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

honetpot said:
There is more to keeping a horse than just meeting its food/turnout requirments. Horses are herd animals and managed in natural situations they exclude old, ill or lame animals as they can cause the whole herd to be at risk.
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Actually this is not always the case. We have mares, kept at home with neighbouring geldings in fields on 2 sides and a mare & gelding on the 3rd side. They are all kept in stable herds.
We brought 4 mares here with us, who had all been kept together in their own field at livery. When they got older and more vulenrable, the others looked after them, making sure that they stood round themost vuleranble when it was raining etc.
After we'd had the oldest 3 pts, a recently introduced Clydesdale went into another field to make sure that the oldest at that time knew that it was tea-time and they were going in. I think she got rather short shrift!

We currently have 3, one has only been here less than 2 yrs. I noticed a few weeks ago in wet and windy weather, the Draft, who can be very bossy was sheltering the oldie by standing behind her to shield her from the weather. The Appy decided to move the oldie so that she could get the benefit of the holly bush . The Draft let her stand there a couple of minutes and then moved them both round again, so that they were back in their original positions.
I'm afraid that many horses on livery yards miss out on real herd behaviour.
 
On similar vein to previous post. My friend's husband died suddenly a few months ago. When she went to check the horses the following night she was at the point if giving up. Her old boy aged 20 that she bred started to push her about with his head. She said he'd never acted like this before but it seemed that he was telling her to get up and keep going. Ive no doubt that he was aware of her despair and grief. How are we to know what exactly a horse is or is not aware of.
 
cptrayes said:
More details about the horses please?

I find it impossible to believe that people pay to put down sellable, and not old, horses when they could get money for them.
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Sorry CP its true

3 taken to knackers because they could not bear anyone else to ride them...... the daughter was dumped virtually every day she rode for over 18months - the mother said they went as she did not want anyone to see anyone else get hurt - yearh right
1 pts due to a suspensory ligament that occured as they daughter took a newly brought horse x country schooling day after she brought it - and they could not be bothered to wait the x number of weeks for box rest - they did not even try
1 pts when it got to 16 as it had started to have 4 faulties - so they supposed it had navicular - but would not investigate so had it pts

Family 2
2 just dissapeared after being eliminated at a show - daughter got dumped and the horses just never came back???
1 pts becaue daughter could not ride it and it got mild colic - they did not even give vet chance to treat - the just said pts and put on the water works and vet did what they suggested
1 to the knacker because it was skin and bone after being turned out fully clipped in a lightweight and they were embarrased but said horse had a gut problem ??
1 pts as had suspect KS - what it really ment was daughter kept getting bucked off
1 had suspensory ligament damage were told to bring it into work slowly and not to jump it again - they hammered the poor thing and then lied when the vet asked them what had gone on
1 sent as a light hack back to dealer it was brought off - someone went to dealer to buy said horse the next day.... dealer looked at them like they were MAD
 
Thanks to those who wrote kind messages, I am still in a kind of state of shock, but there is no doubt in my mind that a life of chronic pain is a fate worse than death. Sorry to hijack thread a bit! So quiet here today without him, the ponies are all very subdued.
 
Gingerwitch said:
Sorry CP its true

3 taken to knackers because they could not bear anyone else to ride them...... the daughter was dumped virtually every day she rode for over 18months - the mother said they went as she did not want anyone to see anyone else get hurt - yearh right
1 pts due to a suspensory ligament that occured as they daughter took a newly brought horse x country schooling day after she brought it - and they could not be bothered to wait the x number of weeks for box rest - they did not even try
1 pts when it got to 16 as it had started to have 4 faulties - so they supposed it had navicular - but would not investigate so had it pts

Family 2
2 just dissapeared after being eliminated at a show - daughter got dumped and the horses just never came back???
1 pts becaue daughter could not ride it and it got mild colic - they did not even give vet chance to treat - the just said pts and put on the water works and vet did what they suggested
1 to the knacker because it was skin and bone after being turned out fully clipped in a lightweight and they were embarrased but said horse had a gut problem ??
1 pts as had suspect KS - what it really ment was daughter kept getting bucked off
1 had suspensory ligament damage were told to bring it into work slowly and not to jump it again - they hammered the poor thing and then lied when the vet asked them what had gone on
1 sent as a light hack back to dealer it was brought off - someone went to dealer to buy said horse the next day.... dealer looked at them like they were MAD
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So every single horse was, at that point, unsellable due to behavioural or physical problems. I think that's the point I was making, no-one pays to put down a horse worth money. There are plenty of people who make equally bad owners, who would then pass those horses on through the sales ring. I think they did the right thing. There are too many good horses looking for homes to worry about those ones having been humanely killed.
 
