I have a semi sound retired 21 year old IR mare. She’s my responsibility until she is no longer with us or is a candidate for euth. Even though I may send her to a trusted retirement arrangement, I will foot the bill… which also means that I can’t afford another one. Such is life, and the love for a horse.
I was there the day she was born and I will be there for her until the day she dies.
I really wish these “loving owners” would realize there are worse fates than death. Take responsibility for your animal and do right by it.
It always amazes me that this is something people don’t have a plan for when they BUY horses. Chances are if you intend to keep a horse longer-term, you will be faced with (permanent) unsoundness at some point. Sure, there are a few stories of people who have owned their horses for 20 years “without taking one lame step” until horse one day drops dead in paddock or dies from colic, but realistically there will most likely be long periods where you’re just paying board/feed/farrier/vet bills and not riding.
That shouldn’t be a surprise. If you don’t want to deal with that, free lease a horse that you can return when it becomes unsound.
Anyone who wants his/her horse to have a forever home should plan on keeping it forever.
While I, too, worry about what happens to the unsound horses that are given away, it’s not always so cut and dry what the best solution is in these situations.
Many of the posters have suggested euthanasia, and if the horse is ancient or not even pasture sound, that’s most likely the best solution. But someone who chooses to euthanize an otherwise healthy 6-year-old that can’t be ridden or work for a living, but is basically pasture sound, because they can no longer afford to care for it is likely to be judged harshly by the internet animal warriors … and even more so if, god forbid, such a horse is euthanized by its owner and then they have the audacity to buy another horse that is sound and rideable. So unless they have the resources and desire to care for that horse for what will likely be another 15+ years, they really can’t win.
And what about horses that are, say, a bit old and arthritic to compete in the 3’ hunters, but are still up for a quiet trail ride a couple times a week with a little Bute? Is it okay to give those horses away if the homes are carefully assessed, or is that still “dumping” the horse?
Putting horses in the same “pet” category as dogs and cats is problematic, because unlike pets that are purely companions the majority of them are expected to do some degree of work, and they also live 2-3x as long as the average dog and cost MUCH more to maintain … and yet it seems that the same “Furever Home” concept is increasingly applied to horse owners. At the same time, the cost of keeping horses continues to rise, and fewer people have property where they can keep a retiree relatively inexpensively at home.
All that said, I don’t think it’s ok to dump a crippled horse on anyone that will take it … but in our current society people that end up with a young but unsound horse are often really in a lose-lose situation.
It kills me to see so many of an older couple can no longer afford the horse they have kept and never ridden in 18 years. “If no one takes it, they will take it to auction.” Horrible. it’s not the responsibility of the rest of the horse community to save your horse. Put it to sleep. We horse owners have enough stress without having a broken heart over the horses that no one seemed to ever ride, but all of a sudden bc it is November, they need to be rid of them immediately.
I am a much stronger proponent of euthanasia than I used to be. I’ve done my share of taking a horse with behavioral/training issues, putting time, vet care and bodywork in, and giving away to a home with full disclosure of what issues horse has worked through. But there were two that just were not ever going to be safe and sane to pass on to someone. Those two were buried.
Last year a trimming client asked me to help find a home for their old girl, as they were moving from a farm to the city. Had the euth talk, mare was 35. Didn’t like that suggestion, so they put her on Craigslist. Was pissed when I found that out; let them know she could end up on a truck to Mexico like that. The response: “I guess that could happen”
Boiled down to them wanting to pass off the cost to someone else.
[QUOTE=Hawkridge;8998073]
Why would anyone want an unsound horse? There are thousands of companion horses out there that are being given away that are perfectly sound.[/QUOTE]
There are retirement/pasture puff homes where soundness isn’t critical: the person who wants to pet and groom their horse but never ride it, some companion horse situations, potentially some therapy situations where riding is not involved, etc.
Someone with one of these homes might take an unsound horse over a sound one on the grounds that there are not that many non-riding homes to go around, and unsound horses are even less likely to find a home at all than sound horses, so they should help out the unsound one over the sound one and ensure this unsound horse, at least, gets a soft landing.
Others want to be able to say they rescued the ancient, crippled Dobbin from certain death and feed him/manage his lameness at great personal expense when his cruel and heartless owners wouldn’t step up, which makes a much better story than purchasing sound-as-a-dollar Bubba from their neighbor and taking him out for light trail rides every weekend.
When we moved across the country, I tried to give ourr old slightly foundered mini away. It became apparent that no one would offer the care he needed ( muzzled sometimes, meds sometimes) to keep him pain free.
We made the very painful decision to put him down, and I cant tell you how incredibly hard it was. We loved that plucky little guy but it was the kindest thing to do. I couldn’t stand the thought of him foundering repeatedly with no relief.
