An open letter to M’s mother
Jun 11 2010
This plea for help circulated into my in-box, as darn near everything written on the Internet about horses seems to do. I am not naming the writer because she is a teenager and the person I am very angry with here is her mother. I will say that she shows in the Oregon Hunter-Jumper Association shows. Mom, you should be really, really ashamed of yourself that your child had to write this e-mail:
“I have had my horse for two years and I love him very much! I knew when I bought him that he had melanoma, but I didn’t know until two months ago just how bad it was. When (my horse) started refusing jumps and tripping often, I became worried and called my vet. She found that internally, he was completely ridden with tumors. One even on his spinal cord, killing nerves in his hind end. Consequently, (my horse) is slowly but surely going paralyzed and isn’t safe to ride… ever. I can’t afford to keep a horse that I’m unable to ride, no matter how much I love him. It would be much to expensive! I refuse to put him down at this time because he isn’t in any pain, but I need… NEED… to have my horse taken off my hands. I want him to have a good home, and I don’t need any money for him. He is very sweet and wouldn’t hurt a fly. He gets along with other horses great. Will you please help me? Can your rescue take (my horse)?”
OK, M’s mom, can you please explain to me how it is that you can afford for your daughter to show a whole bunch but now the second the horse is broken, you don’t have the money to feed it? Did you know that responsible people actually keep and care for the horses that break down or become ill in their ownership, instead of discarding them like the Kleenex they’ve just blown their nose on? Or at the very least have the decency to euthanize them?
After a couple of rescues pointed out that there were responsible ways to deal with this, M came back with:
“My mom was working two jobs to keep my horse, and now that I can’t ride him, she doesn’t she the point. I love (my horse), but I see her point.”
Really? Because I don’t. The point should be that we care for the horse ’til he’s no longer comfortable or we euthanize him responsibly. The point should be that we have the basic common decency to look at him as something more than, you know, an old rusty moped that we throw out when it stops running. It’s a living creature! And you say you LOVE him. What, you only LOVE him as long as he can be shown over fences? Whoooooooa, Mom really failed teaching you about what love means, didn’t she?
Mom, you probably know what you’re doing is wrong, and you know that YOU would be informed of these facts if YOU asked, so you decided to evade being told to buck up and be responsible by having your KID contact every rescue around. Your KID, who clearly does not know how rescues work or that her melanoma-ridden horse doesn’t have a value (well, maybe to the kill buyer but even they don’t like melanoma-ridden horses). You’re making your KID beg for charity like a panhandler, quoting some tripe about the great expense of keeping an unrideable horse that I’m pretty damn sure she heard from YOU. Are you proud of yourself?
Shame, shame, shame, shame, SHAME!
By the way, one of the rescues filled us in that you’d been trying to dump him on Craigslist before this, saying he was still fine for light riding. That was classy, too, Mom. How nice of you to try to pass along a dying horse to a new owner so that the expense of euthanasia and the heartbreak of losing him wouldn’t be YOUR problem. Guess it did not bother you that someone else could have a serious accident trying to ride him.
In case you are the slightest bit confused, misguided Mom, rescues DO NOT exist to relieve you of the responsibility of caring for your broken hunter now that he is not worth any money. Believing they do is like thinking that even though you make six figures, you should be able to march on down to the food bank and load up your car. Rescues are charities. They exist to help those who cannot afford the services they provide. You do not fall into that category. You can darn well afford board, you’ve been affording it for two years with this horse, and you’re not out of work according to your daughter – in fact, you have two jobs. If you can’t afford board on two horses, then you have a golden opportunity to teach your kid responsibility while she rides school horses for a while until it is genuinely time for your horse to cross the Rainbow Bridge. And if NEITHER of you have sufficient feelings for your horse to give him the retirement he damned well earned, I’m pretty sure you CAN scrape up the $400 to euth him and dispose of him. This is NOT someone ELSE’s job. It is yours.
Look in the mirror. You’re it.
By the way, I went through the exact same thing with a gray mare. She died a humane death in my backyard after her back end stopped working, a good six months after the last time she was ridden. She spent those last six months eating well, getting lots of cookies and getting groomed. Yep. I paid money every month to maintain a horse just to feed cookies to her. I’ve spent a lot of money on a lot more worthless things, and so have you. Why don’t you do the right thing and try setting a good example for your daughter instead of a rotten one?
284 comments to “An open letter to M’s mother”
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I’m with the people that don’t have a lot of sympathy for the daughter.
In her own post she says her mother doesn’t see the point in paying for a horse that can’t be ridden and she sees her mother’s point. That pretty much says it all doesn’t it?
I don’t think she does “love” her horse. She may love riding and there’s no doubt in my mind she loves showing (and the attention she gets) but, if she really loved her horse whether or not she could ride him wouldn’t make any difference (to be totally honest she sounds a bit of a selfish, spoiled little princess to me).
She’s 15! She can’t sacrifice one show season to give this horse the retirement he has more than earned?! Here’s a lesson way too many kids today need to learn, you can’t always have everything you want the minute you want it!
I don’t know where people are getting the idea these people are death-phobic, the impression I’m getting is that they just don’t want to pay for euthanasia.
The fact they misrepresented this horse in their Craig’slist ad shows just what kind of people they are, dishonest, unethical, don’t care about the welfare of the horse or other people.
Let them eat cake, M and mom, let them eat cake…
These people are voluntarily naive. Even after being told the realities by experienced rescues, they just don’t want to learn it. They just so badly want to believe that anytime you no longer want your unusable horse, all of the horse rescue fairies are going to swoop down and take your horse to their magic pixie land where he can retire happily in a field of flowers and bunnies and all the other unwanted horses in the world.
This horse is gradually going paralyzed. He will be needing medical interventions at some point. WHY WHY WHY would you want to give your horse to someone who, for all you know, will just turn him out in a field and then 3 weeks later will go out to take a peek at him and realize he collapsed who knows how long ago? Do you REALLY want your horse to die paralyzed in a field, with the scorching hot sun baring down on him, no way to get to shade or water, no food?? Is THAT better than being euthed right now?
People who “don’t have the heart” to put their animals to sleep should not have animals. Period. If you love animals but won’t be able to handle putting them to sleep, then go volunteer or play with other people’s animals. That way, that animal gets attention, AND you get your animal fix AND at the end of the day you have zero responsibility to make choices that are too tough for you. win/win/win.
Anytime I get a pet, I know that at that moment I am making a commitment to give that animal the best life I possibly can, and then to give that animal the best death I possibly can. It’s going to happen at some point, and if I had a hard time accepting that, then I wouldn’t have animals of my own.
Question for everyone, does anyone know Charla Wilder of Valley View Percherons???
If so, could you send me a quick note at designs@sharonmcleod.ca
I’d appreciate it!!
Bingo, Fugs! I used to exercise the horses for the staff of an upstate NY hunt. You can’t tell me that people who foxhunt don’t have serious dough. Well, two professional hunt horses made the hideous mistake of getting old. The owners, who drive BMWs and own Knoll furniture and original art, sold them. Yep, they were both older than 20 and they got on a trailer one day and that’s all she wrote. We’re not far from Canada. You can guess the rest. This happened after I’d left my job or I would have been down there screaming bloody murder. Oh yeah, here’s the best part: the original purchase price for one of these gentlemanly creatures was ONE LOUSY DOLLAR, and that’s before the horse carried its arthritic, heavy-drinkin’ master safely for seven years. Couldn’t afford to keep the damn animals or put ‘em in the ground, eh? I hate rich people. I really do.
