What is wrong with giving a healthy horse away?

I would have put her down if unable to be retrained as she was dangerous.

..but what is untrainable to some people, might be fixable to others? some people have huge success with horses that have been deemed dangerous/evil/untrainable ..so thats subjective. If someone was planning to pts/ slaughter a horse they deemed evil ..is that right or wrong?? because one person cannot succeed with a horse, whats to say the next person will not deem it as their horse of a lifetime? :o
 
Yes I kept my oldies until the end, the young ponies were offered child riding homes and are still there now and the others I have helped rehome with other people (were not in my direct care) and now have my TB.

But they are YOUR oldies? Not someone elses old horses you've collected? They've been your riding horse for you before that? Many (probably most) people keep their old horses after they retire becasue they don't want to give them away. And the young riding ponies, many many people do that: buy young unbroken scruffs, bring them on and sell them to cover costs. Did you do it all free of charge? You must be better off then most people, lucky you. ;)

I think that is a terrible way to look at a horse... expecting something in return and is exactly the mentality that I can not understand.If I could never ride my TB again it would not affect whether or not he stays with me.

But you HAVE been riding your TB? He's been your riding horse and has given you something? You'd never have taken him on if he'd never been ridable in the first place. So again you're being awfully hypocrictical?! Why wouldn't you just give him away once he can't be ridden, since you seem to be in favour of it, and get another ridden horse?

I am sure there are more people like me who are happy to take on difficult, older or slightly injured horses (not in constant pain)

No, there really aren't lots of people like you. You sound like you're running a charity? Very few people buy or rehome a horse, esp a bigger horse, simply to be a pet and never ridden. There are people who take on companions but there are far more damaged and unridable horses out there than people looking for companions.

Sadly plenty of peopleDO take on difficult, older or slightly injured horses, try (to varying success) to fix them and sell them on, sometimes to unsuspecting new owners. Which is passing the problems on.

I would have put her down if unable to be retrained as she was dangerous

Kalli was indeed PTS after a year of vet investigations. Her behaviour was pain related. For various reasons (namely agression and seperation issues) she couldn't have been just turned out as a pet.

HOWEVER plenty of people would have given her away as a companion. The vet even suggested it. She was fabulous to handle and a really quiet, gentle big horse. She would also have carried a beginner rider round in walk and trot just fine, until you asked her to canter. She could very easily have been sold on as a hacking horse to a novice rider :eek: How could we have stopped that if she was given away?
 
..but what is untrainable to some people, might be fixable to others? some people have huge success with horses that have been deemed dangerous/evil/untrainable ..so thats subjective. If someone was planning to pts/ slaughter a horse they deemed evil ..is that right or wrong?? because one person cannot succeed with a horse, whats to say the next person will not deem it as their horse of a lifetime? :o

I think if the owner has done all the checks (teeth, back, tack ect) and has consulted an experienced trainer and explored all other possible causes and options then only as a very last resort should a dangerous horse be PTS, again I have seen good horses deemed "dangerous" through a bad saddle/bad rider/ injury ect.
Maybe its just me not having any faith in the people in the horse industry anymore (I have seen some horrendous things!) to the point where I am paranoid about farriers and vets now and wont leave my horse unsupervised with either. Maybe it is time I got out of the horse industry.
 
..but what is untrainable to some people, might be fixable to others? some people have huge success with horses that have been deemed dangerous/evil/untrainable ..so thats subjective. If someone was planning to pts/ slaughter a horse they deemed evil ..is that right or wrong?? because one person cannot succeed with a horse, whats to say the next person will not deem it as their horse of a lifetime? :o

Her behaviour was painrelated and not fixable. But she could (god forbid) have gone out as a companion........
 
Maybe its just me not having any faith in the people in the horse industry anymore (I have seen some horrendous things!) to the point where I am paranoid about farriers and vets now and wont leave my horse unsupervised with either.

Hypocritical much :rolleyes:?!!?! You don't trust others in the horse industry yet are willing to give valueless horses away to people you don't know very well, in the HOPE that they look after them ok?!?! :eek:
 
Nothing at all. A perfectly healthy horse with a viable future and a lot to offer. To give it away to someone deserving rather than whoever stumps up a specified amount of cash is a very kind and noble thing to do IMO..


Thank you flame this is my point exactly.

But no-one does that??! Why would I give my horse, who's worth about $3000 away for free? Why would anyone?

