Rant and opinions needed Re Rehoming companion horse

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Flight

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Hi,

I have a lovely horse who due to a back injury (which the vets are unable to pinpoint or treat without very expensive scans) can not be ridden. They have assured me he is not in pain when not being ridden. I have had him advertised on a few web sites for the last few months as I just can't afford to keep him :-(
Why oh why oh why do people insist on ringing me up or emailing sounding very interested, he is exactly what they are looking for as a companion, they can offer him a great home etc etc etc and then when it comes to viewing him just let me down and don't bother coming. I am at my wits end and starting to think that the best option would be to have him pts. If I had the money I would keep him as a pet but I just can't afford the livery bills and he gets no attention either as I dont have time for him.
What would you all do? ( I am sorry of this question has been asked lots of times before but I am soooo confused).
 
Honestly, if I couldn't keep him I would PTS. Then you could be sure that he won't be ridden and you can't have that guarantee if you passed him on to someone else. Sorry, not an easy decision to make but that's what I'd do. :(
 
I too have a horse who can't be ridden, but with him it's behavioural rather than because of an injury.
I've had my boy advertised for months and have only had one or two people interested, but like with you they suddenly go off the idea!
Is there anywhere that does grassvlivery you could look at near you? This is what I've ended up doing
 
This is going to sound harsh and for that I am sorry, because I really do see how painful this is for you. Your options are, if you are not able to pay for the expensive scans, to re-home as a companion, keep as your own horse or pts. I would not sell a horse as a companion only, it is too open to abuse. I would also not like to loan, although I did once but the horse was like 1/2 a mile down the road and I saw her everyday. I take it you can not keep him and afford a horse to ride and you want to ride. That is understandable, not everyone can afford to keep a retired horse. if this is the case you only real option is to put the horse to sleep. In the end that might be your only options if you can not keep him as a retired horse and do not want to look further into what is wrong with him.
 
How long ago was the injury diagnosed? Was it from an accident or just one of those things? If its been less than a year or two I would give the horse another year off and see if he has fixed himself, more often than not these days we don't give horses enough time to recuperate and want to fix everything in a year as thats how long the insurance will pay out for, vets also fall into this trap.
 
I would guess they are not actually interested in him as a companion at all and want the full details of why he can't be ridden. If they then find out they can't get away with doping him up and selling him on they lose interest.
I tried to sell my boy very cheaply as a hacker. Had 3 conversations with a woman about how all she wanted to do was hack. She turned up and tried him in the school and then announced he would be too difficult to re-school. They are all out there trying to make a quick buck and some of them are very convincing.
I would need a lot of convincing to sell/rehome a horse as a companion in the current market when you get a young pony that would do the job for £50. Its a horrible situation.
 
If you can't give him time or afford him I'd pts. I would not risk selling to a stranger, he may be sold on for riding (no doubt on painkillers for viewing) or on the meat waggon.
 
This is a difficult one and its a position I have never been in, nor want to be in. The problem is there is no way to be certain of this future other than PTS. There are that many stories of people taking companion horses on, then riding them to the ground or selling them on as a riding horse. If you loan, theres every chance something will go wrong and the horse will be returned to you and you are make to square one.

That said, there are people who are genuine and want companion horses. However winter is a really bad time for trying to rehome one as not many people want to take on an extra horse in winter.
What breed/height is your lad? As many people who look for companions do look for smaller ponies who are good doers...

Its a tricky one OP and I do not envy you being in this position
 
This may also sound harsh but if one takes on a horse one should ensure that one has sufficient financial resources/reserves so that if something goes wrong with the horse it will get all the diagnostic treatment and treatment that it requires. You state that you do not have the time to pay attention to him but surely if you take on a horse you should be sufficiently committed to spend time looking after your horse during any illness or recovery period.
 
I might be missing something here but how is it that horses are affordable when useful but then when they have to be retired or unable to work they are no longer 'affordable' ?
 
There are so many times that a horse, especially a nice horse, a good attractive sort, has been taken on permanent loan "as a companion" to turn up 6 months later in a sale or in a dealers yard. Some people will go to any lengths to make a few hundred pounds from anything.

