'Why do you sell on your horses, you wouldn't sell on your dog?'

It really depends on why you have horses doesn't it?
A dealer will sell because it's their business, a trainer will train and sell on etc. some people break a youngster and sell on to finance their own horse. I don't have a problem with anyone that sells a healthy horse but I do have a big problem with those that try to sell old or broken horses because they can't be bothered to keep it or take responsibility for pts ( or pay for it!).
A few years ago OH and I went to the local horse and pony auction. There was a very beautiful hunter there, clipped , well groomed and tacked up. OH was lurking near and happened to hear the owner say ' oh no, he can't be ridden any more due to a back injury'. She was well off, could obviously afford to go hunting, and yet she put her horse into an auction,WTF! I dragged OH away before there was a disturbance.
 
To be fair that is My opinion and I am entitled to think this way, I am not saying it is wrong to think of horses as a means to put food on the table or to fill your stomach.


My way of thinking is when you bring a horses into your life to compete - to love - to cherish - to do equine related equestrian hobby. To spoil to pamper to be up on his back which he trust you and you build a trusting relation ship with him. Horses become more than a commodity IMO.

Horses in my books mean are my surrogate children and mean more to me than the human version hence why my opinion horses are a part of your family regardless of whether you think of them as a pet or part of the family.
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
I disagree with the statement that horses are pets.

there are many working horses in different spheres. Somebody has bred them, someone has trained them, someone has sold them for jobs such as:
Riding schools
working farms
trekking centres
Mounted police
just for example....

Please think a little more at the bigger picture :)
Not every owner is able to keep every horse or pony, not every owner is compatible with their equine and sometimes sadly people's circumstances change
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the same goes for cats and dogs bred for:

fur coats and meat in Korea that is no difference.
also as bait for other animals crocodiles/ lions etc.
To us they are pets regardless of other countries treating them like this.


You are entitled to think that but I do more with my horse in the way of pampering being up on their back like we are one. You do not get that with a dog or cat.

Definition of a pet:

1. any domesticated or tamed animal that is kept as a companion and cared for affectionately.
2. an animal especially cherished or indulged;
3. Pets are usually animals that share our homes or lives, providing us with companionship and love in return for our care and feeding of them, and our love and companionship. They can be just about any species of animal that has been born and bred in captivity .
4. to spend time with and enjoy the company of.

As I said in my life and IMO a horse is a pet I treat it like one and think of it as one. To each their own......................................
 
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I use to buy cheap young/difficult ponies and sell them again a couple of years after when they were older, less difficult, had been out competing etc. This part funded my hobby as for good reason they were worth a lot more than when I first got them. I try to view it as I taught them a career and then sent them out into the world occasionally things went tits up and bought one or two back but as far I know most ended happily. Lately have had bad experience with lunatic/lying buyers as well as a pony who's grown older and who doesn't seem to fancy a career so I think he's probably staying and although out of boys I've had he wouldn't be the one I choose which doesn't mean if I found someone lovely who fancies a small fat idle/neurotic welshie to hack he wouldn't leave.

Some horses are really upset by a change in ownership/yard others seem to view it as a great new adventure and I think the majority as long as they've got plenty of pals, decent care and tack that fits they don't mind who the person who spends a mere few hours a day with them is. I'm not convinced it's a great betrayal as long as you take reasonable precautions. Better multiple good homes that one lonely home.

HGA-12 said:
Well maybe I ought to get rid of hubby to an older lady who wants a quieter life, and get me a more active affectionate man. I don't see the problem in that. Or just go out and get a bit on the side as hubby is useless for anything like that - now there is an idea.
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If your demands were making husband miserable and his lack of 'go' was making you miserable then perhaps the more active man for you and the older lady for him, I'm sure divorces happen for that reason and if everyone's happier then what's the problem. ;) Generally though relationships are more complex but if not why not.
 
Because horses have a financial value. Second hand dogs generally do not - but any dogs with specific training are bought and sold just like horses.
Dogs and cats that are unwanted/not able to be cared for tend to get abandoned or given away instead
 
Personally I see horses as an invsestment both financially and time wise. We put a lot into them to do a job for us companion/competition animal/stunt animal etc

If they don't do the job it's a lot of money to have tied up in something of little use to you, but perfect for someone else. I don't see an issue with selling on (less so if there's profit).
 
J
Cobbytype said:
I tried exchanging my husband for a new lawn mower on Preloved, but nobody wanted him (think the photo put them off).
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PMSL! Hilarious!

twiggy2 said:
I do think that selling horses is more socially acceptable and I personally think it is because dogs generally live in the house as part of the family. The exceptions listed above are often kennel kept dogs or dogs that are bought to do a job rather than purely for a pet and companion.
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This ^^
 
We've sold dogs.... (Show dog, my sister genuinely became allergic to the slobber of)
I've also bought younger ponies with flashier number plates to match my changing ambitions and sold/loaned out the 'oldies' to make room and time.... I love my ponies, one I've had for 20 years and another two 9 years, but they're working animals, and if they're better off suited else where, they're sold. If they're better off retired we have a herd of two of those already, they're by no means disposable or ever suffer, but they're here for a purpouse, and once that is filled and we're 'done' with them, they're loaned or sold on depending on age/type/relationship. We have many ponies that have been through us in stunning homes competing at the top level, or just being loved bringing joy to many :) Much better for the ponies, new owners and us, than a field of 'potential's. My 11.3 we had for 7 years, her new owners have had her 9 so far :) My Shetland went to I think 8 loan homes over his career....
It costs me the same to keep a horse I can't enjoy as one I can- sorry!
 
