? would you send your horse off not knowing where its going

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equinedays

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say you couldnt keep you horse and you was rehoming him/her to a good home how many of you would vet the new home or how many would just let there horse get on the back of a lorry with someone they didnt know. as im thinking of rehoming my mare?
 
If loaning or lending, then definately yes. Would have contract drawn up and ask for references. would visit their livery and ask them lots of questions.
 
I wouldn't dream of letting any of my horses go anywhere which I hadn't seen personally and where I hadn't met the people at least three or four times. Having said that, that is probably why I have never sold or loaned any of mine out!

Definitely go and have a look, you don't want to end up being one of those posters where they thought their horse was going to a lovely place and the reality was far far different.

Good luck.
 
This is kind of general, and not aimed at you so please don't take it personally.

When we run out of time or funds or life just becomes so difficult that there is no space in it for your horse, many people will consider what to do with their horse. The final route to Potters is unacceptable, and putting it to sleep at home is too difficult too and there isn't a queue of people waving good money at you to buy your horse today. What is left?

For many people the temptation of a kind offer of somebody who is prepared to collect your horse of no value, to take it on and nurture it and its little foibles for many years in the future must seem like a blessing - they even seem keen to take on injured horses and those with quite challenging behaviour. They may show you pictures of contented neddies (all loved family ponies) munching in the field.

Is this all sounding too good to be true?

That is because it is.

There are many more companion horses and low value horses out there than there are homes for them. Anybody wanting a companion could pick one up tomorrow locally without any need to advertise. why would anybody spend money regularly advertising for loan or cheap horses if they didn't have a plan to make money out of them.

So, to answer your question, no, I wouldn't put my horse on a lorry and wave it goodbye..I owe it my equine friends to provide them with a good home until the end of their days, with me, or with somebody else.
 
Personally I would prefer to vet the home and know the people, I would certainly never give my horse to someone I'd never even met! It is always nicer to know where your horse is going to as well, otherwise personally I would just worry all the time, but sometimes this isn't possible. A few years ago I sold a horse who I looked after on behalf of his owners as he needed retiring really, was often lame and they no longer wanted him. I loved this horse and was desperate to find him a good home as a companion as sadly I couldn't afford him myself. I spent months searching for someone to take him on, scouring the yellow pages, local tack shops etc with no luck. But eventually I found a lovely couple who lived nearby but were soon to move along way away and wanted another horse to keep theirs company. They came to visit my boy and loved him, they took him on a few little day trips to meet their mare to cheek they got on, fortunately they did. They showed me photos of the place they were moving to, a lovely house with lots of big fields for the horses to play in. I couldn't go and visit as it was too far away and I was only young at the time so couldn't drive myself and my parents weren't prepared to take me; but I trusted them and so let them have the horse.

Several months later the couple came back to visit me! They brought photos of my old boy and told me how happy he was in his new home, he'd even become so well that they'd been able to go hunting on him,truely he had a new lease of life. I was so happy I cried! I knew my boy was being cared for properly and had a loving home, I couldn't have asked for anything more.

So sometimes things can work out when selling old/injured horses and I really hope you can find as nice a home for yours as I did. But do be wary, as the_watcher said there are many untrustworthy people around and I do think you need to find out as much about the person, what they want the horse for and where they plan to keep it as you can.
 
[ QUOTE ]
This is kind of general, and not aimed at you so please don't take it personally.

When we run out of time or funds or life just becomes so difficult that there is no space in it for your horse, many people will consider what to do with their horse. The final route to Potters is unacceptable, and putting it to sleep at home is too difficult too and there isn't a queue of people waving good money at you to buy your horse today. What is left?

For many people the temptation of a kind offer of somebody who is prepared to collect your horse of no value, to take it on and nurture it and its little foibles for many years in the future must seem like a blessing - they even seem keen to take on injured horses and those with quite challenging behaviour. They may show you pictures of contented neddies (all loved family ponies) munching in the field.

Is this all sounding too good to be true?

That is because it is.

There are many more companion horses and low value horses out there than there are homes for them. Anybody wanting a companion could pick one up tomorrow locally without any need to advertise. why would anybody spend money regularly advertising for loan or cheap horses if they didn't have a plan to make money out of them.

So, to answer your question, no, I wouldn't put my horse on a lorry and wave it goodbye..I owe it my equine friends to provide them with a good home until the end of their days, with me, or with somebody else.

[/ QUOTE ]

excellent reply...if only more people would take this on board.
 
i would check the new home, without doubt. if not, make sure contracts are drawn up... unless you are prepared. that was very well said by RHT!
my sis did wave goodbye to her mare, which i still think is silly, but she does not want to hear from them, incase the mare has been sold on. i suppose if you do let the horse go, dont have anything to do with it so you cant get hurt.
personally i would be checking up. my boys new owners are n contact almost every week, and thats really nice. good luck! x
 
No way. I would definately definately go and check the home out first. How can you tell its a "good home" if you've never seen it?

I "vet" every single home my horses have gone to. Even if that means driving like 4 hours I will not let any horse go somewhere I havent checked.
 
