How to manage other horses when euthanizing another horse

[JanWeber]

We have made the decision to euthanize my husband’s horse who has been struggling for the past year with chronic laminitis and insulin resistance. Please do not offer suggestions or assistance - he was a foundered rescue who had five good years with us - and has been mostly on stall rest the past year. He has a dutch door that opens out to a stonedust pen where my other two are turned out to keep him company, so he does have somewhat of a social life. Since he has been on a dry lot because of the metabolic issues, it is his dearest desire to eat grass - and our plan is to allow him some hand-grazing the day we euthanize. I have heard the other horses may “need” to sniff his body afterwards to understand that he is dead. Has anyone else done this? I’m at a loss, here - thanks for any help.

EDITED to add - I only have three on the property: mine (his trail riding and occasional dry lot turnout buddy) and one of my daughters’ horses. I can tell you that they will KNOW something is up - when one is off the property for a lesson or trail ride, the ones at home can hear the trailer coming up the road and start calling to the trailered horse. “over-thinking” it or not, my plan will be to put the two others in the barn during the euthanasia and then walk them up to see, sniff, and say goodbye.

[tazycat]

If you can i’d let his friends smell him after he has passed on,or depending on how attached they are to him, they might be fine if you don’t let them sniff him afterwords.

Sorry to hear((( HUG)))

[Hayburner]

My friend recently put her old guy down, before the vet came I took my gelding over for a final sniff and to say goodbye. I have a Cushings horse that also has limited grass time, I said when his final days come, I’m turning him out and letting him eat all he wants and to run and buck in a nice big pasture. He too is on a small pretty dry lot.

[dressager]

We allowed the horses to be there during the actual euthanization but moved them for the body removal.

[MuddyHalter]

I never did anything special with remaining horses when euthanizing one. The barn might seem a little overly quiet for a bit, but they just carry on (and move on).

[Tory]

Several years ago we had to put my mare down. She had turned 31 a couple of days prior. Severe colic (could feel the twisted gut on a rectal exam) and surgery/hospital wasn’t an option given her age.

After she was gone, I took her “baby” who was 11 years old to say “goodbye” to mommy. She sniffed a couple of times, then started licking and nibbling on the mare’s hip and leg. Just like her mom had done to her when she was first born and needed to stand. There was not a dry eye to be found. Even my vet and my husband were crying. It was so sweet and moving to see her baby saying “get up mommy, get up”. This was 7 years ago and I still get choked up when I tell this story.

I think it is important to let the other horses know that one has died.

So very sorry for the situation you are in.

[CFFarm]

My vet always recommends letting the other horses “inspect” the body to get closure. It seems to make the grieving easier.
They understand more than people give them credit for.
Sorry about your situation.

[Palm_Beach]

You are way overthinking this. And very sorry you have to put your horse down, I understand and it sucks. I’d lock the other horses up and close the doors, when the horse goes down he might go down hard. The few times I’ve been in that situation, we made arrangements to have the body removed and did the euthanasia about a few hours prior to that appointment. All the other horses are “out of sight” so to them, he just disappeared. No need to sniff etc.

[danacat]

I allowed a pasture buddy to see/sniff his rainbow bridge friend. They had been together for over ten years – and he pretty much just walked on by – payed no real attention that I (as a human) could discern. But interestingly he did not fret, whinny or noticeably wonder where his buddy went in the days that followed. He was totally quiet – did not mind being alone (24/7) turn out (could see other horses though) – but he was sure glad to meet and be with his new buddy who arrived a week later.

Same exact scenario happened when one of my mares lost her pasture buddy.

My take away is that they DO know the difference between death and ‘where did my alive&well buddy’ go.

[findeight]

If he just had over the door contact, I think you are overthinking it a bit. Personal preference though. All my barns have done it and the body removal out of sight with the exception of out 24/7 herdmates. Even then the survivors don’t always come by for a sniff, some wouldn’t go anywhere near it.

[fordtraktor]

I am so sorry. I lost mine to chronic laminitis in January. IMO you are doing the right thing to let him go before it is too bad. (hugs) I have never regretted letting mine go when I did, though I miss him every day. Lots of people would have kept him going longer I am sure but that isn’t the end I wanted for him.

I gave mine all the sweet things he loved but couldn’t have for years – great sweet feed, handfuls of peppermints, bags of carrots. I just keep feeding them until the sedation takes effect and they can’t any more.

