I have been seeing several posts on Facebook of people with their beloved horses finding out that they are chronically lame and offering them for free to a good home. What I don’t understand is why they think someone else will take their beloved horse and give it a wonderful retirement home, when the beloved owner does not want to do this.
Taking care of a horse is very expensive. And taking care of a lame horse is often very sad for the owner and dissatisfying. Why do people think that someone else will want to take over that burden? They have no emotional attachment to this horse. And the sad reality is that often they end up at auctions pretty quickly after being given away. There are many people who prey on the owners promising a good home only to make a quick buck at the auction a week or two later. Why are people falling for this time and time again?
I saw one advertisement with the owner offering her horse his blankets when she gives it away after 10 years of ownership. When people told her that the reality is that the horse will probably end up at auction and that she should retire it herself, she said “this horse needs a job as a babysitter.” What this horse really is, is a pasture puff. And she stubbornly kept posting he needs a job, not retirement. But basically that is all he is good for. Retirement since his back will never hold another rider again.
And then there was another one that had mushy navicular bones. But she wanted to give it away for walk riding.
I am just sad for the owners to be so naive that they think these horses will get a good end. And I am very sad for the horses, because they are most likely starting a journey from a cushy life, to a very sad end.
And I really think it’s selfish for some of these people to try to dump their horses on rescues. Why should a rescue take care of your problem? It is your responsibility to do the right thing. End the horse’s life if you financially do not want the burden.
If you own a lame horse, the reality is you either pay for their retirement or you should put the horse down. It’s much kinder to make sure the horse is cared for to the end, than extending the life of the horse for a few more months only to have it suffer horribly in the end.
If it hurts enough horse can’t be used, he needs to be put down. Meds cost money, horse is a burden now even if “beloved”. I agree they are dumping the burden and stupid in thinking horse will end in a good place. Costs the same to feed, vaccinate, keep trimmed as a usable horse does.
Better to put him down than dump him on the ignorant and end up suffering for it.
Again if he is limping, visible pain, with no attention in meds, shots, they need to let him go. He is showing that he hurts, enduring that to get around all the time. Nice pasture, herd mates don’t fix his pain. Owner judging how MUCH horse hurts while getting around is blinding themselves to the truth of the situation. Lame is lame, a sign of pain. You don’t ride him now BECAUSE he shows pain by being lame!
Horses deal with their reality of pain, still “get around” but it is not pretty or kind if owner REALLY cares that much about their steed. The animal comes first in choosing his best interests and letting him go, instead of keeping him or passing horse and issues off to others.
The ones I love are those who demand a “Forever Home” for their horse when they obviously aren’t willing to provide one.
[QUOTE=red mares;8997914]
The ones I love are those who demand a “Forever Home” for their horse when they obviously aren’t willing to provide one.[/QUOTE]
Yes it is really starting to annoy me! The one girl was insistent that her horse have a job as a babysitter. She would retire him but he needed a job. And she was willing to give his blankets with the horse! Are you kidding? A job as a lame hay burner?
I think of the pictures from a rescue that show all the halters piled in a big pile because they will never need a halter again. they are headed to a big rig to be shipped and processed at a slaughter plant. This girls blankets will end up on the pile or on ebay for the “new owner” to make another quick buck!
I can’t stand the ads where the long time owner is looking for a “forever home” for their ~20 something horse.
Why aren’t THEY the forever home??? Those are the WTF ads.
I think there is a lot of wishful thinking that homes actually exist for unsound pasture puff only/babysitter horses. It is a common approach not just with horses but with modern life - make your problem someone else’s problem.
At this time, it is much more socially acceptable to say that you re-homed a horse than to say that you put it down because it was no longer useful to you as a riding/using horse. Vets also have ethical guidelines around determining when euthanasia is indicated, and horses that are pasture sound with decent health otherwise typically don’t qualify under those guidelines.
So, so many people get into horse ownership who don’t have the means to keep a horse until the natural end of life or until it is clearly within guidelines for euthanasia. And so, so many horses are bred that really shouldn’t be. And there is quite a wide disconnect between the folks who think of horse’s as livestock and more or less disposable vs those who think the lives of all animals are worth preserving as long as possible.
At some time in the not too distant future, something has got to give…
These ads always make me heartsick 
I’ve been involved in a TB rescue that looked for these kind of ads, we combined resources/abilities to save them and place them. It helps, but there is always more need than help/homes.
IME there are 3 kinds of people who place these ads:
1 - people who truly don’t care, for whom the horse is solely a business product - or who have have managed to stick their heads in the sand and convince themselves surely someone else will take care of this problem of an old/lame horse, they can’t be bothered to worry about it. Nothing to be done about them. I ignore/unfriend/avoid once they show their colors.
2 - people who truly don’t realize they are putting the horse at great risk, who think there are lots of good homes out there, and lots of people who would like to have a retired horse to pet, etc. Sometimes you can educate this type. send them links to statistics on the odds of a good home for life once horse leaves their control, and tactfully as possible inform them of the horror that awaits once a horse slips through the cracks. I’ve seen a few people, usually fairly new to horses, come to understand the situation once it was pointed out to them.
