Saying goodbye with dignity versus…free on Craigslist to the first kill buyer!
Sep 01 2007
Winter’s coming, whether we like it or not, and this is a good time for a blog entry about being responsible.
Early this year, my friend placed an elderly Arabian mare into a light use lesson horse home. It was perfect for her. She did beginner walk-trot lessons and got endless quantities of love and carrots from the kids. The barn was upscale and lovely and we couldn’t have asked for a safer spot for the old girl. She absolutely loves children.
But time passed, and she started stumbling, and finally had a fall, so they stopped using her. Age had caught up with her. Her hind end was losing its ability to work in tandem with her front end. She is in her late 20s. She was scheduled to go on a slaughter truck about two years ago, and has instead had two excellent quality years of life.
She is being put to sleep on Tuesday.
The first reaction most people have to seeing a horse who is still perky and bright and good weight scheduled for euthanasia is “can’t you find a home where she can just live out her days?” I understand that reaction. Really, I do. But the idyllic picture of the mare grazing in a field isn’t based in reality, it’s based in emotion. In reality, an icy day – or just some bad luck – is likely to mean a bad fall, perhaps into fence, perhaps with broken bones. We all have jobs, and no one wants to come home from that job to find a horse who has been down all day, struggling frantically to rise. Can you imagine how it feels to a horse – a prey animal in nature – to go down and be unable to rise, unable to protect herself? I have seen people let animals go way too long, and I will never do that to a horse. When the legs are gone…it’s time to go, peacefully and quietly, with carrots and a veterinarian, and that is what will happen on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, it’s not an outcome I see as often as I’d like. Instead, you see people dodging the D word as fast as they can, either by allowing the horse to suffer and fall until finally it dies on its own or just can’t get up at all, or – worse yet – giving it away on the Internet so that dealing with the scary D word can be someone else’s problem. This just fries me, as you can probably imagine.
This poor Paso gelding was sent to me by alert reader “Texas.” Texas’ comments are in blue. I couldn’t agree more. Those of you who have been reading the blog will recognize this right off as an advanced case of DSLD. This horse has to be in a lot of pain.
Paso Fino Gelding…(which I’m sure is evidenced by his lovely gait which hasn’t been hampered by those pasterns) Aged Good O’ Boy.. Needs Medication, (and may I suggest it should be prescribed by a real VET not uncle Dick with his bag of tricks?) Honest Fellow.. Needs Good Home… Free To A Good Home. (would they know one if they saw it?) We told the owners that we would try to find him a good home……..Please Contact [redacted] Please, you jack asses, delivery this poor boy to my place. The vet will be waiting to calmly and quietly put him down so that he might have an end to his obvious suffering. Come on, what do you think the future holds for this tortured animal? Stop being so damn cheap, borrow the $100 bucks and call a vet!
FHOTD: Amen.
I know you’ve all heard this cliche 3000 times, but death is a part of life. Any animal owner should be aware of the fact that they are very likely to outlive their animal. At a certain point – may be sooner, may be later – you are probably going to have to euthanize them. I had to do that this year…she was a great horse, she was perky, bright and fat – but shot full of melanomas and falling. It’s not right to make a horse suffer because you can’t emotionally handle watching the pink stuff go in. For god’s sake, most vets will let you drop off at the clinic and then you can leave if you can’t handle it (or you don’t want the kids to see – perfectly valid point!) (And seriously, I don’t think the horse’s last dying thought is going to be “what a jackass, she didn’t even stay with me!” They are not that evolved. Really.)
So winter’s coming. If you have one that’s falling, or one that can’t handle the cold no matter what (this assumes you are graining, supplementing and blanketing and teeth are done), or one that is so arthritic you know perfectly well walking on ice is going to be a horror…do the right thing. Call the vet. Don’t let your emotions keep you from doing what’s right. Don’t evade that responsibility and put your poor old horse on Craigslist to be picked up by a smiling killer buyer with his wife and kids pretending they want a pet. Just don’t.
139 comments to “Saying goodbye with dignity versus…free on Craigslist to the first kill buyer!”
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Hey Shovels,
Thanks for the info and insight! I COMPLETELY understand what you are trying to say now.
FHOTD said:Rescues don’t just take in horses who have no future except as companions. A friend of mine took in a slaughter-bound pony for about $500 a year ago. She got it green broke, resold it for $2000. It resold about five months later for $8000. It is an A circuit pony now. I do think rescuers need to use some thought about what they take in so that not everything in their inventory is a companion horse that is unlikely to be adopted by a good home.
In the end, the only real solution is government funded euthanasia and disposal for low income individuals, just as we do with dogs and cats. Public awareness of how many cats and dogs die in shelters truly HAS reduced irresponsible breeding. I think it can do the same for horses. The problem with simply ditching them at the auction is that no one sees the end result – it’s not in your face and in your neighborhood like it is with dogs and cats.
