horse?
As much as I love Foxy, I am struggling to make that decision. At this point, she has put me so far into debt that as difficult as it is to consider putting a healthy horse to sleep for no reason........I'm having to consider that option. I am going to look into some boarding options, at least for the time being, but Foxy is really going to have to meet me halfway here. Last time she was boarded it got to where I needed to visit daily to make sure she was being cared for and had not injured herself again. I can't keep that up.
I'm also having dog issues......and did I mention that a coworker is out for 9 weeks and while she is out I have to do her work AND my own work? Greaaaaat!
Maybe I need to board Foxy out for the rest of winter and reevaluate at that point. As of now, she will be here until the hay runs out, at least. Suck it up, Foxy! I've given this horse every chance in the world, at some point she has GOT to meet me halfway.
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5 comments:
If you are going to own a horse, it should be a ridable horse you can enjoy. Think of all the safe, usable horses out there that also need to be rescued....putting down Foxy would end her pain, her neurosis, and free you up (in time) to rescue another horse with a brighter future. There are TONS of lovely horses out there that need to be rescued or upgraded. If you do decide to euthanize Foxy, you can know you did your best, and honor her memory by giving another deserving horse a chance someday.
You have given her everything you possibly could. Any reasonable person can see that, you deserve to have a horse thet contributes to the relationship. Not only is she lame...she is unrideable and becoming unmanageabele...mares such as this never get through there neurosis...they are insecure by nature and require constant attention. Once she reaches an equilibrium in her current situation you will make a small change to her an evironment and it will start all over again. AND....she is destroying your new house.
Wow it sounds like you have really hit the wall there. So sorry to hear that. You might be right in that sending her to someone else or like was suggested donating her to the vet school would just set her up for another attack of neurosis. You have given this horse the best chance she had and if you have to let go it might be kinder to just put her down. That being said why not try a couple of the fencing options that you are thinking of and give yourself some breathing room till after the holidays, it sounds like you truly love her. I agree with McFawn there are lots of horses that would be lining up top be in your care when you are ready again. Don't beat yourself up, you have done great things for Foxy and I am sure you will make the best choice for yourself and her.
That is a very difficult decision...If you do decide to put her down, the only pain would be on your end since she wouldn't know anything besides being very sleepy.
I would say measure your pros and cons..you could have a good, useable, riding horse now if you decided to let Foxy go - but you wouldn't have Foxy. Or you could keep her and all her issues for the next 15+ years and forgo the riding horse.
It is really going to end being something based on your own emotions, since Foxy will neither know nor care either way.
I came across your blog linked to FHOTD. I think you need to take a deep breath. Foxy is NOT a person, she cannot meet you "halfway." She is not acting in a neurotic way to piss you off. Instead of blaming her for her fears, maybe you need to try to see why she doesn't like your backyard. It might just be because she is a herd animal and feels completely isolated. At least she can look out in the front yard and see things around her. Why don't you try to find an outdoor board where she can just hang out with other horses. That can't be very expensive, especially if it is more of a retirement facility with no overhead for arenas, a barn etc.
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