Getting rid of a basically useless horse.

[OverandOnward]

The fairy tales of taking on the impossible horse, and turning him to a star citizen, maybe a blue-ribbon winner, are for the young adult books.

This horse desperately needs the right home, and OP has a heart of gold to try to help him find one. It needs to be a home that is ok if he doesn’t have the fairy tale ending. If there just isn’t anyone who has the right skills to put him on the right path to be a happy worker. A home that will care for and treasure him even if he’s just a pasture ornament for the next decade or so, maybe an expensive one.

I pray this horse finds that home. With the OP’s help he certainly has a better chance than if everyone gave up on him. But if it ends in euthanasia, I can support that, just out of a realistic assessment of his chances in the world as it is today. There are not enough homes for pasture ornaments. And even fewer people who have the skills, perseverance and wisdom this horse needs to actually correct his problems. It could be very expensive and time-consuming because he very probably does have physical issues affecting his behavior that have to be corrected before he can be a reliable riding horse.

Hope we get to hear the ending someday. Best of luck to this horse!

[CindyCRNA]

I own this horse. He is a 17 hand Holsteiner who is strong, pushy with a buck. He came to me this way but we are bonded and I’m making it work as I realize nothing good would happen to him in his next home. I am fortunate enough to be able to keep him.

[Equkelly]

I think it’s pointless to argue about where the horse’s issues came from. Bottom line is that he’s not the right horse for the owner. And there are horses that are sadly not the right horse for almost anyone but I don’t think it sounds like this is one of those horses. MOST horses have some degree of issues whether it be soundness issues or training issues or health issues or just athletic issues. This is why it’s important that horses can find their right person.

Personally, I think there are plenty of people that would take in a middle aged warmblood with a little bit of baggage. IMO training issues can be a lot easier to work on than soundness issues if you know what you’re doing. I think the vibe in this thread is that if he can’t be a perfect, model citizen he should be euth’d or sent to slaughter. To be honest, if we were talking about a backyardigan cross with some training issues… yea those might sadly be your options. But we’re talking about a warmblood. Warmbloods tend to attract a more experienced crowd and I know plenty of people in that crowd that would take a chance on a horse like this.

[findeight]

Have to disagree there are “ plenty of people who would take a middle aged WB with baggage”. Not around here. And not now.

Oh, there’s people who say they would, from afar, but they aren’t hitching the trailer to come get him.

OP has contacts in her area, and a big heart but it’s still going to be difficult. Hopefully the farrier can find him something.

[Beck]

A gelding is what he is. Bloodlines do not guarantee anything. They certainly do not trump “bad heaves”. I wish the OP luck but have to be realistic about the prospects.

[DarkBayUnicorn]

I think it’s also important to be cognizant of the fact that some markets are about to be flooded with free, cheap or priced-well-below-value horses as the economic impacts of Covid-19 start to really hit hard. Barns will close. Lesson programs will fold up. Horse owners will have to sell out. Breeders will liquidate.

People looking for a nice hack or low-level all 'rounder are going to have their pick of sound, sane, well-schooled horses.

People looking for a companion horse will have their pick of school horses who’ve earned a decent retirement, possibly even the ones they learned to ride on.

People looking for projects will find more talent and training available in their price range than before.

It’s going to be extremely hard to rehome a middle-aged, heave-y, green horse with a buck that can’t be ridden indoors (making it unrideable for 50% of the year in Alberta unless you like being really cold).

[Marshfield]

Upside is that he seems to be essentially sound. If you mentioned age, I missed it. You may be able to find a Pony Club kid with a sticky seat and skills for a project horse. I’d also at least let the gelding’s breeder and any other prior owners know that he’s looking for a home. Euthanasia is far from the worst fate, but if consistent work is the biggest thing you think the gelding needs, you might find a home for him

[CHT]

I am hoping the farrier will want to try him. I trust her to just give him back if it doesn’t work out and to not dump him…I have known her for years. She will take a closer look at him next week when she is out.

[Donella]

What kind of “professional” in this day and age would suggest to their client that they need to “slaughter” their horse?? Like seriously? Makes me ill reading this post.