I can see where your coming from CP - but they broke the majority of these horses and just could not be bothered to give them a chance to come right and live a bit longer.

They still get through an average of 2 horses a year - they say its cheaper to buy new than pay for vets fees - they cant get insurance for obvious reasons... and they dont have time to waste on box rest - it just makes me feel really really sorry and ashamed to be a horse owner.

These lovelly well bred horses arrive and in less than 8 months most of them are on the way to the knackers yard
 
But then I also think that some people are too quick to put a horse to sleep. I have just taken on a horse who was due to be put down purely because he went slightly lame and the owners (who'd lost all interest) couldnt be bothered to look into it! The horse is now sound (very simple problem!) and is proving to be absolutely fantastic! I look at him and cannot believe a family were all ready to kill him.
 
Missmac said:
Maesfen it was recent.

He went through the ring at Llanybydder. I didnt stay to the end of the day but my friend is sure he went with the meat man.

I hope we are wrong tho and it is the same horse we are talking about!

Still doesnt change how i feel about putting an old boy that doesnt owe anyone anything through the ring.
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You are indeed correct, he went to Turners, i also saw him go through the ring, he was 24.
 
Missmac said:
Maesfen it was recent.

He went through the ring at Llanybydder. I didnt stay to the end of the day but my friend is sure he went with the meat man.

I hope we are wrong tho and it is the same horse we are talking about!

Still doesnt change how i feel about putting an old boy that doesnt owe anyone anything through the ring.
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Sorry, I missed your reply.

navaho said:
You are indeed correct, he went to Turners, i also saw him go through the ring, he was 24.
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Won't be the same horse then but very similar by the sound of it; let's hope he hasn't had to wait or be moved around too long if that is where he ended up. This one had been on a mountain with mares for some years but was a good stallion in his day. The one I know about def' is alive and picking up condition now.
 
I'm hoping the posts on here about being to quick to PTS arn't aimed at me :eek: I hope most on here know me better than that. While I do condone Putting an old, sick or beyond help mentley horse I will NEVER condone Putting down a happy, Healthy, horse just because it can't be ridden anymore. Just look at my Siggy. I mean it. God I spent £4000 on the last 8 months of Lucys life. I was only earning £80 a week at the time and was still paying the vet bill a year after she had gone. :( I would happily pay it all again to have her back. Every penny I have would have gone into keeping her going if it was possible. But her illness was about to cause her suffering and that mare deserved to go with her dignaty in tack. She didn't deserve a single moment of unnecessary pain. I had to let her go when I did.
And as to Putting down a horse because I feel noone else could cope with it. If that is refuring to my coments about Herbs. I fully explained his passed. Everything that poor pony has been through already. I'm not saying I am the only person capable of dealing with him but i'm the only person I know who would want to deal with him. He's a 12.2hh forester who will NEVER be able to be ridden by a child. He still bucks and napps very badly ocationaly and he will, if he's in a bad mood bite and kick without warning. He also has to live on his own as he will attack other horses. For a little fella he's very high maintanacne. Now tell me all those who critasise what I said who on earth would want to take him on and what sort of future would he realy have. :confused: As I said it will break me heart if that day comes and it won't be a desition taken lightly, The same as the desition in my OP, But it will be made in Herbies best intrest.
I know there will always be people who don't understand, or who don't want to understand. But then they have probably never come across horses like Herbs and the one in my OP.
I'm all about doing whats right for the horse. I've seen to many horses left to suffer or passed from piller to post because there owners couldn't bare to do the best thing for them :( I love my animals to much to let it happen to them.

horsemadmum1 ((((((((hugs))))))) I am truly sorry for your loss.
 
We have what most people would class as a dangerous mare. We would never sell her. Ive been told by many professionals to have her pts. Problem is theres not a nasty bone in her so she just hangs out in the field keeping my other three company. If something happen there would be no doubt in my mind it would be kinder to have her pts.
 
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