Rehoming an old boy (yes they shoot horses, but I'd rather not)

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LEW1982

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I have been ill with depression for several years. I've had my bay gelding for 14 years. I can't really afford to hold on to him. He was born in May 1990 (22 years). I want to offer him to a retirement home (he could go on for another 10 years). He isn't really suitable to be ridden now (been at grass for 4 years). Yes I am sort of looking for charity, expect comments about shooting him for his own good etc.

I was in this situation with my old horse 10 years ago when my dad died suddenly. A sincere old farmer had the horse as a companion for his young mare- an overgrown pet. It worked very well. My horse is happy and can be speedy around the field. He doesn't look ready to be put down.

I know with the recession it's a long 'shot' (excuse the pun). Does any one have any suggestions of charities etc, places where I could look for a home for him. There might just be someone sincere (I know it's unlikely) who would want him. It worked very well with my last horse

Thanks.
 
I think he could be loaned out as a companion. But there are so many people in a similar situation. Have you tried some of the charities such as WHW or maybe a local charity. I think people may suggest PTS but only to avoid the meat man and being pushed from pillar to post.
Hope it works out for you.
FDC
 
charities are for needy horses - cruely cases etc - they are full to overflowing anyhow


sorry to be blunt but find a (nice..??) loan home or pts

personally id pts as id want to secure my horses future.


yes im full prepared to be shot down....
 
I hope you dont get shot down in flames, that would be a rather unkind thing to do in the circumstances and I hope your old boy finds a lovely new home

Why not tell us a bit about him? someone may know of the ideal home

x
 
be very careful

I know someone who sold their old horse because of personal reasons for pennies really.... She was just about a light hack. Owners were promised home for life etc etc. They kept her 6 months and sold her on to someone who said the same!

2 years later I happened to see her advertised for sale for a huge amount more, they had taken 10 years off her age and she was in a total state. The people that had her then had "rescued her" from someone being currently at the time investigated by the rspca. All her paperwork had gone, but she had been through at least 5 homes.

She has now been bought back (for more than they sold her for!! a lot more!) and will be kept till the end of her days.

What I am saying, is unless YOU actually know the people having her, don't do it. For all the trauma the mare I know went through, it would have been better for her to be PTS.
 
If I'm honest, I think it's unlikely that a rescue centre would take him on, purely due to the fact that there are so many neglected horses around which desperately need rehabilitation, but it could still be worth ringing round them to see if they have any suggestions for you.
I agree that a loan home as a companion might be a good idea, how big is he? A lot of people aren't really buying/loaning at the moment because of the hard winter we're going to have but if he's straightforward and easy to keep without medical issues which are expensive to keep up with (bute, cortaflex etc) then somebody might be able to offer him a home. Maybe try project horses for that, there are quite a few companions for sale on there? You would have to be careful with loaning though, you hear so many horror stories these days about people taking advantage of oldies and riding them hard etc, it's horrible but unfortunately it does happen.
I hope you find a solution, he sounds like a lovely boy and it seems a shame to have to consider putting a healthy and happy lad down. x
 
I am so sorry you have depression, it is such a cruel and misunderstood illness. Please,please be very careful about passing on your old boy. It will be terribly hard to have him put down, but if I were in your shoes that is what I would do. I could not live with the uncertainty of what would happen to him. This is not a coward's way out, it's probably one of the hardest things you will ever have to do.
 
If you loan out your horse ensure that it is freezemarked on it's shoulder before loaning it out. Also ask to see a copy of the passport, driving licence and rates bill of the person loaning the horse and photocopy them. Use the BHS loan agreament and ammend it to your requirements. Then get a specialist equine solicitor to check it. Issue two copies and have them both signed and dated by both parties. Ensure that the horses details on www.ned-online.co.uk are ammended to On Loan.
 
Unfortunately there is a huge number of horses surplus to requirements in the UK.
Its highly unlikely you will find him a place with a charity, and again unlikely you will find him a companion home as people prefer small easy to keep ponies as companions.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't try, if you look hard enough and try hard enough you will be one of the few who succeed. Just take all the precautions you can, you have been given some very good advice on how to protect you horse the best you can should you choose to loan out as a companion.

