27/08/2026
*Trigger warning* Post discusses horse distress and euthanasia.
On Saturday morning, not long after I arrived at work I had a call from Ellie, the yard owner at Bustle's retirement home.
Bustle had been found on the ground, not able to get up and not really trying to either. She had clearly been there a while as there was hair on the ground where she had presumably been flailing around attempting to get up earlier on and it had rubbed off.
Obviously I burst into tears once off the phone and my husband asked if everything was ok (apologies to any parents at the Grove Martial Arts kids classes who wondered why I was crying. I did try to put on a cheerful face for the juniors).
I was so worried, thinking that was it, she wouldn't be able to get up and I would have to hope she was calm enough and not in pain so that they might be able to wait for me to drive to see her before she had to be put down. (It's about a 60 mile drive).
Ellie zoomed back from Pony Club camp to help try to get her up and I think it took 3 of them but they managed to do it. Thank goodness for the stubbornness and strength of horsey women!
Bustle had a bucket of sloppy food to rehydrate her, the alternative was sedating her and tube feeding her. I can only imagine the level of disdain she would show towards the human that did it, had that happened!
She was given painkillers and anti inflammatories via injection and put in a paddock with a friend (rather than left to roam the fields with the herd). I went to see her a few hours later and she was very tired but content. I know she wasn't 100% because she only made 1 half hearted dinosaur noise of annoyance at me, she let me fuss and stroke her more than usual too and obviously still demanded b**b and belly scratches but was not QUITE as rude about it as she normally is.
The vet is pretty sure it's more WHEN will this happen again rather than IF it might, her arthritis has obviously progressed despite trying everything to delay it's progress and she has lost strength in her hind end. The vet's biggest concern is that if she can't get down and back up again then Bustle isn't sleeping properly and will be exhausted. She suggested that a way to manage it might be for Bustle to live in a cow barn type set up over winter but
1)Bustle would not enjoy that, she likes to be move with the herd, she gets very stressed when she is contained these days, almost 6 years of freedom will do that to you!
2) Being confined would speed up the progression of her arthritis. She would then go out in the spring more sore, more stiff and more vulnerable to a fall.
3) Even if she would be happy with that set up, the yard she is at doesn't have that facility (well they do but it's used for actual cows) so that would mean a stressful move to a new home at 31 years old. Trying to find somewhere that has humans as kind and lovely as Ellie and Harriet are is basically impossible! It would take it's toll on her mentally and I'm not sure she'd manage the travel now either. She always used to like the partition removed so she could stand in a wide stance to balance, I don't know that her old legs would stand up to it now even with that adaptation.
She has seemed fine since, basically demanded to be let back out with all her mates and Harriet even said she has seen her trotting about today (probably pleased she can do her best hippo impression now there has been rain!) But she was fine before Saturday too so it's hard to know what to make of it all.
I need to chat to Ellie as she knows her so well now and helps owners make this decision often but, I might have to face every old horse owner's worst fear and let Bus go before the worst weather comes. It is a horrible thought but thinking of her fallen down in the mud, upset and not able to get up is so much worse.