'perfectly healthy' does not include old, lame (or even slightly lame) or 'difficult' horses. The kind of damaged messed up horses that usually are given away 'free to a good home', for someone else to try (and often fail) to sort their (often expensive) problems, usually because the current owner doesn't want to spend the money themselves. Very noble.
 
But they are YOUR oldies? Not someone elses old horses you've collected? They've been your riding horse for you before that? Many (probably most) people keep their old horses after they retire becasue they don't want to give them away. And the young riding ponies, many many people do that: buy young unbroken scruffs, bring them on and sell them to cover costs. Did you do it all free of charge? You must be better off then most people, lucky you. ;)

They we old when given to me, had them for many years until the end (which was out of my control) I had many years of hacking with one yes but have had one with navicular who could not be ridden. The ponies were not bought or sold, I had every intention of keeping until the request (after I had broken them) to be pony club ponies.

But you HAVE been riding your TB? He's been your riding horse and has given you something? You'd never have taken him on if he'd never been ridable in the first place. So again you're being awfully hypocrictical?! Why wouldn't you just give him away once he can't be ridden, since you seem to be in favour of it, and get another ridden horse?

Yes I turned him away for a year and a half and re-backed and schooled him, it would not have mattered to me if he could not be ridden... I am going to try some jumping with him soon but it doesn't matter to me if he can`t do it, yes I ride him but that is not the reason I keep him and I would not swap him for a ridden horse. If I could no longer afford him at any point in the future I would re-home him yes.

No, there really aren't lots of people like you. You sound like you're running a charity? Very few people buy or rehome a horse, esp a bigger horse, simply to be a pet and never ridden. There are people who take on companions but there are far more damaged and unridable horses out there than people looking for companions.

I do what I can for the horses that need me and I am proud of the ones I have saved from the bullet so far and will continue to do what I can, I understand that for some to be PTS is best and I don't agree with keeping a horse alive that is suffering or will be in the near future, I know how hard the decision to PTS is as I have been there myself, though I have seen a horse that is ready to go go quietly and I have seen a horse not ready to go fight it and that will haunt me for the rest of my days!

Sadly plenty of peopleDO take on difficult, older or slightly injured horses, try (to varying success) to fix them and sell them on, sometimes to unsuspecting new owners. Which is passing the problems on.

I do not agree with dealing like this either.

Kalli was indeed PTS after a year of vet investigations. Her behaviour was pain related. For various reasons (namely agression and seperation issues) she couldn't have been just turned out as a pet.

That is very sad, and im sure the decision was difficult for her owner, sounds like she did the right thing though.

HOWEVER plenty of people would have given her away as a companion. The vet even suggested it. She was fabulous to handle and a really quiet, gentle big horse. She would also have carried a beginner rider round in walk and trot just fine, until you asked her to canter. She could very easily have been sold on as a hacking horse to a novice rider :eek: How could we have stopped that if she was given away?

sound like abit of a time bomb though im sure it is had when the horse is split like this and with the pain factor...
 
Hypocritical much :rolleyes:?!!?! You don't trust others in the horse industry yet are willing to give valueless horses away to people you don't know very well, in the HOPE that they look after them ok?!?! :eek:

I said I would carefully vet all potential homes and check on the horse...
not just give away to the first person who comes along...
 
Sometimes good horses are given as gifts. Lots of people have given the queen horses as presents and I doubt they were knackered horses.
 
I said I would carefully vet all potential homes and check on the horse...
not just give away to the first person who comes along...

But there aren't ALL these potential homes, good grief there are many, many horses being signed over to charities, even some being abandoned, so the chance of finding a suitable home for a ridable sized none ridable horse are less than possible IMO
 
Hypocritical much :rolleyes:?!!?! You don't trust others in the horse industry yet are willing to give valueless horses away to people you don't know very well, in the HOPE that they look after them ok?!?! :eek:

^^^^^ agreed, if i didnt trust a vet or farrier, they wouldnt get near my horse, but then i wouldnt rehome an old or unsound horse either
 
^^^^^ agreed, if i didnt trust a vet or farrier, they wouldnt get near my horse, but then i wouldnt rehome an old or unsound horse either

I don't allow certain ones to touch my horse but cannot be at the yard all the time... all I can do is tell everyone that under NO circumstances are they to allow any other vet or farrier other then my regular ones (and I still insist on supervising them) to go anywhere near my horse.
Just don't want to risk it. Which is paranoid I know... But I think that protecting my horse while he is in my care and allowing him to go to another (carefully found) happy home if I were unable to care for him anymore (no matter how old he was) are 2 different things....
 