I agree that we’ll never enforce the border effectively, but we absolutely can enact penalties for things such as hauling horses in a double decker that will take the profit margin out of the horse killing trade. If you think we can’t get the cops to ticket the double decker drivers, think about how many cops are out there ticketing us for silly shit like driving without our seat belts. Where the intake of revenue is involved, law enforcement is RIGHT ON IT. Every time.”
I gotta take this from bottom to top, do you think they’ll be trying to cross the border with double decker trucks? of course not, they’ll be hauling a 10 horse stock trailer with 12 stuffed in it. So, they won’t pay as much for them at the sale, that ain’t hard when they’re only bringing $35 bucks. Now they’re gonna be hauled 24-36 and up hours with no water, no feed and no medical attention, instead of tops, 12. The Mexicans are sadistic, I’ve known a few, having worked in the SW. They treat each other horrifically, do you think they have any empathy for animals? Not. Watch some of their “rodeo’s”
Second, we can’t keep their people out, how do we think we can keep our horses in? And again, you hit the nail on the head, how much will it benefit law enforcement to enforce this law? Not much atall, so will they? I doubt it highly.
I agree Government funded euthanasia would be a great solution, but, since Social Security and Medicare are going bankrupt and my generation has about as much hope of benefiting from that which we’ve paid as I have of a ride in the space shuttle, tell me how we can get this done? Euthansia and disposal of a cat or dog which weighs tops 4-150 lbs as opposed to an animal that can go up to 2,000? We need to be real here.
Nope, rescues don’t just take in companion animals, but they do take in so many which take up homes that could be homes for useful animals. They go above and beyond, many times to the detriment of the animal they are “saving” and the homes they are placing them in. You say they should be more selective, and again, I agree. Spending $2,000-10,000 on an animal that has no use or quality of life verses putting that animal out of it’s misery and spending that money on one that can get better and better some humans life makes way more sense to me. But, again, emotion seems to outweigh realism, people seem to be far left or far right, and no one and no animal benefits from extremism.
Oh, and yes, there is the exception where one of those $35 horses/ponies ended up being the diamond in the rough that ended up being worth $50 grand, but it is not the norm, and you know it. At least %95 are only really worth $35 and that ain’t enough to pay the vet to eauth and the rendering co. to pick em up which will cost around $750.
Found this over at the ‘other’ site. At least someone there is trying.
Here it is:
From HSUS website:
Get the Facts about Horse Slaughter
How many horses are slaughtered each year?
Each year, over 100,000 horses are slaughtered in the United States and processed for human consumption. In addition, many thousands of live horses are transported across the border to Canada for slaughter. After these horses are killed, their flesh is shipped to Europe and Asia for human consumption. Their owners are often unaware of the pain, fear, and suffering their horses endure before being slaughtered.
Internal and export slaughter ends. As far as I know no one is addressing the breeding aspect – so that continues, as is, for a few years.
Stats show approximately 80% are not slaughter worthy = 80,000 saved 1 year (20,000 euthanized). Remember, this is not a static number, it’s continual. However, in a leap of faith that breeders do get the message relatively soon, I’ll assign a yearly 10% decline. (I’m not including the ‘thousands’ HSUS reports being exported)
Year 1 80,000 saved
Year 2 72,000 saved
Year 3 64,800 saved
Year 4 58,320 saved
Year 5 52,488 saved
Year 6 47,240 saved
The number will never reach zero, however, you get the picture.
Normal horse mortality, via whatever reason, have been, and are currently replaced outside of the above numbers.
Question: Where are these horses going to go?
Also, do you expect a rise in neglect and abuse once slaughter ends?
Even if you euthanize 1/2 of the above, the numbers in cost and resources are staggering. Anyway, who is willing to euthanize a reasonably healthy horse?
Even with a heightened awareness of their plight, who is gonna come to their rescue?
Tell me where I am wrong.
Thanks.
Rob
Edit: BTW, I think the 100,000 number HSUS lists is way on the high side. The past couple years may have approached that number. However, with the prospect of ‘anti-slaughter’ a reality, there may have been a ‘panic purge’.
Even with lesser numbers. Even with the percentage of absorption at < 1% when quoting a current horse population of approximately 7,000,000, aren't we going to overtax current resources? The answer is probably an obvious yes.
Who is addressing the breeders?
AMANDA,
Thanks. I do have a heart, I’m a Christian, which makes me both an idealist and a realist. Truth is hard lined. I love animals, but they have a one way ticket as they are hard wired to be what they are and have no choices. People, however, have a choice, we can choose to do evil or good. We were given great responsibilty, but if any of us were capable of perfection, Christ would not have had to die. We are, however expected to do the very best we can to choose good. Many times the good decision is the hard and least politically correct one.
