Is it moral to sell on old/elderly horses?

We have retired four horses over the years, one at 12 due to dangerous behaviour as a result of food intollerances, she died at 24 of a stroke. Her life long friend retired at 29 and was kept in happy retirement until she was 33, when she was PTS, having lost her zest for life, an elderly clydex |(bought as a 12 year old but actually about 19 then!) kept until she was 40ish and retired for 18 months, until vet declared her heart too weak to carry on. We currently hve a 28 year old who retired five years ago, following a week of colic. I know that others do not keep their horses as we do, but ours come through our gate as ours and only leave in the knacker womans waggon. I do accept that other people have to sell horses for us to buy them, so possibly a bit of double thinking there
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I'd have no problem taking a fit older pony as a riding pony for my kids - thye tend to be the very best - been there, done that, seen it all.

My son lost his 34 year old mare last year and she was just brilliant, knew when to be brave and knew when to take him out of harms way. We were gutted when she went.

Would also have no problem taking one on as a companion when I need one.

But whether they should be "sold" or simply rehomed to where they have a role and a job to do - even if that job is just keeping someone company - I thinnk once they get elderly loaning or rehoming is more appropriate than selling.
 
For me if I was going to sell an elderly horse I would want to spend a lot of time getting to know the buyer and finding out what they wanted and why they wanted an older horse. I'd probably life references too if possible. I'd want it to go to the best possible home. If I couldn't ensure this to the best of mu abilities, I'd PTS.
 
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I'd have no problem taking a fit older pony as a riding pony for my kids - thye tend to be the very best - been there, done that, seen it all.

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Yes absolutely, and this is something I think about a lot - all the novices I see at livery yards, picking up youngsters - it seems to me that recognition of the extreme value of an older horse that knows its job, that can teach riders and bring them on, seems to have been lost in recent years. I think that is such a shame. But that is a whole new thread!
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I bought my sons pony, with health issues, at 17. She will be 21 when shes outgrown and will never be sold. She too likes her work so I would loan her out if I could find someone who could manage all her issues.
She is the most fantastic pony and I am so pleased I bought her but I couldn't possibly sell her on.
 
I sold my first pony when she was at least 19.

She was on loan to a family for 3 years first and they kept her til the day she died.

I knew they would give her a home for life, they adored her, had a large extended family with lots of toddlers and it was just perfect for her.

I trusted them implicitly as they had just rescued one of their own old ponies and said they would never sell again.

I visited her and got updates until she passed away in her late 20s.



HOWEVER

If I couldn't guarantee a good life home for any of my horses I wouldn't sell regardless of age.
 
Oddly, we went and saw Cheeky and took him home 3 days later. I think his owner trusted us, and because there was a month trial she saw that I adored him. She had already turned down several people (although mainly because they were all into Parelli stuff and she knew Cheeky would pretty much run them ragged in less than a week!).
 
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Would it be wrong for me to say I would rather have Corroy pts at 18 than sell her on now?

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No it wouldnt. I would rather PTS my healthy fit and active 20-something than have him sold on and on and hammered around doing stuff he's good at but not physically capable of doing anymore......not regularly anyway. He's with me until the end.

BTW...I bought him as younger than he actually is.....if someone else had bought him and trusted his passport then god knows what state he'd be in now.
 
I think we owe it to them to make sure they are properly looked after in their old age. Ollie is 25 and been with me for 17 years so I would not consider parting with him. If for some reason it was impossible to keep him I would have to think very hard about what was in his best interests. The last thing I would want is for him to be stuck out in a field thin and cold with nobody bothering about him.
 
1. Sometimes - if the horse is fit and healthy and the home is well vetted. If the horse is unsound, then no. Personally I would prefer to loan out with a very good agreement.

2. Is the horse able to do the job. I would want to meet the owners, see the yard and ideally they would be a known person.

3. PTS or if you can afford it, keep at home or put into a retirement yard. Possible loan but subject to a very comprehensive agreement and the understanding that if they even considered selling your horse on, I would hunt them down and make sure they never walked again.

I took my TBs Breeze on at 23 and kept her until she had a serious injury at 29 which required pts. Miss Delia was 16, had five years of fun, then bought her daughter and found keeping two was just too much - my mistake. Delia went onto another family on loan who wanted a gentle school mistress to hack and have fun with when she was 21. She stayed there until she was pts at 29 a much loved pet.

