CRUEL or KIND? Is it the right thing to 'rescue' horses

[vickyb]

Many years ago (40 plus) there use to be a 'Society for the Humane Destruction of Surplus Horses and Ponies' - I only remember this because I used to buy their Chrismas cards. Seems we could do with something like this now. I agree with the poster who said that a lot of unhealthy equines are being rescued by charities that have no hope of ever leading useful lives. They would be better off dead. The sad fact is there are too many horses, not enough homes, and the same goes for dogs. I cringe when you sometimes see on a TV programme a rescue dog going through expensive treatment to enable it to be fit enough to rehome. Why not PTS and use the money more wisely?

 

[Inthemud]

I think it was Woody Allen who said, "It is not the passing but the manner of the passing".

Rescuing seems to be more about people than animals to my mind. Death is not a particularly nice subject but provided the passing is painless and stress free, I don't really see the problem. All living things are going to die one day. And that is from someone who has already had his allocated three score years and ten.

Having said that, and being a farmer all too familiar with death, I never take an animal of mine to the vet or abattoir (unless for human consumption) but do it myself. Does that sound cruel? I've shot, fished, and hunted all my life and am quite familiar with firearms. I must have shot hundreds of deer and provided it is a clean kill, think nothing of it, for or against. I certainly wouldn't pay to do it as it holds no pleasure for me, though I have been paid to do it when it is simply a job.

This may seem extraordinarily callous. But I don't see it like that. I go down to the field and sit with my rifle and when the horse is peacefully grazing, and in the perfect position, I put a bullet from a high powered rifle into it's brain. Without exception, they go down a like a pricked balloon and there is no further movement. I've seen it done by the vet with an injection, which I agree is humane, but just prefer it my way. My old dogs go the same way, though I've let a few special favourites die of old age. I'm not sure I did the last any favours.

I have mixed feelings about "rescues". I've taken a few and most had problems an owner obviously could not cope with so they passed the problem on, always undeclared and it is usually sheep chasing/killing. The French bulldog that killed the child recently was a rescue. Of course, it never gave it's owners, or previous owners, any indication that it might attack a child... Yeah, right. If they don't know, or want to know, the chances are, they won't see. And they've "saved" an animal, haven't they?

One of the best posts I've ever read on H&HO. My respect to you.