GAH

Sorry i think it is wrong when you are offloading a horse at this age it is usually because you are too afraid to take responsibilty for its final few years. As stated horse has worked hard all its life surely it deserves more consideration than this.


It is not the same as selling a young horse it is not as useable is more likely to have health problems they will not get 300 for it it will sold for probably quite a bit less, could well end up with meatman, so why dont they either find a secure home on loan or companion or grow some balls and make the right choice if they have to and pts they would then at least know the old horse had not ended up in a dire situation or taken a longer harder route to the same end.

For gods sake if our animals dont deserve to be protected at the end of thier days when do they, it is a shame that when things become old and useless they are slung out like rubbish this even applies to elderly people nowadys.

Thinking about it though my dad has a couple of retired pointers late twenties i mean they did work hard race for him they are too old now and he has new ones so i think i will tell him to put them on preloved and maybe we can get 100 each for them we could at least have a night out on that money.:rolleyes:
 
OMG! I can't believe that! That just shows how attached to that horse she is. :mad: I don't know how anyone could get rid of a horse that old. We lost our old boy last summer but we kept him until the end. (He was 31) I think we owe it to our horses to make sure the rest of their lives are happy ones after all they do for us.
 
Trinity Fox said:
Sorry i think it is wrong when you are offloading a horse at this age it is usually because you are too afraid to take responsibilty for its final few years. As stated horse has worked hard all its life surely it deserves more consideration than this.

It is not the same as selling a young horse it is not as useable is more likely to have health problems they will not get 300 for it it will sold for probably quite a bit less, could well end up with meatman, so why dont they either find a secure home on loan or companion or grow some balls and make the right choice if they have to and pts they would then at least know the old horse had not ended up in a dire situation or taken a longer harder route to the same end.

For gods sake if our animals dont deserve to be protected at the end of thier days when do they, it is a shame that when things become old and useless they are slung out like rubbish this even applies to elderly people nowadys.

Thinking about it though my dad has a couple of retired pointers late twenties i mean they did work hard race for him they are too old now and he has new ones so i think i will tell him to put them on preloved and maybe we can get 100 each for them we could at least have a night out on that money.:rolleyes:
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Seller can't afford to keep. Horse is stated to be in good health, light hacking will not hurt it, horse would probably enjoy it. I think seller, as anyone else when selling a horse, will do their best to ensure the animal goes on to a good and loving home. Get over it and stop being so self-righteous.
 
OFFS. Who sells a thirty year old pony? If they don't want it anymore, its had 5 years retirement, why wouldn't they just put it down?

Although I agree that if they have more than one young, useful, sellable horse, one of them ought to be down the road before any decisions need to be made regarding this old chap.
 
totally agree with trinityfox. who made me laugh too btw. we still have the first pony eating its head off being shod wormed teethed clipped - treated exactly the same as the competition ponies. he is 25 now and was only really good as a lead rein hunting pony. ask anything else and he could drop his shoulder like a beast! so he was moved on a lot. when the second pony arrived he went to the back of his stable and stayed there, didnt eat for 2 days. when we moved he was frantic at the new yard. and didnt eat - and he is a greedy pony. i get asked nearly every day to sell/loan him and he could go out and do something but he did a good job for us and he can stay where he is. id love to find a little child to tonk round on him - do a few lr m&m as we did - infact gone from dreading the oldest boy getting someone pregnant to wishing he would!
 
Why would they pts a healthy horse rather than make an attempt to find it a nice new home? Makes no sense to me. In fact, a much easier way to get rid of the problem..
 
I can't believe you need this explaining. You pts so that you know the horse had a safe, healthy happy life and a swift end.

If you sell it at the very stage when it will start to need extra care, extra food, extra money spending on it, assuming some other sucker is going to do all this, you are kissing goodbye to any say over its future and the ability to make sure it ends its life content and comfortable.
 
Flame_ said:
I can't believe you need this explaining. You pts so that you know the horse had a safe, healthy happy life and a swift end.