I’ve got a happier retired foxhunter story. About 15 years ago my mom bought her first horse from Callaway Farms in Georgia. He was 18 when she bought him, a beautiful TB/Percheron gelding, still in awesome shape, clean, trimmed, shiny coat, happy eyes, you could tell he was well cared for, but they’d stopped hunting with him a while back. They could tell he was having difficulty keeping up during the hunts and he had recently been diagnosed with a very mild heart murmur. It was mild enough that the vet said he should have no problem being a light riding horse, but recommended that foxhunting might be a bit of a strain. We found out about him through the grapevine and my mom went to look at him and fell in love with him. The owners had not really advertised him other than word of mouth because they wanted to make sure he went to the perfect home, and they were willing to hold onto him until that came along. We were still relatively new to horses (I consider <5yrs to be new) but I was in a well respected local pony club and had another horse already that was totally spoiled and they really felt like my mom would be a great match for this guy, so we brought him home. He spent the next 3 years being my mom's best friend/trail horse/beginner dressage horse, and then had a massive colic and we opted against surgery -vets stated it would likely be unsuccessful- and had him euthanized. I don't know anything else about the Callaway people but I hope they rehome all of their horses with as much consideration as they did with this guy.
You mean you hate cruel, heartless people who make irresponsible decisions when the responsible decision wouldn’t be that hard for them to handle. The fact that they are rich has nothing to do with them being cruel. Cruel comes in all economic groups. I’ve known plenty of nice rich people and plenty of nice poor people. I’ve known plenty of horrible poor people and plenty of horrible rich people. Clearly it’s not the money that’s the issue.
Ya know, for every horrible “rich person” I know, I can name at least 5 more AWESOME ones that I also know. I know plenty of people with money who take excellent care of their horses. Irresponsible people come in all socio-economic classes, dear. It’s just more offensive when a wealthy person does it because it would be easier for them to afford long-term care than a “poor person.” But to “hate rich people” based on a few is quite the discriminatory stereotype, wouldn’t you agree?
http://forums.horsecity.com/index.php?showtopic=47071403
^^^^Turns out she sent the same letter to MULTIPLE people. It also looks like she has ANOTHER horse she is competing, not just the one shes trying to pawn off on other people because she “cant afford it.”
Holy crap. She is a manipulator in training right there. Also, there is some question on the other thread as to who is actually writing the emails. I think it’s the 14 yo girl. She is probably using MS Word to write it, which has grammar and spell check. The mistakes she has are not caught in Word (misusing “too” and “to”).
OMG how horrible of this mother & what she is teaching her daughter! Allicat04 while I understand your point I also think you’re way off. I bought my 9yr old a 20yr old appendix gelding, for her to ride and show. But that wasn’t in the cards for us, he was rideable for 2 months after we got him due to chronic founder and another flair up. He was also my first horse, after a lifetime of dreaming of owning one. I knew I could have sold him off to some unknowing buyer, also was well aware of retirement places and could of bought us another rideable horse – I chose to do neither. I chose to give him a chance and teach my daughter at the same time, paying full board for him all along. I went through TONS of money finally getting that horse some corrective shoeing (which he should have had yrs ago), I got him a massage therapist and I continued paying full board. Was it easy for either of us to stand there with our gimpy guy watching everyone tack up and ride off? No, not for either of us. Together we came up with ways to keep his mind busy through the winter that per his vet and farrier specialist told us to keep him inside. Together we wrapped hooves and/or legs. We got him through winter and into regular shoes. That first spring day he got turned out and raised hell was our goal, together my daughter and I only wanted that for him and by shit he got there. Long story short, his spring wasn’t long and another bout of laminitis came at which I said he will feel no more pain. My young daughter was with me and him through it all. On his last day you bet your arse she was there loving on him, spoiling him and saying goodbye. When the vet came to put him down I sent her off, but I stood holding his leadline looking into his eyes. We didn’t own him even a year. THAT horse taught both myself and more importantly my daughter so much about love, compassion, letting a horse be a horse and why that is important, about hoof care and health and so much more.
Today my daughter is 11yrs old, she’s a compassionate and understanding little equestrian and it’s BECAUSE of that gelding! She witnessed the disgrace of someone making a horse with hoof problems run and came horrified to me to tell me about it. She spots the halter over an ear across a large field, she spots those little things that horses can get into trouble with and is aware of hoof angles and a good farrier from a bad. She learned this from that horse. Neither one of us would ever take back a moment with him or change our time with him at all in any way, it was incrediably difficult and heartbreaking but lessons were taught that couldn’t have been any clearer any other way. He was and will always be so very, very special to us.
Today she has her own mare and I’ve got one myself, an elderly successful racer long since retired from many years racing who was diagnosed with cancer. Previous owner offered to take her back, no way and no how. She’s 27yrs old and our journey with her will be sure to bring heartache and break, but she is our princess and we spoil her rotten & she’s in great shape and can put the energy of any foal to shame LoL. My daughter’s mare also has heaves & we’ve got the inhaler mask for her. She knows if her mare isn’t breathing well, then it’s no riding BUT there are lots of other fun things to do with her… like braiding, applying sparkles to her mane/tail/hooves, take her for a walk in hand and so much more. Often the lessons horses have to teach us that are so profound are not learned in the saddle. How sad that there are so many who do not realize this. To read about this girl and her mother disgusts me on so many levels that I’d love to get my hands on the mom. If I had been contacted by her I would have sent them a video of what happens to horses at slaughter houses when the poor creatures end up with owners like this and where they go from there when they’re not rideable anymore. I sincerely hope someone points that bimbo to your page fugly. As Black Beauty would say “We don’t get to choose the people in our lives. For us, it’s all chance.” That poor horse
Signed.. a long time lurker who finally registered
You rock, and are a WONDERFUL Mom!
Road Apples , what a very cool thing you have done for you and your daughter. Those old “brokendown ” horses are priceless. They truely have a sense about who is helping them , and are forever greatful. I purchased a large pony once to learn how to ride, ahe was beautiful , and such a sweetie… 3 months after I got her I realized she had ostriarthritis in her scull, behind her eye and jaw socket …. I also was faced with a difficult decision, and put her down on a beautiful autum day , before something horrible happened to her. I never did learn how to ride after that. I love from the ground up, and it suits me just fine : ) I love that your daughter is the safety patrol monitor at the barn, you must be really proud of her.
Thanks, I am very proud of her krissy3, but my proudest moment was when she stopped and dismounted in the middle of a lesson because she felt her mare under her starting to breath a little heavier. She didn’t care about the lesson, disappointed a bit sure, but she cared more for the well being of her mare. Now that right there is true horsemanship
And this mare *knows* we care and on two occassions shocked the heck out of me by taking care of my daughter when I know her instinct told her otherwise, she is worth more than her weight in gold to us.
Beyond awesome, RoadApples, everyone should have a mom like you. And kudos to everyone else doing right by their faithful steeds. Got my first when on his 23rd birthday, rideable till 28, loved and pampered till a month shy of 33, he was unable to rise after a good roll/lost control of his hindquarters.
I agree. You do rock!
That’s a very sad state of affairs. She can’t afford to keep a horse that she can’t ride? How does being able to ride him make him any cheaper? I could maybe understand a little if the horse was piling up tons of vet bills that they couldn’t afford, and if that was the case, they should have him put down. But it doesn’t sound like it, and the money they would have spent showing him could go toward caring for him until it’s time to have him put down. I’d like to knock the shit right out of that mother. Poor horse.
