Why can't people see there are worse fates for a horse?

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LauraWheeler

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Last week at one of the yards I work at a mare was PTS.
To anyone who saw her grazing in the field she was happy, healthy and sound. But when it came to handling her sometimes it was a very diffrent story and riding her was dangrous. Her owner had her for 6 years and tried everything to help her. Had all the checks done over and over but to no avail. :( Due to some terrable personal sercamstances for the owner she was nolonger able to keep the mare. So she advertised her as free to a good home. The only calls she got were people asking for a childs pony or mother daughter share. :eek: Thankfuly the owner was honest and told them she wasn't sutable. Months have gone by and the owners situation has got worse so she finaly made the desition last week to put the mare down.
Now some people have been coming to me and telling me how awful the owner is. They are shocked when I tell them I supported this action. The mare is now safe and has a secure future. They are shocked when I tell them that if anything awful happens and I can no longer keep Herbs he will be put down. He is unsellable. Yes he is so much better with me than when I first got him but he is still not perfect and he never will be. When I look at his life before me it makes me sad. Atleast 6 owners in 8 years, His owner before me only had him 6 months the owner before that only 5. He's obviously been mistreated due to his reaction to some things and when I went to try him he was doped. :eek: What if someone had come along looking for a childs pony. He would have seemed perfect that day. I couldn't live with myself if any of this happened to him again.
Obviously PTS would be a last resort and I would fight tooth and nail to keep him but if I realy couldn't I would do the right thing by him.
Don't get me wrong I feel very sad about the mare and wish I had been in a position to take her and try to help her but how could you be shore someone else would be so honest. Someone could come along and say all the right things then afew months later we could have seen her advertised as a childs pony.
This was a very tough desition for the owner but she did what was right by the mare. The only thing she could to secure her future. I hope these idiots don't say anything to the owner who is upset enough about the whole situation and doesn't need to be made to feel she made the wrong desition.
I wish people would loose the rose tinted glasses and see that there are a lot worse fates for a horse than being PTS!!!! :(
 
I agree with you on this i have a spanish that would never leave me alive and 21 year old horse both healthy one of them sane the other not so. Id rather know their fate than pass them on
 
Or better than what a local businessman did to his mid-late 20s racing and breeding stallion and put the poor thing through the sales ring where it went to the meat man.
Poor old boy owed them nothing and they wanted to squeeze the last couple of hundred pounds out of him.Disgraceful.
 
Just recently (probably something to do with winter & rising costs ;)) there has been a flood, on a local FB group, of 'free to good home' ads. All of them are aged, companion horses.
The saddest one was a 28 year old pony, complete with pic of it being ridden. Ad went on to say due to bad arthritis pony couldn't be ridden but had been very successful when younger :(
Everytime I see one I can feel my blood boiling! I've probably now got a reputation as some sort of horse grim reaper as every time I suggest the owner does the honourable thing.
The amount of people that have classed me as 'nasty' for this is astounding!
 
Some people really don't have a grip on reality and think everyone is in a position to "collect" broken horses as pets.

Get real..!

Absoultly nothing wrong OP with what that owner did and many many others who PTS , non rideable young or old horses.

Tell those questioning you or the horse owner to go sling there hook and keep there beaks outta others business.
 
I couldn't agree more. Imo those who think pts is cruel lack experience of the harsh reality of what happens to worthless horses. Or, worse still, they'd rather take the risk of passing on just so they don't have to face pts themselves.
Fingers crossed none of those idiots say anything to the poor owner. The owner should be proud of the fact she's put the horse first, not made to feel guilty.
 
Not having dealing with nonsense like that is one of the numerous reason I am grateful I have my horses at home and don't to deal with all that.
Those people need to to get real and leave that very sad responsible owner alone at worse or at best support her.
 
I absolutely agree with everything you say OP, but it must be so hard to actually make that decision when you are talking about your own, loved horse. Some say now that if they couldnt look after pony they would PTS, but I guess its not as easy as that when the time actually comes.
 
