Putting a healthy horse to sleep because you can't sell it...

_GG_ said:
Absolutely agree.


A dead horse is far better off than an unwanted one.
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This completely and so comes with it the responsibility of ensuring the fate of an animal when we take it on, problems or not. It breaks my heart every day seeing neglected animals of any species and I wish I could do something about them all or at least just point out it is our responsibility to ensure that animal has the best life possible. They trust us to do the right thing, to turn up every day, feed them and ensure they are comfortable in their surroundings - this goes for any animal be it dog, cat, horse, pig. We keep them captive for our own pleasure and gain and so to me an owner should always do what is in the best interest of that animal
 
Firefly9410 said:
Barnacle you are wrong about rescue centres. They will not take on horses with behavioural problems any more they only take neglected and abandoned. You are right in that most behavioural problems can be fixed with the right rider or handler but the fact is most people do not fit into that category. Often those who can fix a horse then want to sell it for a profit, meaning it could end up in another unsuitable home where the behaviour deteriorates again. I understand wanting to give the horse a chance but that is a personal opinion and not a choice I would make, too many horses are passed on again and again to various unsuitable people in the name of giving them a chance. It depends if it is behavioural problems caused by being owned by someone who is not much of a horseman or whether it is something more serious.

The person referenced in the OP I agree is looking for someone to take pity on the horse and buy it. For a horse not to sell I would guess at it being poorly advertised, over priced or there being something wrong with it, either health or behaviour. If it was a sane and healthy horse advertised in enough places with good photos and honest description someone somewhere would want it, for an appropriate price. Even if it was a dealer who bought cheaply if the owner needed a quick sale.
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Totally agree. If owner has tried very hard to sell/loan said horse then you have to ask why does no one want it. Trying to dispose of it by saying it will be PTS to get a sympathetic response is wrong as poor horse would probably end up in the wrong home and be passed from pillar to post. I always think people who write that just want rid of the horse, don't care where it ends up but want to relieve their guilt of PTS. Very sorry for genuine sellers who are desperate to find a home for a much loved animal but you have to think of its future life.
 
The people I have no time for are those who say they might have to PTS, but won't drop the price. WTF?

By all means PTS if the horse has no (bona fide, competent) takers, even as a freebie, but saying that it 'won't sell' when it's still got three zeros after the price is some kind of emotional blackmail and just messed up.
 
Mudfukkle said:
I read this article the other day, it highlights a lot of the things you're all talking about.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...rses-ponies-abandoned-families-love-them.html
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Some rather obvious exaggerations in there like a bag of feed lasting 3 days, but...what struck me was that the ending story was about a horse that could have been put to sleep, but yet went on to breed MORE BLOODY UNWANTED HORSES!!!!!!!!!!!

I am absolutely fuming right now. We have an absolute responsibility to the animals in our care and if you are actually experiencing the issue for yourself, how the hell can you possibly justify passing on your responsibility in a way that means MORE HORSES are being brought into a crisis situation?????

I am beyond incensed right now. I do not buy the argument that it is hard. Of course it's hard. Unfortuntely, it is also utterly selfish to wallow in our own heartbreak at the cost of an animal that cannot make the choices for themselves.


It's about time people would man up and stop being so self indulgent. Life isn't fair sometimes, but that does not give anyone the right to gamble with the life of another animal.
 
pennyturner said:
the horse doesn't care about the price tag, and would rather have 'a good home', free or otherwise than be PTS.
.
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I don't believe that's a choice that a horse could comprehend. Putting it in those terms is meaningless. How could a horse rather not be pts? it doesn't know anything about the process, has no foresight or sense of impending doom. A horse might 'rather' a field with grass in than a field without grass in, as those are things it can comprehend and choose, but you can't sit down and discuss the whys & wherefores of the various options with Dobbin over a haynet :D


_GG_ said:
A dead horse is far better off than an unwanted one.
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Hear, hear.

I've got a FTGH pony, who has been with me since August and has been something of a challenge. Her owner gave her to me instead of flogging to a dealer because she trusted me to do the right thing by the horse. I made the decision very early on that if she didn't come right within a reasonable timeframe then I'd take her to the kennels rather than pass her on as it wouldn't be fair. She'd already had a hefty dose of upheaval in her life. Fortunately she's turned a corner and is slowly turning into a super little horse so it didn't come to that, but I'm glad for my sake, as she would have known nothing about what 'might have been'.
 
