I think it has to be an individual decision and we need to respect
that, what one of us does may not be feasible or reasonable for some
one else and there is nothing wrong with letting an old friend go
when
it's time.
I have 2 horses, my younger one has had many injuries and bares it
with good humor and a forgiving nature, she's had to be confined and
isolated, has been in intensive care, had indured pain and fights
hard
to live, twice I was told she'd not survive and twice she became
sound
and rideable. My old cushings horse would rather be dead than go in
a
stall, the handful of times in 18 years she could not be in a pasture
with a buddy she went nuts. If this horse foundered badly I would
put
her down rather than have her go through the pain, isolation and
limitations of living with laminitis, she has always lived on her
terms, to tell the truth I love her more than any of my other animals
but she'd be the first I would put down if she couldn't live out 24/7
with other horses in a pasture of grass. I really think she wouldn't
do it, she's knocked down stall walls, jumped fences, once actually
got down on her knees and crawled under a fence and she's unlocked
gates and escaped, I can usually find her in a hay or corn field.
She's 30+ and other than the cushings a sound healthy horse that is
still a handful to ride and just a pip to watch in the field, she's
always busy and moving. If she couldn't move I think she'd hate it,
while the other horse could stand in one spot all day just
contemplating and waiting for the next meal. That's really why I
started her on meds, I quess to help her stay like she is for a while
longer. Lord knows she's lived a very long healthy life, so any time
that she's ready to go, I'll help her.
Linda