Comments on: What This Pony’s Tail Tells Us About Owners Who Abandon Their Horses

By: Jane @ THB

Jane @ THB — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 22:29:27 +0000

In reply to Dee.

I also have concerns about ageing horses left to drift around the paddock – and I refer to those that are just left, without hoofcare or other regular maintenance. There is increasing evidence of the effects that chronic pain can have on sleep quality. I’ll be writing about this in due course…

By: Dee

Dee — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 10:48:56 +0000

So many callous, uncaring horse owners who view their animals as mere vehicles to get them around in their chosen discipline, and turn them over with ne’er a thought or care, it’s devastating.

I had my highly successful & very promising stallion cut because I could not bear to be responsible for producing more progeny in this already over-populated industry. Furthermore, my dogs & horses are dealt with in my Will, even before my children, because I’ll be damned if I’ll ever see them passed from pillar to post & end up in that all too terrifying queue at the slaughterhouse! No, when I go, they and the $’s to maintain them will go to carefully chosen friends who will happily maintain them, and when they no longer can or wish to, then they are to be euthanised at home in their own paddock, no if’s, but’s or maybe’s about it.

By: Kirsty

Kirsty — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 18:24:19 +0000

I, just 2 weeks ago made the hardest decision of my life to have my very elderly TB put down. He was 39 and I’d owned him for 27 years. For the last 12 years he was too stiff and wobbly to ride having arthritis. Many people over the last few years have asked me why I don’t have him pts and my view always was that he had given me 15 years of his life and I owed him some back in return, not to be sold on or re homed as a companion. He ended up needing lots of looking after as he lost his teeth and couldn’t graze and when I got to the point where I thought I was just keeping him alive I realised it was time, before something critical happened resulting in emergency euthanasia. He was with me till the end. The British Horse Society have a quote ‘better a week too soon than a day too late’ still not easy. Great article, thanks.

By: Lana

Lana — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 01:39:18 +0000

In reply to Mary House. How lovely is that, the two together to enjoy their retirement!!! My boy is 23 (May) can NOT even imagine him sent to auction!!! LOVE, LOVE these seniors!

By: LB

LB — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 03:29:31 +0000

In reply to Jane @ THB.

Yes, I have to agree with everything you said, though it does go against the “save every horse” philosophy even some rescues around here hold to, that beg for money from the public to pay for heroic measures to save a horse,despite it’s arriving near starved to death, advanced in age with multiple health issues. Thank you for your insight on this matter……….

By: Jane @ THB

Jane @ THB — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 01:02:54 +0000

In reply to LB.

I can think of at least one more humane alternative – veterinary euthanasia, without the period of being passed around and experiencing changing and sometimes stressful situations in advance.

I personally don’t subscribe to the ‘save every horse and pony’ line of thought, as I hopefully make clear towards the end of the article. I think we’re in agreement there.

I also see plenty of instances where people have ‘rescued’ horses from the sales, or even from the meat man themselves, where those horses were otherwise destined for slaughter. Some of these horses and ponies have chronic joint issues (if you know what to look for), yet their new owners are riding them. If the horse is no longer rideable, and the owner is unable to guarantee retirement as a paddock companion, then I do think euthanasia is preferable to the pain of continued work.

However, we have a problem when veterinary euthanasia and the subsequent disposal is going to cost around $500, and the sales/slaughter option may bring in a similar amount. For me, this decision is way more than a financial equation, but for many, it seems it is not.

By: LB

LB — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 00:38:49 +0000

So, what is a more acceptable and human alternative for such a pony? It is scarey when trying to place an un-rideable horse, as to give him away or sell cheap may mean that that new buyer sells him by the pound. Owning a horse in my region is very expensive, so keeping him till natural death may be the end of riding for the next 20 years, as few can afford a second horse. It is not just another handful of grain, while he enjoys life roaming hundreds of acres of pasture on the family ranch, but full board and paying someone to provide regular exercise at a low cost facility charging 400.- 500. and up. where he ends up standing day and night in a 12×12 stall or smaller, besides regular farrier work, vet care, etc. I get miffed at folks who own horses where I board and do nothing for or with them around here or are too cheap or lazy to provide fly spray or enough hay or shower them when it gets so hot. Maybe death would be better, I hate to say it, but what I see is not a life for a herd animal used to grazing all day.

By: Jane @ THB

Jane @ THB — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 05:19:14 +0000

In reply to Letty Grayson. By focusing on one pony, it's possible to say a lot about the plight of so many more. Or rather, to say a lot about a certain kind of owner.

By: Jane @ THB

Jane @ THB — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 05:17:21 +0000

In reply to Joni Solis. Yes, he is a lucky one and strikes me as fairly robust character :-)

By: Jane @ THB

Jane @ THB — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 05:16:46 +0000

In reply to Linda Forward. Thank you so much for writing.