Wngs I’m not talking about catching the double deckers going across the border. I meant catching them going down the road in our country and fining them so harshly for transporting horses in this manner that it cuts out their eventual profit.
That, I think we can EASILY do.
If all of the transport has to take place in traditional horse trailers, you are also cutting down the profit margin that way.
I just think there are ways to make selling horses for meat no good from a business perspective. They’re horses, not cocaine. They don’t sell for enough money, even now, to make it worth it to transport them in an illegal manner. Obviously, step #1 is banning double decker transport in all states, not just the ones it is banned in now.
nat said:
“No, Nat should have done what Nat felt was right – not what someone else thinks.”
oh good. im glad weve established that the rules are different for YOU. you have a special dispensation to behave however the hell you like because… well, clearly youre GOD!
this is the same excuse EVERY BYB, kill buyer, fugly producer, horse abuser and chronic fuckwit makes, often on this very board. you think you know better and somehow youre exempt.
btw, avatar? thats that picture next to your name. the one featuring a horse so foul i thought it was a toad, quite similar to many halter abominations FHD has discussed, which will be crippled and useless in a few years and support the continuing slaughter industry. KUDOS TO YOU, YOU SPECIAL THING!!
By the way, I totally disagree with 95% being worth $35.
It’s more like 15% at the auctions that really aren’t worth anything (companion only/serious physical issues). Most need training or some weight but you can’t tell me that 95% are crap – that’s just not at all what I see when I go to the sales.
It is completely realistic to ban slaughter and legally force owners to take responsibility for their animals. If you look at the strides we’ve made in the past 50 years when it comes to prosecuting abuse and neglect, it’s amazing. I know of horses who just got taken away from their owner, legally, because the property was a shitheap. They weren’t thin or obviously neglected, but the fence and surroundings were unsafe. This happened this week, in the U.S.A.
The times, they are a-changing…
What really bothers you?
1) Breeders?
2) Owner neglect and abuse?
3) Industry silence?
4) The deplorable tactics of kill buyers?
5) The stolen horse?
6) The inhumane doubledeck ‘Last Ride’?
7) Lack of law enforcement?
9) Horse consumption?
10) Snobbish European elites feasting at our psychological expense?
Take a good look and ask yourself.
FOR LIFELIKE:
Although your stance is very much like mine regarding the slaughter house issue for the good mare who produced, ‘high quality foals,’ gave everything and got back nothing, just a hard cold floor to die on…
Anyhow regardless of this, I too checked out this users avatar, and was shocked to say the least, OMG… that young horse stands on post like legs, with pasterns that could never be referred to as gently sloping, and I agree what kind of ride could a horse give you with a suspension like that.
Its very worrying that people who proclaim to support FUGLY and purpose that they breed good quality animals, really are not and are just out there as she stated, ‘to earn a cold hard buck.’
>> good. im glad weve established that the rules are different for YOU. you have a special dispensation to behave however the hell you like because… well, clearly youre GOD!>>
What rules are you refering to. The last I checked there are no rules regarding this topic. Just personal opinion. Mine just differs than yours and many on this blog. No big deal, I’m fully understand others opinons and accept those. Not trying to change or ridicule anyone elses opinion.
>>this is the same excuse EVERY BYB, kill buyer, fugly producer, horse abuser and chronic fuckwit makes, often on this very board. you think you know better and somehow youre exempt. >>
I’m none of those you refer in that statement. Sorry I offended you with my opinion. But, really don’t see where any exemption applies – my opinion is just different than yours and you’re intitled to that, as I am to mine.
>>btw, avatar? thats that picture next to your name.>>
Thank you for the information, see we can learn from one another
>> the one featuring a horse so foul i thought it was a toad, quite similar to many halter abominations FHD has discussed, which will be crippled and useless in a few years and support the continuing slaughter industry.>>
Sorry you don’t like my colt. He will not halter all his life. I plan to ride him and hopefully make him into an APHA champion. None of my halter horses have become crippled, infact many have roping careers after their halter careers. But hey, what do I know about breeding horses
>> KUDOS TO YOU, YOU SPECIAL THING!! >>
Thank you! Yes I’m special – so are you
Have a nice evening, I know I will! Got to go now to meet my son and grandbabies at Peter Piper Pizza 
FHOTD SAID-By the way, I totally disagree with 95% being worth $35.
It’s more like 15% at the auctions that really aren’t worth anything (companion only/serious physical issues). Most need training or some weight but you can’t tell me that 95% are crap – that’s just not at all what I see when I go to the sales.
It is completely realistic to ban slaughter and legally force owners to take responsibility for their animals. If you look at the strides we’ve made in the past 50 years when it comes to prosecuting abuse and neglect, it’s amazing. I know of horses who just got taken away from their owner, legally, because the property was a shitheap. They weren’t thin or obviously neglected, but the fence and surroundings were unsafe. This happened this week, in the U.S.A.
