My horses stablemate/pair bond being pts on Fri, advice please..

eekmon

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As title says really
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I have the unfotunate job of being there as I look after her & her owner is away.
I have read on numerous occasions of people letting the remaining pair bond/stable mate see the body of the other horse as a way of accepting they are dead. My horse is old himself & her just disappearing from his life may not be too good for him ( he has only just recovered from a bad bout of laminitus )
Anyway, advice & experiences of this situation please
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eoe

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Yes definitely let your horse see its mate after it has been pts. Not pleasant but its the only way your horse will accept its mate has gone.
 

Chex

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I had this problem last year. He saw her body and seemed to understand she'd gone (he wasn't winnying and looking for her). He was so depressed for months after though
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JM07

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totally agree...

he will lose intrest in the carcass after a few minutes.

let him decide when he wants to leave..dont take him away until he's ready.
 

Pancakes

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sorry to here such bad news
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but i agree with eoe on my yard there were a pair of horses on that were very close (one used to neigh and panic if the other one went out riding or left the yard) but when it got pts the owner allowed the other horse to see it and he didint neigh or panic, kind of just accepted it, really wierd!
 

brighteyes

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If horse being pts by injection, would it be possible for yours to be held nearish by and then the pair bond isn't too anxious about being separated - then yours will be able to go straight over? I have had this happen - one pts with best friend hovering nearby and it caused no distress. Was by injection though.

You will be able to see the closure - once witnessed, you'll understand why it needs to happen.

I am so sorry. There's a terrible lot of it about atm
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ETA I didn't see JM07's reply, but yes, that's what I was trying to say. Once they have worked out for themselves the situation, they will walk off - that's the thing you'll witness and understand.

Don't know how they know, but they do, and you have to allow them as much time as they need.

It's about the saddest thing I have ever seen.

Have you a contingency plan for company for yours?
 

Tia

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[ QUOTE ]
let him decide when he wants to leave..dont take him away until he's ready

[/ QUOTE ]
Totally agree with this. He won't hang around the body for too long, but make sure he has his time to fully understand what has happened. Generally they sniff around for a bit and then a few minutes later wander off.

It always calls the tears to me in situations like this
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. I hope you are going to be okay and that your old boy deals with it in his own time.
 

bellaboo

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My mare's pair bond was PTS in April, my vet said it would be too upsetting to let Liz see the body and because she wasn't shouting for him she would be fine.
I really regret not taking her to see him, she seemed fine for the first few days but then became really depressed and just not herself it took her quite a few months to get over it, in the end we had a whisperer 'talk' to her, very upsetting, but seemed to do the trick, so i defineately think it is really important to let your horse see the body.
 

TicTac

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I also agree with letting your horse see it's pair bond once it has been pts. We had to do the same with my daughters horse back in september. We took him up to see his friend, he was found dead in the field and after he had sniffed and licked him he walked away quite calmly. I was the one crying at the dignity of it all!
 

joeanne

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We had our pony put to sleep on the 21st november, and despite his fieldmate (who had been with him for 19 yrs) seeing him after he had gone, she still calls for him now.
She was given time to stay with him if she wanted but after a few minutes of sniffing him, she walked away, but she is an oap herself, so i do think there are days where her age makes her "forgetful" and she still might be thinking he is supposed to be there.
 

eekmon

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Thankyou everybody for your replies, the yard will be quiet so as soon as its done ( letal injection ) I will put him on a long line and let him go and see her
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I take it from all your responses I will know when he s got the message. I just hope he will be ok after
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thanks again for all your kind responses, maybe I will stick a post up and let you all know how it goes x
 

now_loves_mares

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Awwww - poor ponies, this always makes me sad
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I had my old boy pts years ago by injection, and kept both of them there. Mum held the pal to the side while I held the one being pts, then once he was gone we brought the other over, as everyone said. He sniffed him for a bit then just started eating the grass right beside him, he wasn't stressed at all. I think it did help a bit, but when I turned him back out again he did gallop around screaming for his buddy, which broke my heart
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. But he got over it quite quickly, so maybe it did help.

Hope the day isn't too awful for you.
 

Tia

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Yes you'll know when he has figured it out. Just don't rush him, let him take his time.

I always have horses put to sleep in my main corral with is central to pretty much all of my large pasture fields. The horse being put to sleep is held in the corral and the deed is done, generally with all of the horses from all of the fields standing watching. Sounds freaky I know, but it really isn't, it's quite natural. Only after the horse is put to sleep are the friends allowed to come into the corral. Usually there are only 2 or 3 horses who are very close, and I generally let them all enter together. They are all very respectful, they all behave in a calm manner and they all go over and sniff. I leave them to do what they do and then once they lose interest in the body they generally go back to the gate to their fields and I put them back into their fields.

I hope all goes smoothly. My kindest regards to you. xx
 

Jingleballs

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[ QUOTE ]
totally agree...

he will lose intrest in the carcass after a few minutes.

let him decide when he wants to leave..dont take him away until he's ready.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto this - one of of the geldings at our yard was PTS we let all the other geldings have a look at him - some were spooked and didn't go near, others took their time sniffing and then after a few minutes walked away. They were still a bit quiet for a few days but didn't call out for him.

Such a sad situation.
 

eekmon

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Oh God you lot have made me cry
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We will put her in the field nearest the car park so the lorry can pick her up easily. may hand graze my boy with her for half an hour or so before hand.

I may get a friend to hold my boy near by, i will be with the mare . Either way I will let him do it in his own time, I am now worrying about him as they are really close, she lives in the next door stable & share a field with another mare & gelding, but they are always paired off .
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Thanyou everone once again x
 

miss_c

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I've never really thought about it to be honest, but I can see how it might help... Mazzie was away from the yard when she had to be put to sleep, and the mare who was obsessed with her was horribly depressed for ages. Broke my heart.... I am wondering now how it might have been if she'd been able to see Mazzie.

I hope it goes as well as can be expected. My thoughts will be with you and the horses on Friday.
 

YorksG

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Our mare was PTS in the box next to her best friend of 20 years, she had gone down at about midnight (we think stroke) and seemed 'with it' but not concerned about not getting up. Hunt came in the morning. Best friend understood, but even when they know what has happened they can grieve and become quite cepressed. Ours did and only perked up when she became friends with a new mare who must have thought they were related (both Appy's). They became quite close for just over 2 years until the old lady had reached the end. The younger Appy unfortunately lost her second best friend at easter this year and has not teamed up with the horse that came to do that ones job. She is however now close to and looking after the other old lady. I do worry what will happen when the innevitable happens with this elderly soul.
 
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