Putting an animal down is worse on the owner than they animal - they dont know a thing about it! I really dislike seeing badly arthritic / laminitic horses in pain and disconfort just because they cant man up and make the decision ( i was going to wirte "hard decision," but if your animal is suffering, surely its the obvious decision?!)

I think behavioural issues are more important to PTS - what standard of life could they have, being passed from pillar to post.

On another note, I actually agree with ex-racers being put down if they cant be found a knowledgable home - they need to be looked after properly, for their welfare. If not, surely a bullet, quickly, is better for them in the long run?
 
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You Wont Forget Me said:
agree with you 100% on this and as Missmac said its better than them going for meat:(
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No problem with a horse going for meat -going through sales and being passed from pillar to post before going for meat is a different issue.

The horse doesn't care what happens to it's cadaver.

I agree in the OPs case. PTS rather than an uncertain future or someone getting injured.
 
Missmac said:
Or better than what a local businessman did to his mid-late 20s racing and breeding stallion and put the poor thing through the sales ring where it went to the meat man.
Poor old boy owed them nothing and they wanted to squeeze the last couple of hundred pounds out of him.Disgraceful.
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Was that quite recently Missmac as if so, I might know who has him now and he's living a life of Reilly?

OP, couldn't agree more. Some people seem to put horses far beyond a person's worth; they should get a grip on life and realise that which is far more important than any horse.
 
Oh fair enough when the horse is in pain or the owner has no financial means of keeping the horse, and has made an attempt at giving it a retirement. Its when people pts a relatively young healthy horse just because its reached its mid to late teens and isn't performing as well as previously, in order not to have livery bills for two, because they have got a replacement.

Very practical, very pragmatic - if you are a rider who does it for a living and live off your results. And even then, most of the "professional" riders I know wouldn't pts a horse in those circumstances. Not so much for the hobby rider who does it supposedly for the love of horses. It reminds me of those sort of people who get a new puppy for Christmas and abandon the old dog or leave it outside a home. And for what? A rosette in an unaffiliated class a few times a year? Worth pts an old friend who could have enjoyed a pleasant retirement?

When I buy a horse I make the decision to either sell when young enough to do so, or retire the horse when its old enough, not simply humanely dispose of like a piece of rubbish.

I seriously wonder if people ever consider why their horses don't go well for them. At amateur level so much is based on the partnership and getting the horse to try for you, rather than out and out riding ability. If you are the sort of person who pts as soon as your horse is no longer out competing, you are very unlikely to be the sort of person who builds that sort of bond.

I'm lucky enough admittedly to live in a part of the world where I can get really excellent grass livery for £50 a month. Its possible to keep horses quite cheaply here, all year round. But yes, it would be less hassle for me to pts my soon to be 16 year old, quite difficult horse, and buy myself a slightly younger Grade A (which you can do quite cheaply at the moment), jump some 1.20s on it and do quite well and then pts that one in a couple of years time once its performance began to deteriorate.

Wouldn't dream of doing it though.

So yes, I do distinguish between people who make a heart wrenching decision to pts for health reasons or in dire financial staits, but not simply to replace with a newer model.
 
OP i totally agree with you, and it makes me very sad to see these faithful old horses 'free to good home' when they should be ending their days at home. Definitely harder on owner than horse.
 
People always pass judgement on these things when they don't know the full facts.

When my boy went lame we tried everything to resolve the problem, make him comfy and retired him. I moved yards half way through his treatment, again because it'd benefit him.

Another owner would say how well he is and he's perfectly fine, happy and there's nothing wrong with him. Despite being still lame, suffering from bone spavin!

Needless to say when I did mention that me and the vet had discussed PTS his reply was 'ah you can't trust these people!'.

I never told him a damn thing after and when he was PTS the only person who knew was the YM, and that was the day before to ensure no one was around.

