Contentious subject on here - and in the USA

cbmcts

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http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=308036

Chronicle of the Horse is an american forum that I read sometimes - it was interesting to see their attitude to unsound horses and what to do with them is very similar to a lot of HHO members.

The odd thing is that it never used to be like this, a few years ago (IMHO) the were fluffier than the fluffiest HHO bunny :D

No real reason for posting this :eek: just found it.
 

team barney

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I am not going to comment on the link as I don't think it would be fair.

I have an opinion on the damaged horse issue though...

I have stuck with all my horses through illness and into eventual retirement.

One horse I had was unrideable for three years (mostly due to lameness). I didn't know if he would ever get better but I stuck by him - despite the fact that I'd only had him one summer - and hindsight wouldn't change my mind about it either. I didn't ride for 3 years (apart from the occasional ride on a friend's beastie (bi-monthly at most)), I just mucked out and cared for my boy. I didn't worry that my dreams had to be put on hold indefinitely, that I couldn't compete or even hack out. He was my friend and that was that. If looking after a "broken" friend meant that I couldn't afford a new horse I wouldn't get a new horse, it is just that easy!

On the other hand I know a lady who had her "beloved horse" put down because he needed 3 months off. She went and got herself a shiny new one almost instantly.

My horses aren't toys, I don't throw them away when they are broken, many people however do.
 

canteron

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Curiously, I was thinking about this today.

I have a pony who has now been retired for 6 years due to DDFT. It has occurred to me that although he has a small limp in trot, he doesn't care and I suspect it only aches a bit rather than hurts.

Would it be more humane to ride a pony with a small limp (just hacking along at a walk), rather than have it PTS? The options always seem to be retire or PTS, looking at how my boy has played around in his field all these years, I believe I could have ridden him gently fairly consistently and it wouldn't have made a jot of different to his health and would have given him better quality of life?
 

sula

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I am having to consider this issue quite a lot too as I have a pony who is lame on three limbs, two are of a chronic nature, the other acute. All may potentially improve, especially the hind but I may have to consider retiring him. Whatever the outcome, there is too much about him to consider pts which has been suggested.

Team Barney, you reply was sensitive and considerate and so very much what I needed to read today. Thank you.
 

cbmcts

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I didn't post it so people would criticize, it was just that COTH (maybe it's just the American horsey scene?) was always known as a very 'life at all costs' type forum and as I'm sure you're aware recession has hit a lot of them very hard as benefits are minimal and horse ownership seems to be very expensive there.

There seems to be a huge change in attitude in recent years, probably due to the economic climate and of course, there are huge cultural differences in how you PTS a horse AND dispose of the carcase. I believe the hunt and the use of horsemeat isn't available and I have seen figures of $1000 and even higher being mentioned to PTS and have removed, also vets won't always PTS without a good medical reason in a lot of cases. Also, horse slaughter is illegal in the USA and there is a lot of talk about the conditions that slaughter horses endure being transported to Canada and Mexico ( and the Mexican SH have a very, very poor record on welfare).

Really, it just made me think about how lucky we are here with the minimal interference in our difficult decisions from various authorities in this area anyway.

For the record, mine are retired for as long as life is good although I wouldn't judge anyone who decided differently.
 

cbmcts

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Curiously, I was thinking about this today.

I have a pony who has now been retired for 6 years due to DDFT. It has occurred to me that although he has a small limp in trot, he doesn't care and I suspect it only aches a bit rather than hurts.

Would it be more humane to ride a pony with a small limp (just hacking along at a walk), rather than have it PTS? The options always seem to be retire or PTS, looking at how my boy has played around in his field all these years, I believe I could have ridden him gently fairly consistently and it wouldn't have made a jot of different to his health and would have given him better quality of life?

IMO, you know him best but many a healthy horse has been happy with a retired life so he hasn't 'missed out' as such.

I think that all the options are there - light hack, retired, PTS are a very personal decision and in many cases it is only the owner who should make that call with the long term welfare of the horse in mind.

What I hate is the attempts, often for the best of (human) reasons to rehome a horse that could easily end in a bad situation because their next owner doesn't have the long term emotional investment that the original owner did.

It's a very difficult subject that touches a nerve with a lot of people, me included.
 

team barney

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I am having to consider this issue quite a lot too as I have a pony who is lame on three limbs, two are of a chronic nature, the other acute. All may potentially improve, especially the hind but I may have to consider retiring him. Whatever the outcome, there is too much about him to consider pts which has been suggested.