I don’t care whether or not my horse can be ridden, I wouldn’t part with him for anything. If anything ever happened to him (God forbid) and he could never be ridden again, then so be it. That wouldn’t change anything else, he’d still live in my pasture with his buddy and get groomed, fed treats, taken for walks, and loved on – just like he does now. Horse ownership is so much more than riding.
http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/c-pets-livestock-for-sale-7-YEAR-OLD-WELL-BROKE-QH-MARE-FOR-KIDS-W0QQAdIdZ210649509
OK, not quite the extreme but why the &%@# would you breed this poor mare with her ‘swollen knees”? Sure sounds like a vet came out to tell you that, huh, real medical terminology. She’s SEVEN YEARS OF AGE, how did those knees get so screwed up? And if that kid learned good horsemanship from the horse I wonder why she didn’t listen when the horse told her that feet in sneakers shoved up to the ankle in a stirrup are dangerous? Poor horse is smarter than the humans.
Oh wait. She’s useless to you now…make her carry a baby for a year, surely that’s not harder than carrying a rider. She totally OWES you!
That’s really sad. I do somewhat see their side a bit but they need to be doing things different. In his case, it may mean putting him down. He won’t get any better. I think putting an animal down before they get too bad is better than waiting for him to get worse.
I just rehomed our older lame pony mare. I got her last year at an auction and she needed a lot of care and food. She was very well trained my great for my sister. She ended up being pregnant. After having the colt she started having some lameness issues with her hindend. After getting it checked out and worked on by a chiro, etc, it was deemed that she really couldn’t be rideable. She improved but not enough. She’s not in pain (runs around, plays etc)-but is not riding sound.
My sister needs something she can ride (all other horses are semi green or unsuitable), and we simply did not have room for another horse. This winter was bad enough trying to fit everyone in the barn and make makeshifts stalls, my two mares had to share and it was hard and we had to “board” our calves at another place and the colt took their stall. Kind of a mess.
So, I found this pony a home as a companion pony. We checked their place, talked numerous times, etc. They just bought their property and moved their mare their after boarding and she needs a friend. They also have little nieces that come over and can love on her. Their mare is young so not suitable for kids to groom and stuff. They have more than enough room in their barn (bigger than ours) and a huge pasture for her to eat on all day. The two horses are already bonded and they’re taking very good care of her. They are also close friends with an equine chiro and can get her worked on if needed and will. So, they’re perfect for her. My sister was very upset about rehoming her, but we already found something else for her, so that’s helping with some of the loss. But I’m not against people rehoming their unrideable horses-if they find the right home and are honest about the horse. I would have loved to keep this pony but we just couldn’t unless my sister had nothing she could ride. But, I think our case is a little different than this one.
I guess I feel lucky that I have always had great retirement homes for my older horses. I do understand that the child wanted to ride and that board can be expensive. I am wondering if maybe the Mother does not realize what it is that rescues do. It is possible that the mother thinks that someone will be able to take this horse in and love and care for him. I see nothing wrong with that.
I have placed older horses with people. There are people where I live that enjoy taking in older sweet horses and lavish attention and care on them. I never feel like I am throwing them away, these horses are well loved. In many cases they have more attention, grooming and cookies then they got here. I guess it is a regional thing. I am lucky to know so many people who just enjoy having and caring for horses but have no desire to ride or work them.
Jen
If you can find such a home you’re very lucky…it sounds as though you have retired several horses…what kind of region do you live in, urban, suburbs, rural ?
My experiences with selling and or re-homing horses has been a crap shoot…..promises and contracts be damned. The one ‘placement’ that should have been perfect was with a handicap riders program. We rescued a smallish, stout quarter mare who was super broke and calm but had easily manageable heaves that only needed occasional meds and proper hay. Someone told this handicap riders group about this mare and they came to check her out. On the third visit the president, horse manager and their vet came with their contract for final evaluation, we’re all happy as the horse was exactly what they needed. The contract gave me the horse back if and when they no longer could use her. I stuck by my $300 adoption fee and we added to the contract that it would be used to euthanize her when the time came. All went well for a long time, the group was well known, got a lot of publicity and I even would get notes about how great this mare was and indeed she looked good.
Last chapter….my farrier mentions how sad about the mare….I’m like…what mare?? The SOB’s had ‘shipped’ her….I get on the phone and sure enough…why? because she was too expensive, a hard keeper (heaves) and the handicap kids are their priority. I remind them of the contract…I was supposed to get her back…..well, they didn’t think I would want her back ‘that skinny’ and the kill buyer gave them $300 they really needed at the time.
Needless to say many horse people heard the story and I get a call from the group that I’m hurting their ‘image’ which in turn ‘hurts’ the kids. This group is still in business by the way.
So if you find a ‘home’ for your horse never stop checking no matter who has it or what is promised.
I’ve also found that selling a horse is not my thing either anymore. Too many times I’m seeing nice horses get messed up by folks who may (or may not) have good intentions, yet it is perceived as a horse, not rider, problem.
This may be a good FUGLY topic ??
Handicap programs have a well-earned “rep” in the horse community. There may be exceptions, but whatever. Screw handicap programs, for whatever reason, most of them don’t seem to care at all about the kind horses that make their programs possible. The military wanted me to volunteer for one out here because they know I’m into horses, and I won’t touch it.
Forgot to mention that any horse in a handicap program is by definition exceptionally gentle, patient and kind due to the nature of their work. Exactly the sort of horse that least deserves to be “shipped”.
I both agree and disagree with you, Rhoda. First, there is NO horse that “deserves” to go to the hell of slaughter. Not the rankest, most narrow eyed SOB that ever pitched a fit. He may be best with a bullet in the head, yes, but not slaughter.
I agree re: therapeutic riding programs. Some barns are now adding these programs just to fill lesson slots—and to get charitable status. I’ve seen horses that would be highly questionable as mounts for even able bodied riders, let alone the disabled. There’s no physio designing or supervising lessons, and some of the volunteers have 0 training with horses. Scarey.
Why don’t you give the name of this outfit so that others can be warned to avoid placing horses with them, or even avoid patronizing them at all? I don’t see why these heartless contract-breakers should be protected. They did something wrong! Who knows what else they have done wrong? The children may be their priority but, heck, what sort of lessons are they teaching? They knowingly sent a horse to a cruel and barbaric end, when it had a good safe home available, and caused pain to people who cared for the horse. Not a place I would want to send anyone I knew.
I rescued this older TWH from a State Forrest that provided rides to ppl who paid for them by a private stabe set up. Supposedly this mare was sold and then bred and neglected and had a colt and further neglected then sold back to the stables. She was emaciated, with a bad skin infection, girth galls, poor feet, sores still open on her hip bones and very depressed emotionaly……the stable was still renting her out to be ridden. I was looking for a younger horse to train and finish but could not locate one that suited me. I went to the stable for the owners said they had 3 horses for sale, 2 being young. When I went to the stable to look at the horses the owner said the two younger ones were sold that morning. I was a little heart broken. I went ahead and decided to look at the other mare they had for sale and saw what I described above. I was crushed. This poor spirit was so broken and I was told she was only 15 yrs old. I looked at her teeth and said to myself 15 plus 10. I told myself she was to old to “needy” and not exactly what I was looking for. This wierd thing happened…..I could not get this mare out of my mind. She plagued me so much that I decided to go and visit her again. Of all the horses I had looked at none had stayed on my mind like this mare. I was allowed to take her out of the tiny stall to groom her. Her mane was a mess and she still had a partial udder and though they were feeding her they were still renting her out and not treating her sores or skin infection. I kept telling myself that she needed so much work. She had hip down and her riding ability would be limited and she was so disconnected and emotionaly depressed I wasnt sure I could help her. The more I messed with her that evening the more she tugged at my heart. I paid for her that night and had her taken to a boarding facility the next day working off part of the board. IT was hard work getting her back to health, helping her deal with her depression and working at letting her know I am constant and promised her that I will never let her suffer another day if I could help it.