I don’t take the other horses over but I do put them down in sight of the other horses’ fields. They usually have a few hours at least before the excavator guy shows up and they all understand without actually sniffing the horse. No need to lock everyone up IME.

Euths can have different effects so do be careful. my horse was a terrific jumper who loved to jump, and in his last moment as the stuff hit he took one enormous leap. He was dead before his front feet hit the ground so he crumpled and flipped over, basically like a rotational fall. If I wasn’t paying attention I could have gotten really badly injured because he landed right where I had been standing. Be vigilant even through your sorrow, horses are still horses and dangerous.

[JanWeber]

Edited original post to add more detail. We are damn near “almost too late,” fordtraktor. When our vet (excellent, from respected equine medical facility) proposed a hoof wall resection to relieve pressure and try to restore blood flow and a tenectomy to minimize further rotation - we stopped and said “what are we doing to this horse”? Our daughter is also an equine sports medicine vet and she reminded us that vets are trained to be problem-solvers - but you need to decide if you can live with the solution. Thanks for the help - I have a plan now.

[walkinthewalk]

This is where it really pays to know your horses. I locked my remaining three horses in the paddock area.

The horse in question was near his burial site when the vet did what she had to do. This horse was the strong Alpha leader, the other horses had been under his leadership 22 years, 17 years and 8 years; I knew the loss was going to be rough.

After the lead horse was gone, I left the other three out of the paddock, at liberty. They came to the burial site. One horse chose to sniff his friend one last time. He then returned to stand in a row with the other two. Watching their “funeral service” was as awful as it was to let my heart horse go, who had been with me 24 of his 27 years.

At the very least, give your remaining horses a chance to say goodbye in their own ways.

Hugs to you for saving the horse and giving him five kind years he otherwise would,not have had.

Hugs to you because this sort of thing never gets easier.

[Guilherme]

@JanWeber

We have made the decision to euthanize my husband’s horse who has been struggling for the past year with chronic laminitis and insulin resistance. Please do not offer suggestions or assistance - he was a foundered rescue who had five good years with us - and has been mostly on stall rest the past year. He has a dutch door that opens out to a stonedust pen where my other two are turned out to keep him company, so he does have somewhat of a social life. Since he has been on a dry lot because of the metabolic issues, it is his dearest desire to eat grass - and our plan is to allow him some hand-grazing the day we euthanize. I have heard the other horses may “need” to sniff his body afterwards to understand that he is dead. Has anyone else done this? I’m at a loss, here - thanks for any help.

EDITED to add - I only have three on the property: mine (his trail riding and occasional dry lot turnout buddy) and one of my daughters’ horses. I can tell you that they will KNOW something is up - when one is off the property for a lesson or trail ride, the ones at home can hear the trailer coming up the road and start calling to the trailered horse. “over-thinking” it or not, my plan will be to put the two others in the barn during the euthanasia and then walk them up to see, sniff, and say goodbye.

No. They will wonder where he is for a short period (a few minutes to a few hours) but will then forget all about it.

Where will you do this and how will you dispose of the carcass? If you can, load the horse and put him down where the remains will be processed. That saves a great deal of effort and maybe money and the possible disturbance of death in the herd. We are fortunate in that we have enough land and no restrictions on disposal. I hire the my backhoe guy to dig a hole in the “boneyard”, take the horse there, meet with the vet, do it, and then cover the carcass. It does not cause any disturbance with the other horses.

This is a difficult task for you but not for your stock. Sorry for your loss, here. The simpler the process the easier it will be.

G.

[BeckyS]

I had my old gelding euthanized a month ago. I let my little gelding sniff around, and it did make a difference. He called a handful of times, but certainly less than he would have if the old gelding just disappeared. He understood.

[rockymouse]

I am in the camp of letting them sniff and then putting them up for the body’s removal.

I did not let mine sniff when we had to suddenly euthanize my old gelding. He was in great pain; there was not time to wait for a vet, so we got a rifle and my sweet husband shot him for me. The other two had been quickly penned for the euthanasia. My gelding died in the pasture about 150 yards away. Because of the scrub in the pasture, his body was not visible from the pens. The two remaining horses and the two donkeys didn’t seem to notice or care one whit.

The next day, the backhoe man came and dug the grave. My son’s gelding paced the pen and called over and over again as the backhoe dug. He was almost frantic. He was not afraid of the backhoe itself - he hardly raised his head from his hay when it arrived. This display went on a good 45 minutes or so, while the backhoe man was at work. This was surprising, too, because the old gelding and the younger one had not been particularly friendly to each other.