If you can't find him a suitable retirement home though, I do hope you PTS and not pass him on to an uncertain future of sales rings etc. If you love him, you owe him that at least and its the responsible and caring thing to do.

Good luck :)
 
I think most people have missed the fact that OP is suffering from depression. I certainly would not advocate anybody with depression pts their beloved horse.

I would seriously recommend that you seek some help in finding him a temporary loan home until you are feeling better and that you don't make any decisions regarding his permanent future right now. You may well find that you regret any permanent decision that you make whilst you are ill.

Whereabouts in the country are you? Someone on here may be able to offer you some short term help with your horse while you concentrate on getting yourself well.......xxx
 
Bedlam said:
I think most people have missed the fact that OP is suffering from depression. I certainly would not advocate anybody with depression pts their beloved horse.

I would seriously recommend that you seek some help in finding him a temporary loan home until you are feeling better and that you don't make any decisions regarding his permanent future right now. You may well find that you regret any permanent decision that you make whilst you are ill.

Whereabouts in the country are you? Someone on here may be able to offer you some short term help with your horse while you concentrate on getting yourself well.......xxx
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I haven't missed the fact the fact that the OP has depression at all, and I don't think anyone else has.
I have even been back and re read the OP's original post, and I see somone wanting to find a companion home because they can not afford to keep their horse, who also is having a hard time with depression.

I am sure the OP is well aware she isn't going to have people queing up to loan an unrideable retired horse, for the exact reasons I originally stated.
Are people going to take it on because the OP has depression? Of course not, depression or not, its highly unlikely in the current climate that anyone is going to want a companion horse. They are being off loaded to the sales up and down the UK with heading into winter and money is very tight for many.
The point I am trying to make is the OP may not have a choice, a lovely loan home until the OP gets better sounds great in an ideal world, unfortunatley we live in anything but right now where equines are concerned.

People are saying good luck, try your best, but if you dont succeed, then PTS rather than have your horse passed from pillar to post, also presuming that the OP can in no way keep her horse.

I do hope the OP finds a solution, I hear what you are saying regarding PTS with someone with depression, but sadly it doesn't change the current climate in the UK which is seriously depressing for horses right now. False hope isn't a solution to the OP.

Sorry OP, I have presumed you are a she, 95% chance you are, but whether he or she, once again I wish you luck :D
 
A cautionary tale:

A friend of mine had to give up horses completely in the late 90s, due to a breakdown, and has not returned to horses since. She had two horses, and was just a working 'hobby' owner like so many of us. Her mare, who was the love of her life, was rehomed with another friend of mine. She lived perfectly happily with the second friend, until she had a very messy divorce and she had to leave the family home very quickly for the safety of her daughter. The mare went to a friend of hers, who promised to give her a forever home.

The second friend managed to buy back all her other horses once she was back on her feet, but unfortunately she couldn't trace the mare - her friend had moved away in the intervening period.

Wind forwards a good few years. The third owner, to her credit, did do everything in her power to provide a forever home for the mare. She had lived happily and well with her all the time she was there. Then, when the mare was in her late 20s, the third owner's health and finances began to fail and she also had to give up horses. What to do with the mare? The mare wasn't a particularly good do-er over winter, and she had DSLD in her hind legs which meant her fetlocks were sagging. However, she was full of life and didn't seem ready to go yet. The third owner decided that rather than PTS she would hand her over to a small local charity to live out her days. She went with a full and up to date vet report, her entire life history, a copy of the book that she had been featured in, and some money to cover keep. All seemed well.

Next thing she knows, this 'charity' had made a press release out of the mare, making out that she'd been abused and neglected (she hadn't), that she was in a really poor state (she wasn't - owner 3's vet reported that she was in very good nick for her age, if a bit saggy), that she'd been passed from pillar to post (she hadn't), that she'd been over-used as a broodmare and produced foal after foal after foal (she hadn't - she'd had just a few over her life), that her history between owner 1 and arriving at the 'charity' was completely unknown (it wasn't), and that none of her previous owners had cared about her (completely and utterly untrue).

