Just Ask Georgia: 8/21/2024

Georgia, I have a question,

I took in a project horse about 1.5 years ago to keep her from going to a kill pen or killing someone. It had extreme behavioral issues (still has some quirks to work out but is no longer trying to kill people).

I took her home and began rehabbing it. It was coming along nicely and I became pregnant. I still worked it in hand and was happy with it’s progress; it really came out of her shell and was becoming quite impressive. I spent my entire pregnancy having body work, acupuncture, and other corrective work done to ensure it had the best and slowest rehabilitation before it went back under saddle.

I had my son 10 months ago and got back to rehabbing my project. She was doing amazing until it came up lame. I gave her time off but she continued to get worse. I had the vet out and had x-rays taken. The x-rays showed a significant old injury to the hock with really bad arthritis setting in and bone growth coming out the side of the joint.

I most likely will never be able to ride this project horse. The vet said I could spend hundreds of dollars a month on trying medications and hope that one of them might work to make the horse comfortable as a pasture pet; but I don’t really want another pasture horse. The horse is still fairly young and it would be a significant cost to maintain until natural death as my horses reach their late thirties in their retirement.

Would I be in the wrong for putting it down without trying the medications?

Costly Project

Dear Project,

My dear - please give this poor “project” to someone who will love it for the animal it is and not the project it may some day be. While I’m sure you’re intentions are good, the fact that I barely know whether this animal is male or female because you continuously refer to it as an “it,” tells me it needs more love and affection - not just medical care - than you can give. Do not put “it” down.

With love, Georgia