Caring for the Older Horse: A Conceptual Model of Owner Decision Making
Abstract
:Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
3.1. Dynamic Conceptual Model
3.1.1. Human–Horse Relationship
“I know twenty is not old but she’s an old horse and very high mileage! She’s had a tough life. (Prior to me!)”.(Clare)
“He is my horse of a lifetime, done everything for me, but is 20 and recently been diagnosed with PPID and arthritis. He’s already on medication for both, generally doing ok. But is it fair to put him through box rest etc if his future is possibly restricted grazing”.(Suzanne)
“So i’m pretty certain my lovely twenty three year old boy has had Cushings for a while as he has a few of the symptoms however it hasn’t bothered him. However, over the last week he’s become very sleepy, urination is excessive and just doesn’t look happy! So will be phoning the vet later this morning”.(Olivia)
“I have 2 much loved horses on retirement livery and I rarely see them but get nearly daily photos and videos. I miss them, but know that they’re kept in much better conditions than I can manage … even so, I worry that they feel abandoned!”(Grace)
3.1.2. Horse-Related Responses
“She’s holding onto her coat, more so than my medicated mare, drinking more, and although being fed plenty of hay, and shortfeed, still not putting on as much weight as I’d like. If I can’t get a decent weight on her over the summer, she won’t be going through next winter”.(Jo)
“If he’s footy on stones and is obviously not happy; then personally I’d shoe him”.(Kate)
“He’s been having seizures, not often but quite bad ones…My problem is that he looks fantastic…So now I’m really struggling with the concept of putting down a horse that looks great”.(Louise)
3.1.3. Integrated Geography
“vet mentioned that due to the fact the 2 due are both retired there was little point in continuing....when I enquired about tetanus he said they both had twenty years protection and that that would cover them now…What do you think?”.(Billie)
“I had my 2 old horses put to sleep together, last Autumn… they both had mobility issues and it wouldn’t have been fair to put them through winter”.(Kate)
“He’s got another few weeks of box rest, but we have plans to section off a 11 × 19 bit of the yard…while our other horse is next to him on the hardstanding turnout”.(Suzanne)
3.1.4. Purpose
“I have been trying to bring her back in to work since the start of July starting with fifteen minutes walk and hacking. She doesn’t feel like there is anything really wrong as such she just feels lacklustre and fed up. I’ve decided to retire her”.(Pat)
“Boarderline [sic] for me. If the horse was retired and the cost of the operation was to stretch me financially then I would put to sleep. If the horse was happily ridden with a good prognosis to return to that, and if I could afford it, I would be tempted to operate”.(Julie)
3.1.5. Influences on Behavioural Outcomes
“Mine has been on pergolide for six years now and it’s changed him from what I thought was just getting old, to a horse who looks and acts half his age. He did go off his feed in the early days and I just reduced medication for a week and then introduced more slowly”.(Marie)
3.1.6. Resources
“I wouldn’t want a vet to put to sleep my horse if I felt they weren’t supportive though. I’d find someone (another vet or the hunt) who could do it without judgement”.(Margaret)
“I wanted it put straight down the vet did not want to (my normal vet was away) I had a blinding flash of light and rang the kennels it was put to sleep one hour later”.(Hazel)
3.1.7. Life Worth Living
“I felt guilty that I could not fix her, but I think I would have felt guiltier if I had stood by and watched her deteriorate”.(Fiona)
“I’m 73 so my health could change in a flash. My farm vet is an all around livestock vet. He did hesitatingly agree he would put to sleep both these senior horses if I get to where I can not care for them”.(Alex)
3.1.8. Case Example
“I’m worried he is going to get bored out in the field with no purpose. He isn’t in a herd type environment and this was fine whilst he was being ridden as he had a routine of coming in and going out for a ride but to see him sat in the field seems a bit miserable! Any ideas? I’ve thought about retirement livery but I’m not sure how much this works out cost wise………… The main issue with moving is I have another horse so don’t want 2 in different places as I also work full time so the logistics would be a nightmare. I compete my other horse and the current set up is perfect so can’t move her”.(Sam)
“I have a horse to ride so wouldn’t put him down because ‘I want a horse to ride’! This horse owes me nothing and I am more than happy to find a suitable solution for him”.(Sam)
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Smith, R.; Pinchbeck, G.; McGowan, C.; Ireland, J.; Perkins, E. Caring for the Older Horse: A Conceptual Model of Owner Decision Making. Animals 2021, 11, 1309. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051309
Smith R, Pinchbeck G, McGowan C, Ireland J, Perkins E. Caring for the Older Horse: A Conceptual Model of Owner Decision Making. Animals. 2021; 11(5):1309. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051309
Chicago/Turabian StyleSmith, Rebecca, Gina Pinchbeck, Catherine McGowan, Joanne Ireland, and Elizabeth Perkins. 2021. "Caring for the Older Horse: A Conceptual Model of Owner Decision Making" Animals 11, no. 5: 1309. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051309
APA StyleSmith, R., Pinchbeck, G., McGowan, C., Ireland, J., & Perkins, E. (2021). Caring for the Older Horse: A Conceptual Model of Owner Decision Making. Animals, 11(5), 1309. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051309