The times, they are a-changing…
Yes Mam,times they are achanging, and sorry but yes, in my state, %95 are selling for that price. Fall has arrived and the camps are dumping their poor used up animals, and, I guarantee you, the price is not going to go up. There ain’t no kill buyers with a bottom line.
We have been in a drought, hay that used to cost $1.50 is now $3.75. And, that ain’t the good stuff.
I love your blog, and I am so for so much of what you stand for, I talk people out of breeding everyday for these very reasons. However, if you really want to address the problems, yes, education is key, but realism is also key.
Our fugly horse numbers are off the chart, and there just aren’t enough knowledgeable homes out there for them. (while some, only some have more money than brains)
The gov can’t bail out the human population, what do you think they can do for the equine pop.? The tax base is maxed.
You’ve posted other sale stats on this blog, and then tell me that the number’s I’ve posted aren’t realistic?
Which is it?
Wings -
With all due respect – and I truly mean that – if we as human beings believe that something is wrong it is even worse to not try to progress towards fixing it. There are so many things in history that would not have changed for the better if people accepted them as necessary evils.
It might be idealistic and ridiculous to some but to others it is important enough to not accept as necessary.
I know that you are realistic and for good reason – you have seen and know far more than me, I’m sure. I’m just offering a different point of view.
If giving a horse a useful function in death, be it food for human or animal is so evil, am I going to hell for donating my husbands parts? When I die, will the doc ignore my request to take whatever is useful and burn the rest because no one should profit from death?
shovels said…
If giving a horse a useful function in death, be it food for human or animal is so evil, am I going to hell for donating my husbands parts? When I die, will the doc ignore my request to take whatever is useful and burn the rest because no one should profit from death?
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Oh Shovels! That was so comprensive and beautifully said! Thank you!!
*LMFAO* you can plan to ride him all you like, wont make him sound. with those cripply little dolly feet hes got a cat in hells chance.
will that make any difference to you riding him anyway?
Helfer, I shall refer you to Shovels last post. When my own mother blew a bleed in her head and was determined to be brain dead, her license declared her desire to donate her organs, and we did so. Now, someone else can see again, someone else has a new liver, two other’s have a new kidney and several other’s got bone marrow transplants.
In the natural state a horse is a prey animal. They are food for coyote, big cats, etc., etc., etc. Those animals are not regulated as to how they kill and eat a horse, in fact, many are eaten alive literaly.
I like to eat beef, pork and chicken, and those in France like to eat horses, and those in China, Japan, etc like to eat dogs and cats. It is their opinion that these are good to eat. Do you think your going to change all of that?
I’d like to see their treatment changed, yes, and I’d like to see people stop breeding horses that ought not be bred and I’d like to see people stop breeding dogs and cats willy nilly too, and I think we can change that, people need to see the consequences, they need to be educated and I’ve long spoken of the need for an educational campaign as the SPCA did for spay/neuter in dogs and cats. That’s my educated opinion.
lifelike001 said…
*LMFAO* you can plan to ride him all you like, wont make him sound. with those cripply little dolly feet hes got a cat in hells chance.
will that make any difference to you riding him anyway?
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We have a different theory than the norm regarding halter horse feet. My husband is a farrier, and it is his beleif (as well as mine) that a young horse should be allowed to remain barefoot as long as possible. This allows the hoof to spread and develop properly as the horse matures. A young horse that is shod to early is much like Japanese girls feet being bond to make smaller. Make sense?
I have never shod any of my halter horses before two years of age. ALL of our halter horses have remained sound when ridden. We also strip the wieght off to “normal” wieght to size of horse ratio when we start riding. The bulk you see in halter horses is mostly man made.
For example I changed my advatar (see we can learn from one another!) of my colt when I got him and what he looked like 45 days later – all man made through diet and excersise. Hope that gives you a different light on halter horses.
I work in the medical field and am well aware of the benefit of transplants. Life and death is part of every day of my life. And because of this I am much more realistic than perhaps I’ve let on. I have no problem with anything that is done with a horse carcass, never have. It’s the leading up to the death that I have a problem with, period. And I would like to see that changed. Will it change? I don’t know. Is it realistic that it will? Maybe not. Point taken. Does that in itself change my problem with how horses are treated till they are killed? No. That’s all.
helfar, you have expressed my opinion completely. I have never had any problem with what is done with a body after death. I simply would like to see humane treatment implemented and enforced.
We put our little 30+ year old paint mare down last October. We could not keep weight on her anymore, and she was starting to stumble. There was NO WAY she was going to survive the winter, I don’t care how nice of a stall I put her in with blankets on etc. I hated to do it, I had a 12 year old that was devastated about her ‘pony’ being put down. But it had to be done. No rescue would have taken her…it was our responsibility to do the right thing and send her off to horse heaven. Did it suck? Oh yeah, it did. But it was a damn sight better than sending her to slaughter, like some people actually had the nerve to suggest to me. Why would I want to ‘reward’ this sweet little mare that taught my daughter how to ride by sending her off to the slaughterhouse? People don’t want to deal with doing the deed themselves, it’s easier to just pass it off as someone else’s problem. I think they don’t even deserve to own a horse if they can’t be that responsible…..