I spent only 3.5 years with her but saw her bloom and find happiness again. I even took her to a couple country shows just to have fun. WE won a couple ribbons, had fun. I gave her back her life and she gave me more than I could ever possibly explain. She taught me so much and was so incredibly patient (I was learning some new/different training methods) I know she thought many times I was completely nuts but went along with out much fuss. She had her little qiurks and even some orneryness and I retrained her for many things with in her abilities. She was limited on her physical abilities and I kept that in mind and never asked her to go beyond them. She began to lose weight with no apparent reason. Every test done came out fine. The Vet and I were stumped. She midly coliced and when she did I knew our time was limited I just felt it in my very soul. I changed her feeding and stopped riding her except for little walks. She began to gain back weight a little and I was learning how to harness a horse and drive and she was willing for I still did not want to rider her much at all. Then she began to go down hill again. I stopped all activity with her except turn out and hanging out with her in the back fourties and grooming her. I loved her no matter what. She continued to decline and the Vet and I suspected Lypoma. One day she had enough and I kept my promise that she would never suffer another day as long I could help it. The hardest decision I EVER made but I was with her untill the end. I knew what I was getting into when I purchased her and I knew that she would not live forever.
Having the responsibility for an animal is a decision for life….for better for worse. I found ways to releive a temporary financial difficulty by half leasing her to a nice mother and daughter and even gave lessons to the daughter on my mare. I owned her on a shoe string but NEVER neglected her needs or left her in the hands of strangers during her hour of need and her ending of life. I understand that some ppl have difficulty witnessing the death of thier beloved animals and that is tough even at the 11nth hour we all deal with that hour differently. I cannot understand just dumping your so called beloved horse or animal when its usefullness is done to strangers. To toss it away and discard it like a peice of garbage because its usefullness is gone. I found use for my beloved mare every day up untill her time of death……….it was called companionship and unconditional love not to metion the promise I made her when I bought her. I continued to learn from her even when I no longer could ride her. IMO To rider her was a privleage, and extra bonus if you will……not a right. This girl can still learn so much from her horse even though he cannot be ridden or shown or what have you. Death is NEVER easy to deal with and it never going to be but its part of life and seeing the end of your beloved creature can be heart breaking. From what I have read it was known that this girl’s horse had problems, why didnt they prepare themselves for this time? Why did they choose to take on this responsibility knowing he had problems? If one choses to take on a animal with problems you take on the problems as well and deal with them…..to the end, not pawn it off when the gavel comes down. So sad………so sad indeed.
(Dont get me wrong, if you are having financial problems or what have you and cannot care for your horse’s needs or any animal for that matter by all means sell your horse to a good home to save it from suffering because of lack of ability to correctly care for it. Dont keep it for selfish reasons and let the animal suffer the consequences. It is also OK to ask for help if something terrible comes your way. Things happen esp in this economy and somtimes in the worse possible of times. If they get sick its also ok to ask for help but its more important that the animal does not suffer. If worse comes to worse in illness its time to make the decision and keep suffering to a bare minimal. Not to dump it off onto a stranger. ) It doesnt sound like its a serious financial issue with this horse just its usefullness is gone.
I worked at the age of 14 to pay for my first saddle. I knew more about horse care than my father who thought knew everything. I saw some things that realy hurt me that my father did. Luckily I was a compassionat child and even more as an adult esp when it comes to an animal. Some times I did things that I thought were right because my dad said so, but learned that parents arent always right. I hope this girl learns this later in her life if not now. Sadly though many do not. We are a “throw away” society.
If I had the means I would gladly take care of him untill his 11nth hour of need.
I applogize for being so long.
“I can’t afford to keep a horse that I’m unable to ride”
Translation: I want to ride more than I “love” my horse.
Christ. I took in my ONE horse not even knowing whether or not he would be fine for ANY riding at all. Then I waited SIX MONTHS to find out, while he got daily cookies and all the fluffy turnout dirt he could roll in at the boarding barn.
He’s 26 as of June 3 and I can’t imagine letting him go. P.S. he is creaky and has the occasional stumble, but he seems pretty excited to tote me around for a while (in fact it’s harder to convince him to stop trotting and just WALK, cause when he’s on soft, springy ground he wants to GO). I’ve already come to grips with the idea that some time in the not-too-distant future will be his time…so as far as I can provide for him, that time WILL come while he’s with me, getting his daily cookies and shuffle-jogging me around the arena, or being walked around by me to all the grassy spots when he can’t carry me safely anymore.
Sometimes I just don’t get people. This isn’t what you do with any creature you claim to love. At least people who treat horses like utility vehicles are honest about why they discard them when they can’t function properly…but claiming to LOVE an animal but decide the best thing to do is NOT to put it to sleep when it has advancing, incurable health issues and instead try to give it away and avert one’s eyes? That’s not love. That’s cowardice.
Oh and I also want to add, I thinks its fine to rehome an older horse granted that the new home is suitable and the owners know how to care for the geriactric horse and realize that when the time comes the animal deserves the right to die with dignity. The key word is “suitable” and or “stable” home with ppl who know what they are getting into and even have experience in dealing with the aging process.
This girl (her mother is probably a lost cause) needs to learn the true meaning of “love.†Another poster observed that some people say “I love my horse†with the same depth of feeling as “I love ice cream,†and this girl needs to learn the difference.
She needs to understand what responsibility is. When you have a pet, you have legal obligations to it, to give it shelter, food and vet care, and you have moral obligations to be kind to it and care for it in its old age, including death and disposal of its body.
But she also needs to understand financial responsibility. If she can’t afford to care for this horse because her mother won’t give her the money (and is a moron), then she can’t afford to own a horse, period. Forget about buying a new one until she has a job and educates herself about ALL the costs of horse ownership (including vet care, retirement, insurance, and euthanasia), not just the fun stuff like shows and fancy tack. THEN she can decide if she can afford the monthly costs, as well as a nest egg to pay for the unexpected (like a job layoff or a big vet bill).
But I don’t have a lot of hope for this girl’s character. She has lied about her horse on Craigslist, tried to pawn him off on charitable horse rescue organizations, panhandled on the internet, and apparently has decided to dump him in any case with a sob story that is apparently not quite true. Oh, and I forgot, she has the low character and lack of loyalty to blame all of this mess on her mother. Whether or not her mother wants to pay to euthanize this horse, the reality is that the girl is old enough to pay for it herself. It is pretty low to badmouth her mother publicly, even if the mother doesn’t care about the horse, because it sounds like the mother has been pretty generous to the ungrateful brat, and uh, because it’s HER MOTHER.
I was one of those people that was taught / bought into the idea that horses need to have a Job and that if I didn’t have time for the horse I should sell him (despite owning for 8 years and him having arthritis and not being able to jump anymore and not being a kid-safe horse by any means) because it was “unfair to the horse”. I wish I had heard of retirement board back then. Hell, I wish I’d had the courage/emotional knowledge/chutzpah to find a way to KEEP HIM or at least not sell him to the first family with a trailer and $1000.
I was REALLY lucky with the family who purchased him, a year and a half later I received a hand-written letter from the younger teenager saying how much the whole family loved him and how they were keeping him forever. Really lucky.
However, I still worry about him, and I think of him and miss him every day and dream about him regularly and it’s been 5 or 6 years since he was sold. My heart horse.
Did everyone read this response from the girl:
—————————————————————
Well, thanks for the advice, I guess, and I’m sorry for snapping on you. My temper tends to go crazy when my feelings are hurt. Putting him down was something I had looked into, and it was just too painful for me. I will probably revisit that option after all the negative feedback I’ve gotten on my decision. Different points of view and new information helps you grow, right? Maybe someday I’ll be taking the same standpoint as you on a situation like this.