We don't tend to sell ours. We prefer to loan them out so we have the final bit of control over the ponies fate. If they can no longer look after/no longer need/ no longer want said pony then they come straight back here rather than get passed on to someone else.

The last one we sold was my Welsh C mare. I bought her to break, ride and show. She had been a broodmare and in-hand show mare and I got her riding away sweetly until she got a fright at a lorry going past the field. She went up and over backwards. After that she refused to be ridden. She would just stand bucking and cow kicking on the spot and wouldn't go forwards. I persisted every summer for 3 years and yes she had everything checked. Mentally she couldn't cope. I kept her for 3 years because I loved showing her in-hand and I had the time and space to keep her. When it became obvious she would never, ever do what I wanted her to she was sold on as a broodmare. Said people then subsequently tried to ride her and got as far as I did - no where so she is now back with her breeder producing amazing foals and winning in the in-hand show ring. I could have kept her as an in-hand show pony but being a mare and us having Shetland colts/stallions about the place it was more hassle than it was worth.

Most will stay here for life.

I have no issue with people selling on their horses. There is always a reason and they are ruddy expensive, time consuming animals that you can't just ask mum or friend to look after whilst you go away on holiday or a week.
 
i was only explaining to someone non hosey yesterday about how selling horses is acceptable whilst generally rehoming your dog for example can be frowned upon.

I personally have sold two of my previous horses and if it gets to the point that my current gelding is no longer suitable i would sell him too. Having a horse is too much money and time if you arent enjoying it.
 
There are things I want to do with my horse and if we don't gel and it won't or can't do what I want then I have bitten my lip and sold on. It's unfair to keep trying to make a horse something they are not. My horses cost me a huge amount of money and I have made many sacrifices so no...I feel no guilt whatsoever in selling on. Equally, I have had 2 horses who give me so much, who were fab and did what I wanted to do and they did (or in my mares case still are!) stayed put through retirement with me. My old boy died at 27 and my mare is still fit and well at 26.

I have 4 rescue staffords but their only "job" is to be a companion so staying put...
 
Ive just sold my youngster and while I know it was for all the right reasons (new job meaning I had no time for him) it completely broke my heart to do it. Ive decided that he will be the first and last horse of mine that I sell.
I know for some people horses are different than pets. They are bought for a purpose. I just get so attached to mine. They are just as much a part of my family as my dog and cats.
 
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If everyone kept their horses then I wouldn't have one. No way could I (and millions of others) take on a youngster as our first horse.
I am so grateful to her previous owners for all the work they put in.
 
Queenie_ said:
My non-horsey sister asked me the other day how I can sell my horses, and she brought up the argument that people don't tend to sell on other pets, such as dogs or cats. I actually found this quite an interesting point and thought it'd be interesting to hear other peoples take on this?
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I agree with your sister. I once had to consider selling a horse due to financial circumstances and was greatly upset by cat and dog owners who had an attitude of it doesn't matter because it's a horse and horses get sold all the time. The amount of people who just didn't get it that my horse was as much a part of my family as their cat or dog was to them.
 
I have never sold a horse and never would but I am lucky that I have my own land and am in a position to keep them at relatively low cost. I can understand why people who find they have an animal that is not suitable for them need to sell to be able to buy something else they can ride. Keeping horses at livery is so expensive keeping more than one isn't always an option.
 
poiuytrewq said:
I agree, not that i've ever sold a horse- because i've never had one good enough to sell or that I didn't want to keep. Sadly daughters past ponies were all pts which took the decision out of our hands.
I think dogs are far more family, living at home and in general spending a lot more time with their owners than a horse might. They also "love us back!" (my horse loves the feed I supply!)

I've been amazed recently at the amount of dog for sale adverts I've seen though. Mostly younger boisterous types. Sad
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I think if your horses are at home and you see and handle them dialy and they are able to see your day to day activities you have a much closer hond with the horse. Mine are just like dogs to be honest and if they hear my voice in the garden they call and come over straight away to say hello. My minis not only come into the garden they will also come into the house! Even my big horses graze in the garden when it is dry enough and love all the attention and seeing what's going on. They will bang on the window to get my attention. Not sure if mine are normal to be honest.
 
c2b said:
If everyone kept their horses then I wouldn't have one. No way could I (and millions of others) take on a youngster as our first horse.
I am so grateful to her previous owners for all the work they put in.
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no further comment required
 
Crugeran Celt said:
I think if your horses are at home and you see and handle them dialy and they are able to see your day to day activities you have a much closer hond with the horse. Mine are just like dogs to be honest and if they hear my voice in the garden they call and come over straight away to say hello. My minis not only come into the garden they will also come into the house! Even my big horses graze in the garden when it is dry enough and love all the attention and seeing what's going on. They will bang on the window to get my attention. Not sure if mine are normal to be honest.
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You make a very good point. There is no doubt whatsoever that the horses here (both my own and liveries) prefer to be as near as possible to the house. They watch everything that goes on and if there wasn't a fence in the way, I have no doubt whatsoever that they would be in the garden and the house if they could.
 