[PaulaM]

If the horse is truly “useless” than the kindest thing to do is euthanize him, not ship him down the road to god knows what… I have rehomed 3 horses in my life. The first one I gave away as a pasture ornament when she was 4. I was very lucky and she ended up in a great home for the 3 months she was there… she ended up with a torsion colic and had to be euthanized.

the 2nd I gave to a friend, a dressage trainer in fact, who ended up after asking my permission, gave him to one of her students as a hubby horse, with an understanding that if for whatever reason they no longer needed or wanted him, I was to be contacted. Well, after a couple years of having him, they didn’t want him any more and didn’t follow through with the promised to contact me. instead they sent him to a horse dealer who is known to send horses to Fort MacLeod… thankfully a lesson barn bought him and eventually listed him for sale which is the only reason I found out…

the 3rd went to his retirement home with the same stipulations as horse #2 but his retirement home did contact me and he is now with one of my good friends and truly enjoying his retirement. He goes on trail rides with the family and does a fantastic job babysitting their weanlings.

my current horse well we have been battling injury after injury for going on 3 years and guess what?? She’s mine and will be until the day she has to cross over the rainbow bridge. I’m hoping for sure that I am able to rehab her back and I have faith that it will happen.

on and last June I was laid off from my job and even with that, found ways to pay for her medical treatment, her board and everything else she required. It took me until November to locate new employment and even with the situation being what it is here in Alberta, there is financial help available to everyone. And retirement farms offering great support to the horse community. If she cannot or won’t euthanize him than she needs to look into those options. Check out Wachter Horses on FB…

[kiwichick]

Sounds to me like the horse just needs a job and some life experience.
ridden twice a week and sounds like its always had scared riders, what does one expect.

Give it 3 months hard work and get it doing something with confidence, be a completely different animal I bet.

[AnastasiaBeaverhousen]

OP I admire your efforts to help the owner out. And stepping in where the people around her took advantage of her and then kicked her to the curb.

It is to your credit and hers that you are trying to find him a local home instead of sending him to auction, or so far away you cant keep track of him.

The main thing I see here is that the owner is not interested in riding this horse any more and needs to get out from under the board bill.

It is the owners responsibility to either sell the horse find a suitable non riding home. or give him a humane end.

As long as you are both obdurate about keeping the horse local, you probably arent going to get any takers.

It sounds like the owner doesn’t want to try to sell the horse to make money or break even. She just wants to get out from under the board bill.

If a vet report confirms that he is sound enough to be ridden and shown ,then she can place ad with full disclosure of why she’s selling.

If he isnt sound and needs a non riding home then have her post him in the Giveaways forum. Again full disclosure. Or put notices up in tack shops, feed stores, vet offices.

I know she wants to keep tabs on him , but that may not be possible. It is the reality that every horse owner faces.

I am a little more sanguine about the future than some. Ive seen recent threads on COTH where posters are actively looking for horses to buy as soon as they can.

And US posters who are looking to import and find Canada an attractive option.

I think it’s the time crunch that is making people somewhat pessimistic.

OP Can you sit down with your boarder and maybe negotiate some kind of agreement where you lower the price in of your board in exchange for labor?

I dont know your set up , and if you have barn workers or you do it yourself.
Since she cant go to school anyway, can you hire her and pay her a wage? X dollars an hour and then put that toward her board?

Are you set up to do pasture board? Can you put her horse on pasture board until a new home is found?

You are under no obligation to do these things but if its feasible and not too onerous it may be a way to buy the owner some time.

Good luck.

[CHT]

@Donella

What kind of “professional” in this day and age would suggest to their client that they need to “slaughter” their horse?? Like seriously? Makes me ill reading this post.

Which professional suggested slaughter? I haven’t read anyone suggest that. I certainly did not. It is not my fault people don’t know what “rendering” means.

Still hoping our farrier wants him, but that is a couple weeks until she comes out.

@AnastasiaBeaverhousen we don’t have many hours for staff (everything takes less than 4 hours a day), and we have two more experienced people that lost their jobs due to Covid that are on the top of the list for helping to afford board. The owner doesn’t so much care about keeping track of him, as she is trying to ensure he isn’t just slaughtered by sending him off into the unknown to someone who has no attachment/responsibility to him. he is already on outside board. We don’t have pasture board: right now pasture is under two feet of ice covered snow anyway.

There is no time crunch. Just looking for ideas so she can come to terms with parting ways with this horse (she brought it up, but is struggling with the idea).

[AnastasiaBeaverhousen]

Understood OP. Not faulting you at all. It is a very rough time right now for a lot of people.
I applaud you for everything you do to help your boarders.

I do feel for this owner though. It is a reality that all horse owners have to face. You may have to make hard choices where you dont get many options.
Opting out is not one of them.

[OverandOnward]

@Donella

What kind of “professional” in this day and age would suggest to their client that they need to “slaughter” their horse?? Like seriously? Makes me ill reading this post.