Its sad but it is being responsible. There are worse things that can happen to a horse, better to PTS than live a life of misery.
 
ihatework said:
I think it's entirely up to the owner. Sad, but better than sending to auction or 'free to a good home'
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I don't think you can always assume the horse may end up in a bad home as this is not always the case. I know of people who have bought the saddest looking horses from auctions, the horses are then in amazing homes. And "free" horses also do not always go to bad homes - my last 2 horses have been " free" and I believe they have a wonderful home here! I have also put one horse out on permanent loan (which is pretty much free in a way). As long as the owner vets the people who want the horse, then the risk outweighs having to kill the animal IMO. I personally would never put a healthy horse down.
 
_GG_ said:
Some rather obvious exaggerations in there like a bag of feed lasting 3 days, but...what struck me was that the ending story was about a horse that could have been put to sleep, but yet went on to breed MORE BLOODY UNWANTED HORSES!!!!!!!!!!!

I am absolutely fuming right now. We have an absolute responsibility to the animals in our care and if you are actually experiencing the issue for yourself, how the hell can you possibly justify passing on your responsibility in a way that means MORE HORSES are being brought into a crisis situation?????

I am beyond incensed right now. I do not buy the argument that it is hard. Of course it's hard. Unfortuntely, it is also utterly selfish to wallow in our own heartbreak at the cost of an animal that cannot make the choices for themselves.


It's about time people would man up and stop being so self indulgent. Life isn't fair sometimes, but that does not give anyone the right to gamble with the life of another animal.
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Completely agree, I couldn't believe when I read that part
 
milliepops said:
I don't believe that's a choice that a horse could comprehend. Putting it in those terms is meaningless. How could a horse rather not be pts? it doesn't know anything about the process, has no foresight or sense of impending doom.
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Of course horses don't want to die! They know what death is. Why do you think they take off sideways at 100mph and ditch us humans on the floor on a regular basis? Because they don't want to get eaten by the hedge lion! It once took me 10mins to get Ned past a scarecrow, because he assumed it might want to kill him and he had to figure out that it wasn't going to!
I think we're just lucky that they don't know what a gun is, because a healthy horse certainly doesn't want to die.
 
flaxen said:
A top vet friend of mine did a talk locally last night on old horses and I went along to support him and he brought up the subject of euthanising old horses. His words are the horse doesnt care whether hes dead or alive and doesnt think Im going to die in 3 days, its sad for the owner but the horse doesnt care less. If more owners took the sensible option of euthanising the old, lame, unrideable unwanted there wouldn't be the amount of neglected abandoned ones there is especially when older horses need more care and expense. I was talking to him at the end about stuff we talk about privately and a vet that was there came up and started discussing about owners will not listen to vets about when its time to pts and better a day to soon than a day too late and that the owners always say one more summer/ week / etc.
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I'm glad I don't have a vet with such a low opinion of old horses and their owners - I would have walked out at that statement had I been there. My two are both retired, one you could probably call ancient. But, they are happy and I am happy, I don't need to ride and hadn't for years until a friend offered me the ride on one of hers. They have their health issues, but they are not insurmountable or unmanageable, in fact I have friends with younger horses who have far more trouble than I do! My boys may have put their most active years behind them but they mean the world to me and I certainly would not consider putting them to sleep in order to take on anything younger, casting off the old for the benefit of the young is not the way to solve the welfare crisis.

As to the topic of the thread, there are obviously worse things that PTS if a horse can't be sold, but there are also other options and I would very much hope that PTS is the last resort and not a reaction to a few time wasters responding to an advert. I also agree with some other posters who said that sometimes owners can imagine their horse isn't saleable due to personality quirks, it's just that it might take longer to find someone else who can manage a particular foible. All those people with horses like that got them from somewhere, and learnt how to deal with them, I can't believe they are all homebred and so have never been with another owner.
 
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I've been mulling this over lately myself. There are moments when I wonder why I have these large, impossibly fragile animals in my life at all; mostly due to health issues on my part. I'm extremely uncomfortable with the thought of selling; I would do my best to find them both good homes, but what if I got it wrong? There are so many stupid and unpleasant people out there. Too many horses needing good homes as it is.

So I think on balance that if/when I reach the point where I can't manage them, I will simply PTS to be safe.
 
