Thoughts on putting your horse to sleep because of financial reasons

horsesatemychristmasmoney said:
My vet said that he would refuse to put a healthy, young horse down because the owner can't afford it now. Only if the animal was suffering/had health issues.
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So what does your vet suggest as a solution? We all know horse's aren't selling readily. What does he (she?) suggest shipping horses off to the sales if the owner falls into financial difficulties?

Those who say sell/loan, what do you do if six months down the line you haven't managed to sell or loan?
 
Bosworth said:
I am just about to make that phonecall to the vet. And god have I shed a lot of tears. But he is 28, and been retired for about 10 years. I was going to let him live to a disgraceful old age, on my own farm, but things have changed, i am now paying livery for him, and I can ill afford to do that, as well as eat. I have made the hard decision, i had to wait till I got some money in to do it. That money came in on friday so call to be made this morning. my boy is not sound, I would never let him go as a companion as it is my call and my responsibility to ensure he is never abused or ill treated. i have had him since he was 4 he owes me nothing, I owe him everything. At 18 if your boy is still sound, happy and healthy then sell him, or loan him with a water tight agreement and a weekly check from yourself. Or get a sharer to ride him and help with the costs.
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I am sorry you are in this situation but I would do the same as you, I would be too worried someone wouldnt treat them so nice and could never put them through a sale just to make a few quid(the thought makes me shudder as I always thinks no one can look after mine as well as me). But yes agree with you re the younger horse 18 years and I would try to find somewhere that will kindly use him and you can keep an eye on him too. Get references, Offer to look after when they go on holiday etc. Someone may want a well behaved companion etc. I would explore all ideas first with the 18 year old.
 
I am not sure where people are coming from if a horse or pony no matter how fit and well or even at a very young age is not going to be afforded and is going to suffer and there is little or no option to sell (loaning is never an option as it can come back) then PTS is the obvious answer if you can afford it but that isnt a cheap option either
I have a 7 year very naughty pony who I adore but if I could no longer afford to keep him I would have him PTS unless I could sell him to someone who knew all about his evil ways who would guarantee to keep him or PTS if they couldnt keep him. I am not even sure then I would let him go for fear his naughtiness would send him on a downward spiral to cruelty and neglect I would personally rather know he would never suffer that indignity and had a short but happy life with me.
 
Replying to my own reply now...reading back am seeing Cushings.

Cant be bothered to read back which horse but on face value if horse had cushings unless I knew someone could afford treatments etc un limited £££and genuinely loved my horse, they may be allowed to look after it etc otherwise I would make the decision if I was broke to PTS(with Cushings). No brainer.
 
Apparently so; I didn't press him, he just told me in conversation, but I respect that that is his ethical choice, even if I agree with it or not. He was talking about young, completely healthy and fit horses though, not horses like the OP's
 
MegaBeast said:
So what does your vet suggest as a solution? We all know horse's aren't selling readily. What does he (she?) suggest shipping horses off to the sales if the owner falls into financial difficulties?

QUOTE]

Again, I don't know. I assume just try every possible avenue first (savings, cheaper livery, sharers, loan, sell) then he might do it, but it sounded like he felt sometimes people used the 'I can't afford, please PTS' as 'I can't be bothered, please PTS' (not you, OP, before somebody makes that link!)
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Well with vets like that it is a good job that there are good huntsmen and knacker people around, otherwise the vast overstocking of horses and ponies would be worse than it is :eek:
 
OP in this day and age and with the recession and horses being abandoned, i feel the most responsible thing you could do was to pts, you would never forgive yourself if you heard the horse you sold or was found starving or sent off to slaughter.

17 is a good age it would be slightly different if it was a youngster, because using our human emotions we feel its only fair that every animal deserves a chance in life.

However when you ask this type of question i think its okay if the animal is pts by the hunt/vet, its when they are sent to slaughter for reimbursement of cash that fellow horse lovers get rather annoyed.

Have you exhausted all avenues to reduce cost, grass livery, remove shoes, deep litter, cut out unnecessary hard feed if not in work, haylage is cheaper than hay and goes further etc etc.

This post is my opinion, not looking for an argument.
 
OP I would look at my regime and see where I could make savings. Just like what putasocinit said.
We all have budgets we need to stick to and have to cut our cloth accordingly.
Maybe less competing, part/diy/grass livery. I have changed from some big brand feeds to cheaper ones and they all look just as well on them. Just a few suggestions.
Also, though the winter is heavy going, I try to put a positive spin on it. I like to see them snug and cosy. Well fed and happy. I like a hack out or a schooling session on a crisp winters morning. These things make the winter grind so worth while.
Also think about what else you spend cash on out with your horse....coffee's on the way to work, pre-packed lunches, how much wine you drink, trashy mags etc etc. Sounds harsh but if you want to keep him then these are some things you could think about. CAB give advice on money management since your income is lower.
17 and working AM....jings..he's a youngster. My AM mare is 19.
Plenty good advice about sharers.
Just think of your life without him for the sake of a few quid.
FWIW I think there are worse things to happen to a horse then be pts.
 
