If you can afford it, I'd give the mare a chance. If she's still lame or her condition has worsened over a few months time, then euthing might be the best way to go. What is the rest of her like? You say that if she was broke, you'd be all for keeping her, so there must be other things going for her. It sounds like there's an old injury there that she's been compensating for for so long that she doesn't travel normally anymore. Did the vet say how much (or little) pain he thinks she's in?

At the riding school we had a mare who was rescued as a preggo bag of bones with a broken hip. She healed with TLC and time. Her hips are very uneven and wonky looking, but she's sound.

...............CherryHorse Blog..................