I think selling a horse takes effort and preparation, you have set backs, people don't turn up or do not think your gem is the right one for them and then some people get disheartened by the whole process, which I think you should set aside at least 3months, a bit like selling a house
You only have to look at some the appalling ads in H&H, people have actually spent money to make their horse look like a three legged donkey. I know H&H doesn't want people advertising on the forum but it could really do with a tweak my ad forum, so people could get really good advice and perhaps a discount for placing it with H&H, where you get the most knowledgeable buyers from.
If you have advertised it well, been honest with its faults and there is no Mr or Mrs right for them I think there is no shame in saying I would rather say goodbye on my terms then send your horse off to an uncertain future.
I have recently taken back a pony who I sold four years ago to a knowledgeable but obviously in the long term not the right home. He has gone to a top class pony full of potential to something someone was giving away for free, and I got him back for the cost of the diesel, from a lead from an ad on FB. He is fit and well, but is not the pony he was, and it breaks my heart, and that's with an expensive pony.
Everyone seems to be looking for the perfect horse, which needs little work to be sane, not needing a very good rider to ride it and it must just about turn its hoof to anything, and for this most want to pay peanuts for this paragon. There are just too few people about who have the knowledge, time and patience to work with anything that has any 'problems', which most of the time seem to be lack of training of the rider and horse.
The horse market like the housing market seems to be dividing, people paying well for a well trained, well behaved horse that someone has put the miles on the clock and the people who want something for nothing, and end up getting something with more problems than they have the knowledge for, but unfortunately fixing a horse is a lot more complicated than doing up a house.
 
Chan said:
Of course horses don't want to die! They know what death is. Why do you think they take off sideways at 100mph and ditch us humans on the floor on a regular basis? Because they don't want to get eaten by the hedge lion! It once took me 10mins to get Ned past a scarecrow, because he assumed it might want to kill him and he had to figure out that it wasn't going to!
I think we're just lucky that they don't know what a gun is, because a healthy horse certainly doesn't want to die.
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That's a different issue though. A horse has a sense of self preservation, obviously. But a horse whose owner is facing the choice of selling, giving away or pts can not possibly have any comprehension of that decision. Therefore you couldn't say it would rather one option or the other. How would you explain the options to the horse?

I don't deny the survival instinct, but that's not actually relevant in the purely human dilemma described :(
 
If only there were enough competent owners for all the difficult horses. Sadly there aren't. Even more sadly there are plenty of people without that ability who think they do have it. And even more sad than that there are people like a woman I know who collect free/£tiny horses to fulfil their own desires then bog off & abandon them.
 
The wife, it's a shame that you decided to read one post (and then edit it out at that!) rather than the full story. I am the OP of that post, the horse is for sale due to my rapidly failing physical and mental health issues. The horse is question is a bin end cob pony who is not a novice ride, doesn't handle traffic in company or alone and is very sharp to ride. I'm selling from the field so am asking peanuts, but then if you had read the comments you would see I had said all that. You would also see that another member of the group, who knows my boy, is helping me try and find him a home - you really think I want to shoot my best friend?!

Thank you for the extra kick whilst I am at my lowest.
 
Mince Pie said:
The wife, it's a shame that you decided to read one post (and then edit it out at that!) rather than the full story. I am the OP of that post, the horse is for sale due to my rapidly failing physical and mental health issues. The horse is question is a bin end cob pony who is not a novice ride, doesn't handle traffic in company or alone and is very sharp to ride. I'm selling from the field so am asking peanuts, but then if you had read the comments you would see I had said all that. You would also see that another member of the group, who knows my boy, is helping me try and find him a home - you really think I want to shoot my best friend?!

Thank you for the extra kick whilst I am at my lowest.
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sorry to hear about your predicament MP. You WILL find the right solution, and you don't have to answer to anyone. I hope things improve for you.
 
The original, unedited post:

Can I ask you to ask what people's opinions are on shooting a healthy horse because they are unable to sell it? I have numerous physical and mental health issues which bring with them financial issues. I've being trying to sell my horse but have had nothing but "tyre kickers" and I'm struggling to cope with it. I'm getting to the point where I an just thinking of pts. I don't want to have to as he is my soul mate but i can't see another way? I'm having to sell from the field which doesn't help!
 
I think as owners we should always do our best to secure good safe homes for our horses. If we cannot do this and no else can either then there are far worse things than death.
 
I go by "there are fates worse than death" with any animal. It's heartbreaking for an owner, but if for whatever reason, there is the option of being PTS then at least by doing so you will always know where they have ended up.
Having suffered the backlash for having a 7yo put down (who had an unusual medical condition, was retired and was costing the earth in vet bills), I know many people do not like the PTS option, but sometimes it has to be done. My last image of him was with a mouthful of grass, in the sun, before going down to 'sleep'. It's better than wondering where he is and if he is okay.
Horses don't think like we do. Most are happy in a field with grass! They certainly wouldn't realise that today may be their last day.
Death really isn't the worst thing in the world, for any animal.
 
I have a rising 6 yo cob who I retired last October, he was unsound on and off intermittently for around a year and a half, x rays showed a roughening of bone on his pasterns, the lameness had been in both hinds and a front. I am lucky that I found a field a couple of miles away that I pay £30 a month for, he is in a stable herd and wants for nothing. If I lost that grazing and I couldn't find anything else cheap then I would pts. Most of the time he is completely sound but there is no way I would sell him or loan him as a light hack etc he is too precious to me.
 
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