If you sell it at the very stage when it will start to need extra care, extra food, extra money spending on it, assuming some other sucker is going to do all this, you are kissing goodbye to any say over its future and the ability to make sure it ends its life content and comfortable.
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Firstly, SusieT I think we're on the same wavelength here.

And LOL, major big fat LOL at the above post. Basically, you're PTS because you can't be arsed to try and sell something which still has something to offer? I truly believe horses that are in pain, or are physically/mentally unstable therefore the option for rehoming is not viable should be PTS. And NOTHING else.

AND FOR GODS SAKE. The seller has said the animal is in good health? A set of eyes, a brain and a vetting would tell you otherwise.
 
Life is about moving forward, not hanging on to things from the past.
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Bullsh**!

Do you have no sentiment? No feeling of loyalty to an animal who has given you the best years of their life, to feel that they deserve more than to be sold on for less than meat money - which is probably where they'll end up. Would you say the same about a pet dog or cat? Or a person?

Nobody is going to take on a 30yr old companion, and pay for the privilege. If you wanted a companion you'd take something younger, smaller, and free - something that won't need lots of feeding or be likely to have many health problems - which is just waiting to happen in a horse of that age. So who will take this horse? Most likely someone looking to make a quick buck by picking it up for almost free - spinning a yarn about how caring they are - and selling for meat, or possibly if its sound and looks okay, making out its a lot younger and selling on as a riding horse.

That is why it is better to PTS. It is purely selfish and callous to sell on a horse of that age - it is shifting responsibility onto somebody else.

I have no problem with shooting an old or lame horse if you can't afford to keep it any more, but at least do the responsible thing, don't push the problem onto someone else.
 
nikkimariet said:
Firstly, SusieT I think we're on the same wavelength here.

And LOL, major big fat LOL at the above post. Basically, you're PTS because you can't be arsed to try and sell something which still has something to offer?
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What? Where did I say anything about "can't be arsed"? My family owns a 28ish year old pony with no history of health problems. She has spent many years in a field, doing nothing, happy with her friends. Now I have plenty of energy, a lorry to deliver her and could do with a few quid but I sure as hell won't be going and advertising her to get it, it would be irresponsible as sin. I would sooner shoot her tomorrow myself, truly.
 
bit of woolly thinking going on ST! if i lost everything tomorrow and the ponies had to go i would pts the old pony and loan the younger ones. the thought of the old boy ending up being led in to an abbatoir just kills me. and that is what would happen eventually. sorry to depress everyone. its why we havnt bought any more older ponies - although i see them out competing and winning. i wont sell any of the younger ones either! but at least they can go out on loan and come home to us to die!
 
Often perpetrated myth that automatically by selling a companion you doom it to a life of neglect.
I quite agree he is HIGHLY unlikely to get a home for this horse that pays for it.
However, there are homes out there want an older companion (less fighting, less trouble, generally more settled in their happy ways). They may be harder to find, but that does not make the instant option to PTS. A cowards way out imo, and one made by people who assume nobody can care for their horse but them.
We hear about the bad cases more than we hear about the good ones, like everything in life.
If you have vetted a horses new home, visited it, ideally asked around about the buyers, maybe got references-you are unlikely to go far wrong. You would have to be very unlucky to be one of the few taken in by a con artist, we just hear about them more often.
If an animal has a good chance of a happy life I don't see why one would not make every effort to make this happen.
How do you know this is not the horse this person has owned for the least amount of time? I actually think the add reads more as though a good home is very much wanted.
Nobody ever answered anyway, would you shoot all your old horses if you were moving home? If not-this is no different.
 
xspiralx said:
Bullsh**!

Do you have no sentiment? No feeling of loyalty to an animal who has given you the best years of their life, to feel that they deserve more than to be sold on for less than meat money - which is probably where they'll end up. Would you say the same about a pet dog or cat? Or a person?

