Rehoming a companion horse

S

Sammyandant

Active Member
Joined
3 October 2008
Messages
46
Visit site
I have a horse that I need to rehome as a companion. He is sound, healthy and loving but not to be ridden as he is a known bolter. I am worried that even if I rehome him as a companion that maybe some one will ride him and get hurt. Does anyone kown where I would stand in this situation or if he is homed 'as a companion' should i be ok?
 
Sorry, not what you want to hear, but I totally agree with Amymay.
Once you rehome him (unless its done on a loan contract with strict ground rules laid down) you lose control of what happens to him.
If he is sold on (and yes it happens!) and he kills someone......
PTS and save him the uncertain future, or at some point he will end up in some low end sale.
 
Sorry, are you prepared to risk him hurting someone? If you are unable to keep him and you know what he is capable of you should either send him to retirement livery where you will still maintain ownership and pay for his keep or you should pts. Sorry it may sound harsh but he is your responsibility.
 
Last edited:
I think if you rehome him you have to be prepared to feel morally, if not legally, responsible if he causes serious injury to someone,or worse. If he was mine I would PTS if I could no longer keep him myself, if he really is truly unrideable, because as you have said, someone will probably try and ride him again in the future. There are much worse fates for any animal than PTS.
 
The moment he leaves your care anything could happen.
If he's sound and healthly there's every chance at some point someone will try to ride him.
Look at the missing on loan threads especially the one on the horse who went as a companion very close the owners home the horse was sold they where on its trial very quickly but cant find it and it has a serious medical condition that makes it dangerous to ride and it's out there now .
I am not sure if the inference from your post is would you be legally liable as its owner I think you would need to get good advice on that as you are still it's owner if you are a BHS gold member there legal helpline would be a good route however If it where mw I would keep third party insurance however it would never be me because if I could not keep it I would PTS for peace of mind that the horse could not get into a bad situation and I would know no rider could even get hurt.
 
If he is young and large he might be suitable for the blood bank. Otherwise , I think you either need to keep him yourself, pay for someone else to look after him for you in retirement livery, or pts.
 
Alternatively try to find someone you know well who can take him. Genuine good companion homes do exist. When my retired pony passes on I will be looking for a non ridden companion to my ridden ones and finding a healthy pony that cannot be ridden will be more appealing than taking on one that from the off needs
lots of medical care. I have 2 ridden ones and do not have time to ride 3 but do have time to give lots of fuss to the 3rd one.
 
It's a shame there isn't some sort of brand you can put on unrideable horses that universally recognised. Then anyone who attempted to ride would be doing it at their own risk.
 
Ceris Comet said:
It's a shame there isn't some sort of brand you can put on unrideable horses that universally recognised. Then anyone who attempted to ride would be doing it at their own risk.
Click to expand...

But why?
If owners did the RIGHT thing and stop palming off unridable/elderly/sick horses instead of doing the decent thing by them, there would be no need for a brand!
The amount of big horses that are on Preloved right now that are any one of the above.....if you cant bring yourself to do the right thing for any horse you might get, dont get the damn horse!
 
joeanne said:
But why?
If owners did the RIGHT thing and stop palming off unridable/elderly/sick horses instead of doing the decent thing by them, there would be no need for a brand!
The amount of big horses that are on Preloved right now that are any one of the above.....if you cant bring yourself to do the right thing for any horse you might get, dont get the damn horse!
Click to expand...

Joanna, you are of course right, in the perfect world.

However, we do not live in a perfect world where owners are all responsible. Far from it. As you say, you only have to look on any of the advertising places online and you see hundreds of these horses.

Therefore, what cc suggests would at least alleviate part of the problem!
 
I'm afraid i'd agree with amymay, if keeping him yourself is not an option, pts is the only way u know noone is going to get hurt in the future, him included
 
Sadly there are many many more companion horses available than there are homes. So if more people did the unpleasant but probably most sensible thing and
pts, maybe the remaining easier companion types would stand a better chance of finding a home. The branding suggestion by CC is an excellent idea for those. No one could then ever be fooled into buying one of these horses by dishonest loaners who had tried to make a few quid.
 
joeanne said:
Guido if they cant part with the £80 odd quid to call the hunt in, why would they spend the same on branding it unridable?
Click to expand...

Who says they cant part with cash?

I think the issue here is that people (not referring to OP) are not prepared to pts.

Not saying I agree with it and frankly there are to many horses in the world already, but, if it stops them being ridden, injuring someone then surely it is a good thing?
 
I dont agree with the PTS just because if I hadnt got my companion he'd have been pts which is wrong they still have a purpose as long as the person who has him it told in no uncertain terms he has never to be ridden there are hundreds of companion horses that are rehomed every year. Ask the WHW or gift them to him they rehome lots of companions I just missed out on a 17.2 shire as a non rideable I just needed a companion for my lad. Sorry if this it not what everyone wants to hear but pts is just too easy now a days in my opinion.
 
