AmyMay
Situation normal
I was called a murdering bitch (via an anonymous note left in my food chest) by a fellow livery. How vile can people be?
When you're done with horses but horse is unsellable?
- Thread starter Daniel_Jack
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I was called a murdering bitch (via an anonymous note left in my food chest) by a fellow livery. How vile can people be?
Crazy_cat_lady
Well-Known Member
It's absolutely unbelievable isn't it, so glad I'm out of the horse world
Rowreach
Adjusting my sails
Someone on here has already intimated that those of us who choose to pts shouldn't be allowed to own horses.
Barton Bounty
Just simply loving life with Orbi 🥰
Thats terrible! Even someone that doesnt agree with your decision should never say something so
Vile! Thats awful
Cragrat
Well-Known Member
People like this are totally lacking in empathy. IF, only if, you have the funds/space/time/ etc to absolutely commit to paying for the horse for the rest of its life AND you have found some magical way to guarantee it will be pain free, then you should be offering to help, not making hypocitical, short sighted and nasty comments.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
You know you have to trust yourself you gather the evidence and then you decide what you are going to do.
If you retire your horse then make a good job of it too many retired horses lead lives of quiet suffering .
I have one retired horse he’s not fully sound if he has a mad day galloping about he sometimes lame the next and I have to help him out with some bute .
He probably will need bute everyday as we get the harder weather he had to have al his lower front teeth removed this summer I almost called it a day then but £2300 later he’s doing fine .
It would not have been wrong to PTS at that point and yes I have space and grass so that makes the decision easier .£2300 is a lot of money and people should not feel pressured by others to take choices that are wrong for them .
If you retire your horse then make a good job of it too many retired horses lead lives of quiet suffering .
I have one retired horse he’s not fully sound if he has a mad day galloping about he sometimes lame the next and I have to help him out with some bute .
He probably will need bute everyday as we get the harder weather he had to have al his lower front teeth removed this summer I almost called it a day then but £2300 later he’s doing fine .
It would not have been wrong to PTS at that point and yes I have space and grass so that makes the decision easier .£2300 is a lot of money and people should not feel pressured by others to take choices that are wrong for them .
SO1
Well-Known Member
Sadly we cannot predict the future. When you purchase a horse you do not know how long it will be rideable for and you also cannot predict what your circumstances will be.
Nobody knew that we would have an energy crisis and that inflation would go so high and the costs not just of horse keeping would becomes expensive but for many even keeping themselves and their family going would be a struggle.
Some people will no longer be able to afford to keep their horses and also also support themselves and their families. If the horse is not rideable or can only do very light work due to a health condition then it will be harder to rehome. Loaning has risks associated as the horse can easily be sent back and then the owner is back in the difficult financial situation again.
It is very difficult if you have kids and asking them to make sacrifices in order for you to keep your horse. In some cases it may be the difference between being able to pay the mortgage/rent and energy bills or not being able to pay and potentially loosing your house.
The OP has made it clear that the horse is very unlikely to be easy to sell due to it only being able to be ridden in walk and it also has sweet itch. If you want a non ridden companion you can get them free from charities so why would someone buy one?
Loaning would not be an option as she is worried it might get sent back should loaners circumstances change or it turn out to be unsuitable and she cannot take it back.
It is not suitable as a broodmare due to conformation.
Bloodbank might be an option but would they manage the sweet itch?
Embryo transfer as a surragate might be an option but would the extra weight of carrying a foal make her lame.
There are some situations where a really caring horse owner may get in dire financial difficulty or want to let the horse go to prevent this situation. People should not be judgemental if the owner decides to pts a horse with an underlying health condition that does not have a good chance of finding a suitable permanent home.
It is very easy for people who have their own land or no family commitments to pass judgement on those who are not lucky enough to be in the same situation facing difficult decisions.
Nobody knew that we would have an energy crisis and that inflation would go so high and the costs not just of horse keeping would becomes expensive but for many even keeping themselves and their family going would be a struggle.
Some people will no longer be able to afford to keep their horses and also also support themselves and their families. If the horse is not rideable or can only do very light work due to a health condition then it will be harder to rehome. Loaning has risks associated as the horse can easily be sent back and then the owner is back in the difficult financial situation again.
It is very difficult if you have kids and asking them to make sacrifices in order for you to keep your horse. In some cases it may be the difference between being able to pay the mortgage/rent and energy bills or not being able to pay and potentially loosing your house.
