where to advertise free to good home?

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i think glamourpuss was talking to Lizbet not you OP. if you really feel you cannot provide for him then the kindest thing is to have him PTS, not an easy decision but in the current financial climate and taking into consideration how many perfectly healthy unwanted/neglected horses are out there it is the sensible option. if he can only walk and trot on danilon then he is not 'healthy' he is lame, how much longer until he deteriorates and can only walk?
 
Feel for you OP. I'm in a similar position as my 18yo mare has been passed on from her permanent loan home without me being informed. I managed to find her in a real dive of a place so have bought her home. I'm at livery so have had to rent a field up the road and leave mine out to keep her company. She's 18 and a very sharp ride with slight stiffness in her hocks. I daren' t loan her again after this and as shes not a novice ride finding someone for her will be so hard. Once she's had a few months out chilling I will have to face the reality that PTS is probably the most responsible option.
 
I think people are being a little hard on op...

Op has said time and finances are the issues, we don't know how these problems may really be affecting the op and her abilities to care for her horse. It may seem callous to pass on an older horse and not want him back, but there may be absolutely good reason for needing the horse to sold/ pts whatever.

I think it's natural for op to try to find any option but pts as no one really wants to make that choice. In hard times we don't always make the best choices and I'm sure the op in the end will make the choice they feel is best.

I don't for one minute believe op doesn't care, just stuck with hard choices.
 
I've only just skimmed through this thread but thought it might help if I explained my recent experience. I had a horse for 5+ years who I bought to hunt and turned out to be exceptional at that job BUT he needed hard, consistent work.

He was also very challenging to handle and ride and I did spend quite a lot of time thinking I was there to prevent disaster and mayhem (and sometimes on the deck!). He was always good in the field though and lovely with my mares, foals/youngsters. It changed in the summer when I lost my old mare to colic - she was the boss of the herd and kept everyone else in order. His behaviour then changed and he started being very aggressive to my other horses, particularly the yearling filly.

I moved him away to a friend as I couldn't leave the horses out together and advertised him for sale as a hunter. I had numerous enquiries but was totally honest about his behaviour and how difficult he was to handle. Someone came to see him (as a hunter) but then wanted to see him ridden and ride him in the school. It seems they weren't as advertised, although the horse was, and it didn't work out.

I still had options to sell him very cheaply but, after a weekend away and a very long think, I decided to PTS with the local hunt.

Although he was tricky, he was a great character and I had so much fun on him. In the end though, I was more concerned he would end up being abused, neglected or mistreated that I thought it was better for him to be PTS when he was still happy and healthy.

I still miss him terribly. I miss riding and hunting him and his silly face always looking at me all the time.

It might help you to know that I believe I made the right decision for him then and still do now however much it hurts sometimes and I miss him. We should not be afraid to PTS, there are so many worse things that happen to horses.
 
It's not a nice situation for you to be in, OP, but what I would do is to go away and make a big list of ALL your possible options and write pro's and con's for each one. Do your research - for example, don't write "too expensive" - work out exactly how much he costs you now, then find out rates of retirement livery nearby, how much you could ask if you got a sharer to hack him etc, so you can compare them all. Be as practical and as detailed as possible THEN listen to what your heart is telling you. Some pros are bigger than others (for example, a guaranteed future is more than many poor beasts have) but having it all down in black and white may help you narrow down your options :confused3:

I don't know if that's any help at all - but it gives you a starting point to make plans :smile3:
 
It's a lot to think about - very hard and, even when you've made a decision, you still keep thinking about it. Why don't you see what the Vet says and then think again. But if you don't have time/finances it may not change the situation.
 
buddy's mummy said:
he is a total gem, amymay - he is not lame and certainly not broken enough to be put to sleep
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But he can't cope with canter? The thing is, if you find someone to take him, you can't guarantee that they won't try a cheeky little canter at some point . . . and break him enough for him to be in constant pain. Also, if he isn't broken, why is he on daily Danilon?

I'm a little confused. You say he's arthritic enough that he can't/shouldn't be cantering and he's already on maintenance pain meds to keep him comfy . . . and then you say that he isn't "broken" . . . well, no, he's sound enough on Danilon, but arthritis is a degenerative disease and he will only get worse.

Either turn him away - with adequate forage, a rainsheet to keep out the worst of the weather and a companion, he'll be happy as larry living in a field somewhere and will cost you pennies. Take his shoes off and rough him off. Or, find a sharer but keep him where you can keep an eye on him. But please don't, whatever you do, lose track/sight of him . . . people lie and horses suffer.

And if either of these isn't an option, seriously consider PTS. It will hurt you . . . but it will be a peaceful and kind end for him.

