How many unwanted horses at your yard?

Borderreiver

Borderreiver

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I look after two extras here, both because their owners, who are only in their 30's-40's are too ill to cope. One friend had a brain hemorrhage and my daughter has terminal cancer. The horses are not old but not very saleable especially in the current market so what else could you do? It seems unfair to end their lives as neither are very old and both enjoy life. Thankfully we have good facilities for living out.

I suspect this is a common problem? These horses are in no way mistreated or neglected like the high profile cases we see in the news but they are still part of the problem of too many horses. What's it like where you are?
 
good grief, thats rather sad for all concerned. I hope this situation isn't that common in terms of the serious health concerns of the owners.
 
I look after an elderly mare for a woman. The mare is 29 and retired due to a hock and pelvis injury, but enjoys her life living out and acting as babysitter for the other 3 in the field! She enjoys the time my three year old son spends with her, is good as gold and I enjoy treating her as my own horse and giving her as much love and attention as I give to my two.

I wouldn't say she is 'unwanted', but her owner is very busy at work and just doesn't have the time to be up seeing her every day, though she pops over every now and then, and obviously pays her livery and drops farrier money off to me etc
I think I'm doing them both a favour, and if there was no one available to look after the mare chances are she would be PTS.
 
I think there has always been a lot of equines in fields that have just been stored, its not a problem as long as they are looked after, have food and company. The problem starts when they just leave them thinking they need no care, and now money is tight for lots of people the basics left get let longer and longer until the animal gets a problem which could have been avoided routine care.
 
But is it really a problem as long the owners take responibilty for paying for and meeting their horses needs the horse is safe if the owner is happy or accepting the situation because they feel it's the best option for the horse in the current situation.
 
Firstly, I am so very sorry to hear of your situation.

We have three field ornaments here, though certainly none are unwanted. Two little mini-Shetlands from a horse charity, whose adoptor adores them, but they are both unrideable and are no use to anyone. But we love them! And my mare. I'm at the end of my riding career due to bad arthritis. She has worked her way through several would-be riders, as she's very sharp and strong to boot. She also has various ailments so I would never, ever pass her one. But again we all love her dearly and like all our animals, she is 'family'. The final member of this establishment is an ex-racer, who IS ridden, is again loved by us all, but his owner is extremely hardworking - and put upon, and so I do the day to day looking after.

I think I'm probably confusing 'useless' with 'unwanted'. But certainly their long term futures are all secure, and that's all that matters.

PS what part of Northumberland? I grew up on the Roman Wall - well not literally............
 
I'm looking after a horse who broke his owner's leg in a slipping/scrabbling accident. He's definitely not unwanted, but she's still on the road to recovery. He came in every night to the lap of luxury whilst mine was slumming it in the field!
 
First of all, those of you that are looking after horses for people that are very ill are wonderful. I wouldn't call those horses unwanted though. My friend died of cancer and another looked after her horse for her while she was ill. Every time we visited her in hospital the first thing that she wanted to hear about was her horse, he was very much wanted, she was just incapable of being with him.

I have known of a good few horses on full livery with owners that hardly ever came near them and never rode them. As Goldenstar said, if the horse is well looked after so what. The horse doesn't care as long as it can live a good life..
 
There are two at our yard, both on full livery. One owner lives abroad and pays full livery, all costs etc - but I've never met her and apparently she hasn't seen him for over two years. The other doesn't come down very often; she's a busy girl and has a lot on.

I give both horses a fuss, because they are both lovely. The one with the owner living abroad particularly misses the close relationship and having a special person. The other misses having a job to do.

Both are thoroughly well cared for; it's just rather a shame that two really nice horses don't have enough to do!
 
At least one, the owner claims 'she loves him' but never, ever comes to the yard. The YO has let me take on his care, I have a huge soft spot for him, so I'm happy to, I basically think of him as my 3rd horse now. He's a real 'people' horse, waits at the gate for me at nights, comes in, gets a tiny wee feed, checked over, a cuddle and goes back out quite happy again.
 