3 - truly desperate people, who in spite of good plans have fallen into hard times and need to get an unsalable horse off their feed bill asap. these people will usually be willing to euth but put the ad out as a last hope that they might get lucky enough to find a home. I’ll always try to help these people with placement. It’s the place we all swear we’ll never be, but this world and our lives are not entirely predictable.
So, when I see an ad like you describe, I try to categorize the people posting it, and act accordingly!
Same type people give away dogs who end up at pounds being confused and afraid and killed.
People don’t want to pay for old lame horses and don’t want to be responsible and put them down themselves so they give away and the horses go, scared and confused and then slung up by a hind leg and given the bolt gun and had their throats slashed at slaughterhouse.
People are inhumane.
Some people do want horses to just look at in the pasture, but they are few and far between.
I just had my 8 year old diagnosed with kissing spine, and I retired him. Honestly, I have a lot of “horsie friends”, and I’ve mentioned if they do want a babysitter, he is available, but I do want to retain ownership to make final calls. It looks like I am stuck with a horse for 20 years I can’t ride, that loves life, has tons of energy, isn’t lame, gorgeous to look at and funny to watch and play with.
My old horses, whom I kept even when unsound, are all buried at home. No passing the buck.
There was recently a local ad on facebook for a 30 year old that was unsound but “great for the grandkids to pony ride”. The owners “needed to make room” for more horses. It made my blood boil. The only unsound horses that I’ll have are my own.
While I don’t think that passing the buck is fair, I do know situations where a horse that wasn’t working for someone (e.g. lame, or not discipline or personality suited) was perfect for someone else. So, it can work but I think an owner needs to be extremely careful in their selection.
Well hang on…are we talking lame, or old? I think there is a difference.
Old horse being given away to “forever home” isn’t fair IMO. Horse is old, theoretically doesn’t have much time left on this world. Deserves to stay at current home or be euth’d with dignity.
Unsound horse doesn’t always mean that owner is unloving and irresponsible. I was recently in this situation. While I committed to keeping my unsound mare IF good home wasnt found…I did put feelers out to give her away. Because I could not afford to keep her AND get a sound rideable horse. I wasnt going to dump her off on someone, but if the perfect situation came along, maybe someone needing a pasturemate or an older horse-lover that had no desire to ride…I would have let her go.
Part of why some think they can find new homes as giveaways is they get told “Oh no, don’t do that, you can just give him away as a pasture puff” when they ask what to do with an unuseable horse in the Internet. Including on COTH.
In reality, got to be 100 to 1 against finding a real home for them. More likely get those who will haul it to an auction just for the few bucks it will bring it, worse, hoarders who will keep it forever…which would be until it starves to death.
The real world can be a harsh place, not My Pretty Ponyland reality sucks but more owners, especially novices, need to learn the truth and plan for it. But it will snow in Cancun first.
[QUOTE=toady123;8998036]
While I don’t think that passing the buck is fair, I do know situations where a horse that wasn’t working for someone (e.g. lame, or not discipline or personality suited) was perfect for someone else. So, it can work but I think an owner needs to be extremely careful in their selection.[/QUOTE]
I don’t have a problem with someone selling a horse. I have a problem with someone who’s selling a horse being adamant that the person who is buying their horse can’t sell it. Really drives me up the wall if it’s an older, retired type horse, usually with something about how they “wuv this old horse but…”.
Mine (not really beloved) just sold a few months ago. If she doesn’t work out for the guy then he is free to do with her what he wants.
Why would anyone want an unsound horse? There are thousands of companion horses out there that are being given away that are perfectly sound. Some are older, some might be un-broke broodmares ets…there are also tons of adoptable mustangs that are near-free.
I just don’t understand what makes someone think that anyone else will want their unsound horse…
My favorite are the “rehoming” fees.
Yet another reason I’m glad I’m not on Facebook…
While I agree that there are a lot of less than desirable give away ads on Facebook (or Craigslist…YIKES), I think part of the problem too is that people are so black and white about what is “acceptable” in situations when the truth is situations can be unique and different. There are people who think it is ALWAYS the wrong thing to not prolong the horse’s life as long as possible, who think it’s ALWAYS wrong to sell a horse, who think it’s ALWAYS wrong to give up any type of animal really. In actuality there are lots of shades of gray.
I agree that the internet is full of scary and anger inducing ads, but I sometimes feel that the actions people take with regard to their animals are because they fear judgement from others or want to feel like they are doing the right thing (even if it ends up being an unwise choice). It depends on the person, of course…the poster above with the three categories probably has it about right.
I think people who insist that the horse find a forever home (even though they aren’t providing one)or insist that whoever buys their horse cannot sell it are doing that because they don’t want to be judged by animal owners who believe in never selling animals and because of the prevalent culture of animals are part of the family/till death do us part kind of thing.
Even this forum has plenty of giveaways that are unsound. Some are training related, attitude related and some are health issues, but the end result are the same.
The owner is wanting to get rid of the horse because they can’t /or/ won’t do what needs doing. If they can unload it so much the better.
