Putting a horse down for financial reasons

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Gmj6789

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Hi, I am a new poster here but am going round in circles with this dilemma and would like some impartial advice.

As per the title I am considering having my gelding put to sleep for what would be mainly financial reasons. To give some background, he is 26 (with associated old age conditions and afflictions, but none of which are terribly serious), he was actually my mothers horse but I inherited him when she died 4 years ago (he was already retired at that point), he is a gentle soul who potters about occasionally with my young children on him but is generally just content mooching about the field. However, we live in the South East so he costs me around £3000 per year to keep even just on grass livery, and I am increasingly struggling to justify spending this amount when I also have a young family to support. I am currently using savings to pay for his keep but this is obviously not an infinite fund.

I think the thing I feel most guilty about when considering this is that I have my own horse who I am obviously also paying for. He is 14 and until recently was on loan to an equine college but unfortunately was returned with a whole host of health issues (which is a whole other story!) but I am slowly getting him sound and it is so nice to have him back.

Any advice, experience and opinions would be appreciated as I really am at a loss as to what to do next.

GMJ
 
So.. free to a good home is not a good idea.

Some ideas.

1.Studs that have babies needing nannying? (not sure if they do this?)
2.Give him to a horse charity.
3.Find him a long-term loan near you as a companion.
4.Put him to sleep

Now pros and cons:

1. He would have to deal with little sods possibly biting him and wanting to play, he'd be well looked after.
2. Possible feeling of guilt due to giving him away, he'd be well looked after and they would find a trustworthy home for him.
3. Could be sold/ridden and returned to you easily, he could have a nice home however.
4. He would no longer cost you but would there be possible guilt about putting him to sleep because you can't afford him etc? (I don't know, that for your judgement)

Others will have better ideas but this'll do from me. :)
 
I, personally would rather see an older horse put down quietly at home, than be passed along...used and abused

If you can't afford him, please don't palm him off on charities...do the right thing
 
A charity won't take him, I can assure you of that one. Sounds like he has had a good life, and if you are putting yourself under financial strain to keep him, I wouldn't hesitate to PTS.

Only other option might be to look at retirement livery somewhere. These cost about £40 a week.
 
noodle_ said:
I, personally would rather see an older horse put down quietly at home, than be passed along...used and abused

If you can't afford him, please don't palm him off on charities...do the right thing
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This ^^
He won't suffer, it's only us that are left behind that have to deal with the sadness of letting go of an old friend, but if you are unable to cope then perhaps it's the best option.
 
noodle_ said:
I, personally would rather see an older horse put down quietly at home, than be passed along...used and abused

If you can't afford him, please don't palm him off on charities...do the right thing
Click to expand...

I would definitely never pass him on to anyone else, all the adverts for horses in their 20's ' free to a good home' make me so sad. He has been in my family for 18 years and will definitely end his days with me it's just that I can't decide when that point should be.

At the moment he is mostly field sound and seems content, but I am working 3 jobs, spending savings and also spending a lot of time managing his needs that I feel guilty isn't spent with my 2 children...however on the other hand he was the love of my mothers life and so I think the decision weighs even more heavily on my conscience! Sorry for the long explanation, friends and partner all sick of me going round in circles so hoping some fresh perspectives will provide clarity!
 
Would your mother be happy to see you getting into financial difficulties because you are paying for the horse she left? I doubt it.
He has had an extra 4 yrs of retirement with you and is no longer in good health. I would say that unless you can organise affordable grass livery for him, living out with other horses that he knows, pts is the best thing for him. I really dislike the idea of asking elderly horses to settle into a new herd, it puts them in danger of injury.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Would your mother be happy to see you getting into financial difficulties because you are paying for the horse she left? I doubt it.
He has had an extra 4 yrs of retirement with you and is no longer in good health. I would say that unless you can organise affordable grass livery for him, living out with other horses that he knows, pts is the best thing for him. I really dislike the idea of asking elderly horses to settle into a new herd, it puts them in danger of injury.
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This
 
What a dilemma 😔
You could always give him a set period of time, that you feel comfortable with, spoil him rotten then PTS?
Sounds like the only options you have is PTS now or at a later date.
Whatever you decide he's very lucky to have someone like you to take responsibility for him.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Would your mother be happy to see you getting into financial difficulties because you are paying for the horse she left? I doubt it.
He has had an extra 4 yrs of retirement with you and is no longer in good health. I would say that unless you can organise affordable grass livery for him, living out with other horses that he knows, pts is the best thing for him. I really dislike the idea of asking elderly horses to settle into a new herd, it puts them in danger of injury.
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Exactly that.

It will be tough, it will hurt, it will make you feel guilty but I honestly think that your mother would have preferred that you let her old friend rather than either of you suffer.
 
Get some decent photos done, of him and you, and your children. He is part of your family.
Then say goodbye. This is a particularly beautiful summer to have as your last.
 
Im not against any of the above comments but >>> we have lovely old boy on our yard that two teenagers loan and share. Hes pampered ridden lightly and is in excellent condition.His owner calls in with change of season rugs . Would this be option for you . Not all teenagers are irresponsible ;)
 
Personally I would think it kinder to pts than put through the stress of rehoming etc. You would struggle to find a charity that would take him and not many people can afford companions these days. There are also a lot of numpties out there to be wary of. Last year I found myself struggling to find a new yard, lost my job and was faced with a very poorly horse all at once so nearly put both my boys down as 27 yo I knew was not going to be possible to re home and youngster I would rather pts than spend rest of my life worrying where he ended up. I am sure a lot of people would decry me an awful person for considering pts for a perfectly healthy youngster but having had one previous horse sold to what appeared to be perfect home, only to be badly abused and moved from dealer to nasty home several times, I couldn't face selling another horse ever again.
 
cellie said:
Im not against any of the above comments but >>> we have lovely old boy on our yard that two teenagers loan and share. Hes pampered ridden lightly and is in excellent condition.His owner calls in with change of season rugs . Would this be option for you . Not all teenagers are irresponsible ;)
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I don't think any-one suggested that teenagers are irresponsible.