People are very insensitive and automatically think they can pass their opinion when it doesn't concern them at all.

It's those who make these decisions to prevent their horses from suffering and understand that matter. Ultimately it's their animal.
 
Totally agree with OP, I think people who see fit to judge have never been in the situation with a dangerous/lame horse and/or they are very ignorant of were these horses can end up.

I sell horses, I have even sold them at sales - however I have never sold anything lame or with vices, or in other words the type that would end up getting passed around from numpty to dealer to meatman.
If I had a chronically lame or a one with issues that I couldn't get right then I would pts.

Except in the case of my old boy who will be with me for life, a raving nut but I like him...
 
There seems to be an assumption on this forum that less than perfect horses must be PTS and trying to find an alternative home is irresponsible. This attitude demeans the value of a horse's life and reduces it to being a disposable commodity to be gotten rid of when it is no longer of use.
It could be argued that selling or gifting any horse to any new home is a gamble because its future will always be uncertain. I have often seen horses labelled as problem or dangerous blossom with a new owner. The horse's only problem being its current owner. Good and genuine people do exist who are willing and capable of offering a good and sometimes more suitable home.

There are times when PTS is the only option, and in the case described by the OP, I would not criticise, as the owner has had a long and weary battle to help the horse and if her back was up against the wall financially, I'm sure it was the last resort.
That said, I hate the general response to euthanasia posts where it is assumed any owner should be applauded for choosing death for horse's that are an inconvenience. Perhaps its fortunate that parents don't have the same option for their children or elderly parents when crisis occurs.
 
I agree with people's choices to PTS a horse whatever the reason, what I disagree with the the phrase "fates worse than death" well really there is NO fate worse than death. I agree that horses have no concept of time but they feel fear, and have a survival instinct so surely they have a fear of death same as we do. That's just take on things, I've had horses and dogs PTS through illness.
 
Actually i think alot of people know it is the right thing to do but are not prepared to actually go ahead with it, taking the easier and cheaper way out, passing the buck.
 
Hmm I do have to agree with horse rider and black horse in that I do find people on here very pro pts. If I buy a horse it's not just for Xmas it's for life. Unless of course there are real medical issues that are seriously affecting quality of life. If I was to describe the way one of my horses behaves there would be dozens of people saying pts but I know that when he goes to a lady I use for breaking and schooling he is a saint. So at 1st glance he is a dangerous horse but look a little deeper and the problem is me. He just needs a different owner but he is also quite happy living as a pretty boy in the field. Hubby says if I want another horse I have to get rid of one first(as I have 4). I'd sooner get rid of him!
 
I took on a 6 year old Mare and her Foal a couple of months ago,mainly because i knew she was most likely going to be passed round the low end sales with her Baby in tow,who is a Colt untill they ended up on the meat wagon.I bought her knowing full well she was unbroken,nervous and wary of People and had being left to her own devices in a field with her Foal,who also had never being handled,both are coming round now though.I could have done without taking on a Mare and Foal as i already have 2 Fell Geldings,but hey ho,i am soft.I dont know if my Mare will ever completely trust People and beable to be broken,but if not she will still stay with me and if for any reason i was unable to keep her she would be quietly pts at home because i couldn't be sure she would have a secure future.The Foal will be gelded and he will also be staying with me.I am 53 now and i am hoping i will beable to see my Ponies through till the end,but who can say if their circumstances are going to change,so for certain Horses i think the pts option is kindest for the Horse,as said not always easy for the owner but its a responsible owner that does the right thing by their much loved Animal.
 
Mithras said:
Oh fair enough when the horse is in pain or the owner has no financial means of keeping the horse, and has made an attempt at giving it a retirement. Its when people pts a relatively young healthy horse just because its reached its mid to late teens and isn't performing as well as previously, in order not to have livery bills for two, because they have got a replacement.