Owner 3 was angry, devastated and upset when she read the newspaper article. Even more so when it went viral over t'interweb. Owners 1 & 2 were also frantic with worry. Owner 1, particularly, who is still fragile, was particularly frantic. There was a long, long, long thread on here at the time which was particularly nasty towards owner 1. Very upsetting for all concerned. Not helped of course by the fact that the 'charity' then stopped taking calls from anyone involved - as soon as they realised that they'd been rumbled they stopped responding. The site of the 'charity' appeared deserted whenever anyone visited and there were no signs of any horses.

We tried and tried and tried but never did manage to locate the mare to make sure she was safe. About 6 months after the story broke, I was e-mailed an undated photo of the mare in a stable at the 'charity' which was sent to me by one of their occasional helpers, and who confirmed that he'd seen her that weekend. She looks OK in the picture. I hope she is, and I hope that they have done right by her.

Owner 3's only crime was being too soft. She wishes now that she had had the mare put to sleep as she will spend the rest of her life wondering what happened to the mare in the end.

It is tough with oldies. But it's not good out there. If your health is not strong at the moment, it might be worth seeing if you can source some retirement livery or suchlike to give yourself some breathing space.

Otherwise, you need to ask yourself what will distress you more: Knowing what happened to your much loved horse, or not knowing.
 
Is she still rideable in any way?? Could you find someone to share her and hence contribute financially? I have just found a sharer for my 24yo 13.2hh so it is possible.

I hope you feel better soon and am so sorry to hear if your depression. A friend of mine's mum had her 3 horse PTS while suffering depression (she had been suffering for many years) and am sorry to say that it was a decision she has very much regretted but that's not to say it wasn't still the best thing for her horses.

I know you are not well right now but if you can try to find some way of keeping her in your possession I would do so. I have some very positive experiences from the world of sharers and sharing. It's just another suggestion but passing an older horse on and putting a horse still with a good quality of life to sleep are both not ideal courses of action.

Am so sorry for your situation and good luck I hope a good solution presents itself. P.s. I found my wonderful sharer through preloved it might be worth a look but be careful there are some dodgy characters on there!!
 
Homes are out there you just have to be careful. I picked up a free to good home old got off a pony who's blind in one eye and 2 old tendon injuries but gives so much joy to my daughter, he will live his days out with us I really love the old git just wish I had known him 10 years ago but love every day I spend with him. Everybody on here would off shouted pts if the owner had put a threat up about him but he's landed on his feet and made a kid very happy. keep looking you might just find the right home, good luck. But if a home can't be found than maybe consider pts if u can't keep him.
 
you will always get the PTS comments on here the guru gang. a little group who say this.

This is a member of her family not just a horse she doesnt know :confused:
No you don't have to PTS :eek::confusedfrom

advertise him in your local paper or magazine. There will be some one out there who will be interested.

I see no reason why a healthy horse should be PTS, its so easy for an outsider to comment and give the death penalty to someone else s horse,
If your patient and spread the word some one will come up trumps, you will have to pay for adverts but its the surest way of getting a good home try here http://www.chilternrider.co.uk/. or preloved.

Can i ask why he cant be ridden??


at 23 before my mare got laminitis in July she had done 3 sponsored rides 8 mile 9 mile and 10 mile.

Best thing for an oldie is light or med exercise.


charities will only take cruelty cases or gifted in in will horses i am afraid
 
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kildalton said:
I am so sorry you have depression, it is such a cruel and misunderstood illness. Please,please be very careful about passing on your old boy. It will be terribly hard to have him put down, but if I were in your shoes that is what I would do. I could not live with the uncertainty of what would happen to him. This is not a coward's way out, it's probably one of the hardest things you will ever have to do.
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Totally agree with this. I have enormous sympathy for your depression and dilema, but in the long run you might find the worry/guilt/wondering about what became of him worse than the grief you'll feel at putting him down.

Having said that, many years ago I had to re-home my beloved old boy because I was too ill to go near him. By chance a horsey friend turned up and asked if she could have him as a family horse for herself and kids to plod about on. It worked out well, so as you say, it can happen.
 