In the meantime, would you mind telling me how you found out that I had anouther horse? (She might be going up for sale too.) I didn’t think I made that peice known on the internet…
I promise I’ll leave you alone after this. Thanks.
—————————————————————-
This makes me happier. She’s learning. She implies she’s taken all of the responses in for consideration. Maybe she’ll go ahead and do the right thing now. Or, if she doesn’t, maybe she will for her next horse at least. I’m sure we’ve all made regretable mistakes with our horses, or decisions that we now realize could have had some seriously negative outcomes. The important thing is whether or not we’re willing to learn from them and not make the same mistakes, or if we’re going to be careless assholes and make the same mistakes over and over. The good news is at least she’s considering her feedback.
She’s in a position to learn a few life lessons about the internet, too. Like: Don’t lie to folks and think you’re going to get away with it, because there are LOTS of people on the internet, and someone will catch you.
I’m pretty disgusted with her now that I know she’s not telling the truth about her family’s financial position. Can barely afford one horse and it sucks that it can’t be ridden is one thing… can afford two horses but don’t want to keep paying for one that can’t be ridden is a whole different dimension.
There seems to me to be a big difference between rehabbing a horse that’s ill or injured and caring for one that will only get worse no matter what is done. Spending the money to keep this horse at a show barn would not result in a useful animal in a year. He’s going to be dead in a year, period, no matter where he is kept. Obviously where he is kept should be comfortable, but a horse’s idea of comfort and a show barn are not anywhere near the same thing.
Look, I’ve rehabbed many horses myself. I’ve given a home to old horses and had arthritic horses put to sleep when pain got too bad. I see the value in these things.
But I’m not going to agree with the other poster who bought a horse that turned out to be unsuitable for her discipline and kept it anyway. Sell it to someone who can use it and buy a horse that’s suited for what you want to do. If what you want to do is pet a pretty nose, jolly, I love petting pretty noses myself. But those who want to ride in various disciplines are not villains because they buy horses and expect them to perform in those disciplines.
I think that both mother and daughter are a couple of hideous creatures. From the first reading of this post I didn’t really see anything in the e-mail that made me feel sympathy for the girl, and I still don’t. How can the girl see mom’s point that they can afford the horse if she rides it, but cannot afford him if she doesn’t ride him????? Oh, and she loves him too much to euth him, but is willing to dump him so that someone else can euth him ??? Perhaps she could lease out her more marketable horse to afford the care for this guy. Or get a job, maybe even grooming for her trainer. Or cut a few shows out of her schedule. There are other solutions that don’t include the “I want to ride and show fancy horses so if this one is no longer fancy, I just don’t want anything to do with him anymore” attitude.
I know this is OT for this certain post from Fugly, but these people have been talked to many times about the condition of their horses as well as their fencing, home, ect….
http://www.equinenow.com/horse-ad-298574
They are now they are standing a 2 year fugly baby! I mean its ok because he has had a 7 year old on his back, two blue eyes and that makes him a great breeding prospect!!
Maybe if other tell them they might start to listen!
I just had to add this. After some research I found out that a lady was recently there looking at a horse they had for sale, she ended up buying two horses, just to get them “out” of the situation. I have pics of one of the horses that she got out of there.
I don’t remember which code to use…so I hope this works.
AC has been called but nothing has been done as of yet.
AAAACK?! WTF??? Who are these people?
It’s actually gotten to the point that yesterday I was in an argument on FB about how they put their 7 yr old daughter up on the stud to ride him. Another poster was saying that its ok as long as the horse is trained well enough. I just don’t think I’d take that chance with MY 7 year old son! Come to find out later I was having the argument with a 14 year old girl….at that point I just stopped! lol
This same girl is the one posting responses on CL defending these people. That would be the reason why all the spelling errors.
This whole situation is out of control and I really wish AC would step in and do something.
If they have had the vet out to check on the horse that was in such horrible condition when he was sold him, then they would have the paper work…and they had None!
btw…Im not sure why the pics did not show up ,but this horse is in HORRIBLE condition! They were posted on cl though, not by me, but by someone else who knows about this situtation.
I seen the ad for the stud and when I asked around about it, found out A LOT more about what was going on! The horse world is too small for people to be doing this and not think it’s going to get out! Everyone either knows you or knows of you.
Quick, Harry, the snippers!
Poor little guy, one can only hope there are not too many gullible mare owners out there who think an unregistered little two-year-old (of unknown parentage to boot, perhaps, if they don’t know his birthdate?) is a great sire choice.
Lawdy lawdy that creature’s fugly!
Did you catch the part at the bottom about the saddle for sale? It comes with the horn, seat and stirrups. Because, ya know, usually those are sold seperate- especially the horn. That person sounds like a lost ball in tall weeds.
Uh, ya well that just tells you what your dealing with here, they are NOT the brightest color in the crayon box thats for sure! lol
She also has another stud for sale and she’s promoting him as a breeding prospect…..wtf people!!!
Id really hope others have emailed her to tell her that she NEEDS to geld these horses!!!!!!
OT but for those in Washington State, LOPE founder Lynn Reardon will be doing book signings later this week in Washington.
http://www.beyondthehomestretch.com/events/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/LOPE-Texas-LoneStar-Outreach-to-Place-Ex-Racers/238234569836
http://www.beyondthehomestretch.com/
I think I look at all of these choices a little bit differently than both those who see all horses as worthwhile only so long as they are completely young and sound (and are immediately looking for a way to ditch any horse that isn’t, preferably while still believing they’re “nice” people) and those who feel that everything with four legs and a mane and tail is a precious pet that one must feel obligated to spend limitless sums of money on for as long as the horse can be a pasture ornament without literally writhing in pain. It goes without saying that everything with four legs and a mane and tail deserves a quick, painless death however, not to be dumped at an auction or on CL (not that everything on CL is up for sale by bad people, by the way, but clearly lots of sad stories to be seen).
I have deep respect and sympathy for those sweet old horses who have packed numerous riders around safely and been passed through too many not always kind hands until no one wants them. There is no question in my mind that those horses deserve to spend their “not particularly useful” days being turned out, well fed, and well fussed over – and that is often 10-15 years, which is no drop in the bucket. It’s a pleasure to do this for them, by the way, because they are such a pleasure to have around, ridable or not, even if they’re your only horse and it means not riding for a good while. The old appendix gelding mentioned in one of the responses is just this sort of horse.
It sounds like this girl’s horse may well fall into that category too – well-bred horses are usually nice horses all around, both mind and body. But certainly not just the pretty ones, there are plenty of patient, kind old horses that were never A circuit hunters.
But with all of the crappy breeding these days, what about the inexperienced person with limited income who gets a relatively young horse that isn’t just “not pretty”, but actually breaks down early under relatively light work? Or is batshit insane, and frankly, downright dangerous, even after a fortune’s worth of training – like my now 24 year old arab/appy that was “given” to me when I was 14. I’ve talked about him before and despite his undeniable craziness I do truly have a quirky bond with him and he’s living out his days happy and healthy – but if I ever get another one, I’m putting it down at age 4 or 5 when the trainer tells me he’s dangerous and nuts (but at the same time talks me out of putting him down), not keeping it forever, people’s opinions be damned.
So are people in that situation morally obligated to keep those horses healthy and happy for the next 15 – 30 years or more, all the while being unable to own a ridable horse? Heck, even 2 or more years for a non “retiree” type is a lot, especially if it really does mean that you have no ridable horse. And that really is part of the question here. Horses are NOT just pets for any of us. Most of us do want to be able to ride at some point.
