Free to a good home- should it be homed or PTS?

pony person said:
i dont just want 'rid of the horse' enfys get your facts right!
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WITHOUT causing a row , "The title is "Should it be rehomed or PTS ? "
not, Should i keep her, rehome her or pts?
I think that makes it seem like you want rid of ,even if you don't mean it like that..
TBH, i would have her PTS . Then you have absolute certainty of her future. She'll know NOTHING, and you wont have a guilty conscience of 'whats possibly happened to her'
Sorry. I know its hard whenever things like this crop up :L <3 xxx
 
Molly'sMama said:
WITHOUT causing a row , "The title is "Should it be rehomed or PTS ? "
not, Should i keep her, rehome her or pts?
I think that makes it seem like you want rid of ,even if you don't mean it like that..
TBH, i would have her PTS . Then you have absolute certainty of her future. She'll know NOTHING, and you wont have a guilty conscience of 'whats possibly happened to her'
Sorry. I know its hard whenever things like this crop up :L <3 xxx
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:confused: Won't have a guilty conscience for killing a horse? It doesn't sound as though the mare is suffering in any way and so having her PTS would only be for convenience or financial reasons, that any human being who loves animals would have guilty feelings about, even if on balance, they thought they were doing it for the best.

If you were to ask any animal (could they reason or speak of course) if they would choose death, or taking their chance in a new home, that may be fabulous, or may not be as great, I don't think they would choose death. We have to make that decision for them. If we are really certain that the alternative is mysery, then yes, PTS, but if there is a good chance of them having a decent life, then do our best to rehabilitate them.

Of course, there are many people to whom horses are little more than commodities, just like a car, that they trade in when they want a new model, or get scrapped when they are old and rusty. Shame.

I don't think however, that the horse in question actually belongs to the OP by the sound of it, and she is just trying to do her best for the horse.
 
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thank u wagtail! some support! haha i dont think she would choose death, but on the other hand who wants a lame, spooky horse!? difficult decision
 
"If you were to ask any animal (could they reason or speak of course) if they would choose death, or taking their chance in a new home, that may be fabulous, or may not be as great, I don't think they would choose death. We have to make that decision for them. If we are really certain that the alternative is mysery, then yes, PTS, but if there is a good chance of them having a decent life, then do our best to rehabilitate them."

Wagtail, that is illogical. That is not how an animal's mind works, they have no comprehension of the long term future, and a horse being euthanised would have no comprehension of death or what is going on. One minute they would be there, the next not.

As a horse can not look after itself, it is not fair to let it 'take a chance', the result of which could be a misery that drags on for years, either ending up in an unsuitable home or passing from home to home until finally someone has the courage to put her down. Of course the horse cannot make that decision, and so we must do it for them. In an ideal world, horses would be able to live out their days in happy retirment, but in reality they cost a lot to care for, and not everyone can afford this for an animal that is technically useless. (and may or may not be in pain. If she is sound on bute, the lameness is not mechanical) I know that if it came to it, I would rather any of mine were destroyed peacefully, rather than sent out into the world to 'take a chance', which could end up with abuse or neglect, a fate far worse than death.

No-one wants the death of a horse on their concience, but the prospects for a lame 12 year old, particularily in this economical climate, do not look good. Palming her off on someone else is cowardly, as her wellbeing cannot be insured, I think perhaps euthanasia would be the lesser of two evils.
 
Wagtail said:
If you were to ask any animal (could they reason or speak of course) if they would choose death, or taking their chance in a new home, that may be fabulous, or may not be as great, I don't think they would choose death.
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How about if the choice was a quick & painless death or ending up being owned by a Jamie Gray type? Because, quite frankly, a horse that is unsound and not being kept as a field ornament by the owner or by someone the owner knows very well, is very likely to end up there.

Yes, there are good companion homes, but they are few & far between, and there are a lot of horses to choose from; why would you decide on a difficult & spooky horse when there are plenty of quiet, low-maintenance horses?

Sorry pony person, I don't think it is that difficult a decision; not a pleasant decision to make, but if the choice is rehoming or PTS, for me there is no choice. In an ideal world, I am sure we would all have enough land & resources to be able to keep every lame horse, but if you don't have these resources, you can't expect someone else to take on the burden.

If on the other hand, there is a chance of rehabilitation, you should try this first. I got the impression from your original post that there is no chance of her coming sound, but maybe I was mistaken.
 
hi, i would just like to add i won't be giving her to anyone, if she was to go to someone it would be word of mouth/someone i know, not just put on freeads or such like as to be honest with her spooky nature i would not feel right doing this...i will carry on with some rehab, and look more into the injury to see if there is a chance of recooperation, but in genral i think most of you are right, if she does not come sound enough for a light hack, and does not calm down realistically i don't think there is another option. thanks for all your opinions.
 