I don't allow certain ones to touch my horse but cannot be at the yard all the time... all I can do is tell everyone that under NO circumstances are they to allow any other vet or farrier other then my regular ones (and I still insist on supervising them) to go anywhere near my horse.
Just don't want to risk it. Which is paranoid I know... But I think that protecting my horse while he is in my care and allowing him to go to another (carefully found) happy home if I were unable to care for him anymore (no matter how old he was) are 2 different things....

Why would anyone on your yard ask a farrier or vet to do anything to your horse without your permission ? You dont trust people on your yard not to let any vet/farrier practice on your horse, you dont trust your vet or farrier unless youre there, but a couple of visits to vet a home and you'll hand some poor bloomin, possibly aged or infirm horse over to relative strangers :confused::confused: a bit of a double standard going on there is there not ?
 
Why would anyone on your yard ask a farrier or vet to do anything to your horse without your permission ? You dont trust people on your yard not to let any vet/farrier practice on your horse, you dont trust your vet or farrier unless youre there, but a couple of visits to vet a home and you'll hand some poor bloomin, possibly aged or infirm horse over to relative strangers :confused::confused: a bit of a double standard going on there is there not ?

If there was an emergency or my horse was on full livery (which he has been before due an accident I had at work) and the yard arranged for a farrier or vet to attend to my horse I would not want him in a position where he could be harshly treated by certain farriers that I know (luckily my horse feels the same and will only let one farrier do his feet) or be the subject of bad vet practice, so I make it crystal clear that my horse is to be seen by his regular farrier and vet and no one else. I find people will always do what they think is best regardless of what I say when I am not there.
Yes I find some vets and farriers (and dentists) can be very short with horses when they have already seen several that day and giving my horse the opportunity to continue to have a good life if I am unable to care for him anymore are 2 completely different things... why is that having double standards? I will not let my horse go to any old body wave him off and wash my hands of him...
 
I think you are still missing the piont. I loan out my ponies, I check where they are going, I have a contract, I have done this several times. You ALWAYS get someone who knows better, the most sensible sounding people, infact some of these are the worst, do the most stupid things. You can never trust anyone and you never really know how anyone will treat something until they have had it a while. And that is when the animal belongs to someone else.
Please read this, someone she trusted did this.
http://horsegossip.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=125598
Selling your horse does not gaurantee it a good home but £££ may make someone think twice before they take it on and thats what you are looking for, thought and commitment.
If a horse has no market value there is a reason and why would someone wish to have something that really is just a pet because most of the animals that are 'free' even if they are sound have behavoiral issues.
The WPCS registered just under 9,000 ponies in 2010, thats the ones that people discided wouldn't go straight to slaughter and therefore avoid passporting. In 2010 there were over 12,000 TB foals registered. There is not going to be a kind knowledgable home for all of these even if they are healthy so in my mind any one who has the guts to have something destroyed rather than it join the misrable rags and scraps that trail round the sales deserves a medal. We do not live in 'Animal Hospital Land' where everything will have thousands spent on it so it can live out its life sat in front of the fire.
 
If there was an emergency or my horse was on full livery (which he has been before due an accident I had at work) and the yard arranged for a farrier or vet to attend to my horse I would not want him in a position where he could be harshly treated by certain farriers that I know (luckily my horse feels the same and will only let one farrier do his feet) or be the subject of bad vet practice, so I make it crystal clear that my horse is to be seen by his regular farrier and vet and no one else. I find people will always do what they think is best regardless of what I say when I am not there.
Yes I find some vets and farriers (and dentists) can be very short with horses when they have already seen several that day and giving my horse the opportunity to continue to have a good life if I am unable to care for him anymore are 2 completely different things... why is that having double standards? I will not let my horse go to any old body wave him off and wash my hands of him...

Im surprised you dont see the double standard here, ... Well mabe not as your argument that youre doing old or infirm horses a favour rehoming them by giving them away has made no sense to me at all. On that note i bid you goodnight
 
I think you are still missing the piont.
Please read this, someone she trusted did this.
http://horsegossip.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=125598
so in my mind any one who has the guts to have something destroyed rather than it join the misrable rags and scraps that trail round the sales deserves a medal. We do not live in 'Animal Hospital Land' where everything will have thousands spent on it so it can live out its life sat in front of the fire.