We have one that is reasonable well looked after but essentially "unwanted".

Mum and Dad shower their daughter with horsey gifts, daughter dutifully brings them up the yard and uses them but she doesn't really care.

She bought a stunning show jumper, ruined it with endless jumping and nothing else, horse has gone sour and chucked her a few times, girls now barely rides and chooses to ride her boyfriends at another yard instead.

She never spends any time with him, just come up, mucks him out and she's gone again. Her schooling session was 15mins last night.

Its heartbreaking too see, but... what can you do?
 
I have loads of horses living here with me on my farm who are never ridden and their owners visit a couple of times a year. They may not see their owners often but they are certainly not unwanted. Their bills are all paid and they have plenty of affection from me and other visitors to the farm. Anyone who really knows horses knows fine well that they are perfectly happy plodding around fields playing with their equine buddies. People are there to supply them with feed and care but other than that they don't really need us.
 
We have a few. Even when I was there years ago there was always one or two. The main sort of scenario that seems common where I am is people with too much money who want a flashy horse and go and buy this remarkable beast which needs worked every day and competed/hunted at weekends. Owner is not up to it nor is too interested in it and it gets left to become a menace. Saying that , one we had was a lovely big chap, total gentleman and he was just wasted. One in the same situation just now is a big brute and is turning his excitement to being caught and then running off and kicking out !

I think if the owners are ill , they're not necessarily unwanted, they just aren't fit to look after them which is acceptable in my books if the horse is on full livery.

Another case we had was a young girl who's dad was a businessman , she had 3 ponies to jump and all was well until he went bankrupt and they struggled financially to provide for even one pony. It started that the farrier visits were getting longer , then it went though a stage of people noticing their feed had gone missing , and then finally the girl got a bit older and less interested in ponies , and she'd come up for 10minutes max to drop in a slice of hay and take out some poops(as DIY you can imagine the bed) . Through one thing and another the yo managed to claim the horse as they'd ran up bills, and we started mucking in for her . Was a shame really, really nice talented pony , she's ended up in a riding school. I'm sure she's happy but she had wonderful paces and could jump the moon.
 
I rode a horse last year for someone who was terrified of it - they've owned him for years but he's always been on full livery and ridden by the staff, they moved to a big house with a field and brought him home and were too scared to do anything with him other than put food over the fence. I went up and hopped on him for them (he's 21 and at the yard they rode him to advanced dressage apparently) and he was a complete push button saint! Not necessarily unwanted but more of a status thing?
 
Current yard - none. YO keeps all the retirees into their dotage and very well cared for they are too. Previous yards - always one or two . . . I honestly don't know why people have horses if they can't be bothered to put time and effort into their care . . . even if they are retired/can't ride them.

P
 
Well, every yard I've been on has some. Sadly in the current economic climate there are many people finding the expense of horse owning too much and are unable to loan or even give them away. So inevitably the horses will suffer when the cold weather hits and the feed costs rise.
 
Brimmers said:
We have one that is reasonable well looked after but essentially "unwanted".

Mum and Dad shower their daughter with horsey gifts, daughter dutifully brings them up the yard and uses them but she doesn't really care.

She bought a stunning show jumper, ruined it with endless jumping and nothing else, horse has gone sour and chucked her a few times, girls now barely rides and chooses to ride her boyfriends at another yard instead.

She never spends any time with him, just come up, mucks him out and she's gone again. Her schooling session was 15mins last night.

Its heartbreaking too see, but... what can you do?
Click to expand...

Oh wow I really should read properly! I missed the 's' on the end of the word boyfriend and that sentence took on an entirely different meaning :eek3: :biggrin3:

We have one apparently, lovely lad but apparently his owner hasn't been seen for a long time.
 
Brimmers said:
We have one that is reasonable well looked after but essentially "unwanted"...... .........................................................................................................................................


She never spends any time with him, just come up, mucks him out and she's gone again. Her schooling session was 15mins last night.

Its heartbreaking too see, but... what can you do?
Click to expand...

Do you really think the horse cares?
 
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