Can a horse ever be free to good home, or is it always seen as a cop out? Discuss...

[sarahann1]

Think it very much depends on the circumstances, and each of those will be different to the next person. In some cases it probably is a cop out and folk are not sensible enough to make a decision which needs to be made or won't pay the associated costs, in other cases nope, if its a genuine situation and the owner is careful then why not. Personally I believe word of mouth is much better than a FB ad etc for all the reasons already given though.

 

[joeanne]

I took one earlier this year. Was an absolute a**e. Had been bought for a child and was too much for her. She lost her confidence, pony lost his and started to nap.
He was headed for a one way ticket to longleat. Been hard work, but him and daughter are getting on great.
Would I pass him on? No. Not while there are people like TedsMum in the world....

 

[Cobiau Cymreig Wyllt]

I have a freebie (well, paid a £1 for his passport)...my friend bred him, he had a series of traumatic incidents and he ended up back on her yard at 18mths having been branded as dangerous..I saw him and his behaviour differently but took my time taking him on, even though he was offered to me as a gift - I wanted to be sure I could take on such a handful and that he really did have the potential to come good and be something I would have paid good money for at some point in his life.
I've since spent a lot of time and effort on him, and quite a bit of money for various things and he is now starting to come good...my friend did tell me the other day I was welcome to sell him if I wanted, but she knows really, he's with me for life...yes, he's really well bred, yes he could do really well in a few spheres...but we're bonded, so he's staying put.
I think from my friend's point of view, when she got him back she had the vet out to evaluate him and make the decision between PTS (such were the reports of his behaviour) or geld him to see if that would take the edge off his behaviour and give him a fresh start...she paid to have him gelded etc etc and only once she saw he could be rehabilitated did she offer him to me..so I don't think it was a cop-out as such on her part...it did solve a major headache for her as to what to do with him, but I know she was vastly relieved I was able to take him on and that I could give him a better chance...
Of course I comfort myself with all this when he's behaving like a complete muppet!!!!!!! But in general, I love him and his lunatic streak!

 

[Laura_Grey]

I prefer to describe them as a 'gift horse'!

Here's mine, bought for the grand total of 1p

Gave me my first ride/first winner last season...

....getting ready for this season. His 8th in training!

 

[ausipaliboi]

I remember reading a story in a magazine a very long time ago about an endurance rider who was considering purchasing a horse to compete with and as an added incentive the seller offered a second horse as a gift for buying the first.

Guess which horse then went on to become a champion

 

[jumbyjack]

I have a freebee and she came with a foal! OK she's a mini shetland and is more than slightly bonkers but as she does not have a job to do she can be happily bonkers for the rest of her life. If she had even been 14.2 she would have been challenging, at 16.2 she would have been dangerous.

It's great for the ones that work out and have a happy life but there will be so many on the downwards spiral to the bullet.

 

[Super_Kat]

3 of my horses were free!
one the owner didn't know what to do as she's a tricky mare and was really a second horse so se was going to PTS but I said I'd have her.
One the woman running the stud hated as he was just a pain in the arse (turns out he was just bored!)
the third was given to me because I was the best person for her, she's a fragile soul and hadn't been well treated by the last chap to run the stud so was very frightened of everybody, so freebie

 

[Angua2]

My First horse was a "freebee" although I did pay £1 and get a reciept and everything. If I remember correctly his old owners had just lost their grazing and since he wasn't all that straight forward they decided to find him a new home. I had 5 wonderful years with the grumpy old sod before I lost him to colic. In reality he wasn't all that cheap as the vet and shoeing bills did mount up, but I didn't care.

It will be 3 years since he was PTS on the 22nd of this month.