We keep ours for life, in a stable herd, but obviously we buy from other people :) My older Appy was too much for the young girl we bought her from and would have become a menace if her family had not made the sensible decision to sell her and buy some thing more suitable for her. Sisters draught mare did not get on with her previous owner, they had bought her from a trecking type centre, who sold her on as she was getting older and they obviously felt it was fairer to sell her on at that point. Of the two youngsters, one was bred to sell, the other was sold as the owners circumstances had changed. One of the reasons we don't sell, is the thought of them loosing their buddies and having to fit into other herds, possibly changing herds at that.
 
A dog is a pet and a horse is a working animal. I often see working dogs sold, if they can't do their job or if their role becomes redundant etc - no different to seeing a horse who is a pet, who is kept long after he stops doing his "job". A lot of what is wrong with the horse world, is due to caring too much about what others think, or do.
 
Ranyhyn said:
A lot of what is wrong with the horse world, is due to caring too much about what others think, or do.
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This a million times over. Its something thats held me back a lot tbh, cause im not generally a confident person, but in my latter years i have just said fudge it and am making decisions for me.
 
My mortgage advisor called me cruel and suggested that I couldn't possibly love my horse at all because I said I would sell my horse if lost my job - because he could never do that to his dogs.

Honestly, how can people even compare the two?
 
Embo said:
My mortgage advisor called me cruel and suggested that I couldn't possibly love my horse at all because I said I would sell my horse if lost my job - because he could never do that to his dogs.

Honestly, how can people even compare the two?
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I don't think I could sell my horse as, in my head, he is as much my "pet" as my dogs and I have always intended to keep him for life. Should my circumstances change so that I could not afford to keep him, I would be more likely to give him to a friend, together with whatever cash I could scrape together (and I do have a slush fund for him), to care for and treat as their own.

A poster said earlier that horses are different as they do have a "second hand" value and I am sure I could sell my horse, although nobody would pay for my elderly, drug-dependent dogs. However, he is my pet. He is not at home but I see him twice a day, every day, he knows who his owner is and we have a good relationship after a difficult beginning. I bought him to ride but, if that ever changes, he will remain as part of the family and I will do without riding.
 
I do understand why people sell their horses - thank God for dealers & breeders (I always buy from either a dealer or breeder) or I wouldn't have a horse.
But I do see my horses as pets - I don't sell them, I didn't ride for about 5 years once as I had 2 oldies who I thought had earned their pensions, they lived out their retirement with me, when they died I did then replace them with ridable horses. They were kept at livery so I must have spent thousands of pounds funding them, which is why I couldn't have a riding horse.
 
I sold my gelding because after owning him for 6 years I love him to bits but he didn't like travelling or jumping and I was getting more interested in fun rides, cross country and jumping after trying to convince him travelling was nice I decided it wasn't fair to stress him out with something he didn't want to do. I put him on loan as a confidence builder for a few months which he enjoyed and then when the girl bought her own horse found him a lovely happy hacker home close to the beach with no travelling and lots of trails for him to enjoy :) I still miss him but it was the best option for him and me.
 
I like to think my two are for life, well don't think anyone else would want them anyway! I don't have a problem with people selling them though as circumstances can change and they are a huge expense and commitment especially if you aren't getting on with them. I agree that selling older horses who can no longer be ridden instead of PTS or letting them have some retirement time is wrong. I also hate seeing the amount of cats and dogs for sale on all the free ads. People should think before they take on a pet and be sure they have the time etc.
 
I have never sold a horse, but I have rehomed one. I loved that horse, and that love comes with the duty of doing what's best for them. I couldn't afford to keep him as a field ornament, nor would he have been happy not being the centre of his owner's attention, so I found him a home where he's being spoiled in his retirement.

I don't see anything wrong with selling horses, or even dogs/cats for that matter, as long as the situation has been given due consideration.
 
I think a big difference is that the horse's "social circle" is his herd primarily, not the rider/owner. For a dog, the owner is also the "pack", and being moved from the family would be very disruptive. For a horse, a yard move is probably more stressful than having a new rider on board. That's not to say that we don't develop close communication with our horses, but I don't think they would feel bereft if they changed hands the same way a dog would if taken from his family.

Speaking for myself, riding is the main reason I own a horse, and I don't see anything wrong with selling a horse if he's not the right partner for me. I would compare this to owning a chihuahua to play fly frisbee with - probably not a good match, and the dog might well be happier off somewhere else as a lap dog. The thing that keeps people from "trading" their dogs for a better suited one is IMO the above - it is very disruptive for the dog to change family, and might be considered cruel. And most people get a dog without a specific sport activity in mind - his main job is to be a companion, not a sports partner.
 
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