Brigadoon said:
OP I would look at my regime and see where I could make savings. Just like what putasocinit said.
We all have budgets we need to stick to and have to cut our cloth accordingly.
Maybe less competing, part/diy/grass livery. I have changed from some big brand feeds to cheaper ones and they all look just as well on them. Just a few suggestions.
Also, though the winter is heavy going, I try to put a positive spin on it. I like to see them snug and cosy. Well fed and happy. I like a hack out or a schooling session on a crisp winters morning. These things make the winter grind so worth while.
Also think about what else you spend cash on out with your horse....coffee's on the way to work, pre-packed lunches, how much wine you drink, trashy mags etc etc. Sounds harsh but if you want to keep him then these are some things you could think about. CAB give advice on money management since your income is lower.
17 and working AM....jings..he's a youngster. My AM mare is 19.
Plenty good advice about sharers.
Just think of your life without him for the sake of a few quid.
FWIW I think there are worse things to happen to a horse then be pts.
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This ^
 
Spring Feather said:
Really? Do you honestly think I've been very fortunate? Perhaps an element of luck that the people I have scrutinised over the years have turned out to be exactly what my gut instincts told me? Hmm ok I cheat :D I research every single buyer (and to a lesser extent, sellers). I make calls, I speak to contacts, I go to town on checking out buyers interested in any of my horses :o plus for a great many of the horses I have seller contracts giving me right of first refusal.
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Luck is the residue of hard work. :) ;)

I merely meant that you have not been unlucky to have say, a horse you sold in good faith get sold on, or to be in so desperate a situation that you have not had a say in where your horses have gone. Truthfully, that has also been my experience - I certainly know where every horse I have sold is/was for its life and, considering how many sales I've been involved in, a surprising number of the ones I've sold for other people as well. I DO think it is possible to narrow the odds. But, as others have pointed out, once a horse leaves your hands you cannot GUARANTEE anything. This is true no matter how old the horse is. I don't understand why anyone thinks otherwise.

I also think, in some ways, if you're good at it, selling more horses makes you better at it. You learn what to look out for, you get more savvy, and you develop a network of contacts. A single seller, making a desperate move, is far more likely to fall for the "right" story.
 
KristmasKat said:
But this isn't an unsound horse, and although past his prime he isn't really "old".

I don't take in any horses in an average year, I'm a one horse owner but I there is a market for older sound well schooled horses. I know someone with a super cob who must by now be around 30 who is doing affiliated dressage, showing, hunting, fun rides etc with him, she bought him as a veteran already but she wanted a safe school master as she was a first time adult owner. I also know of a pony who is 29, and still running rings around riding school clients, over 20 years after he went to HOYS, he is a huge favourite with the kids and gives loads of them their first canter. There are a couple of ladies on my yard who have bought horses in their late teens and those horses are much loved leisure horses who do exactly the job they were bought for - they wouldn't have wanted a young horse as a younger horse would not do the job they require.

Where would we be if people, especially novices, couldn't buy older, more established, sensible horses to learn with?

If one of those horses becomes unsound then it is their current owners responsibility to take the responsible decision, not the person they bought it from. As responsible owners they will I am sure take a responsible decision. It would be a dreadful shame if those horses had been PTS rather than sold depriving both horse and future owner of many happy years.

If horse owners can't bring themselves to sell to a well researched home then I can't see how the horse industry can continue. Everyone would have to breed their own........ any horse can become unsound/unrideable/unsuitable whether 8 or 18 it is for the owner at that time to take the responsible decision based on the circumstances at the time.
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I actually completely agree with you. I used to run a high end riding school and we had people banging down the doors to sell or even loan their older show horses to us - many went for a decade or more after their "retirement", either as school horses or leased out to riders doing lower levels of showing. We looked after then impeccably and they repaid both us and the innumerable riders they taught. I was always sad when i had to tell someone who truly believed it was the best chance for their horse that it would not work out. In addition, my own horse was loaned out from the time I stopped competing him and was a wonderful schoolmaster into his late 20s. I knew where he was and what he was doing every day of it. I've also brokered similar deals for other people - it's totally doable and frankly, I wish more people on both sides of the equation were open to it. I am thrilled that someone I teach has just taken on a 19 to move up in his jumping.