Very practical, very pragmatic - if you are a rider who does it for a living and live off your results. And even then, most of the "professional" riders I know wouldn't pts a horse in those circumstances. Not so much for the hobby rider who does it supposedly for the love of horses. It reminds me of those sort of people who get a new puppy for Christmas and abandon the old dog or leave it outside a home. And for what? A rosette in an unaffiliated class a few times a year? Worth pts an old friend who could have enjoyed a pleasant retirement?

When I buy a horse I make the decision to either sell when young enough to do so, or retire the horse when its old enough, not simply humanely dispose of like a piece of rubbish.

I seriously wonder if people ever consider why their horses don't go well for them. At amateur level so much is based on the partnership and getting the horse to try for you, rather than out and out riding ability. If you are the sort of person who pts as soon as your horse is no longer out competing, you are very unlikely to be the sort of person who builds that sort of bond.

I'm lucky enough admittedly to live in a part of the world where I can get really excellent grass livery for £50 a month. Its possible to keep horses quite cheaply here, all year round. But yes, it would be less hassle for me to pts my soon to be 16 year old, quite difficult horse, and buy myself a slightly younger Grade A (which you can do quite cheaply at the moment), jump some 1.20s on it and do quite well and then pts that one in a couple of years time once its performance began to deteriorate.

Wouldn't dream of doing it though.

So yes, I do distinguish between people who make a heart wrenching decision to pts for health reasons or in dire financial staits, but not simply to replace with a newer model.
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putting a horse to sleep is not the equal to abandoning a dog, puting a horse to sleep is the equal to putting a dog to sleep surely? and for both it safeguards them against neglect and cruelty

its not for me to judge why someone chooses to pts any animal.
 
Black_Horse_White said:
... what I disagree with the the phrase "fates worse than death" well really there is NO fate worse than death.
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my grandad would have disagreed with you on this as he got older, as would my nan before she lost her marbles bless her. my uncle too when he lost the ability to do all the things he loved, in fact he asked many of us if we would assist him with an overdose (i was 18 when he asked me), i have arthritis in both hips and one hand its very mild and only flares up very occasionally but if i was to be left out in the pooring rainn and cold with inadequate clothing i dread to think what the pain levels would be like, so i would have to disagree too
 
I also agree with the OP, to a degree. If my life turned upside down today I have 3 very saleable horses. A 2yo, a 6yo, and an 8yo. They I'm sure would find great homes doing what they're bred to do. I also have a 17yo that had a previous old injury the vet had no hope he'd come sound 8 years ago. He's not a great hacker as he just jig jogs. Doesn't bother me. He's ok for an intermediate rider. But with the market the way it is, maybe not the easiest sell. I could try my very best to find him a decent home but he may be a PTS canidate. My 13yo ex broodmare is under going some testing right now. She's not keeping her weight and has some muscle wastage. The usual suspects have been ruled out. So I'm not quite sure it would be in her best interest to continue on if my life went haywire. That's not the case right now so no one panic. I still have to find out what's going on with her.

All this is just to say there are some cases that wouldn't warrant rehoming. Hard to find people that want to deal with a heap of issues that could cost you in vet fees. But I do not agree with this adage of, my horsie was so abused before I came along that no one can ever do better. So I will just put them down. I don't get that. Along the lines of no one can ride my horse but me, he's crazy and only I have the Midas touch. Seriously, the best thing you can ever do for any of your horses, abused or not, is have them used to other people too. We have an intermediate type girl here. I throw her on everything we have including the "supposed" crazy jumping mare. She rides all the breakers when we have them going too. Great for her and great for the horses. I don't subscribe to this theory of no one is as good as I am so Pookie is getting put down if anything happens to me.

Older horses with issues, lame and never quite right, actually dangerous, yeah definitely better off. Sometimes there are good companion homes on offer but most of the time not. An uncertain future is no joke for these horses. But don't sell your horse short because you somehow feel you're the only person that can ride and handle said horse.

Terri
 
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