P
 
PolarExpress said:
But he can't cope with canter? The thing is, if you find someone to take him, you can't guarantee that they won't try a cheeky little canter at some point . . . and break him enough for him to be in constant pain. Also, if he isn't broken, why is he on daily Danilon?

I'm a little confused. You say he's arthritic enough that he can't/shouldn't be cantering and he's already on maintenance pain meds to keep him comfy . . . and then you say that he isn't "broken" . . . well, no, he's sound enough on Danilon, but arthritis is a degenerative disease and he will only get worse.

Either turn him away - with adequate forage, a rainsheet to keep out the worst of the weather and a companion, he'll be happy as larry living in a field somewhere and will cost you pennies. Take his shoes off and rough him off. Or, find a sharer but keep him where you can keep an eye on him. But please don't, whatever you do, lose track/sight of him . . . people lie and horses suffer.

And if either of these isn't an option, seriously consider PTS. It will hurt you . . . but it will be a peaceful and kind end for him.

P
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^^^ This ... absolutely in a nutshell.


I need paracetamol most days (and a lot heavier stuff on others) to keep me going, I have arthritis among other illnesses, and it hurts, a lot. So when you say he isn`t broken, no, ok, he might not be hopping lame etc, but if he needs meds to be comfortable, it doesn`t stop the pain if someone DOES decide to canter him, gallop him, jump him etc, all of which you will have absolutely NO control over at the point he leaves your care.

Retirement livery is an option, i know JillA on here offers it, and she is someone i would trust my horse with, but you still have to pay a livery amount each month on top of his pain killers, most retirement places are the same (say £130 a month for dedicated care). Either that or as PE says, rent yourself a field for him.

If they really aren`t an option then let him go, at home, where he is happy and loved, and above all else you then guarantee he`ll not end up in any more pain x
 
daisysp8 said:
^^^ This ... absolutely in a nutshell.


I need paracetamol most days (and a lot heavier stuff on others) to keep me going, I have arthritis among other illnesses, and it hurts, a lot. So when you say he isn`t broken, no, ok, he might not be hopping lame etc, but if he needs meds to be comfortable, it doesn`t stop the pain if someone DOES decide to canter him, gallop him, jump him etc, all of which you will have absolutely NO control over at the point he leaves your care.

Retirement livery is an option, i know JillA on here offers it, and she is someone i would trust my horse with, but you still have to pay a livery amount each month on top of his pain killers, most retirement places are the same (say £130 a month for dedicated care). Either that or as PE says, rent yourself a field for him.

If they really aren`t an option then let him go, at home, where he is happy and loved, and above all else you then guarantee he`ll not end up in any more pain x
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am thinking more along the lines of putting him to sleep peacefully at home.
 
What is interesting is, we never hesitate to do the right thing by our pets, yet with horses some would rather sell, loan or give them away ie passing the problem on, rather than doing the right thing.
I have had to make that decision a couple of times with horses that were only in their mid teens but had lameness problems. Another we chose to have put down as she had laminitis & EMS. I had these horses since very young horses and it broke my heart but I knew where they ended their days. I'd hate to think of the possibility of them ending up in a market going to a slaughter house or being exported live.
 
buddy's mummy said:
am thinking more along the lines of putting him to sleep peacefully at home.
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It hurts us far more than it hurts them.

I have lost 2 horses in 3 years. My first wee man was a superstar in so many ways, but had the most awful worm damage from before i bought him, we tried (myself and the vets) for about 3 months, he was in the vets for a week at a time (2 or 3 different times over those months) on plasma infusions and all sorts, and he was so poorly ... he wasn`t even 3 years old when i let him go. I got slated for making that decision, but i knew it was the right thing for him.

I lost another youngster earlier this year, suddenly. I got up there 1 morning to find him nearly gone. The knackerman came and put him out of his misery for me (trust me, i knew instantly there was no point ringing a vet). He did a post mortem, and my poor lads stomach had twisted, and the gut had died. Just awful.


1 planned, and 1 emergency and neither any easier than the other. All i can do is give you a huge hug, and tell you in these tough times, there are worse things for a horse than being PTS at home where they are loved and cared for x
 
daisysp8 said:
It hurts us far more than it hurts them.

I have lost 2 horses in 3 years. My first wee man was a superstar in so many ways, but had the most awful worm damage from before i bought him, we tried (myself and the vets) for about 3 months, he was in the vets for a week at a time (2 or 3 different times over those months) on plasma infusions and all sorts, and he was so poorly ... he wasn`t even 3 years old when i let him go. I got slated for making that decision, but i knew it was the right thing for him.

I lost another youngster earlier this year, suddenly. I got up there 1 morning to find him nearly gone. The knackerman came and put him out of his misery for me (trust me, i knew instantly there was no point ringing a vet). He did a post mortem, and my poor lads stomach had twisted, and the gut had died. Just awful.