Wagtail, that is illogical. That is not how an animal's mind works, they have no comprehension of the long term future, and a horse being euthanised would have no comprehension of death or what is going on. One minute they would be there, the next not.
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That is what I said. A horse CANNOT reason, but if they COULD then they would not choose death. Would you? If there was half a chance of a good life (and Pony Person has stated that she would not be given away to just ANYONE)

As a horse can not look after itself, it is not fair to let it 'take a chance', the result of which could be a misery that drags on for years, either ending up in an unsuitable home or passing from home to home until finally someone has the courage to put her down. Of course the horse cannot make that decision, and so we must do it for them. In an ideal world, horses would be able to live out their days in happy retirment, but in reality they cost a lot to care for, and not everyone can afford this for an animal that is technically useless. (and may or may not be in pain. If she is sound on bute, the lameness is not mechanical) I know that if it came to it, I would rather any of mine were destroyed peacefully, rather than sent out into the world to 'take a chance', which could end up with abuse or neglect, a fate far worse than death.
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It doesn't sound at all like this horse is in any pain, or that she is just going to be turned away to fend for herself.

No-one wants the death of a horse on their concience, but the prospects for a lame 12 year old, particularily in this economical climate, do not look good. Palming her off on someone else is cowardly, as her wellbeing cannot be insured, I think perhaps euthanasia would be the lesser of two evils.
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Again, I don't think that in this case she is going to be 'palmed off'.

But far too many horses are PTS just for convenience IMO.
 
pony person said:
i dont just want 'rid of the horse' enfys get your facts right!
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Merely a turn of phrase, I did say "with the best will in the world" which = no offence intended, but you did ask for opinions, that was mine, like it or not.

The fact remains that you are, apparently trying to re-home her? Re-home, sell, pts whatever - it all boils down to the fact that you no longer wish/want/are able to keep her.
 
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I have not read every twist and turn in this post, but I am sure that it is far more difficult to shoot or otherwise dispose of a horse which is not in extremis than to pass it on, in the hope that someone will love it and take care of it.
 
Ps: I have a nice 15.00h..h.h TBxpony who has a few issues but is basically sound, he costs me £2K per annum approx, and I would be happy to give him to someone but only if only I could be assured he would have a better life than he has with me. Unfortunately it is not guaranteed, and while he is with me he is happy.
 
xspiralx said:
The thing is, there are an abundance of free companion ponies that aren't lame, are good doers, require little care etc.

As hard as it is, unless you can guarantee her care yourself, it is better to have her PTS than risk her ending up neglected or worse, sold on as a riding horse.
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my thoughts exactly.
 
hey, thanks all for positive feedback, those of you that are trying to make me sound like an uncaring owner-shame. I am just asking for some help and opinions, if all you can do is think i am not caring because i call her an 'it' (isnt my horse remember people) and that i just want rid then it's a real shame because i am trying my best to help this mare. fyi i lunged her again and she was alot better, not showing much signs of lameness and was abit more relaxed so i will carry on with ground work and give her more time hopefully she will come good, but as mentioned if she doesn'tt then i know there isn't really another option x
 
pony person said:
hey, thanks all for positive feedback, those of you that are trying to make me sound like an uncaring owner-shame. I am just asking for some help and opinions, if all you can do is think i am not caring because i call her an 'it' (isnt my horse remember people) and that i just want rid then it's a real shame because i am trying my best to help this mare.
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I am sure you are trying to do your best.

Your original post did come across as if you were trying to move her on (better phrase?), no mention in that one that she wasn't yours. You asked for an opinion, and you got it, whether you agreed with it is entirely up to you, everyone has their own and we can only answer what we might do in that scenario given the facts put before us.

I did refrain from asking why on earth you are riding, or working a lame horse which is a whole different kettle of fish.
 
enfys, the whole point of my post if you read it was that i want to help the horse and want to see if she stays sound enough to be a happy hacker! I agree OP was asking whether i should try and rehome her or pts, but i think i need to stick with her a while longer, if i can get the lamenes sorted (will spk to vets re diagnosis etc) then she has a good chance of chilling and me being able to find her a home hopefully.
 
Sorry haven't read all 6 pages but I presume she isn't of sufficient quality to breed from? If not then I would pts (much easier said than done though)
 
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