When it’s time to give up.
I’ve spoken to some owners who feel that having to manage a horse’s grazing time is too much bother, and they choose to put the horses down if full time pasture causes them to suffer. Or some will just continue to let them suffer on pasture. Horses are far too cheap to buy in my area. Many inexperienced people buy horses who do not know how to feed them properly, and don't realize that the pasture is the cause. . Others want to be heros, and save a horse's life, yet do not have the knowledge or resources to care for it properly. Give some thought to whether you are taking on the responsibility of managing a chronically laminitic horse for your own needs, or for the horse.
Even for those of us who want to do all we can, we must realize that managing a horse with chronic laminitis or founder can be time consuming, expensive, and emotionally intensive. Corrective shoeing or frequent trimming is required to keep the horse sound, and expensive medication and frequent veterinary visits may be necessary. Good intentions are not enough. Considerations of quality of life must be weighed against length of life. Managing a horse with chronic laminitis is for expert horseperson's with proper facilities, free time, and disposable income or a good line of credit. If you cannot provide proper care and management, it is my opinion that you should not try to keep the horse. If the horse might be useful if managed properly, I implore you to consider giving the animal away to someone who has the knowledge, time, financial resources, and is willing to take the necessary measures to reduce the horse's suffering. If a chronically laminitic equine is not useful, and you do not have the means to take care of it properly, please consider humane euthanasia. Even those of us that have done everything within our power to manage our horses condition sometimes have to face the fact that there just is no way within our means to end their suffering, other than merciful intervention.