“I’d like to see people stop breeding horses that ought not be bred and I’d like to see people stop breeding dogs and cats willy nilly too”
Add willy nilly people breeding, too?
Stupid people ought not breed. Anything, anyplace, anytime. Never. No breed. No. No. No……
AMEN! It is a sad but necessary part of life. Wouldn’t it be nice if people had this option too? Skippy has poor quality of life, in pain and suffering so we put him down to end his misery. But, Uncle John who has a terminal illness and is maxed out on his meds can’t enjoy his final days….we can’t do anything to ease his suffering, and he can’t choose to end it. What a sad double standard we have in this world.
Nat, you bred this ill-tempered, medically challenged creature who knows how many times and then had her slaughtered? Very nice *eye roll* Do you understand what this blog is about?
Big thanks for this edition. Two years ago I euthanized my little mare. She was one of those Fugly horses with nothing but heart. It was her spirit that made the previous owners take advantage of her and work her WAY to hard. She was stumbly and and had arthritic hips. Watching her trying to get up was heartbreaking. She still liked to play and run with the herd, but it was a matter of time before she had a fall that she would not be able to get up from. Broke my heart to put her down, but you know what? I knew I saved her a lot of suffering. I will always miss that little horse.
HorsePoor said…
Nat, you bred this ill-tempered, medically challenged creature who knows how many times and then had her slaughtered? Very nice *eye roll* Do you understand what this blog is about?
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Yes HorsePoor I know exactly what this board is about. Not breeding fugly unwanted horses. I assure you I did no such thing. The mare was a high quality TB mare and produced high quality foals.
THE REASON I bred this mare was to GIVE her a SECOND chance in life! OTHERWISE she was HEADED to the sale barn that day. Who knows what would of happened to her or how she was treated. While in my care she was treated humanley and with dignity. She seemed to enjoy living out with the broodmare band with little human intervention. WHEN it came to my final decision, I bypassed the sale barn and hauled her directly to the kill barn. That was to ensure that her end was humane and with dignity and more importantly that her carcas was put to good use.
Nat, do you want some kind of medal? I find what you did extremely distasteful and greedy. I’m not sure why you’re posting it actually.
Oh and this blog is not just about breeding fugly unwanted horses. It’s a place to vent about any practices/behaviors involving equines that are distasteful, annoying, dangerous or stupid.
HorsePoor said…
Nat, do you want some kind of medal? I find what you did extremely distasteful and greedy. I’m not sure why you’re posting it actually.
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I posted it because there are other alternatives to euthanasia for a dignified end. IMHO it is a wasteful to destroy a horse via euthanasia if they are free of disease and/or extreme pain. By driving my mare DIRECTLY to the kill barn and leading her DIRECTLY to the kill floor, I ensured her a dignified end that was safe, humane and useful. There was no double decker trucks, no crowded feed lots, no lack of food or water when I CUT out the middle man.
With the kill barns shut down you can still do this if the meat is not for resale. We had to shot a mare a couple of years back due to a compound fracture to the cannon bone. There was no way I was going to let her suffer 20 minutes to wait for the vet to euthanise her. We hauled her carcass to the processing plant and had her butchered and donated her to the zoo.
By the way if you think I operate on greed, that mare was due to foal any day. I didn’t even want to keep her alive long enough to do a c section. I lost both the mare and foal that day with a single shot.
Again I would like to add that I am not trying to say my way is the right way or better. Nor am I trying to ridicule anyone’s differing opinion. Just sharing my opinion which I fully realize is controversial. Sorry if I offend you with my posts.
I guess I’m in the minority here but I really can’t see anything wrong with the way Nat handled the situation. There was no abuse and I also have no problem with using the meat once an animal is put down.
It seems to me that she made a considered decision.
Kay said…
I guess I’m in the minority here but I really can’t see anything wrong with the way Nat handled the situation. There was no abuse and I also have no problem with using the meat once an animal is put down.
It seems to me that she made a considered decision
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Thank you Kay. I’ve really tried to explain my story and give the details when asked. But it seems some just can’t accept a different opinion other than their own.
Some resorted to name calling, and one person insunuated that I lied in leading the mare directly to the kill barn. (Guess they never heard of a lip chain).
But again I stand by my decision, and again I am not trying to have others do the same. Just telling my story of a different opinon than the majority on this blog.
Helfer…I would also like to see all the animals we eat treated humanely. Unfortunately the little farmer who’s animals actually had pasture to graze on where they could be uncrowded and relatively desease free have been driven out of business by big government taxes, rules, regulations, high fuel costs, etc., etc., etc.
