Great.. help, please?

There's honestly nothing you can do. You could offer to buy the horse or take her for free but even that probably is a horrible investment since you have no idea what's wrong. There IS the possibility that what is wrong needs surgery or something and that the best option was to put her down, there's no way to know. I know you don't want to hear this, but it's best not to get so attached to a horse so quickly, especially if you know it's only temporary. Cold hose her knee for 10 minutes once or twice a day (yes COLD hose, be sure to dry her off well afterward), pray for her, and hope that there's some improvement between now and the next 2 weeks and if there is ask for some more time. That's really all you can do. Good luck.

Has she been evaluated by a licensed equine veterinarian? If xrays have not been taken then you have not done everything for this mare. If the vet has taken xrays or can tell that a bone is broken and cannot be healed then I could see putting her down. Otherwise you need to calmly ask the owners if they can get a vet out for the horse. 7 weeks of pain is excessive. However, it is not your decision to keep the horse alive. It is the owners'. Unless you can afford to buy the horse and pay off the vet bills you have no legal say in this matter. I'm sorry. It's a shame that the owners are too selfish to get proper vet care done. Either that or too selfish to put her out of misery when the diagnosis was given. If the vet has said that nothing can be done, wouldn't you rather she be out of pain?

Legally, nothing. They have had her seen and came to the conclusion that she should be put to sleep. You may be able to have her taken from them, she has been in pain for 7 weeks and that is a form of neglect and cruelty. She should either have been euthed when this first happened or medicacted when it first happened. They failed to do that, so an animal rescue may be able to take her from them.

I know what you're going through. A few weeks ago I had finished breaking in a gelding - he was perfect for me. The most mellow, well-behaved young man I could imagine. I loved him, I wanted to keep him - he was some calm and comfortable to ride. Anyway, I gave him back to the owner. The owner got on him and the horse didn't do anything. He wouldn't move, turn or back. He was like a completely different horse. Later that night the owner called up a man and told him to shoot the horse because he couldn't ride it. I was devastated, I really cared about that horse and I begged and pleaded to buy it from him - I knew he was a good horse. Anyway, the owner gave him to me. When he was picked up, it looked like he had been battered about. I have been riding him just about everyday since then and he is very happy here. He's well behaved and I don't think the owner knows what a little time and patience could have done for him, but his loss was my gain - and I'm happy to have him.

The only thing I could think for you to do is what I did - take the horse. They have no legal obligation to sell her to you, but if you're convinced that the horse doesn't NEED to be put down, then ask them if you could take her off their hands - saves them paying for the bills to have her euthed and you get a nice new horse. It will cost you money, but if you have it then that's one option for you. Otherwise there really isn't anything you could do. I know what you're feeling right now, but it's not your fault at all. Any horse can fall, sometimes they are bad, sometimes the horse is fine - it's got NOTHING to do with the fact that you were riding her. I felt that it was my fault COMPLETELY when the owner of my horse said he needed to be shot because he couldn't ride him. After all, I had trained him - I made him what he was. So I thought surely it was my fault, but now I realise it wasn't at all. He's fine when I ride him, near perfect. It's not your fault that these people want the horse euthed - that's all their choice. The horse COULD be saved if they wanted to, but they don't. You just had the misfortune to be riding the horse when this happened, but I like to think that everything happens for a reason - who knows, you may have a new horse because of this and she may have an owner who ACTUALLY cares about her.

Please call your local humane society, large animal protection society, or Animal Control. Letting a horse suffer for 7 weeks in what is probably an enormous amount of pain with no veterinary treatment is tantamount to animal abuse, and the owners can be fined or arrested for neglect or cruelty- this depends on the laws where you live.

Also, you may want to alert local horse rescues that might be able to help rehabilitate her. A young, otherwise healthy horse that may only need rehabilitation from an injury is a good candidate for adoption, and they can at least make her comfortable and get her properly treated.

Please ask your vet for advise or call your local humane shelter.