Life after Riding

Spot On

Spot On

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I have seen on a few posts that people have said if the horse is no longer rideable they would PTS there horse (There decision I would ague with them) Rather than see them 'Wasted in a field' but just wanted to say I have an amazing show horse TB who after 3 yrs of arguing we discovered she had kissing spines (operation was not an option) after treatments that didn't work we had to retire her. Well she looks amazing and so so happy she is loving life bright eyes enjoying just chilling with our youngstock and being what a horse naturally is I would not say she is 'wasted' she is doing what horses were intended to do. Having had 3 broodmares who were never broken and have seen out the ends of the lives with us they are equally as happy as my jumping horse.
 
I think it depends on a number of things. I would and will keep my mare as a field ornament when/if she can no longer be ridden and my sisters BSJA horse is now enjoying early retirement on retirement livery. However if the owner can't afford to keep a field ornament and wants to ride then PTS is a kinder option and you know where they are then. Few people want oldies as companions but its a shame when you see them being sold for a pittance !
 
My tb isn't ridden and is perfectly happy, given he's barely done a days work in his life ( he's 6 ) he doesn't miss what he's never had. Some people on my last yard had strong opinions that retired horses shouldn't be kept but my horse, my money, horse isn't lame or in pain.
 
I may add I don't miss the everyday fittening work / hacking etc but probably because I did it for a living but I do get a bit peeved when everyone is else is of doing fun things with their horses, especially as mine is not low in costs to keep him, in fact he's blooming expensive! I do get annoyed when other people tell me just to shoot it though!
 
It's up to the owner .
I tend to PTS mine I don't keep them long term .
It's not right or wrong it's just different people ,different horses and different circunmtances.
But I am clear on one thing freezing cold covered in rain scald looking at your friends in the stable is not a good retirement if you keep them you have to do right by them.
 
Unfortunately it's not always that straight forward though... Yes a horse can be happy retired living in a field but practicalities don't always allow it. It's part of a much bigger debate really, our disposable society - the horse can no longer work ergo it is no longer useful lets put it down and get a horse that can do the job. Did the 'broken' horse deserve to live out its days at the varying expense (time, money and emotionally) of the owner? The horse has no idea it's life is going to end has no worries about tomorrow, it's life just ends... By keeping it alive the owner could have suffered through these expenses by killing it humans are playing god.
 
One of my horses was field rested for almost a year due to injury, and hated it. He hated seeing other horses going out, or competing, he went barmy when he heard or saw the horse box but wasn't the one going on an outing. Thankfully he was able to ridden again, and even a ride around the block kept him happy.

If the horse in question suited living out/retirement, and I could afford to keep them, I would. However, if my circumstances did not allow for it, I would rather have the horse PTS than live out its days being unhappy.
 
Squeak said:
100% agree with this.
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Me too. I chose to keep my old girl in happy retirement and at enormous expense as she was on alot of medication and she was more than happy munching, dozing and rolling in the mud. Interestingly, one day I brought down her bridle and hung it over the fence, and she marched over, grabbed it and threw it across the yard. I guess that told me just what she thought about the prospect of wearing it! I didn't have any intention of buying another horse (couldn't afford one, let alone two anyway) so was happy to simply enjoy her company. Sometimes we would go out for a bit of an in-hand hack but as her arthritis got worse this was reduced to a tootle down the road for some better grazing for an hour. She was PTS last autumn having had 6 years of retirement because her arthritis was getting the better of her and I didn't want her struggling with another winter. It always has to be a decent life or no life for me. And when I say a decent life, I include getting daily attention, handling and care. I don't believe in dumping an unridden animal in a field and saying, well its standing on all 4 legs so it must be ok. I've seen way to many of those over the years and frankly, it disgusts me.
 
I don't agree with retiring horses to be left out in all weathers without adequate shelter when they are used to coming in at night in the winter, or at least having a field shelter. I also don't agree with just shooting horses as soon as they cannot be ridden. However, sometimes people need to make a decision between never having a riding horse again and putting a horse to sleep. I cannot blame them if they choose the latter because they are unable to pay for two or more horses.

But what I hate is when people pretend to themselves or others that the horse would be unhappy retired. That is absolute poppy cock. So long as the horse is not just dumped in a field and forgotten about, ALL horses can very happily retire. It is anthropomorphic to claim otherwise. Just as people frequently say a horse is being 'wasted'. Horses just don't think like that.
 