I grew up on a dairy farm, it was incredibly hard work and long hours, whatever we ate, we grew. We wore hand-me-down clothes and shoes and home hair cuts. My mother pierced my ears with a piece of ice, a cold potato and a sewing needle. I went to school smelling like cow shit and slept through music class.
But, we couldn’t keep up with the rising costs of seed, fuel, interest rates, and so on while what we were paid for our milk never went up. Shortly after we sold our herd of 120 head of milking cows, the government came up with this great idea to drive up milk prices. They bought out all the herds in our area, sent all those cows, heifer’s and calves to slaugter and put all the little farmer’s out of business.
Now, unless you are milking 300 or more head, you can not make a living, (if you can call it that). No animal was meant to be kept in such concentrated numbers, not even a herd animal. When they are, there is more desease, more injury, less time for compassion, less time for care. These people are worn out, hard and cold, they have to be or they can’t operate.
Unless you live somewhere that you can keep a cow or two, a pig or two, and a dozen chickens in your back yard, which with our changing demographics about %85 of the population CAN’T, how can you change this?
And, if %85 percent of the population can’t keep a necessary animal that will provide them with food, how will they take in even one of those horses who would have gone to slaughter before it was banned? Especially now that many of those who even had a remote chance are now in forclosure?
How do we change all that?
The only thing that will cut down the need for slaughter of horses is for irresponsible BYB’s to stop breeding their fugly junk ass horses and flooding the market with the crap. They’re keeping the kill buyers fat and sassy. It’s a neverending vicious cycle and it’s the horses that suffer.
Eugh. I’ve mentiuoned this before, but when my cat’s back legs were mysteriously paralysed, the vet called immediately told us we had a VERY minute chance that with a LOT of money, there COULD be an operation that could restore function. Now, this cat was bright, alert, still munching her favourite foods and pitifully dragging herself around so she could investigate things. She was also clearly distressed and confused as to why exactly she couldn’t walk.
So, did we stuff her into one of those ridiculous animal wheelchairs for months on end or possibly the rest of her life? No. We let her go peacefully, while she was still a happy cat, being cuddled by her people and full of her favourite food, without leaving her to hang around while we waited to find out whether her lower digestive system had been similarly screwed up.
My cat could have lived for another few years. She was at least 15, but perfectly healthy in every way. But she was a very active cat, and enjoyed total freedom. In a life where she couldn’t walk, she would NEVER have been happy again. I couldn’t force that life on her, let alone a horse.
Wngs -
Please re-read my last post. It should suffice for all comments you direct to me on this subject from here on out.
>>>>pandora217 said…
REF:NATS POST
I have hardly posted on this blog, but when I read what you did to your mare I was absolutely disgusted.
You state you led the mare in to the kill barn, or rather your husband did[what a load of shit]
First you stated that your mare has serious behavour problems, making her dangerous, having to sedate her at one point to haul her, …….. yet you claim your husband led this mare off to slaughter and she followed like a lamb.
I am LMAO at this stupid notion, and cannot believe what you say. Firstly the last place a horse with trust related issues would calmly go into is a slaughter house, the smell of blood alone would instill panic and fear in the poor animal.
Regardless of this, you are a disgrace, you claim you prolonged the mares years… yes for your breeding programme, for $$$$$$$, yet when the mare was no longer useful or financially viable to keep, you then cash in on the mare again at the plant.
Lowlife behaviour and hardly responsible breeder of the year.
WHY DO YOU COME ON FUGLY?
To convert horse lovers to have the same hard faced attitude???
Disgusted.
September 2, 2007 4:22 PM < <<<<
I missed this post. Amen and hallelujah. Glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. Thought I was in the Twilight Zone for a minute.
I tried to help a young lady at our farm this past summer on the same problem. Her excuses included …
“I’m just giving him a final summer”. IN PAIN THOUGH.
“I have him on bute and Rec*** but its not working like it used to. I’m thinking of trying to find a good home for him where he can be yard art? HMMM MAKE IT SOMEONE ELSES PROBLEM THEN. HOW NICE FOR YOU HORSE FRIEND.
“He’ll tell me when it’s time”. OH GOOD. HE TALKS TOO. I THINK HE’S ALREADY SCREAMING AT YOU.
I recommended that she take him off all of the medication (which was rotting him from the inside out anywat) and personally be there every day to walk him to the paddock to see how he is doing.
It took exactly 2 days for her to see that the only thing that was keeping him UP was the drugs. Did she really want to pass this responsiblity on to a stranger who might not be as kind as she could be?
He finally had a huge bag of carrots, a nuzzle with his best buddy who also had a chance to say good bye and went without a whimper over that last bridge. In fact, the vet was surprised that he only had to use half the normal injection to see him off.