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I'm not going to pretend to have any sympathy for your depression (or anyone else's for that matter) but I am sorry for your situation. Trouble is that there are alot of surplus horses out there. I did loan out a companion 5 years ago but in common with many, along with the good times of high disposable incomes, warm wet winters etc have increased in horse numbers. Now I have enough oldies to babysit/buddy my foals and youngstock for many years to come. I know many others like this too. I do hope you find someone but would not hestitate to PTS 3 of mine if I were in the same boat.
 
Ready to be shot at but why would she have to put him to sleep if there's nothing wrong with him?! Ok so if you couldn't secure someone's future 100% you wouldn't have them euthanised, so just because he's a horse doesnt mean that he's 22 and can't carry on....as she has said he could go on for 10 more years! x

I understand that sometimes PTS is the only option but i do hope to god you can try every other avenue before that!

I've known alot of people take of older horses as a companion, including my pony who is 24 now and is a companion with a local lady. She is still owned by me and i pay £25 a month towards her hay/feed and the lady sometimes hacks her out. There are people out there looking for a companion so i'd suggest you advertise him as a companion on loan. I wouldn't sell him as then you have no control over his future! x

Please do not consider PTS as it is hardly 'a secure future' being dead!! x You might know where he is but not exactly 'a future' x

What area are you in?
 
Not the 'future' i'd want for any of my horses unless they were terminally ill x

I know a lady who looks after two ponies for someone else on her own land as 'lawnmovers' so it shows that people out there will have them! x
 
lcharles said:
Not the 'future' i'd want for any of my horses unless they were terminally ill x

I know a lady who looks after two ponies for someone else on her own land as 'lawnmovers' so it shows that people out there will have them! x
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There are indeed people out there who want a companion horse - who will offer a 5* home.

And whilst it would be lovely if a real genuine home could be found for this horse - not everyone is as honest about their intentions as we would like to believe.

But remember, there are worse things than death.
 
If the horse is only loaned out as a companion that is definately a more secure future than death! x I agree that if the horse is sold, he could end up in a field with no food, water and neglected, left to die or with the meatman/woman but if he's on loan and checked on occasionally this seems a happier, more secure future :) x
 
lcharles said:
If the horse is only loaned out as a companion that is definately a more secure future than death! x I agree that if the horse is sold, he could end up in a field with no food, water and neglected, left to die or with the meatman/woman but if he's on loan and checked on occasionally this seems a happier, more secure future :) x
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Have you read any of the (many, many) 'loan gone wrong' stories on here or elsewhere... It is not a secure future in any way.

OP, will keep my fingers crossed for you that you can find a outcome you are happy with. If I had my own land I would love to take on another oldie to keep my retiree company but can't afford 2 at livery.

:)
 
lcharles said:
If the horse is only loaned out as a companion that is definately a more secure future than death!
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Again, not necessarily. How many posts do we read on here about loans gone wrong?

The reality is we have an obligation to our horses, especially our old retired ones, to ensure a best outcome for them. Sometime PTS is the most secure option.

I have to say, I would think long and hard about putting a horse on loan as a companion (in fact I did, and decided against it). I'm not saying it's wrong in this instance - it would be fantastic if a home could be found that was 100% brilliant. But it's a gamble.
 
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I don't think people say PTS for the sake of it, or because they like to think of horses being killed, or because they don't believe in retiring horses or anything like that - well, I don't anyway. It's because they are aware of what can happen when more vulnerable horses are passed on.

Let's face it - why are horses kept well? Two reasons - they're financially valuable, or because someone loves them.

An older horse than can no longer be ridden has little financial value, so if it's well cared for it's because someone loves it. If you then pass that horse on to strangers, it loses that protection too.

How many horses that end up being sold at the low-end sales were loved by someone once? How many of them are loved at the sales? How many end up in a bad state? Horses that end up neglected don't just spring from the ground - they all come from somewhere. So often, someone loved them too once.

OP, I feel terrible for you and I really hope you can find someone to take your old boy - I would say, someone you know, someone local, and you have got to make the commitment to keep checking him regularly, both announced and unannounced.

But if you can't find anyone, then please don't send him out into the world alone without you to watch his back.
 
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