My horse is going to live out his days at a lovely retirement yard shortly. He will enjoy his final years just being a horse. I would love to get another to be able to ride again, however if this means that I cannot afford another then so be it. I would not put my boy to sleep until there is a reason. In my opinion they are not just pieces of meat to choose as and when we can't 'use' them anymore to end their life, they give us their all and they deserve to have a retirement and enjoy it. Peoples opinions vary I know and this is just mine. I do understand thought that for some who want to move on and get a younger horse but can't keep two then pts is the kindest option as someone else on here mentioned, better than being passed from pillar to post in their old age
 
Some horses don't do retirement in the field.
Heres two
elderly hunter injured leg at 17 has six months box rest a years rehab the did gentle hunting ( 2 hours once a fortnight ) then the same injury again prognosis further six months box rest then perhaps field sound if lucky was never turned out in company because he was a bully desision was taken that at nearly twenty we would PTS .
Beauiful warmblood mare with bony changes in knee she not used to turnout and did not enjoy it half an hour was her limit knee was not responding well to pain relief and was not being helped by her stressing at the fence in the field . She needed to be out but hated being out she loved her stable .
I put them both to sleep while not happily at least knowing it was the best thing to do.
It's wrong to say all horses can happily retire .
 
Also if horses dont know life is going to end then they also dont know if they are having a nice retirement surely? If i had my own land and i knew without a doubt they were not in any sort of discomfort then i would retire but when its £35 for livery plus hay feed etc, thats a lot of money and I would like to think if it came to it i could afford two but on the current money i know i couldnt. My boy is now sound and getting fitter so hopefully its something i wont have to think about for a while yet.
 
I don't blame an owner either way but I have to say my mare loves going to shows (loads herself in the lorry ) and I will bring her anytime I have a space just to get out .. Yes if there left in a field no rug or shelter its not right but the horse never meant anything to you if you can do that my mare has a rug from October on every weekend she comes in for a groom (along with all our pensioners a 25yr old 19yr old and a retired 15yr old) and I get some people cant do that but there deserve a chance to enjoy some time after being ridden to have a relaxed life. I have taken in fields hunter who they would keep alive as they thought the horse couldn't live a life without hunting and these have been some of the happiest horses. I also know my current horse (7yr old) will never be able to be retired as even one day off work he gets depressed and wont eat grass if he is left out 24/7.

So im both side of the fence but its nice to hear other people opinion.
 
It's really up to the owner, they know their horse best, and it's the business of nobody else. PTS is never a bad choice, a horse has no concept of how many years it could have lived.
 
Spot On said:
I have seen on a few posts that people have said if the horse is no longer rideable they would PTS there horse (There decision I would ague with them) Rather than see them 'Wasted in a field' but just wanted to say I have an amazing show horse TB who after 3 yrs of arguing we discovered she had kissing spines (operation was not an option) after treatments that didn't work we had to retire her. Well she looks amazing and so so happy she is loving life bright eyes enjoying just chilling with our youngstock and being what a horse naturally is I would not say she is 'wasted' she is doing what horses were intended to do. Having had 3 broodmares who were never broken and have seen out the ends of the lives with us they are equally as happy as my jumping horse.
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I think a lot depends on the type of horse and also the owners predicament.

I think people who have something else to ride because they own it themselves are not so dependent on having to PTS in order to afford to buy or maintain another horse. But when you are a one horse owner and perhaps need the money you would get if your horse was pts on humane grounds or if your horse was insured for loss of use then you may have little or no choice in the matter.

When I say pts on humane grounds 99.9% of the cases where this happens is when a horse needs to be pts immediately but there are also the odd cases where they could be maintained for a while but then pts at a later date under the caption of 'humane grounds'.
 
My GP horse lived out his life until he was in pain and I could no longer keep him comfortable. That horse owed me nothing but it would have felt wrong to me , just to shoot him cos he couldn't be ridden any more. I do keep horses on my MUm's private yard so it wasn't a huge hardship to keep him (although mucking out another bed everyday along with a full time job did grate at times). IF I'd been keeping him at livery it would have been a harder decision than it was as I wouldn't have been able to afford to keep another one. I do however think people are kidding themselves that it the horse would 'suffer' if retired... that's a load of brown stuff.
 
Goldenstar said:
Some horses don't do retirement in the field.
Heres two http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=12027577
elderly hunter injured leg at 17 has six months box rest a years rehab the did gentle hunting ( 2 hours once a fortnight ) then the same injury again prognosis further six months box rest then perhaps field sound if lucky was never turned out in company because he was a bully desision was taken that at nearly twenty we would PTS .
Beauiful warmblood mare with bony changes in knee she not used to turnout and did not enjoy it half an hour was her limit knee was not responding well to pain relief and was not being helped by her stressing at the fence in the field . She needed to be out but hated being out she loved her stable .
I put them both to sleep while not happily at least knowing it was the best thing to do.
It's wrong to say all horses can happily retire .
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I think that so long as you an manage the horse the way it was managed before retirement that they can all happily retire. Your two examples were not sound enough to retire. The mare needed to be out due to arthritis, but hated it. If she didn't have arthritis, and didn't need to be out, then I expect she would have been happy. Some horses jus don't 'do' retirement in a field. They need extra stimulation. This can be impractical for many reasons. But I firmly believe that every horse, so long as it is field sound, CAN be happy retired so long as their physical and mental needs are met.
 
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