1 planned, and 1 emergency and neither any easier than the other. All i can do is give you a huge hug, and tell you in these tough times, there are worse things for a horse than being PTS at home where they are loved and cared for x
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Thanks hun, means a lot to me. x
 
lizbet said:
You are a disgrace of a women how you can live with yourself is beyond belief.They say in life what goes around comes around well lets hope it comes back to haunt you.Dont bother replying you are on user ignore. Worped brain .
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Oh I can live with myself very easily thankyou. Having had three horses destroyed rather than passing them onto an uunknown future is the easiest decision to make - that I've ever made in fact.

As an aside I did look into rehoming one, much for the same reasons as the OP. And whilst I mourn the passing of that particular horse more than any other, I thank god he got a bullet rather than end up god knows where.

But I guess you don't have the first clue about what can happen to horses passed on in these situations. If you did you would be able to at least begin to enter the discussion with some sense of rational discourse.

Of course, if you can offer the op's horse a knowledgeable home (or any other member on here who may find themselves in the same boat) fill your boots. You obviously have deeper pockets than most!

Perhaps someone would be able to quote this so the stupid woman can read it.
 
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amymay said:
Oh I can live with myself very easily thankyou. Having had three horses destroyed rather than passing them onto an uunknown future is the easiest decision to make - that I've ever made in fact.

As an aside I did look into rehoming one, much for the same reasons as the OP. And whilst I mourn the passing of that particular horse more than any other, I thank god he got a bullet rather than end up god knows where.

But I guess you don't have the first clue about what can happen to horses passed on in these situations. If you did you would be able to at least begin to enter the discussion with some sense of rational discourse.

Of course, if you can offer the op's horse a knowledgeable home (or any other member on here who may find themselves in the same boat) fill your boots. You obviously have deeper pockets than most!

Perhaps someone would be able to quote this so the stupid woman can read it.
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Requoting
 
There is absolutely no shame in putting to sleep a horse that you are unable to care for any longer, but there is great shame in passing on to a stranger, a horse that requires medication to keep him comfortable. I have one who is sound as a bell on a little bute, but there is no way he would stand up to high level competition any longer. The chances of someone taking him on, buting him and working him til he breaks would be too high for me to consider it, so I would PTS in a heartbeat if I couldn't keep him.
 
Auslander said:
There is absolutely no shame in putting to sleep a horse that you are unable to care for any longer, but there is great shame in passing on to a stranger, a horse that requires medication to keep him comfortable. I have one who is sound as a bell on a little bute, but there is no way he would stand up to high level competition any longer. The chances of someone taking him on, buting him and working him til he breaks would be too high for me to consider it, so I would PTS in a heartbeat if I couldn't keep him.
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that sounds like buddy...he is sound on the danilon but unsound without...he will gallop through a ball of fire on his danilon!!
 
I wish more people in the horsey world would be a bit more aware that when you have livestock, you will have dead stock at some point.

It is all well and good buying a horse and riding out the good times, but why are there so many people that cry out of those tough decisions and pass the buck?

OP, dig deep inside yourself and be a responsible owner. Don't pass your older, problematic horse onto someone else who either doesn't know or care about what they are doing to him. If you can't keep the horse, put it to sleep.
 
buddy's mummy said:
yes thinking long and hard about putting him to sleep.
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You must do what is right for you and Buddy. Sending hugs that you have a hard decision to make, but you also seem to have very limited options as to how you can manage in the future.

I come from a family who have always kept our animals for life, and we have always believed that we would pts rather than pass on to an uncertain future.

It was not long ago, and certainly when I was younger, when very few horses and ponies lived past 15/16. Just because we can medicate it does not mean you have to follow that option.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
OP it will be very hard to sort out the details, wait for it to get done and go through with it, but at the end of the day PTS seems like the responsible option here so in hindsight you will know you did the very best for your horse. Giving him away may seem easier now but it is a lot riskier for the horse and you may come to seriously regret it.

And of course like most owners I have also had horses PTS rather than pass them on; it's very difficult but it's got to be done.
 
RunToEarth has offered the most concise and valuable advice. I wish more horse owners, breeders and keepers would follow this option. I despair every time I read of another horrific rescue situation. I find the abandonment and neglect so much harder to comprehend than a timely bullet. Sorry if this offends anyone.
 
OP sorry if I came across as a little hard on you, it's just that I really worry about horses given away free to good home.

I am happy that you are weighing up the situation properly and do feel for you, it's always a very hard decision to make.
 
If you read back through buddy's mummy's posts she doesn't sound like the person Alfies' mum is accusing her to be. None of us know who either of them are so I wouldn't necessarily believe any one of them over another.
 
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