Putting a healthy horse down

Pinkvboots said:
I know I agree but you can't help people for thinking this way with all the neglected horses you hear of it makes you worry about where or how yours might end up
Click to expand...

I think that perhaps we get a little carried away with focusing on all the welfare cases that we hear of.
Thinking about your horsey acquaintances the majority, if not all, of them provide good, loving and long term homes for their horses.
The media do not tell us of all the wonderful homes available and therefore do we get caught up in the paranoia of 'no one can look after my horse as well as me' ??

I do not agree with PTS of healthy, sound, relativity young horses that have few issues.
 
Ditchjumper2 said:
Her horse, her choice. I have three and 2 of them would be pts rather than sold if I found myself in that position. My horses, my responsibility, my choice.
Click to expand...
Interesting. You said 2 out of 3 suggesting that one could be sold.

I have 2. If anything really bad happened to me, the young fit one would be sold and the old retired one would be PTS.
 
Luci07 said:
Interesting. You said 2 out of 3 suggesting that one could be sold.

I have 2. If anything really bad happened to me, the young fit one would be sold and the old retired one would be PTS.
Click to expand...


The teenage hunters with soundness issues that I manage well would be pts. The young one I would sell.
 
All we really know about the horse is that it is 10 & the OP thinks it's lovely. That could mean anything from it's a totally sound novice ride to it's knackered but a nice person or it's got huge behavioural issues but looks nice. Let's face it one person's lovely is another person's nutter/ physical wreck/ nappy git. So really we know chuff all for anybody to condemn the owner.
 
I was called cruel the other day by non horsey friends for saying that if anything ever happened to me and my sister wasn't able to look after him I would want my pony to be put to sleep. I appreciate he is a different case to what this horse sounds like. He is only 10 and although he looks a million dollars and is a lovely person, he would be horribly open to abuse. He is too small for most adults, too sharp and unpredictable for most kids and he has a hidden illness. You can't see it to look at him but it shows itself in his electric personality and his poor or erratic performance and occasional planting. His muscle cells do stuff that his brain doesn't understand. I feel that whilst there are a lot of people who could look after him beautifully, not many people would want to take one on with so many issues. He'd be one that I believe would get passed on til he became dangerous and got shot anyway. I know most of you horsey lot would understand that my my non horsey friends really don't and probably think I am vile, as someone else put it. But he is my best mate and I would rather secure his future.
 
Just a thought but a friend of mine has a mare on breeding loan to a surrogacy set up. The horse will be kept until she is 12, then PTS or taken home. Might be worth considering if circumstances for owner might improve.
 
Irish gal said:
Haven't read every post on this but personally I think this is the height of narcissism and I love the quote "she couldn't bear to sell". Why not, is she so arrogant that she thinks she's the only person on earth who can look after a horse properly. If she sold her the next owner might look after her a whole lot better for all she knows - bet the poor mare would be willing to take the risk! What she's doing is cruel, cutting the mare's life in half at least. It's not love for the poor horse, just some sort of selfishness that's motivating her. Sell the poor animal and give her a chance at life, and get over herself.
Click to expand...

Yet another one who fails to read and understand the opening post - "get over herself" how utterly unneeded and rude. I hope, if you are unfortunate enough to find yourself in a life changing situation you can get over yourself.

Why o why are so many users failing to read the actual words on the opening post.?
 
At the end of the day it is the owners decision, she is the one that has to feel comfortable and live with that decision and as such others feelings don't really matter.
 
If it's a lovely 10 year old useful animal with no issues then to be honest I can't understand her logic. However, not knowing the full story I don't feel in a position to make a judgement.

This aside I do wonder how her Vet will feel (if she is using a Vet). I had my old mare PTS just before Winter and a Vet who is new to our practice and did not know the mare (who was 28 at the time) came to do the deed and asked a lot of questions about we had made the decision to PTS. I did feel she was ready to question the decision until she was in possession of the facts about the mare's age and health issues.
 
While it's not what I would do,we don't know the owner or the horse and TBH it would be very rare an occasion that I wouldn't support PTS for ANY reason. It's not an easy option for 99.99% of owners and it's not as if the horse will suffer now or in the future.

For the previous poster who asked if a vet would do it, many wouldn't (but there are sensible vets out there who would) so Thank God for knackermen and the hunt - they don't ask questions or make judgements in these circumstances. And the one who hoped the owner would be prosecuted - why? What is cruel about PTS?

I will take an educated guess that a lot, if not all of the people who are causing 'uproar' on this ladies yard would run a mile if they were handed the horse and congratulated on their new acquisition. It's interesting that those protesting on this thread are not offering a home - of course if they did so I'd think they were mad :) The reality is that horses are not cheap to keep, not easy to sell as there are no guarantees that the next home and the one after that and of course the ones following those will be a good one. Loaning is only an option if you can take them back and what used to be the last ditch option of a rescue centre no longer exists.

It's so easy to judge, much harder to provide a life long solution isn't it?
 