The problem is that most horse owners have NO real plan for their horses last years, when they are “past work”, as they used to say.
People want someone else to make the hard decision. So they scramble to dump this decision - or lack of decision - onto someone else. Anyone else. How people can be so hard and callous is beyond me - but too many are and it is sickening.
They just want to use up their toy and then dump it. Some have an unrealistic idea that when the horse is no longer useful to them, they will sell it on … as what? They have never thought that a horse that is past work is of no value, and no one will want to buy it.
“I’ll give him to the therapy center.” Right, the therapy center wants a lame horse who needs expensive treatment, and who really needs no work at all, just easy days at pasture.
And these days it is not easy to retire a horse. It’s hard to find pasture board at all. If found, it is likely to be far more costly than people want to pay for a horse they “aren’t using”. For years. Many people who do research the retirement idea don’t want to follow through.
It’s kind of like, “Grandmother is past work now. And her medications are expensive. So we will drop her off at the institutional workhouse. Bye-Bye Grandma!” Never to see Grandma again. And the workhouse doesn’t even want her, because she can’t work anymore, especially not without those medications.
The statistics on the real end-of-life fate of most horses would be rather horrifying, I think. Even show horses and racehorses who were valuable at one point in their lives, but who can’t even be given away in their final years.
Much, much better to euth a horse when their life will be a misery otherwise.
Groom&Taxi wrote
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…
Well said. So tragically true. (highlights added)
I don’t know what and how to make that give happen, but it needs to happen sooner rather than later.
"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. "
This is such a TERRIBLE MISTAKE being made every day by the veterinarians. I had this conversation with a vet, who had NO suggestion for the fact that the owner who wished to euthanize could NOT afford treatment for a chronically ill horse who was otherwise “pasture sound”. “Those illnesses can be treated.” But the illnesses would not be treated. The owner couldn’t afford to do it, and no one will buy a sick horse. The vet certainly wasn’t taking ownership or offering free meds and services. The horse was doomed to stand in pasture for years, sick and suffering, so long as a vet insisted it “can be treated”. Even though the owner was willing to ante up for the euthanasia as the last humane expense. That vet had zero sensitivity to the horse or the owner, just to their own un-schooled mantra. Fortunately the owner went euthanasia-shopping and found a compassionate vet. The old phrase “put him out of his misery” certainly applied.
Girl on Facebook
Hi.
I’m the gal who posted on Facebook described in the OP. For the record I posted an ad for my guy in the hopes that maybe I’d find him a retirement career because to be honest that is what HE would prefer. I have only and will continue to insist that that is what HE would prefer. He loves babies, doesn’t mind clingy friends, gets along with everyone, is a easy keeper and as long as no ones riding him needs no maintenance. I believe in leaving no stone un-turned so yes I posted an add online in the hopes that maybe someone in need of a companion or babysitter might consider him. I posted him as free lease OR free to a good home because I know people who for valid reasons prefer one over the other. Again no stone un-turned. I do have two (and have had for the last few years of his soundness battle) retirement farms picked out in case a gig as a companion or babysitter doesn’t turn up. I didn’t post the ad because I expect someone else to retire my faithful companion but because I do know what HE would prefer and see nothing wrong with putting out feelers. Who knows maybe he will find that retirement career but if he doesn’t that is, has been and will continue to be ok. Oh and yes I stated that his blankets would go with him because he’s one of those loves his blankets kind of guy. I don’t know about your horses but at the farm I work on someone rips one every day, having extra’s aren’t a bad thing. I know bad things happen to good horses and good people but if you only focus on worrying about the potential bad and don’t search out the good that’s in mho a pretty crummy life.
You don’t know me or Henn but feel free to continue judging us without knowing all the facts or our situation.
i stepped an older teenaged horse down who couldn’t meet my needs- worn out hocks and stifles- and wasn’t getting exercised as a result. I found a perfect match of a home with a friend. She needed a guest/boyfriend horse who could fill that role. I delivered him and no one cried, he was happy and a perfect fit. He lived 5 more years then a freak rupture of his colon from an internal tumor ended his life. She called me, we cried, he got 2 beers and he was put down.
It CAN happen. It doesn’t always, and my guy would still be here if need be. There is no harm in asking ‘does someone want him?’
No, certainly no harm in trying, it’s just rare that it works out that well for the horse
absolutely agree, and I don’t belong to any low end sales groups as a result. Some people do not care…but a blanket condemnation isn’t wholly fair.