I was looking at the problem from the horse's pov. As I said, I particularly dislike the idea of asking an elderly horse to settle into a new herd, they are very vulnerable at the 'jockeying for position' stage and at serious risk of injury.
So, imo this suggestion would only be good for the horse if there was someone who wanted to loan him at his current yard, bearing in mind that he has been retired for at least 4 yrs.
I'm not sure that there are many people, teenagers or otherwise who would want to loan a horse which can't be ridden and can't move to be a companion at a different yard.
 
Unless you can find a local loan home where you can really keep an eye on him then maybe pts. But please don't feel bad about it. You've done your best for him and are still doing the best by dealing with the situation. It is hard and no matter how many times it happens it doesn't get any easier. If it's any consolation, my old girl is going next week because of "financial reasons" - in her case the cost of the drugs needed to keep her even temporarily comfortable would be so high even the vet has said it's a non starter. You are doing the responsible thing in trying to find a proper solution.
 
First of all I just wanted to say that I was glad to read this, and see how many people are responsible and caring for their horses! :)

Personally I couldn't put a horse to sleep because of financial reasons, but I completely respect that you want what is right for him, and that it is a humane and kind option.

Is there any where you could put him on retirement livery? It is supposedly cheap.

Are there any local fields or small private yards that might take him in at a very low charge?

Could you loan him out to someone in a situation where you can check up on him and visit him when necessary?

Hope you find the decision that is right for you.
 
Retirement livery is approx £40 a week, which totals just over £2k a year. Add into trims, vaccinations etc, and you'd be looking at about £2.5k a yesr. That's a lot of money to pay if you haven't really got it.
 
I understand your dilemma, but it was your Mother's horse, so the person who that horse most related to has gone, your Mother would expect you to put your children first and not have to find extra jobs to keep her horse.

You have paid tribute to her memory by giving her horse a happy four years, let him go while your memories of him are happy and before the winter sets in, it will be a decision made with love and nothing to reproach yourself about.

I would not expect my children to put my animals before their families, I would want them to let my animals go peacefully without changing their homes or lives.
 
I have to say that personally, I would feel the most guilt over the fact that he was your Mum's pride and joy who she entrusted to you to take care of. However, I think she would also be pained to see you struggling because of this. At the end of the day I think it boils down to what you truly believe yourself and if you could live with the decision and not constantly beat yourself up about it. The horse will know nothing. He has lived much longer and probably happier than most, but only you know what is the right thing to do. Personally I would struggle with that decision, but that is not to say it is wrong. That is just my personal makeup.
 
Is it not possible to find a sharer for your horse to help with costs? or maybe get someone to look after both of them in exchange for riding your horse a couple of times a week?

I agree that you do not want to get yourself into financial difficulties keeping a horse however I guess I am used to being poor (mainly because I spend all of my money on my horses regardless of whether they "need" something or not) that I don't think about how much it costs (denial is probably the best policy here). However if it is a question of a choice between feeding your kids and paying livery, then it is a no-brainer.
 
I think by having him pts soon you are simply pre-empting the inevitable with a 26 year old horse. By doing it sooner rather than later it can be done with kindness before he succumbs even more to old age. If my daughter faced this dilemma I would be happy with the decision, particularly for my grandchildren. But I would like her to make a donation to a horse charity in memory of my much loved horse.
 
Sorry to hear about your situation. There will be a whole load of emotions tied up in your decision, but one thing comes across loud and clear - you are not being heartless or mercenary. Otherwise you'd have just done it without a care and you wouldn't have given him four happy years.

We did consider 'proper' retirement livery for one of ours but we ended up calling it a day. It might be an option though, depends on the horse's personality. Ours was a bit of a worrier, and his security was in the herd he was in. He'd already lost his best mate. So taking him out of that herd and traveling him across the country before putting him in a new herd with new people looking after him would have been quite distressing for him.

What was your mum like? Was she pretty pragmatic about older horses?
 
To those suggesting loan to teenagers or share - he was already retired when OP inherited him 4 years ago. Do you really think it would be in his best interests to be brought back into work at 26?
The OP has 2 realistic choices - struggle on or pts. Either way OP suffers. OP you sound like a great owner but now it sounds like the choice is between your mothers horse & your kids. The horse won't be around in 10 years to ask why you made the choices you did, your kids will - what will you be happiest saying to them?
 
hairycob said:
To those suggesting loan to teenagers or share - he was already retired when OP inherited him 4 years ago. Do you really think it would be in his best interests to be brought back into work at 26?
The OP has 2 realistic choices - struggle on or pts. Either way OP suffers. OP you sound like a great owner but now it sounds like the choice is between your mothers horse & your kids. The horse won't be around in 10 years to ask why you made the choices you did, your kids will - what will you be happiest saying to them?
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Thank you for all of the advice and support given, Nudibranch I am sorry you are facing a similar situation.

He definitely could not be loaned away from herd or ridden as he has an old tendon injury that never 100% recovered (hence why retired finally).

I would love to find a sharer for my boy but he is coming back from navicular problems and so will be a reasonably long, slow project that (currently at least) no one is interested in undertaking.

Hairy cob your last statement was a good wake up call, I do not want my children to be questioning why I was working all hours and still struggling for money throughout their infant hood. I think my head knows the best thing to do I shall just have to get my heart to catch up!
 
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