Have you seen a horse die?

Yes, I have to be with my horses to make sure they have a good death. I couldn't leave that in someone else's hands. They were under control and not emergencies.

I saw a horse have an awful accident, but wasn't there when it was finally pts. That is horrible. You are so helpless when you know the outcome is inevitable.
 
I was there when my boy was PTS by injection, it was like he just went to sleep, my mare who had colic surgery and went down hill a while after I was there all day while she was slipping away in front off me and the **** of a vet left her slowly dying, she ended up being finished by the gun although I was in such a state by then YO asked me to leave just before, but she was almost gone by then :(.

I also seen a horse drop down dead, I think I was about 14 or 15 and me and a friend went to watch a spanish horse show at the NEC and it just collopsed, it was not nice at all the horse was either v4 or 5 and it was announced it was a suspected heart attack, poor thing :(
 
Yes quite a few, though only one was ours. Others have been at races where I have happened to be nearest the scene and helped hold horse or keep it down till the vet reaches horse. There is an old Irish saying about dead stock that says "It's outside the back door" that goes back to dead people being waked in their homes....ie death of any species is not nice but if you don't have to bring it into the house in the form of a wake for a human then be thankful for that!
 
Yes, I've seen two die. The first was my friend's pony which I very nobly offered to hold while it was shot (very traumatic for me, I went into delayed a shock a couple of hours later and couldn't stop shaking). The second was my own, totally beloved filly who was PTS by injection 6 years ago today (and I've never got over it).

I've also seen many small animals die/PTS - both my own and when I worked for a vet and usually got the job of holding the animal for the injection. Never my favourite job.
 
I saw a horse break its neck in a race but it was at the far side of the course.

Apart from that have never seen a horse die, although have seen plenty of dead stock on farms i've been on, agree with whoever said above that horses feel different, sorry can't remember who said it.
 
I must be the worst kind of ghoul going then :(

I watched the video, because I wanted to see what it looked like when a horse under saddle collapsed and died. For reference, because I find it interesting and educational.
The only horse I have seen die in real life was a friend's horse who was shot by the hunt. I didn't have to watch that either, but, I was given the opportunity and I wanted to see what it was like, so that if I ever had to make that decision, I could do it based on what I had witnessed with my own eyes, rather than hearsay.
I will never forget the sounds and sights, but I am glad I was allowed to be there.
 
I've never seen a horse die, or seen a dead horse for that matter (except on tv of course).

I've see a person die and seen an enormous number of dead people though. I don't mean like in The Sixth Sense, I worked in a funeral director's.
 
Yes, three. My first horse died of a heart attack, from the sounds of it very much like hickstead, although it was quick for him it was incredibly distressing to me!

The other two were PTS by injection and it was very peaceful.

Personally it's not the manner of the death but why people want to watch it on YouTube? But that is just my opinion and I wouldn't click on any links because of that xx
 
FionaM12 said:
I've never seen a horse die, or seen a dead horse for that matter (except on tv of course).

I've see a person die and seen an enormous number of dead people though. I don't mean like in The Sixth Sense, I worked in a funeral director's.
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Crickey, well done you. I would be dreadful at that job, I just know I would giggle.
 
been with friend when 2 of hers were pts by gun - stayed until last minute then as she handed horse over to the gunman we walked away and I must admit I never looked back and nor did she but the sound will always stay with me. Didnt bother me cleaning up afterwards for her -but didnt want or feel the need to watch as trigger was pulled or as horse was removed.

Had 2 cats pts and it just seems that the bigger the animal the more traumatic it is - the vet injected the cat then checked heart had stopped and wrapped in little fluffy blanket and took away - so different from the traumatic removal or horses after pts.
 
Ive seen a few sadly. The first was my first day out racing when a horse crossed the finish and had a heart attack, others have been a broken leg at a racecourse. Sadly a race horse at the yard i worked broke his leg landing over a fence which was a truly horrible day going home with one less horse :(. another i unfortunatly whitnessed was a horse suffer a heart attack in the lorry park of a point to point. There always sad but its just something that happens and fortunatly it hasnt been one of mine ive had to watch.
 
My old cob mare died in the field, my hubby found her and she was burried by the field owner so i havnt as yet seen a dead horse, i hope it will be a good many years before i do.
 
Shilasdair said:
Sorry for the morbid title, but I was a little shocked that others were a little shocked on viewing the video of 'Hickstead''s death.
How many of you have never seen a horse die (not including videos)?
S :D
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I have sadly had to have horses pts in the past but i had the same thing happen with as what has happened with hickstead.

I feel the riders/owners pain. nothing stops the memories and the pain doesnt get any better.
I havent and wont watch that video - just hearing the sad news has upset me far too much.
 
Supertrooper said:
Yes, three. My first horse died of a heart attack, from the sounds of it very much like hickstead, although it was quick for him it was incredibly distressing to me!

The other two were PTS by injection and it was very peaceful.