I knew a dealer who would look at horses that had been sent for slaughter and pick out some likely ones, pay the meat price, and see if they could be returned to work and give her a profit.
 
ok, i don t usually post on this but its something i feel quite strongly about.
I have a 25 year old, very good nick for his age, still the odd hack out but for the most stood in the field costing me money.
While he is in the field and happy and comfortable he has a home, I have the oppertunity of a lovely youngster but i cant afford two.
Selling my first horse on isn t an option because i cant bear the thought of him ending up being abused. I personally would nt have him put down to make way for the youngster, other people might make the descision to pts and make way for the young horse. Those 2 options are the only responsible options for a horse that can t be ridden to gaurantee the horse doesn t suffer.
While I know im soft , i actually love my horse to bits, I dont think any the less of someone else who would pts in the same situation, but to me selling a horse on or giving away is not responsible in that situation.
 
I have to agree with other posts - unless you can find a loan home near enough that you can monitor your horse's care you should seriously consider your horse's future. All too often people answer 'companion' adverts with a wonderful story, but in reality they are dealers looking for cheap horses which will then get sold on. I have even known these people use the home of someone who is on holiday to 'entertain' owners by pretending that this is where their beloved horse will live. Trust no one except yourself. Cynical maybe but borne out of a life in the horse world.
 
There is very little market for "companion" horses. If for whatever reason you can't afford him then do the right thing and have him pts.
 
I had my mare of 20 years pts this autumn after 5 years basically costing me her keep and doing very little. Ok I did afford another to ride but would have loaned or shared if not.

Recently saw a younger mare who could be her time twin advertised as retired and free to good home. Thinking if she could come out of retirement enough to hack out quietly once a week with novice hubs and friends I could justify it, i enquired. Lame, owner can't afford 2 and wants to ride. Sadly i cant justify it for a lame one with no job, hubs would go spare, tho he never begruged my old girl anything, vets bills, living in our garden when she needed regular care, digging out her deep litter, building her stable etc.

My girl was lucky, she put in 15 years graft teaching me and getting me through adolescence, she was like a 2nd mum! Then she taught hubs the basics. She earnt her time chilling at livery getting brushed every day (sometimes very quickly) and some tasty snacks. What opportunity has your horse had to earn is retirement from someone who answers an advert for an injured horse?

I really think if he's earnt retirement with you, as an owner you should try to provide it. If he hasn't or you genuinely can't then I personally would be looking to make his future secure ie pts.
 
wills_91 said:
There is very little market for "companion" horses. If for whatever reason you can't afford him then do the right thing and have him pts.
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yes agree years ago there was and you could fine homes but not now. I feel strongly about this as well OP if you cant keep him then why expect someone else too? Your horse so you need to take responsibility and do the decent thing-pts
 
I would definitely say humane euthanasia rather than trying to find a loan home. According to a lot of threads on here, it seems few loans work long term. And why should someone loan a horse which cannot be ridden when there are many available that can? I think if you cant afford to keep him, or get the scans done and help him recover, you have no other option....
 
I saw an advert this morning for an old mare who was retired due to being riddled with arthritis and they wanted £250 for her as a companion. My first thought was...so you want someone to pay you to take away your animal and pay for it's meds for the rest it's life?? Doesn't sound like a very attractive buy does it?

I have an old cushingoid, arthritic pony who is costing me a small fortune but I don't care. She has taught all my children to ride and has earned her retirement. She'll be with me until it's her time to go and I'd sleep on a park bench to keep her if I had to. I would never pass her on to someone else.
 
luckyoldme said:
ok, i don t usually post on this but its something i feel quite strongly about.
I have a 25 year old, very good nick for his age, still the odd hack out but for the most stood in the field costing me money.
While he is in the field and happy and comfortable he has a home, I have the oppertunity of a lovely youngster but i cant afford two.
Selling my first horse on isn t an option because i cant bear the thought of him ending up being abused. I personally would nt have him put down to make way for the youngster, other people might make the descision to pts and make way for the young horse. Those 2 options are the only responsible options for a horse that can t be ridden to gaurantee the horse doesn t suffer.
While I know im soft , i actually love my horse to bits, I dont think any the less of someone else who would pts in the same situation, but to me selling a horse on or giving away is not responsible in that situation.
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I agree with you but I guess some people want to get something out of having the horse, ie the enjoyment of riding so can kind of see where a field ornament is not financially viable. Having said that these poor creatures depend on us to look after them so like you I couldn't sell or PTS.
 