Nobody is going to take on a 30yr old companion, and pay for the privilege. If you wanted a companion you'd take something younger, smaller, and free - something that won't need lots of feeding or be likely to have many health problems - which is just waiting to happen in a horse of that age. So who will take this horse? Most likely someone looking to make a quick buck by picking it up for almost free - spinning a yarn about how caring they are - and selling for meat, or possibly if its sound and looks okay, making out its a lot younger and selling on as a riding horse.

That is why it is better to PTS. It is purely selfish and callous to sell on a horse of that age - it is shifting responsibility onto somebody else.

I have no problem with shooting an old or lame horse if you can't afford to keep it any more, but at least do the responsible thing, don't push the problem onto someone else.
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Right...for the most part, you make sense. Except you are pretty much saying, anyone with an old horse should honour it by owning it until its last living breath?....

And that does not make sense. You can only provide financially for an animal, if you have the money to do so. Perhaps, if the seller keeps the horse, they will go hungry.....they won't get their teeth done....maybe they won't get wormed as often.

The owner has clearly said, she can't afford 4 horses. And as I previously said; no one knows the history of the other horses she has and that maybe they are just as old? Or are not in good health, therefore there is no chance they can be sold on.

Since when did an old horse become useless? Horse for sale is in GOOD HEALTH and CAN be ridden (although as stated, very lightly). I learnt to ride on a horse that was 33, he was in perfect health and enjoyed having a 4 year old taking him down the road or trotting round in the school. Who says that just because something is old, it has nothing left to give?

And wow. The last bit. What awful thing happened to you to make you so cynical? Since when did an old horse being sold = new owner is a cruel b*stard that wants to make a profit by as you said, making out its younger, selling on to the meat man etc etc.... Sure, people like that do exist, but they're not the only buyers out there?

Also, I don't sell people, and I'm pretty sure that's illegal. So stop acting like selling an old horse because you can't afford to keep it any longer is too and get off your high totally bonkers horse.
 
SusieT said:
Often perpetrated myth that automatically by selling a companion you doom it to a life of neglect.
I quite agree he is HIGHLY unlikely to get a home for this horse that pays for it.
However, there are homes out there want an older companion (less fighting, less trouble, generally more settled in their happy ways). They may be harder to find, but that does not make the instant option to PTS. A cowards way out imo, and one made by people who assume nobody can care for their horse but them.
We hear about the bad cases more than we hear about the good ones, like everything in life.
If you have vetted a horses new home, visited it, ideally asked around about the buyers, maybe got references-you are unlikely to go far wrong. You would have to be very unlucky to be one of the few taken in by a con artist, we just hear about them more often.
If an animal has a good chance of a happy life I don't see why one would not make every effort to make this happen.
How do you know this is not the horse this person has owned for the least amount of time? I actually think the add reads more as though a good home is very much wanted.
Nobody ever answered anyway, would you shoot all your old horses if you were moving home? If not-this is no different.
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OMG thank you. There is another sane person in NL.
 
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I'm not cynical, I am realistic.

Except you are pretty much saying, anyone with an old horse should honour it by owning it until its last living breath?....
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Err, yes exactly that is what I am saying.

You own an animal, you have a duty to be responsible for them - in my book that means either caring for the animal yourself, loaning it out if you can but maintaining responsibility - or making the decision that if neither of these are viable options, to put the horse to sleep to secure its future.

I'm not saying that old horses have nothing to give, but it is a fact pure and simple that there are an absolute surplus of younger horses out there suitable for light hacking available for free or peanuts. If you are very very lucky you might find the 1 person in a thousand who is prepared to pay to take on a retired 30yr old pony - but the likelihood is that you won't. I don't think that tiny chance is worth gambling the life of a horse on simply because you are greedy, or don't want the hassle of making the hard decision yourself.
 
xspiralx said:
I'm not cynical, I am realistic.



Err, yes exactly that is what I am saying.

You own an animal, you have a duty to be responsible for them - in my book that means either caring for the animal yourself, loaning it out if you can but maintaining responsibility - or making the decision that if neither of these are viable options, to put the horse to sleep to secure its future.

