Happy new year everyone! What are your goals with your horses for 2025?
I hope my goals are not too much of a downer for you folks - it's just the reality of doing the best I can for my senior horses - but my goal is that I recognize the right time to say goodbye to them, before their enjoyment of life is gone. It might not happen in 2025, but it will be soon.
Komet's (30) Cushing's syndrome has progressed even with his medication, and so have his cataracts, so that one eye has about 50% vision and the other about 25%. He has moderate arthritis but he's not painful walking and trotting around the pasture. And since his routine is predictable, even though he doesn't see much, he's happy in his stall and his turnout, and maintaining a healthy body condition with tons of feed adjustments depending on the weather, and how his medication affects his appetite.
Fiona (26) only has very slight arthritis, so our vet has cleared her for light riding, including tiny jumps which she still enthusiastically enjoys - typical OTTB! But her heart murmur has progressed, so she becomes tired after 10-15 minutes of cantering and trotting. And she has a thyroid tumor - the vet thinks it's benign, since they're not uncommon in older horses and her bloodwork doesn't show a thyroid insufficiency, but if it keeps growing it could impinge on her windpipe and restrict her breathing.
These two love each other and are so bonded, when it's time for one of them to go, my intention is to send both of them over the rainbow bridge together. I don't want either one of them to be sad and stressed for whatever time they have left, missing the other.
In some ways my 2025 goals are sad, but in other ways I believe I understand what they want, having known Komet for all of his 30 years and Fiona for 13 years.
Every one of you folks, as you and your beloved horses get old, will someday be in my shoes, and have to consider how you will face end of life issues and do what is right for your horses. Don't wait until they're crippled in pain or starving because they can't eat! Don't abdicate your responsibility by sending them to an auction or giving them away!
Ending their lives is always sad of course, but after a life of lots of adventures with horse and human friends, a gentle retirement with light riding and hanging out in a pasture, good vet care to keep them comfortable, my horses have had mostly good lives, and I will feel only slightly terrible if 2025 is the year to say goodbye to my beauties.