Fleur went out on broodmare loan at 9 due to an injury and stayed until she died at 14 due to colic.

Delia and Fleur had a very comprehensive agreement and I spent a considerable amount of time finding good homes and kept in touch.

It is difficult to pts a healthy older horse and even more so if circumstances change and you can't afford them. Personally those sharks out there who take on and sell on horses need to be taken to task with huge fines and imprisonment (and knee capped) - but realistically rarely happens.
 
i dont think you can class a horse in their late teens as elderly. I think the issue between something this age and something in its 30's is so different. My horse is 19 and no different from when I got him aged 11. I dont think of him as an old horse or treat him that way so while i wouldnt sell him, i would in theory if that makes sense!!! I think an older horse could also still make a good companion and as long as you vet the new home thoroughly dont see why its a problem IMO
 
No.
I would possibly loan to someone I knew well and was on my doorstep. Other than that, if I could not look after my oldie myself I would PTS.
I do, however, think it is slightly different for small lead rein / first ponies, they tend to have a longer working life than horses. My kids pony is 11, but it would not matter if she was more than doudle that as she does so little work.
 
Many horses in their late teens and early twenties are still competing and working as well as they were ten years before, so as others have said, the individual circumstances need to be taken into consideration.

I was given a horse at 15 who was with me until he was PTS at 34. At no time did I ever consider selling him, although he was loaned when he was 26 and I bought a younger horse. However, He stayed on my yard, I still booked and turned up for the farrier (although the loaner paid for the shoes) and I still fed him every day and took care of anything else he needed apart from the riding.

I still paid for his rent, and if at any time I had been in a position where I could have only afforded one horse, it would have been the younger one that went. If I had been in a position where I couldn't have afforded any horse at all, he would have been put down.

My mare's field companion is her 28 year old mother, who I ride and drive occasionally. If she had to be sold, I would buy her tomorrow, and I know that her owner would sell her to me because she would trust me to look after her until the end.

However, not all sellers of elderly horses have the luxury of knowing their buyers, or even where the horse is actually going to live. It infuriates me to see horses in their mid-late twenties for sale - especially if they have had to be retired due to injury. Yes, there is a place for companions, but a sale to a stranger is not the way to do it.

By the time a horse has reached that age, then whether you like it or not - you owe it either a guaranteed decent home (with you or with someone you know, loaned and not sold, so you can get the horse back if it isn't being cared for properly) or a swift, clean end to it's life so at least you know what has happened to it.
 
1. Is it moral to sell on old/elderly horses?depends on the horse and who to

2. Are there any criteria that should be considered before you decide whether to sell? future of horse- does it have one?


3. What other options would there be for an older horse?loaning, retirement livery, grass livery, sharing.
 
1. Is it moral to sell on old/elderly horses?

If your own circumstances change and you must, or have a perfectly healthy, just old, horse put to sleep. Yes.

If you have taken the utmost care to pick an owner who you truly believe will do the right thing for the rest of your horses life. Yes.

If you only bought it last month yourself, with the best of intentions, but it isn't working out for you and you discuss it with the previous owner if it came from a private home. Yes.

Nothing in life is black and white. Except maybe penguins and badgers.
 
I think whether it's right to sell an older horse or not depends on who buys them!!

I sold my mare when she was 16. I bought her when she was 5.

She was no longer happy working at the level I was competing at (PSG dressage), would have been bored and wasted if I had retired her and I didn't have the time or the finances for 2.

She went to a brilliant home to a lady who had lost her confidence on a youngster and who wanted something that would hack alone or in company, pop the odd jump (mare was also ex-intermediate eventer) and compete at a much lower level dressage but be able to teach her the more advanced movements.

I recently saw the lady that bought her and she told me the mare had died last year (aged 28) and how special she had been to her proving to be the horse of a lifetime.

I don't ever regret selling her as she had a better life then she would have had if she had stayed with me and she gave another person as much joy and pleasure as she gave me whilst being able to carry on working and competing at a level she was happy and comfortable doing.
 
I still don't understand how people can say that it's different for an elderly horse

Have to be sure of finding the very best home-- surely anyone who loves their horse does this anyway? It's not good for any horse to go through lots of homes

They've earned it-- again, surely any horse who has served you well has earned a sound future, not to be passed on??

Unless unsound- but that is a different question, any age horse can be unsound or only fit for light work and at risk of being pushed too hard...
 
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