I am missing the point? I made the point in the first place...
obviously there is going to be an element of risk, but so is selling...
I now see the point of people trying to get something for nothing and sell it on to make money however I don't think it is worth ending a healthy life for, who said anything about spending thousands of pounds on anything? my horse certainly doesn't cost thousands of pounds (well maybe after quite a few more years anyway) sat in front of a fire? we are still talking about horses?? :confused::rolleyes:
 
Im surprised you dont see the double standard here, ... Well mabe not as your argument that youre doing old or infirm horses a favour rehoming them by giving them away has made no sense to me at all.

What is so difficult to understand? the only thing I gave away was the wild ponies I had been given by the meat man because I was approached by good people who wanted to give these ponies a home as children s ponies after I had had them for a few years and broken them in... (they approached me after I had had them a few years) I did not get them to sell on, they are now doing pony club. If I had not have taken them they would have been slaughtered! I was then able to rehome another horse, I think it is ok to give healthy horses away if it is a good home and is the best thing for the horse.
make sense yet?
 
What is wrong with giving a healthy horse away?

If the horse is old and/or injured but still has a good quality of life what is wrong with rehoming it?

I think it is ok to give healthy horses away if it is a good home and is the best thing for the horse.
make sense yet?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but your not actually making sense now.. Nothing wrong with giving a healthy horse away, but why give it away if you could sell it? And aren't you contradicting yourself? You've said yourself what if the horse is old and/or injured? I think what everyone is trying to say that in a lot of instances unless you can guarantee your old/injured horse is going to a close friend who will look after them for life, then having them PTS is a lot kinder and having your horse PTS is certainly not the easy way out!
 
I am missing the point? I made the point in the first place...
obviously there is going to be an element of risk, but so is selling...
I now see the point of people trying to get something for nothing and sell it on to make money however I don't think it is worth ending a healthy life for, who said anything about spending thousands of pounds on anything? my horse certainly doesn't cost thousands of pounds (well maybe after quite a few more years anyway) sat in front of a fire? we are still talking about horses?? :confused::rolleyes:

There isn't just an element of risk though, there's a huge risk for an old/injured horse.

Selling on isn't the only thing that can happen, as you say they may need expensive treatment a few years down the line and new owners may not be so committed to caring for a horse passed on for nothing, there are already hundreds of neglected horses in the country, there is no way that mine would end up facing that risk.

If you don't think that an old horse being sold on is worth pts instead then please, please visit one of the lower end auctions one day; I have seen the same horses dragged from sale ring to sale ring waiting for god knows what fate and sold for peanuts. The sad thing is that this was probably someones much loved and cared for horse at some point. :( I am sure that for these horses pts is far preferable to a miserable existence.
 
What is so difficult to understand? the only thing I gave away was the wild ponies I had been given by the meat man because I was approached by good people who wanted to give these ponies a home as children s ponies after I had had them for a few years and broken them in... (they approached me after I had had them a few years) I did not get them to sell on, they are now doing pony club. If I had not have taken them they would have been slaughtered! I was then able to rehome another horse, I think it is ok to give healthy horses away if it is a good home and is the best thing for the horse.
make sense yet?

Good morning
Your defenition of a healthy horse has included ones that for whatever reason cant work, and how awful everyone is that they wouldnt keep it and look after it, or give it away as a companion, now your talking about healthy ponies making great pc ponies, again, define healthy ?
Your not winning your debate on the argument of how cruel and selfish everyone is who pts old or infirm horse, so now its meat man and your definition of a healthy pony, which, i also wouldnt "give away", why, because of all the arguments i and others have stated earlier. Strangely you'll not let professionals near your horses unsupervised, but you cant see that giving a horse or pony free to a "good home" is fraught with dangers of cruelty or returning right back to the meat man.
Its a lovely day so im stepping of this merry go round as you still dont get the issue and tbf now cba trying.
 
I don't allow certain ones to touch my horse but cannot be at the yard all the time... all I can do is tell everyone that under NO circumstances are they to allow any other vet or farrier other then my regular ones (and I still insist on supervising them) to go anywhere near my horse.
Just don't want to risk it. Which is paranoid I know... But I think that protecting my horse while he is in my care and allowing him to go to another (carefully found) happy home if I were unable to care for him anymore (no matter how old he was) are 2 different things....
It is part of the conditions here that a vet must be called if circumstances warrant.
If you did not agree to this you would be told to leave. Owners preferred vet is called first, then another if first is not available and this is a legal requirement as part of the duty of care.