I was in a situation last year whereby the (young) pony I'd bought had multiple lameness problems and a metabolic problem. She also wasn't enjoying her work and lameness problems meant we couldn't control her weight as well as we needed for the metabolic issues. Outwardly she was a happy, healthy looking mare. But pts was seriously considered. And I had no end of stick from people on the yard for that. All issues are now under control but it means she is not an easy to manage pony so if something were to happen to me she would be pts despite the fact she is a very useful hacker (or was until she got liver disease but that's a whole other problem, lol)
So this lady has my sympathies.
Ultimately her horse, her decision. And we don't have enough facts her to know the situation well enough to pass informed judgement/comment.
I have to say if horse is a nice, sound, easy to do 10 year old then I would be surprised at the lack of attempt to sell, as has already been pointed out how many of our horsey acquaintances do we think really neglect their horses? Can't be that many so must be good homes out there. This said I do very much understand the point gg makes about the immediate home the horse is (hypothetically) sold to might be great but who knows what might happen 2/5/10 years down the line? Once the horse is dead it knows no different and there is no potential for future suffering. And if the horse is quirky/has health problems then I could fully understand why an owner might make that choice over re-home.
 
AdorableAlice said:
Yet another one who fails to read and understand the opening post - "get over herself" how utterly unneeded and rude. I hope, if you are unfortunate enough to find yourself in a life changing situation you can get over yourself.

Why o why are so many users failing to read the actual words on the opening post.?
Click to expand...

If you had bothered to read my first post you would see that I quoted the opening post in full. There's no question of it not having been read and digested. This owner in my opinion does need to get over herself, we are told that she can't bear to part with the mare and so she's going to be pts.

So she's putting her own feelings of attachment and anxieties about the horse's future ahead of it's welfare. If we all adopted this woman's position there wouldn't be a horse bought or sold again. Everybody on this forum has bought a horse at some time, that would not happen if all owners decided their animals faced an uncertain future by being sold on so it would be better to pts.

This animal is 10 and we're told she's a lovely mare, therefore she has a job and a life to look forward to with a new person, if the owner could only bring herself to part from her.

I personally class this owner as cruel and I feel upset for the poor mare, who's only fault it seems was to wind up with someone who would rather see her put down than be sold on.

She's not the first person to have her circumstances change. I have on a number of occasions had to sell my own horses when circumstances dictated and it's not the end of the world. Not everyone who steps into the yard would I sell to and I've even, just not liking the impression on the phone, told people to forget about it. Sellers have a lot of discretion and can take their time to get the right fit and an excellent home for an animal.
 
Irish gal said:
If you had bothered to read my first post you would see that I quoted the opening post in full. There's no question of it not having been read and digested. This owner in my opinion does need to get over herself, we are told that she can't bear to part with the mare and so she's going to be pts.

So she's putting her own feelings of attachment and anxieties about the horse's future ahead of it's welfare. If we all adopted this woman's position there wouldn't be a horse bought or sold again. Everybody on this forum has bought a horse at some time, that would not happen if all owners decided their animals faced an uncertain future by being sold on so it would be better to pts.

This animal is 10 and we're told she's a lovely mare, therefore she has a job and a life to look forward to with a new person, if the owner could only bring herself to part from her.

I personally class this owner as cruel and I feel upset for the poor mare, who's only fault it seems was to wind up with someone who would rather see her put down than be sold on.

She's not the first person to have her circumstances change. I have on a number of occasions had to sell my own horses when circumstances dictated and it's not the end of the world. Not everyone who steps into the yard would I sell to and I've even, just not liking the impression on the phone, told people to forget about it. Sellers have a lot of discretion and can take their time to get the right fit and an excellent home for an animal.
Click to expand...

Circumstance change and life changing circumstances can have vastly differing meanings. My thoughts are detailed in post 17 of the thread and I am one of very few seeing a different side to the situation, perhaps because I have been very near to having to make big decisions through life changing circumstances and I seem to be able to comprehend the situation a little more clearly than most.

The opening post should never have been made and I hope the whole thread is pulled before the owner gets to see it. I certainly have 'bothered' to read your post and it is evident that you and many others to be fair, are not able to see the bigger picture. That is me done on this thread.
 
The thing is we don't have any information at all from the owner, so it's impossible to judge their motives. The opening post is second hand information and I know from experience how inaccurate that can be.
 
Equine_Dream said:
Im afraid I agree with this! Normally Im the first to support someone taking responsibility and having an animal pts where there are issues that mean it is likely to struggle to find a good home e.g. old horse/dangerous horse to ride/severe health issues etc etc.
But when we are talking about a perfectly young healthy horse Im afraid I find it very sad. To say the horse is better off dead than with anyone except its current owner when there is nothing wrong with the horse and no reason why it couldn't be found another lovely home - sorry I just dont get it. Seems very selfish imo. Shes putting her own feelings above the horse
Click to expand...

But what happens when the horse gets old in its new home. Will they guarantee they won't sell it on as an old animal with little value.
 