The OP has made it clear that the horse is very unlikely to be easy to sell due to it only being able to be ridden in walk and it also has sweet itch. If you want a non ridden companion you can get them free from charities so why would someone buy one?
Loaning would not be an option as she is worried it might get sent back should loaners circumstances change or it turn out to be unsuitable and she cannot take it back.
It is not suitable as a broodmare due to conformation.
Bloodbank might be an option but would they manage the sweet itch?
Embryo transfer as a surragate might be an option but would the extra weight of carrying a foal make her lame.
There are some situations where a really caring horse owner may get in dire financial difficulty or want to let the horse go to prevent this situation. People should not be judgemental if the owner decides to pts a horse with an underlying health condition that does not have a good chance of finding a suitable permanent home.
It is very easy for people who have their own land or no family commitments to pass judgement on those who are not lucky enough to be in the same situation facing difficult decisions.
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
I couldn't have put this better myself. Thank you for a bit of clarity.
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
That is despicable that you got called that. I am very sorry that must have hurt.
Dru
Well-Known Member
That judging is one of the things putting me off PTS from the yard. I'd rather take her to the vet hospital for it to be done and tell them I'd retired her!
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
I know. I feel that some people think I should just ride Lari through his issues and that the vets are just finding things and telling me what I want to hear because they have to find something because I'm paying them money. Rather than the horse is actually hurting because it was ridden and couldn't cope.
Perhaps if I was five stone lighter, and had nerves of steel and was that kind of person I would do so but I will not because sooner or later he will break and its not fair, its not an equal partnership if he is being bullied into it. And of course, if I am going to getting injured again I'd rather risk it doing something that I love like SJ on a pain free horse whilst having fun.
The OP has to make her own mind up as like I say, no one really knows her day to day circumstances and no one knows her horse like she does and she and her vet are best placed to make the decision.
Polos Mum
Well-Known Member
I do wonder also whether people who think like this have ever actually witnessed suffering. When my friend was dying of breast cancer I would happily have shot her rather than witness the suffering she went through. She became too ill to travel overseas to get her wish very quickly which was tragic.
there is no cruelty in PTS - dragging out a painful existence to put quantity over life vs. quality is much worse (IMHO)
Owners with really lame / sick animals just waiting for them to be really really lame so they can justify PTS is madness -
But I am a firm believer in better a month too soon than a day too late. I didn't take my own advice with a much loved Labrador (I do realise it's really hard) which was cruel of me and something I have to live with
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
This is partly why letting Bailey go was much easier for me although I'm sure some would say its a bizarre comparison. But seeing my Dad struggling with prostrate cancer that then metastised into bone cancer I would have done anything to have relieved my Dad's suffering. Bailey went in the wind, quickly, quietly with much dignity, whereas my Dad struggled in pain for weeks.
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Polos Mum
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry to hear that - I know it's complicated, but it seems strange that we are able to "do the right thing" for animals
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
And with hindsight I kept my mums Lurcher to long ,people are fallible nothing drastic happened with the dog and I knew my parents always did it too late imo and they would not have approved even when I did do it .
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ponynutz
Well-Known Member
(This isn't really aimed at you Cortez just everyone but ur post was a nice thing to bounce off for me).
I really do. Most are very open about expressing why they made a PTS decision but acknowleding it's OP's choice. Some aren't accepting other's opinions. Ditto the other way around.
I think if we want to have an argument about what's righht or wrong there needs to be another thread (it'd be an interesting one). But this is OP's very difficult choice. the majority are giving no judgment but it's heading towards a debate which I can only imagine will upset OP further.
(Not aimed at everyone either).
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
I agree. And like I said to Cortez before its easier to take the decision to retire if you have the land and the means to keep the 95% of your horses. Most people paying between £200 - £500 a month on livery cannot afford to keep a horse in retirement and have another to ride.
I was adamant for a time that I was going to retire Lari and go without a horse to ride but I just can't do it. I owe it to myself to do what is right for me as much as what is right for my horse and that goes with everyone having to make a tough decision.
Toby_Zaphod
Well-Known Member
I haven't read all the posts but as I see it you've options. Option 1 is to try & find someone who wants a companion for their horse, as you say she's field sound \& hopefully she'll be happy dong what horses do, be with another horse & put her head down & eat. Then Option 2 PTS, regretfully but it's about the only option which would be left.
Gallop_Away
Well-Known Member
Another here who would never put a horse through colic surgery. Personal choice. Would I judge someone who did however? Absolutely not.
We all our own boundaries as another poster has pointed out. It is very sad that so many have been judged for a decision that is so difficult and personal on both sides of the coin. Whether you pts or retire, we are all trying to do right by our horses.