Here’s another thing to consider. My younger horses are unlikely to break down unduly early, because I got young, healthy ones that are well put together. I was very selfish and calculating when I got them. I remember one sweet-natured horse I passed up in particular. He was fugly, but seemed very kind. Poor guy. I think the girl selling him was really trying to do right by him too. She really couldn’t afford to keep him I think and was trying to find a good person for him. I was even “calculating” when I rescued a horse recently. He was 21 and on CL for $900, and that just seemed likely to end in tears. He was -clearly- one of those sweetheart geldings and our intent was to buy and find just the right home, and I’d pay his bills in the meantime. He was also very well put together, sound, and very, very well-trained. The girl wanted to do western pleasure so sweet old gelding was on CL… Anyway, my friend, who is a trainer, found the perfect home for him, so it’s a great result, but we definitely weren’t going for the “hard cases”.
My guys are turning out to be good horses all around and that means that if something does happen, they won’t end up on CL, and as they age, they won’t end up on CL either, but if they’d turned out to be head cases, or had numerous serious health/lameness issues almost from the get-go, no I probably wouldn’t have decided to just pay for them for the next 20 years. Maybe that makes me a bad person.
Lots of people harshly judge those who only have one horse that is constantly lame and don’t want to keep it forever, while they themselves buy only sound, sane young horses (like I did this time around), and -then- sell them off just before old age starts to creep in. You see it all the time. All of those horses who aren’t in that prime age bracket, but are sound and not exactly old yet either. What do you think the owners are doing? Just something to think about.
No, no-one is obligated to keep a big, useless animal.
What they are obligated to do is euthanise it humanely, suck it up and actually pay out *GASP* when there is no financial return *DOUBLE GASP* and make sure the horse is out of the mess altogether.
No animal was ever harmed by dying in the arms of someone who cared.
What is despicable of these two people (daughter too, she is despicable) is that they are attempting, by fair means or foul, to foist their responsibilities onto someone else.
Me, I would not make my daughter keep a useless (to ride) animal, but I would make her make the decision about what should happen to him.
If she chose to keep the animal, all well and good.
If she chose to have it euthanised, OK, that’s OK too.
I have recently rehomed three fifteen year old broodmares.
They are breeding sound but I wanted something better for them than just having babies till they were exhausted. I do not wish to breed this number of mares, anymore, so they were “surplus” to my requirements.
How is this their fault?
If I had not found these brilliant homes they are all going off to, I should have had them put down. They owe me nothing, there is no way they would be sold, but I cannot afford to keep them all until they die of old age, in all probability they have another fifteen years ahead of them. I have kept them now for three years, trying to decide what to do, and then, Bingo, these homes just appeared.
Sometimes everyone gets lucky.
There is no excuse for what they are doing. Even if she was having a REAL financial hardship (sorry, if you have already bought another horse to show, you aren’t broke) there still would be no excuse for dumping the horse who has given you so much.
I have recently had to face this myself. My 24 yr old TWH mare, a horse I bred, trained and showed for years, suddenly this spring started showing neurological issues with her hindquarters. Without getting into long details, she had an old injury and also recently fought off Lyme’s, so it wasn’t a total surprise. What did shock me was the speed in which she has gone downhill. This is a horse that last fall I was galloping and jumping. this is a horse who still looks and acts like a 5 year old. Now she is dragging her back legs a bit, and unsteady in her feet. I just really thought I would have her for more years.
We have 3 horses, and 3 riders, and the budget for that. I really can’t afford to keep 4 horses, esp if I am going to purchase a replacement horse to ride. So do I dump my best friend because she can’t blast through the trails anymore? Of course not. I found a baby who has the bloodlines I like, and a much more affordable price, so I can keep both my old friend in comfort and raise a new one to ride.
Funny, I figured I just would not ride for a couple of years while the baby grew up, but spare horses to ride have come out of the woodwork. Everyone I know has offered me a horse to ride when I want. I currently have a project horse to play with, so I didn’t have to sacrifice anything really.
My old girl? she still has a job. She is showing the new baby the ropes, teaching her to come when called, stand for baths and clipping, load in the trailer. She gets gentle company in the pasture that won’t try to push her around, meanwhile she is teaching the new one herd rules. She still gets grooming, fly spray, and carrots, just like when I rode her. I see her everyday, and monitor her comfort. Right now she is content to wander around the pasture and eat grass. We squared off her toes in back so walking is a bit easier.
I have looked into arrangements for Euthanasia and both burial and cremation. All options are expensive, but not outrageous. Yes it is hard, even discussing it with the cremation folks (who were wonderful and understanding) I had to cut it short because it got too hard. I am hoping to give her one last perfect summer. I would love to get more time, but realistically I don’t think she could make it thorough another winter. My greatest fear would be for her to go down in the snow, or slip in mud and not be able to get back up. So my vet and I will decide when it is time, and I will be there to hold her and say goodbye. It will be the hardest day of my life.
Registered to say this: I was a 14-year-old girl not terribly long ago, and I do have some sympathy for this girl–not because her horse isn’t ridable, but because it’s very difficult to develop character on your own if the major influences in your life are selfish, nasty people who like to talk about how wonderful they are. The mother is supposedly a Christian preschool teacher. What do you want to bet she’s one of those holier-than-thou types who can quote scripture twisted around to justify absolutely any selfish decision she makes? Working two jobs so your kid can show isn’t selfless–it can be a very selfish decision if you happen to be a horse show mom who lives vicariously through your kid’s ribbons and would rather teach her to value winning than to value a commitment to an animal that has faithfully served her for years. I hope M is someday able to get away from her mother’s influence and become a better person than Mom was, not another person who thinks that they can wrap themselves in God or “poor me I’m a single mother” and justify anything they choose to do with that, no matter how awful.
Now, I had parents who I thought were not good horse show parents at all. They attended my first show and left halfway through and never attended another show. That hurt. They also made me work (for less than minimum wage, for a trainer who occasionally blew up and threw things at me or her horses, for a trainer who didn’t take me to the hospital when I woke up with appendicitis at a show with her–she just told me to lie down and then yelled at me for not being well enough to help with the horses) to afford tack, entry fees, my horses, and any increases in board over what it was when I first bought my first horse. I was a lonely horse show kid, but thank goodness they made me learn responsibility. I do wish they’d done it while being a little more attentive and supportive, but I did get to learn very early on that you have to do some really unpleasant things to be a good horsewoman.
My current TB was bought sight unseen to save him from slaughter when I was 17. I worked off his board working for a dude ranch owner who was probably a pedophile (but never gave anyone enough proof to get the cops involved) and generally just a rotten person, staffing his ranch mostly with kids working 8-10 hour days every weekend for the chance to take some lessons or trail rides. But damnit I did it, because that was what I had to do to keep my horse. And he needed surgery 10 days after he came to me, and then needed 6 months of rehabilitation before I could ride him even once. He was originally going to be a “save it, train it, sell it on” horse and I’d save another one after he moved on, but I fell in love and he’s now welcome to stay with me as long as he wants, even though his board is now more than my rent. If he gets to the point where he’s showing and goes beyond my own abilities, then I’ll figure something out–perhaps a long term lease to someone who has the time, guts and talent to ride at that level, maybe a sale to the right person with a first right of refusal contract–but in any other situation, he’s mine for life.
This is off topic. There’s a weird drama going on in my state that seems to be a tangled web. It started with this:
http://battlecreek.craigslist.org/grd/1789662699.html
and here is a response:
http://battlecreek.craigslist.org/grd/1790155865.html
My tendency is to side with the more coherent poster who can spell, but that’s just me. Call me a snob.
Whoops, just noticed Holiday24 already referred to this situation. I’m not the only one concerned about it.
