Would you consider severe ringbone a justifiable reason to have one put down?

I retired my college goat/breakaway mare at the end of 2017 and she has been a well-fed, fat & sassy pasture pet ever since.  She's had rinbone since 2013/2014, but the last 6-8 months we've noticed it giving her more and more trouble.  At 23 she still carries healthy weight and looks as good as you could ask for her age, but it's obvious she's hurting.  We have not had x-rays taken, but it is in both fronts and at this point I would call it a severe case.  This mare owes me NOTHING, and I've had every intetnion of her living out her days with us, but I have a hard time justifying throwing a ton of (essentially experimental) money at one with that kind of age when we know she will never be rode let alone used again.  But it kills me to see her gimp every time she takes a step....

Is it too soon to consider?  Am I being selfish for considering??  Is there anything PRACTICAL you can do to manage pain??  

Have you tried Equioxx? I gave that to mine and it helped for a lot of years.

I second Equioxx if you haven't tried that. Or even Osphos, I've known several people to only have to do the injection once a year to keep one pasture/light riding sound. Might not hurt to just try. I have a 27 year old that hasn't been used since he was 13 and he still gets chiro/massage/hock injections/PHT days/Exceed 6 way/GastroPlex/ etc just to be comfortable so I guess I'm more on the willing side to throw some money on the useless ones lol. He was my first horse though so he's a little different. Pay $400 a month in board/feed on him too

it is always a hard decision to make. I look at the quality of life, what needs to be done to keep the animal comfortable, what I can afford and any other options. I had to put down a 13 year old gelding because he was in so much pain from a coffin bone fracture, it was not tolerable for him. And the vets said there wasn't much hope. so I feel for you. you will know what you need to do... usually you just know.

I'm in the same boat. 19 year old severe ring bone one front and he has bad lungs also. I have been contemplating putting him down for two years but then I look at him and it just doesn't feel like time. I think you'll know when she is ready to go.

I had to make the decision to put my gelding down last winter. He was 15 years old and had a severe case of high ringbone in his right front pastern. I injected his pastern joint once with very good success. I also tried Equioxx with him with no success. Towards the end he was living on 2 grams of bute a day and that did not help at all with his pain. I really truly knew that he was ready to go and I didn't want him to be in pain anymore. I spent a year trying to get him pasture sound so he could live out his days in the pasture, There were no options left with pain management with him. I did try osphos with no success on him but I have heard many people that have had great luck with it. 
I highly recommend you taking a few x-rays and going from there. I understand you don't want to spend thousands but like I said I had really good luck injecting his pastern joint the first time. 

I put my navicular mare down at 16. We did everything, special shoes, injections, bute, the surgery to nerve her. She was sound after the surgery but I'll never forget the day she ran from me in the pasture and stopped super hard on her front end. She was unsound for 6 months from that day forward. I couldn't stand watching her gimp around the pasture anymore so we put her down. She had broken her navicular bone and there was no healing it. I don't regret it at all, I'm actually glad we did it. 

Does the fact that you know for 100% fact that the horse will never be used (or even likely riden) again no matter how sound you get them - simply due to age - affect the amount effort (time and financial) you put in to getting one sound??

I received this mare as a weanling 23 years ago so she's pretty special to me, but at some point I feel like you have to not only consider their quality of life, but the financial reality of these individuals as well....

yes i think it does.  And i can say that in my heart if i have given the horse a good life I wouldnt want to show it any other courtsey than a humane death. 

Another thing to consider is horses can hide pain very well until it gets bad they cant hide.  I feel you! 

God Bless You & Your Horse. All I know to suggest is pray. God & your horse will let you know when it is time. I have been through so many decisions like this. God & my horses always let me know that it was time to let go. May God give you guideness & peace with your decision 

Just want to send prayers to you during this time--the decision is very personal and I feel you'll know when the time is right.  Lord knows it's never easy. . . 

We had mare that we put down last fall, she was 17 yrs old. She hadn't been ridden in 10 years, wasn't sound on her front hooves. She was pasture ornament, very pretty to look at. We did breed her one time and got a well built filly out of her.  She would have good and bad days getting around. It finally came down to pasture space and enough hay to get through winter.  I wasn't going to send her auction to end up on a kill truck or give her and hope that she isn't missed treated.  It was hard to make the call but I don't regret putting her down.