I'm not saying that old horses have nothing to give, but it is a fact pure and simple that there are an absolute surplus of younger horses out there suitable for light hacking available for free or peanuts. If you are very very lucky you might find the 1 person in a thousand who is prepared to pay to take on a retired 30yr old pony - but the likelihood is that you won't. I don't think that tiny chance is worth gambling the life of a horse on simply because you are greedy, or don't want the hassle of making the hard decision yourself.
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AHHHHHHHH. READ WHAT I'M SAYING.

YES. You do have a duty to be responsible for the animals you own. BUT on the offchance, you no longer have the facilities IE MONEY £££££, you know, that stuff that pays for other stuff??? THEN YOU CAN'T LOOK AFTER ANOTHER LIVING CREATURE. Therefore, making your responsibility to allow someone else to give it the quality of life it deserves. Loaning is simply not an option for most people in financial difficulty.

Do you hate on people that donate their horses/dogs/cats/other pets to charities/sanctuaries too?? Or should they just PTS their pets instead selling them/passing them on?

Is your reaction purely because it's an old horse? I assume you don't have a problem with something selling lets say....and 20year old horse? Because they don't have the money? That's still an 'old' horse. This hypothetical 20year old horse might have been with its' owners from birth and be loved very dearly. Does that mean the hypothetical owners should pay someone to shoot it rather than sell it on? Because 'it's their duty?'

I'm assuming the seller of this particular old horse, is hoping there is that 1 person out there that looks at the advert and thinks, 'Yeah. I could give him a nice home.'

Have you ever thought that someone might not want to PTS on the off chance the animal could continue living? Is in not crueler to end a perfectly healthy animals life (NOTE: perfectly healthy....we are not talking about crippled golden oldies here) prematurely as opposed to giving them a chance to bring happiness to another persons life?
 
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footballerswife said:
i dont think ST and NM are for real? just someone posting to wind us up. dont reply! you'll just encourage them xxx
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Lol. Look out...there's a troll. What a surprise in NL.

I promise you I am a real person. I am a real person with a brain and a heart. And also this little thing called COMMON SENSE, which none of you appear to own.
 
Goodness calm down. I can read what you're saying perfectly well, I just think your viewpoint is naive in the extreme.

It is my opinion that selling a very old retired horse is not taking responsibility, because the chances of that horse finding a loving home are extremely slim.

If you can't afford to keep, and you can't virtually guarantee a kind, loving home for the horse - then PTS is the caring and sensible option. Its no bad thing for a horse - they don't fear death.
 
xspiralx said:
Goodness calm down. I can read what you're saying perfectly well, I just think your viewpoint is naive in the extreme.

It is my opinion that selling a very old retired horse is not taking responsibility, because the chances of that horse finding a loving home are extremely slim.

If you can't afford to keep, and you can't virtually guarantee a kind, loving home for the horse - then PTS is the caring and sensible option. Its no bad thing for a horse - they don't fear death.
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Well if you can read what I'm saying perfectly well, do not be so ignorant as to assume your view is the only correct one.

I'm not saying force an old horse to be sold IE take any offer going on it. I'm saying, the opportunity of a sale is still to be had. If no offers, no sale etc then yes, PTS may be the next thing to think about.

Bottom line is: No matter what the age of a horse, you should try to sell it, as long as it is fit for the purpose advertised. If the horse is unable to sell, or be given away AND treated correctly then PTS is the next best thing.


And hey, guess what. That is pretty much what I said in my first few posts on this thread. So....you've got your knickers in a metaphorical twist over....*nothing* :D Congratulations on your superb intelligence.
 
Point taken in regards to being judgemental, there are too many similar adverts circulating around preloved/free ads etc atm, and it was not my intention to single this particular seller out... if in doing so I have offended anyone then i apologise.
My earlier point however, still stands. Selling a 30 year old pony who has given you the best years of his life is, imo, wrong. I understand 'needs must' however, if what has been said about the sellers other horses being old/retired too is true, i'll eat my hat.

Anyway, i felt it was important I expressed my apologies to the seller/anyone i have upset, no offence was intended. I hope the pony finds himself a lovely home to live out the rest of his days...
 