Seriously, if someone wanted to fix up the fencing on my property I would love to let a pasture puff occupy space. I’m not a rider (yet, the great someday) and I wouldn’t be able to do all the day-to-day care, but I’m on about an acre and a half with a stream across the back of the property. The house is towards the front of the plot so there could be about 3/4 of an acre fenced off, it all used to be cow pasture anyway. Having a lawnmower and something pretty to look at, scratch under the mane and feed cookies to would be reward in itself
Anyone around Yakima? Heh.
TheRealistMom
Mind contacting me at drsgjunky@comcast.net
I have to go to work now so I can’t find the links but I’ll look them up when I get back.
I believe that the melanomas are caused by the action of the grey gene which prevents the pigment from entering the hair shaft but does not stop it being produced so the pigment ‘overloads’ the cell causing non-malignant melanomas which aren’t usually a problem unless they are in an awkward place. I believe that Agouti (bay gene) carrying horses are less likely to get them than non Agouti horses.
Now I have to remember exactly where I read those papers.
(btw for anyone interested in coat colour genetics http://www.equine-color.info has a lot of good info and a forum.)
My beloved first pony broke his leg in the field after i’d had him just shy of 4 years and I was 12. I know it’s a bit different in that there was no option but to have him pts, as the break was so severe, which was such a tragic feeling at the time, but my mum and i stayed with him anyway, despite our fear and awful sadness, because he didn’t know what was happening with the vet there (he was a shade nervous of the vet anyway) and so we owed it to him to be there to reassure him with treats and cuddles while he had the injection so that right up to the end, he wasn’t terrified – like we were, admittedly. After that, i ran away and cried into his best horse pal’s mane, but i stayed with him, and it was awful for me, but he didn’t know that, and I guess that gives me comfort to this day.
our retired boys are moving out of their teens, into their twenties now, and I know my mum, whom they live with, will have to make the decision for them someday. I know she’ll do it, and I know it’ll be the right thing. It’s scary, it makes me tear up to even think of life without them but ultimately, it’s right.
Having read all the responses on here, i think it’s clear that there are so many differing attitudes to owning horses, but the most prevalent and best (IMO) is the unconditional love attitude. They’re not a pet, they’re your equine ‘family’ -or friend, if you prefer – and you treat them with as much respect, love and care as that demands.
Hmmmm…
I got a pony when I was 13. I LOVED him. He bucked people off but we were naive and thought we could make him better, we did everything… Chiro, saddles etc. Eventually a vet told me that he had a trapped nerve and it wouldn’t go away, operating wouldn’t work and we couldn’t afford it. He wasn’t in pain if he wasn’t ridden, but if ridden it would suddenly hurt and he would unintentionally explore. So I couldn’t ride him any more (he was dangerous when he bucked, 10 feet in the air and inside out dangerous, put me in hospital and threw many better riders than me). My mum said I could have another pony, but we’d have to sell him as a companion or give him to a charity (told you we were naive lol ) I refused. I wanted a pony I could ride, sure, but I wasn’t going to lose him to get one, so I kept him. I didn’t ride. I used to leap on the scruffy shetland compnion and bomb about now and then, and I rode fortnightly at a riding school, but I didn’t ride my pony, just poo picked and loved him. I didn’t mind actually, I did want to ride obviously, but losing my pony was just not even considered, I’d rather have had him. 8 months on we got talked into seeing a horse and ended up buying her and keeping them both (oops…) but finances changed and we were able to, I didn’t seek out a new horse, but I ended up with one all the same, I like to think it was kind’ve like Karma… something like that
I now have a horse I bought myself, an experienced ex event horse, who is fantastic. And a youngster. And my sisters pony. and the mare… And my first pony 
He’s 21 and a beloved field ornament who eats sweeties and breaks fencing for fun every now and again, and I wouldn’t lose him for the world 
Very good points. The mother is teaching her daughter that horses are disposable here, which isn’t not a long jump to the auction block for every horse with any issues at all.
I just euthanized the best horse I ever owned, after six years together. He was still fat and healthy when I put him down, except for an arthritic leg (due to an injury as a yearling) that had finally caused him too much pain and his quality of life had finally deteriorated. It was a very difficult thing for me to do, but I saw him through to the end, and in order to do the right thing for me, I did the right thing for him.
I could have dumped him on someone when he started going downhill, but I can’t imagine how people who do so can sleep at night. Yes, I miss him terribly and there is a huge hole in my heart. But I know he is buried beside my barn and is at peace. I can’t imagine not knowing what happened to a creature a person claims they loved and knowing it was still out there suffering or on the road to a slaughterhouse.
I guess some people just define “love” differently. Like my ex-husband, “love” for some people just means they want you around if you can be useful them, then they don’t care anything about you if you can’t prove yourself useful to them anymore. I guess for me, “love” includes loyalty and responsiblity toward the thing you care about. If it people took more responsibility, EVEN WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH, and teach their kids that sense of duty, then we’d have a lot less “unwanted” horses out there.
Living creatures of any species are NOT disposable.
Can’t seem to navigate well or find the comment I saw earlier.
To the person who said the ‘thin school horse’ has a bump on his back:
That’s his spine. Occasionally, a horse’s spine is naturally deformed when he’s born. But very rarely, is it deformed naturally in exactly this sort of way.
Looking at the condition, age and history of the horse, I’m fairly sure the ‘hump’ in this horse’s back is bacause he has been ridden for years while he was lame. Years.
It is quite true that even when they have arthritis, many horses need exercise, and that exercise keeps arthritic horses looser and more comfortable than they might be if they just stood in a stall. If they are not in pain, and the exercise is very carefully planned and kept to as an absolute routine, and no one decides to just get a wild hair one day and go for a 3 hour gallop, it can work.
But ‘exercise for arthritic horses’ does not include hours of jumping and showing.
The girl who wrote the wishful comments about the trainer going up to scream at the judge for not placing her horse, all I can say is that someday, I hope her trainer does, and the judge gives both the girl and the trainer, a big fat dose of reality.
There is a certain group of professional trainers for whom ‘soundness’ means they can get it into a trailer and put a saddle on it. Eventually, they get what’s coming to them, but none too soon.
I read this on the first day and was going to reply but my computer was being to slow about it. So i’m replying now. Just Friday six horses at my barn escaped the pasture, one of them a big 16.3 hh TB injured himself. He tore his suspenionary ligament and has possiable radio nerve damage. His owner is a 14 yr old girl who had gotten out of horses for awhile last summer after the horse she leased threw her into the fence at a show. About 7 months ago she decided she wanted to get back into it, so we went and looked at all these of the track thoroughbreds. She always talks about how she can ride green horses and handle them (the paint gelding she leased hadn’t been broke long before she got him) and how she’d be out everyday to work with this big horse. So we din’t think much of it, I mean she used to be out everyday with the paint. So the TB got delievered (along with a nice paint pony I found while there) but she was out everyday for a few weeks. but you could tell she was afraid of the horse, he’d toss his head to much and she’d get off. Her dad paid my mom to ride the horse some and my mom called him “the laziest horse she’d ever ridden” and me and my mom ride Quarter Horses. But anyway the girl stopped comming out more and more, her sister would tell me she was downtown or at the mall. So when I found this big horse hurt I wondered how it would turn out. The horse needs his leg hosed twice a day and wrapped up. That night she came out and took care of him, then her dad (who normally messes with or rides the horse since shes never there) finally asked her how comimted she was to the horse and said this would be the deciding factor of whose horse it was, his or hers. She said she wouldn’t come out at 7 am to take care of him. And low and behold I haven’t seen her since Friday night her dad’s been out every morning and out every night along with her two sisters (one who doesn’t even own a horse anymore) taking care of now his horse. so really even if the parent does try to teach responsiabilty, it sometimes falls onto deaf ears.
