18,000 "useless" horses in Ireland

[JanetGeorge]

Just to return to the thread, doesn't the fact that there are 18,000 useless horses out there imply that there are 18,000 equally useless owners!!??

Depends on what these owners are doing with their 'useless' horses!! I have at least 5 of them - two retired geldings (aged 21 and 22), and 3 mares (between 20 and 25.) The 25 year old (full TB) is to be put down next week because she is just not coping with winter, despite a lot of TLC. The other 4 are in good health and I can't bring myself to have them PTS purely because they are 'useless' and costing me a lot! But I think an estimation of 18,000 'useless' horses in Ireland (or the UK for that matter) is low - there are a lot of reasons a horse is 'useless'!

 

[ExmoorHunter]

Perhaps the "useless" means abandoned and in poor health?

 

[LaMooch]

I haven't read all the posts but my question will be what is 18,000 'useless' horses? Is it 18,000 retired horses well looked after not doing but being field ornaments as JanetGeorge mentioned hers or 18,000 ABANDONED horses, neglected and not claimed?

They are many 'useless' horses in the UK including wild ones that have no use to us humans and even more neglected abandoned horses.

In my honest opinion the only way that cases of neglect and abandonment can be reduced is either using horses as a form of fielding human's. This can only be done if horse's are not vaccinated, wormed and given medication as probably mentioned it can not enter the food chain. However for this to be successful a cull of the current abandoned horse's then start afresh with introducing them into the food chain.

I'm sorry if anything I've typed has already been mentioned but as previously said I have not read all posts

 

[amandap]

Perhaps the "useless" means abandoned and in poor health?

I think it means no value as no one wants them not even for slaughter now. Many are being abandoned and feeding them is perhaps seen as throwing money down the drain when there is no prospect of any return.

I believe many of these horses are just out in fields.

Households have been hit by a few new taxes, fodder prices are still high following last years crisis, meat scandal has closed the slaughter option...

 

[FairyLights]

it means horses no one wants including those who have bred them. it doesnt mean retired, companions, pets etc. its means surplus population which are unsaleable ands the owners dont want them.

 

[Bertieb123]

I believe for horse to go into pet food it has to be fit for human consumption so if the not fit for human consumption box is ticked on passport for the reason of non permitted drugs that would be why they not going for pet food as well as an owner doesn't want them to, I also wonder how many of these equines do not have a passport anyway as that would also limit what could be done with them, no reputable slaughterhouse would take them. Overbreeding has a lot to answer for and so does those who think it ok to dump a horse or pony on the side of the road or onto someone else or a 'charity'

 

[Spook]

..... And these "useless horses" are to a large extent bunging up the horse trade, people for what ever reason cannot get rid of unwanted horses to replace them with a wanted horse, thus the market has stagnated.

 

[joy]

They should bring back the Stallion Licence back, like they use to have years ago.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. My old boss had a superb showjumping stallion yet she dreaded every time the licensing man came round. Geld it or shoot it.