Personally it's not the manner of the death but why people want to watch it on YouTube? But that is just my opinion and I wouldn't click on any links because of that xx
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I completely agree with you x
 
a long long time ago the vet came out to a brood mare when i worked on a stud farm. She had colic . he did an internal examination and said she would be fine . he was going on another call and would call back in an hour or so to check her progress. I saw a puff of exhaust fumes as he turned right at the end of the drive.. just as the horse dropped down dead. It was really hard for us as we had to shift it with a tractor so we could finish off mucking out and sweeping the yard. Yes we were really that callous then I think i might be a bit more compassionate about it now.
i watched my dad die too. We didnt have to move him with a tractor though.
 
I have seen a fair few recently, out hunting/team chasing/polo, all within a close distance of me.
I have seen our own been dealt with the huntsmen, which was obviously much much harder.
 
Seen a few shot, a few by injection and one drop dead (old boy, heart attack) it's sad, but not shocking, I think the only thing that would truely shock me is seeing a horse die in a road accident, and I hope to god I never see have to see that.
 
Several. My favourite stallion died with his head on my knee and, one sad morning I had to hold four in a row who were shot. Believe it or not this was at a stud and the owners simply didn't want them back.. one was a gorgeous sweet polo pony mare who had apparently played her socks off for her owners in her day. But she couldn't be got in foal so she was discarded. Maybe it was a better end than going back to an owner that heartless.

Other than that I saw Beau Supreme break her leg at HOYS (oddly enough she was by the stallion I mentioned) with Derek Ricketts, I saw Caroline Bradley's stallion, Marius, collapse and die in the parade ring at Hickstead and, also at Hickstead a horse come down off the bank and snap a foreleg on landing.

Never happy times, but it happens and if you have anything to do with animals then you have to accept it from the outset.
 
Was there this amount of uproar when Best Mate died on the racecourse?

I never saw it happen (live tv) and have never looked for any videos via YouTube or whatnot. I DO remember being deeply disturbed by the front page of newspapers the following day, showing frame by frame as the great horse went down.

But in answer to orig question, yes, first few years ago, old lady had colic and nothing could be done apart from injection.

Secondly my old boy 4th April this year, held him whilst vet administered the drugs, then knackerman took over when he went down, run pain free dear old man Darco xx

Both quick and peaceful. Not much more you can do for them. Not much more you can ask for your peace of mind.
 
yes, quite a few. i've seen one have a heart attack just after finishing a CCI course when girl had just gotten off and was undoing girth. he bolted, lost co-ordination, went down. really shocking, happened about 10' from me.
held one for shooting when i was a teen (nobody else around, i found the horse with a compound fracture), i've taken a couple of mine to the hunt and seen them shot. helped a friend whose old pony went down and had to be pts by vet (strangulated lipoma iirc.)
they look very peaceful. the only really upsetting thing is that their eyelids won't stay shut, unlike people's.
i've never seen a dead person, yet.
 
I've been on one of my own who went down like Hickstead. I've seen one go like it out hunting as well. I've held three for a gunshot and another for a lethal injection and I have one to do next week for a friend. It's just death, it's the only certainty in life.
 
Shilasdair said:
Sorry for the morbid title, but I was a little shocked that others were a little shocked on viewing the video of 'Hickstead''s death.
How many of you have never seen a horse die (not including videos)?
S :D
Click to expand...

Unfotunately yes I have. Three of my own horses died within three months of each other, one from poisoning, one from colic and one I had pts - it was absolutely horrific and not something I would wish anyone to experience, ever. I gave up horse ownership for a couple of years after that. Watching a horse die in total and complete agony before the vet got there is exceptionally traumatic, you see it in their eyes when they give up and when one of them is your kid's "best in the world pony ever" it makes it even harder :(

I have also seen a horse die on a XC course many years ago - the horse was bolting out of control, down hill, over jumps and finally crashed at the bottom. Apparently it had had a brain tumour.

A very unpleasant but very real aspect of horse ownership.
 
I've had 2 of my horses drop dead in front of me, and i've held countless others.
Its always upsetting, some go very easy and some fight it, my first horse to die in front of me got toxic shock that went to his brain, the vet was on his way back to pts after numerous visits trying to save him when he went crazy before dying, coming over a 5 bar stable gate at me.
My second horse, was also under vet care, but the day she died, I had just given her breakfast, was walking back towards her when she keeled over sideways, thrashed around for a few seconds and was dead. Most of the horses i've held to be pts have gone very peacefully and fast. The last one, my beloved 20yr old handreared horse was sedated and then pts, but i think the sedation affected the drugs as she fought it for ages, that was so upsetting.
 
I have - luckily so far none of my own. I think I would be shocked if a horse I thought to be perfectly fit and healthy dropped dead in front of me - when you have to pts generally you have at the worst a few mins to think about it. I haven't seen the videos of him going down and I don't want to.
 
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