Ok, are you serious??? This is the whole ad:
father reg paint…………mother percheron/paint
for more info call steve @ 613 732-8493
and this is the picture, because I know they always take down the ad.
If I knew it was this easy to build a fence, I would have visited the dump LONG ago!!
http://s958.photobucket.com/albums/ae63/cheriecalgary/?action=view¤t=5345hk4_20.jpg
(couldn’t remember which you needed, so included both links)
And this is the link to the actual ad, for as long as it works.
http://ottawa.kijiji.ca/c-pets-livestock-for-sale-1-yr-old-stud-W0QQAdIdZ211207577
Hollllyyyyy crap look at the feet on that first one!
Crippled for life if he doesn’t get some help.
The beer can and whatever those blue streamer things are on the ground lend so much ambiance to the scene! The horses are kinda cute tho.
Jessica Jahiel has written a good bit about end of life/ quality of life/ liability.
I think the one I am linking fits very well with this blog: http://www.horse-sense.org/archives/20020527175026.php
Boy, that was a kind and patient answer to her reader! I wasn’t feeling the love when I read the reader’s question; I wouldn’t have been so wise or diplomatic.
“I am not the kind of person who would just have a horse put down…”
but you’re the kind of person who would dump it at the rescue in the middle of the night? that’s sooo much better!
i thought it was maybe a made-up ‘email’ because she’s so indignant and awful about her poor horse, but it’s probably real.
The whole conversation about Melanoma is interesting. Harry, who would have been a grey..if he had hair…was almost completely covered in black skin. He had a blaze, and socks that were white skin..but the rest all black. At 5 months old, his first skin biopsies showed very elevated levals of Melanin…and they told me he would already had changes that suggested Melanoma. He spent quite a bit of time in his 18 years in the sunlight…and although we had numerous lumps biopsied..he never developed melanoma. ..and that is a horse with NO hair. So..what in his genetics protected him? He was a Percheron..does anyone know how often Percherons’ suffer from Melanoma?
Hey,
my pony was about 20 years old when he was diagnosed with spondylosis. Two vertebrea were already fused together.
I took him from his boarding stable at that time, because it was pretty expensive and included “luxury” like an indoor area, track for cantering, fields for jumpin etc.
I found a great stable for him where he was supposed to retire with three gorgeous mares. It was about 45min from my home, but the owner of the stable was very, very nice and caring and usually drove to the stables about 5-6 times a day.
Soon, I found out that seeing my horse only at the weekend wasn´t enough for me. In addition, he fell madly in love with the mares and behaved like a young stallion. He couldn´t be controlled and chased the mares thorugh the hot tape. So I decided to rehome him nearer to my apartment.
It was never a question for me to keep him, I´ve had him for 15 years, he taught me how to ride, he gave me courage and made me a better person! He helped me through a terrible adolescence (just ask my parents!)
My parents are no horse people at all, they are not even animal people!! But they bought me my horse because they thought it would be better for me to spent my day in the stable with my good friends and not anywhere else. Had I not taken care of him properly, they would have sold him in a heartbeat! So I knew that I had to take care of him and I had to make all decisions for him which was sometimes difficult for a teenager, esp. when he was sick. But I had a great riding trainer, tons of friends at the stable (teenager and adults) and read everything I could get my hands on.
He wasn´t an easy horse when I got him and I was pretty green. At the beginning I was often frustrated but I never ever thought about selling him cos I knew we were getting there!
When my horse was diagnosed, my mother asked: “well, when are you finally going to sell him??” I had to laugh and told her that no one was going to buy an old horse with a aching back and lung problems. And I also would never sell him, of course!!
But I also have to see my Mum´s side, she knows how expensive my horse is and she just wishes I would spent some of the money for myself. And I also think this horse thing was just a fluke and I would be “normal” after a few years.
They never ever pressured me about my horse, paid his board and the vet bills for YEARS and I´m very thankful for that!!!
So you don´t have to have a horse-crazy parent (or two..) to become a responsible horse person. You just have to find strong role models in the horse world like trainers and friends.
But I also recall a lot of girls from my stable who had several horses (bought for them by their rich parents) because the ones they had “hadn´t worked out”. Those were very, very expensive warmbloods (Trakehners, Holsteiners etc). None of them is still riding. I think because the had no longer any fun but were pressured.
All of my friends who had only horse still own these horses and still ride.
We could open a stable for our retired horses, as they are all about 20-25 years now.
About the girl: I DESPISE people who behave like cowards and to not take responsibility for their actions esp. if they pass it off as something that is ok to their children.
I really loved the stories you gus told how your children (and you!) took care of their old horses. You rock!!!
Sorry, it`s completely OT, but too good not to share:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45RXwbkaYMk
2:02 – “How do you keep yourself fit, both mentally and physically ?” “With reining !”
))
I get so many emails like this and I’m sick of it. People treat thier horses like crap, make it run its little heart out for a few hours a month, and then lock it up in a box stall for the rest. I have taken 3 horses in THIS MONTH from such owners. Why is it they fuck up thier horse, and I pay to repair it or feed it for the rest of thier lives. I don’t make any money from it either guys! Horse ownership should be take more seriously, I don’t see anyone wanting to sell thier no good arthritic dog cause he can’t hunt! Come on people!
If only it was so easy to just palm them off hey. I have an 11yo Thoroughbred gelding. I was silly and fell in love with him so didn’t vet him and I brought a broken horse. He has spent more time a pretty paddock ornament than anything and I don’t even want to know how much I spent in vet bills.
I sent him to a friend with 130 acres and PAID for him to enjoy doing nothing. Winter has hit now here in Aus and he didn’t cope so I had to start to think about what I was going to do. He is sound enough for trail riding etc, just not as a competition horse as the problem shows up on a 20m circle. A friend wanted a pleasure horse she can enjoy and I want to see him pampered. He moved to his new home on the weekend, I will cover some of his costs and retain ownership still and if at any point he is no longer wanted, he will be back home with me. My main priority is to see him happy and if can make someone else happy at the same time, well that makes me even happier. I would never expect someone to just take over the responsibility.
I don’t know how anyone could just get rid of them, I couldn’t live with myself.
This story is sad, sad, sickeningly sad! I agree with those who say both the teenager and the mother are very selfish, self-absorbed, and shouldn’t have a horse! It makes my heart break for the poor horse stuck in this situation. When I got my older horse two years ago, it is with the assumption that I will be responsible for him for the rest of his life, whether or not he can be ridden. I will do many things to help give him aid if he should ever be unridable- from grooming and massage, to hand grazing, to talking to him and telling him stories and singing to him, as well as whatever in- hand exercises and walks he can do. By thinking of these non-riding tasks now, before they are needed, I will be mentally prepared when it does happen. And I won’t be one of the owners who only shows up once a month to see their aged horse. I hope these two women (the mother and the daughter) learn more about compassion for horses.
Can’t wait for Karma to come around.
“I love you, Mum, but if you can’t work two jobs to support me, then what use are you?”
I have 10 horses right…sometimes it’s a struggle to pay the bills…However I bought these/adopted/bred for and there fore I am responsible..I have a 22 yr old gelding who will probably never do an honest days work again(had lymes disease and is occasionally stiff in the front end) and a 19 yr old brood mare who is off in the back from injury as 4 yr old….They will live out their days together in the pasture as long as they are comfortable..I will be devestated when the old man goes b/c I have had him 18 yrs but he will die with dignity and pain free. I owe him that for all the great years we showed and how he helped ‘raise my daughter’ through 4H….horses live a long time and it’s a commitment we give them(or should) for all they give to us.