would you put these horses to sleep?

[Ibblebibble]

would you honestly pts rather than rehome both the above???
Both of these were gifted to me 5 years ago, the grey(then 13 yrs old) because her loaner was returning her to her owner who was going through a tough time and was in no position to have her back, the chestnut was an unbroken 6 year old whose owner decided she would never break him in and hoped i would and (shock horror) she even went on and got another horse afterwards. Both of these came to me via cyber friends on a forum, not long after i had lost my TB.
It is in the greys contract that she will be with me for life, in the chestnuts case, that if i can no longer keep him i offer him back to the original owner. Now i don't know if either of those contracts would stand up in court and i have no intention of finding out, they are stuck with me and me with them!!
Not all gifted horses are abused, neglected or sold on, people rehome for a myriad of reasons and some of us take in those horses and do our bloody best to see that they are loved and cared for rather than PTS a perfectly usable animal.
Of course some older animals should not suffer being rehomed , but could you honestly say that my 2 above should have been PTS 5 years ago instead of being given a chance??

 

[Holly Hocks]

In answer to your question - no. Well done for taking them on - they look great. As you say, not all cheap/free horses end up in the wrong hands.

 

[touchstone]

In an ideal world no horse would be pts just because it is no longer useful or aged.

However, we don't live in an ideal world and the sad truth is that there are more horses than there are good homes out there.

Yes, it can be possible to find a good home such as yours, but equally it can go the other way even with the best of intentions and I would never judge anyone who decided to pts when a good home couldn't be guaranteed.

Going around some of the sales is heartbreaking, seeing some of the old faithfulls bought for peanuts, sometimes by folk I wouldn't sell a rusty nail to.

Every owner does what they feel is best for their particular horse, if you can find a fantastic home great, but the owner should be prepared to put some work in to ensure their horses safety and future, not just offer to any Tom, Dick or Harry. If the right home can't be found and the owner can't/won't keep them then there are many fates worse than death for these animals, and I wouldn't subject a much loved servant to that.

Eta - Both of your horses were relatively young and also healthy presumably which makes a huge difference in finding a home too.

 

[Dancing Queen]

No I would not.

I am against putting horses down because it may have a disease that renders it unrideable or fit for the purpose the owner wants. I wish to preserve life not take it, only under circumstances where the animal is clearly in pain or distressed would I kindly pts.

OP - those horses look well cared for - your place in heaven is booked! xx

 

[Ibblebibble]

i wasn't angling for praise but thank you anyway
I just read these posts about rehoming and see all the replies of PTS and then look at my 2 and just can't fathom how anyone could prefer to end their lives rather than give them a chance. i then see all the threads on how someone has abused a gifted horse or sold it on etc and everyone agrees that you're just asking for trouble gifting a horse or rehoming it and again i think hang on, my 2 aren't abused, i've no intention of selling them on, i know there are some awful homes and people out there but there are some good ones too

 

[Flame_]

Presumably they were gifts from people who knew you fairly well and had good reason to trust you?

If those horses are healthy and sound then they look like interesting projects with bright futures, why would they need PTS? They would have decent values with a bit of work, you did well getting them free.

 

[Ibblebibble]

touchstone, yes they were relatively young but the mare can be erm bloody opinionated and thats putting it kindly lol, she also has melanomas, a wonky leg, scars that make rambo look like a big girls blouse and at 17hh is not everyones cup of tea

 

[Syrah]

If the horses are healthy then why on earth would anyone PTS?

This is no comparison to the other thread unless they have a degenerative medical problem

 

[Ibblebibble]

Presumably they were gifts from people who knew you fairly well and had good reason to trust you?

If those horses are healthy and sound then they look like interesting projects with bright futures, why would they need PTS? They would have decent values with a bit of work, you did well getting them free.

how well do we know any of our cyber friends? i didn't know the owner of the grey at all , only a previous sharer of hers, it as her who asked me to take the mare rather than let her go to a dealer.
i feel privileged that both their owners gave them to me, i certainly don't see them as a way of making money, and the only future they have is with me pootling about, the grey has done her time eventing and jumping.