I would not let an unsellable horse off my property - if ridable it could be shared/loaned from here if not and for some reason I couldn't keep it it would be PTS.
 
There isn't just an element of risk though, there's a huge risk for an old/injured horse.

Selling on isn't the only thing that can happen, as you say they may need expensive treatment a few years down the line and new owners may not be so committed to caring for a horse passed on for nothing, there are already hundreds of neglected horses in the country, there is no way that mine would end up facing that risk.

If you don't think that an old horse being sold on is worth pts instead then please, please visit one of the lower end auctions one day; I have seen the same horses dragged from sale ring to sale ring waiting for god knows what fate and sold for peanuts. The sad thing is that this was probably someones much loved and cared for horse at some point. :( I am sure that for these horses pts is far preferable to a miserable existence.

THIS.

If it is old, injured or has behavioural issues then to my mind it is unforgiveable to pass a horse on, whether for money or no money.

If it simply young, unbroken or needs work after eg time as a broodmare then by all means let it go to a thoroughly researched home.

I think 99% of the people on here are just fed up of the 90% of FTGH adverts that are horses who do have the age or soundness or behavioural issues which mean they are at very high risk of ending up suffering.

The worst are those adverts who say 'must be home for life'. Ummm if you want to make sure the crocked up horse has a home for life then blinking well give it one, dont insist someone else does what you arent prepared to.

PTS is not a cruel option. Horses are NOT people and they do not have a conception of the future and what it might or might not bring. PTS is just another annual flu and tet jab but one they dont wake from (which they WILL NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT!!!).
 
It is part of the conditions here that a vet must be called if circumstances warrant.
If you did not agree to this you would be told to leave. Owners preferred vet is called first, then another if first is not available and this is a legal requirement as part of the duty of care.

^^ This!

I might have preferred vets or ones I'm registered with, but my main concern with any of my pets is that they get attention if necessary. In a life-threatening situation I really couldn't care which vet is called.
 
THIS.

If it is old, injured or has behavioural issues then to my mind it is unforgiveable to pass a horse on, whether for money or no money.

If it simply young, unbroken or needs work after eg time as a broodmare then by all means let it go to a thoroughly researched home.

I think 99% of the people on here are just fed up of the 90% of FTGH adverts that are horses who do have the age or soundness or behavioural issues which mean they are at very high risk of ending up suffering.

The worst are those adverts who say 'must be home for life'. Ummm if you want to make sure the crocked up horse has a home for life then blinking well give it one, dont insist someone else does what you arent prepared to.



PTS is not a cruel option. Horses are NOT people and they do not have a conception of the future and what it might or might not bring. PTS is just another annual flu and tet jab but one they dont wake from (which they WILL NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT!!!).

I agree with the top...
But I dont agree with the bottom paragraph.... I had had horses PTS and they did know about it. (injected)
 
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Your horses knew they were being euthanised? They understood what was happening to them? How does that work then?

They are not stupid, they can sense when something is not right, the fact that I took them to a quiet location where the body could be easily picked up rang alarm bells to them, I wont go into to much detail but when it come to the point where they were lying down and my gelding fought it they knew and it was heart braking... not something I will ever do with a healthy horse.
 
They are not stupid, they can sense when something is not right, the fact that I took them to a quiet location where the body could be easily picked up rang alarm bells to them, I wont go into to much detail but when it come to the point where they were lying down and my gelding fought it they knew and it was heart braking... not something I will ever do with a healthy horse.

Oh, I see. "Knowing something is wrong" is very different to knowing they're being euthanised. You're crediting horses with more sentience than even a human has.

I find that highly irresponsible on a forum read by children.
 
They are not stupid, they can sense when something is not right, the fact that I took them to a quiet location where the body could be easily picked up rang alarm bells to them, I wont go into to much detail but when it come to the point where they were lying down and my gelding fought it they knew and it was heart braking... not something I will ever do with a healthy horse.

They are not stupid, no, but they are not humans. They have no concept of impending death (especially by euthanasia) and if you really have been thinking all these years that your gelding did, then i'm afraid your anthropomorphism has caused you much unnecessary pain.
 
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