Team Barney, you reply was sensitive and considerate and so very much what I needed to read today. Thank you.

I hope it all works out for your horse, my boy came right in the end and we have had a lovely time together. I still have great fun with him even though he is retired now, we kept hacking out well into his late 20's. We go for little walks now and I love just spending time with him, he is my best friend and truly my horse of a lifetime, though most people would consider him 'useless' as he had many problems. I too was told by people to give up on my boy and have him pts, it hurts to hear those comments but people couldn't understand the bond between a girl and her horse. All the best with with your boy, I bet he is very special :)
 

Lolo

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I think it depends on your horse and your ambitions.

Al rode a lovely little mare for 2 years, but she did both her hind suspensories. She had them operated on, and came sound. However, taking a de-nerved pony XC is foolhardy at best, and quite dangerous so she was sent back to her owner and we looked for something new. To some people, this is typical of our current 'throwaway' culture but her rider has ambitions of professional eventing. If you want to compete you cannot afford, when you are setting out, to have a horse you cannot compete. If she had been ours, she would have gone out on loan as a super dressage schoolmistress.

I think the attitude between low-level competitors, people trying to get set up as pros and well established pros is going to be very different- horses are their livelihood in the latter two cases.
 

Slightlyconfused

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My sisters old pony was 25 when we lost him, he spent the previous 5 years retired withus. I couldn't belive how many people asked my why we didn't just put him down. He had arthritis but was sound when not ridden so both us and my vet didn't see a reason to PTS.
Then a few years ago I met a lady who had a 23 year old horse that still evented but as she was having a baby and didn't trust any one else to own him had him PTS. He was in perfect health, had just completed a 10 mile sponsered ride jumping all the 3' bonus fences.

There will always be people in this old who treat horses as just an object or something to earn money.

xxx
 

Ibblebibble

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good job our horses can't decide to have us pts when we can't ride due to illness!! i couldn't ride for most of last year for various reasons, :eek: My lot didn't seem bothered tho so I'll make sure i return the favour when they are too ill to work!;)
 

mytwofriends

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My sisters old pony was 25 when we lost him, he spent the previous 5 years retired withus. I couldn't belive how many people asked my why we didn't just put him down. He had arthritis but was sound when not ridden so both us and my vet didn't see a reason to PTS.
Then a few years ago I met a lady who had a 23 year old horse that still evented but as she was having a baby and didn't trust any one else to own him had him PTS. He was in perfect health, had just completed a 10 mile sponsered ride jumping all the 3' bonus fences.

There will always be people in this old who treat horses as just an object or something to earn money.

xxx

^^^ agree with this.

My old rescue boy is arthritic but field sound, and after my vet tried and failed to help him with medication, I decided enough was enough and retired him. He's now a companion to my other horse and is thriving. I've had people raise eyebrows at me. Why bother when "the other option" is available? Well, he's happy, well cared for and he owes me nothing. I love being with him. He gets fed, pampered, everything he wants - but he's no longer ridden. I'll love him until the end, as I will my other horse. Riding is simply a bonus to horse ownership.

My opinion, and each to their own.
 

EllenJay

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This is my first post on H&H so a quick Hi!

Sometimes things seems very black and white - when you are young "a horse is for life..." When you get older you want to live by that ideal but sometimes other things get in the way.

Take my situation. I have owned my WC since he was 5. He is now 16. Two years ago I lost my very well paid job due to redundancy. Due to the recession, there were no other jobs around, but I had savings, but I also had a mortgage, bills and Livery costs. For the first year I was confident of getting a new job, after 9 months that wasn't going to happen. So I started to look for a sharer who wouold contribute to the costs - but the recession had hit lots of people, and although they would be more than happy to exercise, compete and help out with jobs, financial help wasn't available. So I carried on - cutting back on eerything, except horse things.

3 months later my boy became very seriously ill with laminitus. His life was in the balance and, luckily my insurance was up to date, so £4,000 later he is rideable. He is slightly lame but happy and enjoying himself. He is now semi-retired - and I am so thankful he has survived against all odds. BUT the downside is that I now have a pony who I can never sell, who is going to cost me a minimum of £6k per year to just keep alive. I love my boy - but I am not gettting any younger and my lad was up for sale before he was ill. I now am expecting to be keeping him for the next 10 years at a cost of £6K per year (total of £60,000). Niow from a shelfish point of view I would love to have that sort of money to ensure I have a happy retirement - so what do I do?
 
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