Read the thread. That is not what was said, but a number of people misinterpreted the OP’s first post.

[SuzieQNutter]

@CHT

Which professional suggested slaughter? I haven’t read anyone suggest that. I certainly did not. It is not my fault people don’t know what “rendering” means.

What does rendering mean to you?

In Australia:- the process of preparing or treating the bodies of dead animals in order to take out the fat and other substances that can be used in other products.

Also see the rendering of beef products and a rendering plant. Plant not meaning something that grows in the ground.

[Momateur]

I may have missed this in the four pages of responses, but how many horses has this owner had? To me, she sounds like somebody who is possibly on her first horse. If she’s going to stick with it, these sorts of predicaments are going to come up. Kudos to you for holding her hand through it. I bet she’s more grateful than you know. She’s sadly learning the hard way that buying a horse without professional guidance can end quite badly. We’ve all seen it.

Three things:

1. This owner sounds committed to me. If she is, she might gather up her pennies and have the vet really look at the horse closely. As stated by a previous poster, SI issues and ulcers would be really suspect to me. Even if the owner doesn’t want to keep him, you could potentially address any physical problems and have a much more marketable horse.

2. She might give the horse one final shot by sending him to a “cowboy.” Now before everyone jumps on me, I certainly don’t advocate for the ones who tie the horse to a tree for three days. I’m talking about a capable trainer who specializes in problem horses. My gelding is currently in training with one and making progress (although his issues are mostly on the ground).

3. A few months ago, on one of those Facebook horse sale groups (sadly quickly disappearing), somebody posted the following: “Any professionals want a registered WB prospect for cheap?” There were no pictures, videos, or other details. You wouldn’t believe the amount of responses. So I think the interest in a horse like this could be out there. You could at least try. I realize that 99% of those could be tire kickers and overconfident amateurs, but it’s one more idea to try.

All that said, if I’m way off base and the horse is truly useless…I do NOT think euthanasia is cruel. I don’t think death is cruel at all. I only think suffering is cruel, and clearly you and the owner are not going to allow that. Maybe what you need to do is just clearly lay out the options, and support the owner in whichever she chooses.

OP, thank you for being a responsible horse person and a caring pro. Clearly you are wrestling with this, for everyone’s sake. That is a testament to your character. P.S. I had no idea what “rendering” meant until today :).

[kande04]

I haven’t read it all, but has the owner considered sticking with this horse and modifying her own goals? This horse may have a lot to teach her about how to deal with difficult horses and how to stay safe while dealing with them, and instead of blaming the horse maybe she’ll find out that it’s more about her own expectations than the horse’s limitations?

[findeight]

Unfortunately, young owner is scared of the horse and now unemployed so sticking with horse over time is not an option. Hopefully she was able to pay this months board.

Farrier might have some ideas but as a near giveaway, not for training. One positive is the grass will be coming up in another month followed by lower hay prices. Much better time to try to find him a home then going into winter on the Canadian prairie.

On the rendering definition- think of it as recycling all useable parts of the recently deceased. Just about all of the carcass is reusable. Lot of vets around here are referring to it as recycling the remains. If you think about it, its not a bad way to go. Burial requires a plot of land, where its permitted, and an excavator, pet cemeteries are expensive. Can be a responsible choice after putting one down. In a way, they are still around and useful.

[Rowdy]

Help this owner find a new home for the horse, preferably a home with a firm but fair trainer. I was once a green owner and I bought a green horse. Yes, it was a disaster, but the disaster happened quickly and resulted in two broken ribs and a concussion. I didn’t want to give up on this horse because I shouldn’t have been on him in the first place. I hired a trainer for 3 months to educate him. She only got so far and canter remained an issue for him. His go to panic behavior was bolting. I did put in the time to learn how to help this horse myself (I highly recommend About Horses by Andrew McLean). He basically had PTSD and with a lot of time getting him through up and down transitions on the lunge, he got over his panic. He was still a spooky fellow, so I exposed both of us to plenty of scary situations. Five years later when he was 11 I free leased this horse to a friend with a lesson program. She knew his history and said, “well, we’ll give him a try, but I can’t make any promises.” Ten years later, he has many, many fans, both young and old. My friend has put both of her small children on him without hesitation. Help the NB find a trainer who is looking for a project. Then tell her that if she’s not willing to put a lot of work in on her own, she shouldn’t do more than 1/2 lease someone else’s horse. It’s a commitment. We owe it to the horses to do our very best if we’re going to be in their lives.