When the backhoe man left, I let the two horses and two donkeys out into that 15-acre pasture. The mare ambled directly to the grave - went straight to it - and sniffed deeply and pawed at it lightly twice. Later, the donkeys also sniffed at it deeply.

I was struck by their actions. Previously, I didn’t really think it’d matter whether the old gelding was there or not. I didn’t think they’d really register his absence in any discernible way to me. But their actions on the day he was buried now make me think that there is some sort of recognition that something profound has happened. And so now, when I must do this again someday, I’ll let them sniff.

OP, I’m sorry that you have to go through this. Not easy, but the right thing to do, of course.

[goodhors]

I would take the few minutes and let horses sniff the body. With horses you just never know how they will react. Better to do the sniffing, accept the death, than wish you had later. You get all kinds of reactions, which I don’t think we humans interpret correctly. So the casual sniff could mean a great deal to the horse, but we see it as a “So what. He is dead”". Other responses like sniffing and pawing the body, standing by the body, cause us to be a lot more empathetic in considering horse to be mourning the loss.

Husband is a Farrier, sees old horses going downhill and owners talk about putting horse down. He ALWAYS recommends letting other horses sniff the body before burial or disposal. Over the years he has seen the horse friend react badly when his buddy “disappears”. They work themselves into a frenzy at times. They often colic, so owner ends up burying two in two days. Others won’t settle in the barn or pastures. They call, search for the missing one. Health goes downhill, from which some recover and others do not. Like a broken heart.

I know this sounds way overboard, but is meant as a kindly warning about what could happen. If it was only 4-5 horses reacting badly over the years, I would not mention it. Unfortunately the numbers are higher than that in our experience. Owner’s thought it was kinder on horse left, to not see the body. Never expected the hysterical reaction of horse left, making himself sick unto death. Horses often do the unexpected, surprising you.

Take the few minutes to let horses sniff the body and settle things in their own horsey way. I hope everything goes smoothly for you and the horse. Be VERY careful holding the horse. As mentioned, the meds may cause totally unexpected reactions that could get people hurt. Make it a LONG lead rope, in case you need that length to get out of the way fast. My sympathies.

[Friend_of_Otis]

When one of our two old guys had to be euthanized because of a stroke, we let the other watch. From inside the pasture, about 2 feet away. He was haltered and held. They had been together with us for 4 years and together before that at a lessons barn for I don’t know how long.

The vet had mild sedation on hand for the one that would be left, just in case. The process was simple and felt very right.

The oldest one went down easily with a sigh, like he was going to take his daily nap. When the euth. drug was given, and I guess his brain activity stopped, the other horse called to him. Just once. Very loudly.

The vet had a hard time getting the old guy’s heart to stop, but when he was dead, there was no reaction from the one left. We did let him come out and sniff the body, but he really wasn’t interested. We did not let him watch his friend be lifted into the truck.

Once all the people and trucks were gone, along with his friend, he called and ran up and down for about 5 minutes. He didn’t need the sedation, and was back to being himself by dinner time.

[AKB]

I have let the other horses watch the euthanasia from the next paddock over. Then, I let them in the pasture with the body to sniff, until they are done. When we euthanized my 12 year old who had twol months of severe laminitis, the other horses were quite worried and sniffed him for about 15 minutes. Then, they let out mournful whinnies for a few hours. When we euthanized my 28 year old last spring, they sniffed very briefly and then left. It was as if they had considered him “dead” and not part of the herd for quite a while. I think it is best to let them watch from a distance, and then sniff the body. They are upset, but seem to cope.

[DMK]

I had a deeply bonded pair who went out together on and off for years , and the younger one was away at a show when the older one had to be put down. So robbie came home and rebel was gone… that horse genuinely grieved for months. I admit, I was surprised even though I knew they were close. Then a decade later I had to take robbie on one of those awful one way trips to UGA for colic. He had a pasturemate, and for all of their respective time together they were close but totally fine when one or the other left the farm (there is a third horse so nobody gets abandoned). When robbie got on that trailer, lido apparently lost his shit and was fairly distressed for days.

So this spring it is probably time for that third horse (much like the op’s horse, he is older with multiple conditions that are taking their toll). I’m a believer, the remaining two will go say goodbye. It might not make it better, but it couldn’t possibly make it worse.