We all our own boundaries as another poster has pointed out. It is very sad that so many have been judged for a decision that is so difficult and personal on both sides of the coin. Whether you pts or retire, we are all trying to do right by our horses.
babymare
Well-Known Member
I was called similar on FB by fellow livery. Fortunately those who knew me supported me and defended my decision but oh my it upset me. BTW I hadn’t posted. They posted with a lengthy post tagging me in for all to see ?
marmalade76
Well-Known Member
Agreed. There's a "resuce" pony that has been in the hands of two friends of mine (I typed "rescue" because she was "rescued" from going for zoo meat, this is not rescuing IMO). She's a Dartmoor Hill Pony, is club footed, pigeon toed and has EMS. Friend wants to return her to the charity because she's not sound enough to be a LR pony for her small son but the charity are seriously dragging their feet. Pony is not an oldie either, she has many years of unsoundness and restricted turn out to look forward to.
I was looking for a rideable companion last year (if I'm going to have to pick up it's poo, it may as well be useful, even if only for a wander round the lanes) but all of the local centres only had unridden animals available. There are only so many homes for these animals and with the costs of keeping them rising like mad, these homes are going to become fewer still.
SO1
Well-Known Member
I read today that a 200k mortgage will cost another 5k a year compared to last December. That combined with an increase in energy bills may limit what is affordable for some with umsaleable horses. They may have to make difficult decisions through no fault of their own with advice from their vets about potential options. It is not their fault if they have to PTS a horse for finacial reasons that they cannot secure a good alternative home for.
Errin Paddywack
Well-Known Member
We are lucky enough to have our own land and my sheep maintain it and pay for hay etc. I am sure many would have criticised me for putting my boy down when his half brother went because he could have been mended, had pastern dermatitis which was getting worse despite treatment and I suspect might have been cellulitis. He had other problems but only minor but the main factor in putting down a lovely fat glossy horse was that once his brother was gone he would have been on his own again. His brother had cancer of the penis. As an ex stallion who could be very dominant I wasn't prepared to put him with our two smaller pony mares and nor was I about to go out and try and find a suitable gelding to be a companion to a field ornament. I felt bad about it and missed him terribly to start with but I knew it was the right thing to do. Only my sister and I had any input in our decision to let the boys go so no adverse comments.
cauda equina
Well-Known Member
That's another great advantage of keeping them at home - you only have to square your decision with your own conscience, not justify it to all the yard know-alls
rabatsa
Confuddled
Not the OP.
I can foresee a time when people who have scrimped and saved to keep their horse in retirement suddenly find that not only can they not afford the retirement, having left it so long they can no longer afford to have the horse pts. These are the horses that are really going to suffer.
Even moreso if they are adamant that a vet is to do the deed and not the cheaper knackerman.
I can foresee a time when people who have scrimped and saved to keep their horse in retirement suddenly find that not only can they not afford the retirement, having left it so long they can no longer afford to have the horse pts. These are the horses that are really going to suffer.
Even moreso if they are adamant that a vet is to do the deed and not the cheaper knackerman.
marmalade76
Well-Known Member
Yep, having a horse PTS is not cheap, the cheap option is trying to pass the responsibility to someone else.
maya2008
Well-Known Member
It should probably be said on this thread, that the cost of vet pts and disposal can be £700 plus (I was quoted £300 just for the drugs). The cost of the local knackerman (who we found via end of life service from I think BHS website) is less than half of that. We have used both - last vet pts wasn’t great (she was upset which upset the pony, which meant pony fought the sedation…and so on). Knackerman was kind, professional and we would now choose this method over vet every time.
Orangehorse
Well-Known Member
Just talking casually with people, I think many are wondering what to do with their old horses that are still well enough turned out in the field, but not able to be ridden. With Danilon having doubled in price and as we know, everything else got so expensive, it is a hard, hard decision for many this autumn.
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
Has it doubled? Blimey. Its all very sad that people have to choose their horse over finances but that's the grim reality for some many, heating the home and putting meals on the table are essential. Sadly horses are a luxury item these days. Very much a privilege and a luxury.
Maybe this means that the knackerman will be in greater demand as pts is so expensive or that vets will reduce their fees for lethal injection although I can't see that being a viable option.
FestiveG
Over the hill and far awa
The other point, which needs to be given serious consideration, is that people are selling riding horses, because they can't afford to keep them. There will be no market for unridable horses, so pts is going to be the only viable option