[QUOTE=WildandWickedWarmbloods;8998019]
My old horses, whom I kept even when unsound, are all buried at home. No passing the buck.[/QUOTE]
THIS is what “Horsemen” do!!! No one else is going to take “good” care of YOUR horse!! Nor should they be asked to!! A lot of the “forever homes” don’t have a clue as to the needs and costs of any horse…let alone an older horse with soundness issues!! Can’t take care/afford to keep your old horse??? Suck it up and give him/her a peaceful, safe end!!
I would rather have my horse, elderly and unsound (he is neither, though at 22, age is creeping up on us) until his last day than any young, sound, fancy horse in the world. If I had that young fancy horse on his last day, I would gladly trade it for one more day with him.
That said, it’s not always black and white. One of the BEST horses I’ve had the privilege to own was a giveaway–at 26 he was no longer a fit in his owner’s lesson program. But he was perfect in mine, and taught a whole passel more kids to ride (and even jump their first x-rail) for two years until he had to be euthanized due to an illness. I am grateful to his owner for letting me have him. He loved the kids and I was lucky to have such a wonderful schoolmaster. Heck, I even got on him at a 4-H show because he was too energetic for his young rider. Took him in an adult hunter pleasure division and came home with a tricolor. Amazing horse. I miss him.
So, I’m not one who believes that once a horse reaches a certain age (or has an issue that makes it unsound for one purpose but useable for another), that they must be kept or you’re a terrible owner. Sometimes there can be a real purpose for the horse–sometimes even as a companion. BUT, if he is ill or lame than the owner needs to step up for him and let him live out his days and give him the final gift. You owe him that.
I’m dealing with this type of thing from a couple relatives. The horses are both coming 25, sound, but the one needs thyroid medication and neither one has had anything outside of basic handling (farrier, vet, deworming, and the occasional grooming) for almost two years (I’m paid to feed, water, and keep an eye on them, not work, groom, etc.). I have been boarding them for over ten years in the case of one and around seven for the other. They said they were ready to sell them and after I explained the reality of it (old horses, out of work, and one with special needs) they said “free to good home,” and I rolled my eyes. Now they’re talking about sending them to a rescue and I shake my head.
I have my own crew of seven, one of which is 26 this year and has well-earned her semi-retirement after almost 11 years of work as a lesson horse for me. I have three others that are 18 or older this year and then a seven year gap before the younger three. Unless life circumstances dictate otherwise they are all here until their health says they’d be better off on the other side. I wish I had the space (and equipment) to bury them on our place.
I know not everyone is capable of giving a horse it’s “deserved” retirement, but in the case of an older, special needs, or unsound horse, what is so bad about laying it to rest with some dignity left?
The case I’m trying my best to stay out of the middle of definitely feels like a “passing the buck” deal, even though the horses are sound they are old and while they lipservice “see them put to use” they’re not willing to put in any effort to make that happen. It has not improved my opinion of said relatives … /venting
I rehomed a mare who had a few soft tissue injuries. She may have recovered as riding sound but I thought it unfair to even try (and risk her breaking down). Despite her nice breeding, I was concerned her issues could be passed on. I lucked out and she went to a vet for embryo transfer. She lives out on 160 acres with other mares, has good vet care, I get updates and she still has a use and purpose for someone else while not passing on any potential soundness concerns through breeding her.
That said, I have one that will be humanely euthed when I can no longer keep him. He’s comfortably sound now but an awful horse companion (total bully), and has the potential to be a real dick on the ground. Very dominant horse.
My mostly retired eventer will also have a home for life with me 
Also a good point. And if you make the decision to euth instead of dump the problem on someone else, you can be ready for the brigade of people telling you you’re heartless to euthanize when the horse could be a nice pasture pet for someone. They absolutely will NOT believe the horse could possibly end up a slaughter truck. I’m amazed at how much pushback people give owners for making the responsible decision. I euthanized an unsound mare who was clearly miserable, had given me everything she had for the time I owned her, and gotten the best care possible in return. She was a fiendishly difficult keeper, a notorious flipper on the ground (although never put her feet off the ground under saddle), and anxious as all hell. Would NOT tolerate turnout without running the fence frantically after 15 minutes (and I’d been trying daily for three years, and every trick in the book). I had people begging me not to euth her because “there were options for her” although not one of these people could GIVE me a reliable option, and none wanted to take care of her themselves. I can only imagine what would have happened if I put the situation on the internet.
That being said, someone’s older horse with maintenance issues ended up being a total GODSEND for my younger kid who desperately wanted to ride but was utterly timid. They were up front about the issues, but that mare was absolutely perfect for this kid. Granted, she was still useable, she wasn’t just a pasture-only pet. THere’s no harm at all in asking around, but be prepared to make the hard choices.
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