Surely its a bit different if they've got to 25 and you're still able to hack a little. Presumably he's been in retirement for only a short time. Mine is similar, nearly 27 & still likes a little hack. Of course neither would I consider PTS as she earnt her retirement, I have just loaned out my rideable 12yr old as I can't afford two.
However if a horse has to be retired at 10yrs you might be looking at 15-20yrs of paying for a horse that can't be ridden which is a completely different thing.
 
I'd never try and advertise an unsound horse for a companion. The only people likely to ring are those who know nothing or those who are out for unscrupulous purposes. If someone wants to pick up a free companion for their horse there are plenty of small ponies around who won't cost anywhere near as much to keep.
 
I would pts to be honest, I have an older mare who had to be retired at the age of 7 but I have my own place and have been able to keep her if that wasn't the case I would have pts.
 
Princess16 said:
I agree with you but I guess some people want to get something out of having the horse, ie the enjoyment of riding so can kind of see where a field ornament is not financially viable. Having said that these poor creatures depend on us to look after them so like you I couldn't sell or PTS.
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The majority of us saying pts are not saying it because the horse is unrideable, its because the owner is either unable or unwilling to look after him/her. Your right as an owner we do owe it to the horse to look after them, but the op is unable to.

If my horse became unrideable right now she would be kept as a big pet a)as I can afford it/owe it to her & b) so long as she was happy and no I couldn't afford to keep a second ridden horse. However if the time came I could no longer afford to keep her she would be put down without a second thought.

In all honestly why would someone want somebody elses broken horse?? It wouldn't be a risk I would be willing to take, kinder to put down than pass onto an unknown future.
 
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I'm sorry to say this OP, but if I couldn't keep my horse as a companion, I too would rather PTS than send him off to an uncertain future. In fact my old boy has cushings and EMND and doesn't really enjoy being ridden - so apart from the kids have an occasion Pootle around, he's pretty much an expensive ornament. I managed to buy my young lad but if I couldn't have afforded him, I'd have kept my old boy as priority.

I've seen so so many times of bottom end dealers taking on companion horses and selling on as a ridden. In fact my friend bought a shire x old boy, who was sold as a lovely safe hack. However I noted he was lame and I paid for a specialist. After he was seen, the specialist said that he was totally lame everywhere and should never ever be ridden as he'd be in pain. My friend sent him back to the dealer with the report, and she promised he'd get a companion only home. 3 guesses to where he's ended up......that's right, to a novice who is riding him into the ground :(

Is grass livery an option, as much cheaper :)
 
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Could you not afford grass livery?

There might be the right home our there.
But it will take time.
Don't rush and send him to the wrong home.
Be sure they are genuine.

But really the only way to guarantee his future is to keep or pts.
 
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These posts really boil my P, so many people try and pass on their problems with no thought to the long term, I could weep over all the ads for 20+ horses and ponies for sale/loan dirt cheap, just because they are no longer useful. I have 3 horses, 1 pony, ranging from 2x20+ yr olds to a 4 yr old, 3 of the four have already experienced rough handling, my 4 yr old cob literally trembled when seeing his tack, if for any reason I couldn't look after my lot, they would be pts, even the two younger ones, rather than them being passed from pillar to post, ending up as meat, this is not how I see my lot ending up, I care too much for them, rather a short sweet life, than owner to owner, each time attracting a money orientated owner willing to sell for meat, rather than do right by the animal.
OP do the right thing and PTS, there's a lot worse fate than being dead
 
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