You can find companion homes out there, we have a 28yo 16h TB companion, that we got after his owner was going to pts aged 19 as couldn't find a home for him. He didn't have any problems, and is sometimes still taken for the odd potter up the lanes. He was signed over to us, but I think him having (so far!) an extra 9 years of a good life with friends and a big field to play is infinitely better than pts imho. OK, it might not always be possible, but it it possible, and there are nice people out there wanting them.

Either that or retirement livery/grass livery. I'm sorry I don't buy into the pts brigade.
 
No harm in asking around locally to you, but it isn't always the home you sell/gift them to, it is the one after that, where you lose control of the horse's future. There is always someone who will have a go with a bolter and the risk is high that he will be sold on, particularly if he is a fine example of a horse.

Very tough decision to pts an otherwise healthy horse and I would really have to have my back against the wall for that one. Which is why I am poor and there is a large lump of horse out there sunning himself in the field right now whilst I work my fingers to the bone :o:cool:
 
I am always slightly dubious when people say something is a confirmed bolter. My first pony would have been described in this way by my instructor, a 3DE rider who was also an II. He is now Mr perfect.
I would also agree with a brand, ex racers can have passports stamped to say they can't race again, we have loss of use brands, so why not a dangerous brand? Of course everyones version of dangerous is markedly different.
 
topclass said:
I dont agree with the PTS just because if I hadnt got my companion he'd have been pts which is wrong they still have a purpose as long as the person who has him it told in no uncertain terms he has never to be ridden there are hundreds of companion horses that are rehomed every year. Ask the WHW or gift them to him they rehome lots of companions I just missed out on a 17.2 shire as a non rideable I just needed a companion for my lad. Sorry if this it not what everyone wants to hear but pts is just too easy now a days in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Why on earth would you 'gift' to a charity? They have hundreds of unwanted animals already - which have been rescued......... (Not that they would take it anyway).

No one is saying that there aren't 100% brilliant homes out there for a companion. But you have to be sooo careful, and some of these horses do end up in pretty dire situations.
 
zaminda said:
I would also agree with a brand, ex racers can have passports stamped to say they can't race again, we have loss of use brands, so why not a dangerous brand? Of course everyones version of dangerous is markedly different.
Click to expand...

A passport stamp 'non ridden' now there's an idea that could save lives
 
Sammyandant said:
I have a horse that I need to rehome as a companion. He is sound, healthy and loving but not to be ridden as he is a known bolter. I am worried that even if I rehome him as a companion that maybe some one will ride him and get hurt. Does anyone kown where I would stand in this situation or if he is homed 'as a companion' should i be ok?
Click to expand...

if you mean legally, then as long as it is written in the sales receipt that he is a known bolter then i would imagine you would be covered. But how do you honestly think you will feel if he does get ridden, and bolts and kills someone:( I'm sorry to say if i had a horse that was truly unrideable due to an issue like that i would either have to keep him myself or have him PTS :( not a pleasant decision but i could not bear to pass on a horse like that.

just out of interest (noseyness);)how did you come to have him? did you know his problems when you got him or is it something that has happened since? Would be interesting to know more, if you don't mind of course :)
 
Sadly it would have to be a brand similar to L for loss of use, as there are too many floors in the passport system.
The problem with this sort of horse is that for some people he could be perfect, for others he could be dangerous.
How many times has he bolted? Did he actually run through anything, or just blind?
 
guido16 said:
Who says they cant part with cash?

I think the issue here is that people (not referring to OP) are not prepared to pts.

Not saying I agree with it and frankly there are to many horses in the world already, but, if it stops them being ridden, injuring someone then surely it is a good thing?
Click to expand...

Because 99% (not all I agree but 1% is few and far between) are getting shot because they dont want to fork out for a horse/pony they can no longer use.
The amount that I have recently seen stating "job loss/grazing loss forces rehoming".
And gift to a charity? Topclass are you having a laugh? Have you seen how strapped for cash these charities are? Why should they take YOUR unwanted animal and foot the bill for it, when you could and should do that yourself?
They are struggling to rehome good, working animals right now, a non working animal stands even less of a chance!
And then there are the "its not fair to PTS" brigade.....who think someone is going to want their pain wracked 17hh eating machine as a field ornament.
If YOU dont want a field ornament of that size and cost, why on earth would anyone else?
Drives me mad.....
 
As another thought, I too like Zaminda do think these things can be addressed (provided not pain related). I know my instructor helps lots of 'unrideable' horses (her daughter then competes them, and have gone intermediate on previously unrideable ones) but might be worth a phone call if nothing else?

http://www.saraussher.co.uk/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top