We have a 29 year old retired cob mare, she has not worked for 5 years. This last summer foster daughter asked if she could come over and ride the mare, the answer, sadly was no. The mare has done no work for 5 years, the same as the pony in the advert. She finds it harder to keep weight on and this is a very common problem with older horses, it would be nigh on impossible to get her fit enough to work now.
Our oldie is in a stable herd, she has lived on this land for 16 years, she has taken on new horses over time, always she has met the new ones alongside the ones she already knows. Because of the way the introductions are managed, the Old girl has not had problems with being bullied etc. To move an elderly animal into situations where all the other horses are new to, is a huge risk, likely to cause stress.
Far better if you can't afford to keep it is PTS, or if so bothered for the money, take it to the abbatoir yourself.
 
Jeez.... what kind of horseperson suggests a 30yo horse which has been retired for 5 years can be ridden???:confused::confused:
I must tell my 76 yo mother she can give piggybacks... easy!!
 
Please re read what I've written... With adequate vetting, the proper use of common sense you would get a good idea of the health of a horse.....a 30 year could be ridden by a small child. I would like to reiterate I learnt to ride on a 33 year old pony...at a riding school....in no way was he mis-treaten or in ill health just because he was old and being ridden still.

I am not proposing a 30 year old horse, retired for 5 years should be banged around a XC course, or wang it round a showjumping course/dressage test with a 15st person on its back. To me light work coupled with 30 years old = ideal for v small childs first pony to be taken for 5 minutes down the road/round a school.

Seriously, how horrified would you be as the seller of the pony in question, to come on here and find people calling you despicable and saying you have no heart and no mind to sell an old pony. It happens. So I don't get what gives you the right to slate someone who is trying to make ends meet whilst giving their pony a life instead of a bullet in the forehead?

Also. I'm not sure an old WOMAN can be compared with an old HORSE. Horses have been ridden? People have never been sold as a hack, or a show-jumper? Or are you telling me you are trying to sell your mother? :rolleyes:
 
Get real.... my mother USED to be able to give piggybacks with no problem, she could also pick up babies and young children... she couldnt do it now and neither could a 30yo horse who has been retired 5yrs. your 33 yo riding school horse is no comparison, surely you know this??
 
A 30 year old pony who has remained in work, is a different proposition from one which has been retired for FIVE YEARS. My old Appy worked until she was 30 and then had 3 years in retirement, before she 'got the bullet in her forehead', as was so elegantly put by another poster :eek: To try and wring the last £300 out of an old animal strikes me as money grubbing, trying to make about the equivalent of having the horse pts at home.
Death is not the worst thing that can happen to an elderly horse. Possibly having to integrate into a herd of new, younger horses could well be a much worse experience.
 
Oh wow....god forbid you are ever faced with the task of selling a horse. Well....you wouldn't, you'd just shoot the poor bugger instead. Eyes well and truly rolled.
 
What utter tosh! I would indeed rather shoot the old lady, rather than sell her on, for all the logical reasons posted above, in fact nikkimariat, I must say I doubt your ability to read! There are a number of solid reasons for NOT selling an unfit, retired for FIVE years, 30 year old pony, but I doubt that you will be able to understand this post any better than you understood the previous ones.
I presume that you view your horses as commodities, similar to bycicles, but possibly with more monetary value.
 
The 31 yr old pony from my yard is a fit, healthy speed merchant who loves hacking several times a week. She looks superb, never sick or sorry.
She was advertised at age 25 yrs for permanent loan when her owner emmigrated. She's just moved with her loaner (new job) to another yard and continues to flourish.
She'd not be thanking any of you who would have reached for the bullet.

Don't assume all old ponies are waiting to die, some just refuse to grow old and behave like geriatrics.

Incidentally, last year there was a 103 yr old man in the news who emmigrated to New Zealand with his wife of 5 years...
 
Note how the pony from your yard has a. stayed in work rather than retiring, and b. NOT BEEN SOLD :rolleyes:
 
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