The only one we've sold I got my mother to vet the home as she lived in the next village and it was a long drive for us, then we delivered the pony with my husband (who always says he doesn't like horses) sitting next to me saying every 10 minutes or so "If I don't like B's new home he's not staying there and if B doesn't like the home he's not staying either". We checked everything out before unloading B but we knew he would love it - and be very much loved himself! He's still there three years later and still much loved.

I couldn't just let one of mine go without checking out where it was supposed to be going. B's new owners are still in touch with me - and I have tried to keep in touch with the previous owners of all mine.
 
There are homes out there but possibly keep it local i just had the worst scenario happen with my mare and my friend has had simmilar happen to hers both are really awful situations but now have mine back now no idea where to turn now tho.

Trouble is you can go visit where your horse is so say going but it might never go there or might stay a week who knows some ppl will do anything and to be honest u would only ask friends for reffrences ur hardly likely to ask someone that dont like you. All logic says we should keep them to know their safe and well but simpily this is not always an available option for us we have to do our best its very tricky theres no right answer possibly cause we dont have time or money At the end of theday its your decision you will do your best for your horse and there will always be someone that wants to put you down about it and make you feel awful about what ever decision you make you will find a way what ever you dicide good luck xxxxx
 
if you are really desparate to rehome and not sell, then see blue cross, if you are in financial problem they will also help. I would never trust a loan home that isnt properly vetted and checked out with full relaible references and even then you can get problems!

If in doubt, send it to the blue cross at least it will be looked after and possibly loaned via their scheme.
 
I let my first horse go to someone who was supposedly going to keep him for 6 months and start him from scratch and reschool him - BIG MISTAKE. I found out he had been moved to another yard the following day
shocked.gif
I was absolutaley heartbroken. I would never advise anybody to do the same thing.

It all depends on your circumstances, why do you need to rehome her?

Good luck with your decision.
 
when i loaned out my mare i didnt vet the livery yard first - i met and talked to the people at length and made it very clear what i expected for the mare, and if i had not been happy i would have had no compunction about picking the mare right back up when i visited and bringing her home again!

she went off in the lorry (i cried like a baby!!! after it pulled away!)

i then went and visited the yard a week later (wanted to give the mare a clean break and time to settle in without me 'popping round' every 5 seconds)
lovely yard, lovely people and a VERY happy pony
 
No and neither did his previous owners. This has been a recent topic of conversation at home and considering what I have, I wouldn't even rehome as a companion. I have always said that the day that I cannot keep my boy sound and/or comfortable is the day that he is PTS. sounds harsh, but he is high maintenance! It would also give me the peace of mind that he wouldn't be resold or used for unsuitable activities. As some of us have found, there are too many unscrupulous people out there.
 
Def not. I would check and talk to people who keep there horses at the same place, check out vet anf farrier, and also make it very clear I would be doing un announced checks. Prob why i have 13 of them and wont let them go! I have got 4 that were given to me as companions for various reasons, and the old owners all keep in touch, and visit now and then. There are good people about, I havent got much time to ride, but plenty of land and loads of tlc to offer, but some people do lie and your horse could end up anywhere.
 
with my boys no way would i ever do that to them, i have been looking on this forum for a bit now and i have joined,
what is wrong with your mare , lame ,unbroken, family probs im sure there is away around getting rid of her, sorry to sound rude, but you do say in you post would you send your horse off not knowing where it going, reading some of the posts on here that they cant not find there horses etc through loan etc

if it was me home checks, yard owner info, and if they handed there notices in at the yard for the yard owner to contact me they day the was leaving that yard so i would want to hear for loaner within 2 days of telling yard owner if not i would drive down there before they leaved.
checks to see how long they have been with there vets, farrier and maybe a local feed store/tackroom and see how well known they was?

hope this helps
people may look a pretty face but you cant trust no one
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FYI my mare is 11, sound, well and competeing in numerous events - she went off on loan as she had gone as far as she could go dressage wise and i felt that she would be happier in a less stressful PC type home

keeping her would have been selfish and unfair on the mare!

i have a stingent contract, references etc they cannot move her without informing me etc etc

sometimes letting a horse go to somewhere different is the RIGHT thing to do!
i know where she is kept, i have addresses, mobile and home numbers etc

people may have a pretty face and you may not be able to trust anyone - you seem to be able to trust a pretty yard though.
any reference can be faked for their usefullness is limited
 
No absolutely not! And I am a dealer/producer!

Any horses I sell, I make doubly sure that the people are perfect for the horse. I ALWAYS deliver the horse and never take any money until I am actually at their farm/stables; that way I can just take the horse home if I am not comfortable with the surroundings. This has never happened though as all my purchasers have turned out to be the fantastic people I thought they were when they came to try out.

I have a duty of care to my horses to ensure their survival and comfort, not only whilst they are with me, but for as long as I can. I feel that by doing my job correct initially, then the people I sell to will be as diligent in finding new homes if or when their time comes to an end with the horse. I also charge a fair amount of money for my horses and I do believe that this does help ensure the safety of the horse for some time.

To date, to my knowledge, only 1 horse that I have sold in all these years has passed onto new ownership and the new owner appears to be as lovely as the owner I sold him to initially.
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