One of the most painfull benefits of being a boarding stable operator is trying to work through the personal attachments of owners who won’t make an informed decision. So, we put together a sheet that all of our boarders complete every year (in September), on what steps and how far treatment should be taken in the event of injury or illness, young or old.
This provides them with the opportunity to think about the situation before the decision becomes an emmotional one. Or a financial one as we all can’t afford to send our horses to a university surgical centre as much as we’d like to.
It would be soooo nice if they would just lay down and fall to sleep for the last time. I’ve yet to have any pet or horse that has done so. The decision has to be made for them.
And NO they won’t tell you when it’s time.
A couple of years ago I was in a very hard place. I had lost ALL income and had 13 horses (on top of 2 kids and varrious other things). My truck needed a new motor AND transmission; our ONLY trasportation – I hadn’t lived here long enough to make friends with anyone. Anyway, I went to church, I was in an Arabian Horse Club and I did have some aqaintances(sp) but no one I could call in the middle of the night to cry with….
In the middle of all this my AHC, based in Jax, found out about a mare that could not stand up…she was neglected/starved. They pooled a couple THOUSAND DOLLARS to “save” this mare! The mare should have been uthenized, sorry. As THEY say, there are soooo many good horses out there, why put thousands into this one who probably doesn’t have a fighting chance? They had the people come out with the sling and everything to save this mare….*Sigh*
Yeah, at the same time, a local “rescue” found out about a TB filly who was going to be culled. A friend of a friend overheard the BM tell a groom to take the filly out back and shoot it. It needed surgery for it’s front legs, MAJOR surgery. They were crooked like I’ve never seen before. There was no way this filly would have a productive life…and the surgery was not guaranteed. So what does the Rescue do? They go online and beg for money from a BB! Yep, they got the money for the surgery! All $2500 of it. Yippie! Now the filly is “The Miracle BB baby” …….WTF? What ever happend to love thy neighbour? Why are people so willing to fork out the money for “hopeless” causes but when your neighbour falls “you” (implied, not directed) call the animal control and say they are horrible people? You go online and talk about what a whack job so-and-so is. Four horses, maybe more, could have been re-homed with those thousands that were spent on 2 hard luck cases that should have been put down. It makes no sense.
Thank you for making this post. It literally brought tears to my eyes because it hit so close to home. 2 weeks ago my mother and I made the decision to lay our 31 year old Quarter Horse gelding to rest. It was a very difficult decision to make because he had been my only horse and closest friend and companion for a long, long time. We bought him when he was 22 and I was 10 years old. My mother and I got many years of enjoyment out of him (I rode english and showed him in 4H and the local show circuit while she rode westen and did team cattle penning). He continued to be used as a lesson horse after we retired him from the show ring in 2004. He was also used in the local therepeutic riding program for disabled children. As I left home to go to university, it was a comfort to know that other children would be lightly riding him to keep him in shape and spoiling him rotten with daily carrots. In 2006 we retired him completely from riding and let him do as he pleased, eating and frolicking with his buddies in the pasture. Then, 2 weeks ago in light of his worsening arthritus and weight loss, we decided to have him put down. The vet clinic where we took him handeled the situation in a very professional manner and left us with a good feeling.
I can understand, having recently been in this situation, how hard it is to make that decision and to say goodbye, especially when the horse is still in reasonably good condition… however of utmost importance to us was that he /not suffer/. We wanted him to go /BEFORE/ he was in terrible pain, or before he took a fall on the ice and got badly injured. Yes, it was hard to say goodbye. The day before we took him over, I gave him a bath, and brushed him until his coat was really shiny, and let him graze on the front lawn until he was too stuffed to eat any more, and I cryed my eyes out. The point is, as hard as it was for us, I know deep in my heart that it was the right decision to make. He deserved to go with dignity intact. As much as we loved him, and wished he could stay around, it was the right decision to make. I hope deep in my heart that more horses get the same treatment in ther twilight years as my old guy did. He deserved every little bit of it.
Just to add a thought…
Having been involved in the horse industry as an owner and trainer for close to 60 years causes me to mistakenly think my opinion might have some validity. As I have gotten older, I sometimes forget to politely keep my mouth shut. With that gray-haired excuse, please forgive the somewhat long ramblings of an old horse lover.
A recent Long Rider’s Guild report/email concerning the mass numbers of neglected horses reported seems to confirm my suspicions about some humans doing “the right thing” by unwanted horses. I don’t think leaving the option open to owners to abandoned and subsequently starve horses is a viable option. Though I support smaller government, my almost 60 year love affair with horses tells me the horses need government to stand up for them.