BUT my only point is you can't always know everyone else's situation and a blanket pronouncement one way or the other does not recognise the infinite number of variables that may influence someone. I assume people do not make the decision lightly (although I've seen a few I'd question) and that they will try other avenues first.
 
I loan my old ponies out and its not easy, even after all the checks they never come back as you sent them away. I would have no qualms in having hime PTS, if he's been a good sevant better a future where he feels no pain and wants for nothing than a future were he could be used and abused.
 
In light of the further information, re the possible Cushings, I think that does change things somewhat. Yes, many horses go for years with little change, but others require expensive medication and very careful management. I do think it's a bit different to expect someone to take on that burden this late in the horse's life, when its potential useful life might well be less than completely straightforward. I'm sure I'll get jumped on for this, but it would also depend a bit more what the horse had to offer. I know it's not "done" on threads like this equate worth with value but let's face it, more people would be willing to "invest" in purchasing an older horse that could, say, take a rider to BYRDS level and on to Teams. Or could be a good beginner type for a family that wanted a hack and a comp horse. In cases like that people understand the trade off for age is experience.

With a health issue, I'd be even more inclined to want the horse to stay at least somewhat under my control. Just in case.
 
i really dont get the 'im not going to loan cause ive heard bad stories thing'
you chose the loanee and its still youre horse....if youre really that worried that he will be neglected then visit !! i loaned my mare out and visited once a week at the start, and asked for photos. in my opinion a loan can only go wrong if the owner isnt vigilant enough.
if its going to save youre horses life then why not at least try ? spend some time looking for people, you never know, you might end up finding someone perfect for him.
 
Tao.Ni.Po.Ni loaning can go wrong no matter how vigilant the owner. You've only really got the loanees word for things, its basically trusting a complete stranger. What do you do if that person moves yards or sells the horse the day after you delivered it to them, for example? These things can and do happen.
 
I half agree and half disagree!!
I have two horses and although it would break my heart my boy would be pts if I could no longer afford him. I've worked hard for him to still be with me today he is my vets greatest success and my little miracle (all15.3hh of him) however on paper I shouldn't of:

*he's hard to handle often barges and bolts (which is how I nearly lost him)

*He is now unridable ( supposed to be though he is now sound and was never meant to be.)

*He's a rubbish companion he loves company but you can't leave him on his own.

*He hates change . To move him somewhere would be a nightmare let alone with someone he doesn't know .

He's 19 so no spring chicken.

My mare I would sell/loan she will be 17 next year so getting on a bit same age as op horse. I cant even begin to justify having her pts cause I can't afford her!! There would be no reason other than me not wanting anyone else to have her!
I've already discussed having to pts the boy if I couldn't have them for what ever reason but really it's because I don't think anyone would want him :( I've never discussed the same thing with my mare. Even the thought of it gets me really upset although I know I would never do it!!
So in some cases I do agree it is the right decision .On the other hand op horse sounds like an amazing opportunity for someone.
 
I would try loaning or get a sharer, that way you are still in control. Finances are really tight for a lot of people at the moment, and sharers are a really good way to help. You may find a good home to sell too but its the homes after that would play on my mind. Just because a horse is talented doesn't mean it wont end up in a bad situation. When i was a teenager the daughter of the yard owner had a brilliant jumping pony and went all over the country with her. Was sold to a young girl when the pony was outgrown. Seven years later moved to a yard saw this jumping pony in a field with a colt foal at foot. The people who had bought her left her there when they moved as the daughter had lost interest.
Luckily the new owner of the property, had decided to keep her as their pet. This very talented little mare went through a very bad winter dumped in the field when the original owners went abroad leaving her at the property they were selling.
Pts would be my last option after sharing or loaning.
 
Pts is an option, if others have been carefully considered. I am trying to loan out my 16hh cob at the moment for the same reason as the OP, doing sensible things like making sure she is kept in the area so I can visit, vetting the loaner etc etc but suitable loaners out there aren't necessarily that easy to come by - the amount of complete novices that see the word "cob" and think "plod" is astounding, and have no concept of how much damage a 16hh, opinionated cob mare could do - sweet as she is! I can't afford to a) risk her going to a loan home that returns her within weeks because she's too strong or b) risk her putting someone in hospital because they are too novice to handle her. That cuts out an awful lot of the potential loan market. Sharers aren't easy either - I am in a rural area so not many people around. I'm lucky, I should be able to scrape through til spring time, and try again then, and try selling her, but it really isn't as easy as people think (and she hasn't done anything fancy like advanced medium - just a happy hacker) so pts might have to be the only long term option available to me. Of course it's not an easy decision, but one that might have to be taken over being able to pay for my own food.
 
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