It's true we don't have enough information and we're all coming at it from our own experience. The first thing into my head was financial trouble but I can see what people mean, it could be a health problem for instance. Basically we need the OP to elaborate or as AA as suggested it could even be better that the whole thing is pulled in case it's some sort of dire situation and debate here only adds to the owners troubles.
 
If something unthinkable happened to me, my current horse would be sold. I bought him as a just backed 3yo and my firm intention is that he'll be with me for all his days. He is a lovely, straightforward healthy chap and while, as some posters have pointed out, there are no guarantees for any horse, he would have a very good chance of finding an excellent home with someone else and having a lovely life.

My last horse, however, was a different matter. He was a lovely horse. He was extremely handsome and looked fantastic. However he wasn't straightforward in any way. He was tricky to ride and I was significantly overhorsed, as most average riders would have been. Most riders good enough to cope with his quirks confidently would be looking for a horse better trained than him, and able to work at a much more advanced level than he was capable of. And he had numerous health issues that, although he was in full ridden work, his management required considerable thought, care, time, effort and expense compared to a "normal horse" like the one I have now. If, when he was 10, I had found myself unable to keep him for some terrible reason, I would have PTS. It would have broken my heart, but it would have been the right thing to do. Much as I loved him, and special as he was to me, objectively speaking his chances of finding a good permanent home with someone else would have been slim to none.

I am fortunate enough to be on a yard where my fellow liveries would have understood, supported me, and treated me with compassion at what would have been a very traumatic time for me.

We don't know from the OP's post whether this poor woman's horse is more like my current horse or my last one, so I really don't see how any of us can judge her.

I am just very very grateful that I am not in her position, poor woman.
 
One does hear of awful loan homes and horses returning in poor condition. So I can see where the owner is coming from, but that said for every bad loan home there are many many lovely homes. One of my livery owners had a loan horse, he is an x french steeple chaser and he fell on his feet with the owners. The owner since signed him over to the mother and daughter, as she could no longer afford him. He wants for nothing and will stay with them till his last day on this earth.

So really I can't see why the owner cant look a bit further and vet the homes or go through somewhere like Horses4Homes where lovely homes are waiting out there. Specially when this mare is only 10 and could have another 15 years of life, so I think IMO the owner is being too hasty. I don't doubt she has thought about it, but maybe someone at the yard should help her and explain about the nice homes and offer her to help find one.

She needs support at this time, and if she throws it back at you, then there is nothing more you can do. I feel sorry for this mare in this circumstance.
 
Last edited:
My greatest fear for any of my animals is that they suffer. I have never sold any of my horses. I have put 2 out on loan, both were local (within 20 miles) so I could vet homes, and made appointments a couple of times a year to visit horses in their new homes. When loan homes ended horses came back and were put on grass livery until a new home was sourced. If you sell you have a 50\50 chance of the horse having a secure future. For me those odds are too high. If I couldn't find a good loan home, couldn't afford to retire horses I would have my horses PTS.
 
AdorableAlice said:
Perhaps a little respect should be given to the owner. It is stated she is experiencing a 'life changing' situation. Who can judge what a life changing situation is ? There could be any number of issues, health physical or mental, violence, becoming a carer for a loved one etc etc.

In 2013 I made the decision to put down horses if the life changing situation I found myself in did not have a good outcome.

it should be remembered that when we take on animals we are responsible for their destiny and there are a lot worse situations then death. A short drive around and plenty of suffering horses can be seen.

I wish the owner in this sad situation closure and peace in whatever she decides to do.
Click to expand...

I wish there was a 'Like' button on HHO
 
Knockadoon said:
But what happens when the horse gets old in its new home. Will they guarantee they won't sell it on as an old animal with little value.
Click to expand...

Again if everyone thought like that no one would ever sell their horse. It would mean that most of us on this forum wouldn't have our horses. Im sorry but there is no reason a healthy young rideable horse can not be found a good home.
 
I have to say I think people should have faith in the good buyers and homes that are out there. It's all fine and well talking about horses not having a great chance of finding a good home but to be honest, for a good horse, I don't think that's true. I help people find horses as an agent and all I see are horse lovers looking for their forever horse.

And we must remember that it's also a business. A seller asked me this week how her horse was settling in who went to England. I sent her on photos the new owner had sent me, but apart from the lovely photos, he had gone to the best possible home. The seller is a brilliant horse woman and is a breeder and producer for a living, meaning all of her youngsters are sold off - it's how she earns a crust. We both concluded about this lad, that he had landed on his feet and we very much doubt he will ever see a days hardship in his life. What better result than that.

She bred and beautifully produced a wonderful youngster who has now gone on to make a very committed owner hopefully very happy. That's the result we're all looking for and there's no reason why there isn't a good home out there somewhere for any decent horse.
 
muckypony said:
I thought this too... Just imagine if the great hho detectives have missed a troll... I hope so.
Click to expand...

Well considering there are 39 post of their posts I doubt it.

Maybe they got scared off or upset by some of the members post. It is normal you place an innocent post then it gets twisted and makes the Op feel they don't want to return.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top