navicular

["Ann Blankenship" <annb@foothill.net>]

I had one with Navicular too.   My  very favorite horse of all time:  1/4
Quarter, 1/4 Thoroughbred, 1/2 Arab.  She was just really coming into
herself at age 6 or 7 when she was diagnosed with Navicular.  Put her in
Sneakers which helped for a couple of years.  When I couldn't keep her pain
free anymore, I made a tough decision.  This mare was chock full of life and
personality and energy and intelligenace and curiosity and...   well, you
can see that I loved her.   I would NEVER have sold her, I'd have shot her
myself first.  What I did was donate her to the UCD equine research center
where they used her for embryo implant projects.  She lived in a huge
pasture with lots of buddies for about 6 years at which time they used her
in a terminal study.  I felt OK about this because at least I knew that her
death had been meaningful, sort of like organ donation.  Some may disagree
but we all have to live with ourselves.

What'd you decide to do Kristi?