I also don’t believe that the excess unwanted horses are simply products of over-breeding. I believe the Long Rider’s Guild has a valid point with their phrase “Hocus Pocus Horsemanship†resulting in a large number of unwanted horses that are difficult and even dangerous to manage. Notwithstanding so many “experts†claims, I believe few humans have a valid understanding of horses, the horse language, and horse psychology. Having done “remedial†behavioral training with horses from three different university programs, all headed by “expertsâ€, and thousands of horses for the public, I question the public’s ability to differenciate between an expert, or horseman and one who claims to be.
Just as we humans fall prey to scams that we should recognize as being too-good-to-be-true, humans wanting to experience the horse-human relationship fall victim of the clinician’s marketing. We need to recognize that the clinician’s first priority is to sell the clinician’s program, videos, halters, bit, and other money making gimmicks. My family has been involved with the Quarter Horse business since 1945, and stock horses before that. While much of the public seem to believe ranch horses were abused, that is not apparent in my old eyes. Fifty years ago horses were too valuable as tools to be abused. They were either assets to managing a business, or they were liabilities. Most ranchers did not tolerate employees creating liabilities.
What is also apparent to these old eyes is that we humans naturally want more with less investment. We have horses but don’t want to invest the time to do what is appropriate for the horse. I see horse owners wanting to feel good, rather than the need to make some tough, and occasionally painful decisions. I see humans go to clinics and learn games, gimmicks, and techniques, but not learn when to apply a certain technique, when or how to pressure, when or how to reward, or when and how to correct. To the lady that once confronted me during a presentation that “horse training is not brain surgeryâ€, I can only respond: You ain’t a brain surgeon, and you don’t know your backside about training!â€
The Long Rider’s Guild contention that “hocus pocus horsemanship†is creating unwanted horses just confirms what I have observed for years.
As far as the percent of horses going through sales rings being “crap†or being salvageable, as long as we use terms like “crap†we are going to cause discord rather than enlighten each other. My observations and evaluation of horses is that some 90% have behavioral issues. But most cannot be as easily separated into a category of keepers versus those that are too dangerous or too crippled. The healthy of body but having behavioral issues encompasses a large gray area. And that gray area is complicated by the talent and experience of the person handling the horse. The more a person knows of the horse language and horse psychology, the more safely that person can handle horses with issues. The less one knows, the more likely the horse will have another failure, and more likely the person will be injured.
Getting a rescued horse that is starved and making a judgment call as to his suitability is simplistic. Healthy horses are playful, and horses playing with humans are dangerous due to the difference in size, and difference in ability to take and give “playful†physical interaction. As a starved or injured horse recovers his health, what at one point may have seemed a docile easily managed creature may become a dangerous threat to an owner not having an adequate equine language and knowledge of psychology. Humans are frail creatures compared to animals that in their natural environment kick and bite, sometimes in play, and sometimes as discipline.
Over the years, another of my observations and beliefs is that horse owner’s and “trainers†attempting to manage a horse following the techniques or program of some clinician, has the potential of a high failure rate. Failure being that the horse is moved or sold due to the horse being too dangerous, at least too dangerous to that human not having the skill set to manage him. Since I’m not verbally skilled, let me reword to clarify. Humans that simply believe that some clinician holds the key to that owner/trainer and their horse’s safe and productive relationship are not ready for some of the more challenging horses out there being abandoned and cycling through the sales. If one is not sufficiently knowledgeable enough to recognize that most clinicians are just selling what the uninformed horse owner wants to hear, they are not likely to have the skills for a high probability of success.
Hence the Long Rider’s Guild use of the phrase “Hocus Pocus Horsemanshipâ€, or what I have for years called “Games & Gimmicks†as opposed to our definition of horsemanship. I don’t believe 20 or 30 years of equine experience means a higher probability of success. I have consulted and trained for a number of horse owners that have ridden for 30 years that have less capability than some that have 3 years experience. It takes a certain talent to learn not just to see, but to watch for, and interpret a horse’s message and motivation. Clinician’s too often get by with “listen to me†and humans miss seeing or interpreting what the clinician’s horse is saying. The horse’s message so often reveals that the clinician is a salesman first, and a horsemen hardly.
To manage a large creature calls for not just seeing what a horse does, but why it does. The motivation for a horse’s action may require different techniques. A fearful horse will not benefit from harsh corrections just as a willful horse will not benefit from only rewarding. Each horse needs a unique set of rewards and corrections to keep him respectfully considering the human. Following a checklist or program instead of learning the language and psychology I find shortchanges the horse. Trying to turn a horse into a pet of love object is an unnatural relationship that likewise exposes the horse to a life of misery.
Several years ago after hearing a number of folks complaing about being mislead when they bought a horse, I did some investigation. I decided that it wasn’t always that sellers were liars, but that humans selling or buying just are not aware of the horse’s motivation. Subsequently I wrote three articles about Pre-Purchase Diagnostics that were published by SouthEast Equine. It appears the articles went over the heads of most “experts”, as well as horse owners. My bad.
Just an old man’s rantings.
Mike
http://www.StartemRight.com