03.27What do I do with my old horse I cant afford to take care of anymore?
We can not an old horse in the sp? 20 th and k my family? Can, act quickly to take over, m? We need to find someone to take. It is difficult to lose weight because he is now hes hes not so old and pass? S in? Tat, but we do not want it to end in a march? meat. I was wondering if anyone knew the name of an organization that agrees to take it w? Rde.
22 Responses to “What do I do with my old horse I cant afford to take care of anymore?”
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Where are you from??
March 28th, 2011 at 12:43 am
Well, first of all get him gelded. Nobody is going to have the facilities to take on a stallion unless they want it to breed, which nobody would. A good breeding stallion is NEVER free! Plus with his age he’s probably got decreased fertility and will have a hard time covering mares. Nobody would want that.
Second, he is not hard to keep weight on because he’s old. No such thing as skinny because he’s old… he must have some other problem which is causing him to loose weight.
Third, NOBODY is taking high-maintenance horses right now. The market is so bad that people are giving away broke, young, healthy horses for free. Why would someone want your old stallion who isn’t rideable when they could have a healthy 5-year-old gelding for the same “price”?
If I owned this horse, I would get it euthanized rather than risk having it wind up in the meat market. Horses like this rarely go anywhere else. Even if you do find him a good home, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to keep him forever and they might wind up giving him away too… and who knows where he’ll end up then?
March 28th, 2011 at 1:14 am
There should be barns in your area that would take him on a pasture board. So either you could still keep him at a lower rate or someone may just want to keep him as a retired horse in pasture.
March 28th, 2011 at 1:26 am
I would recommend the Veteran Horse Society,if they can’t help i think they would have some good contacts.
Have you thought of having him put to sleep? It is sometimes the best and most responsible thing to do,he doesn’t have to go to meat market… : 0 >
March 28th, 2011 at 1:44 am
I would get your vet to check him out. He shouldn’t be having
a weight problem just because he’s 20 yr.old. I have a 27 yr. old
stallion he has no weight problems.
March 28th, 2011 at 2:43 am
I really hate to say it and I’m not trying to offend you but if you cant afford him and you cant keep weight of him he needs to be put down he has lived a good long life don’t let him suffer till the end to the right thing and put him down.
March 28th, 2011 at 3:26 am
In this market, there is no guarantee he won’t end up sold for meat. Organisations are overstretched as it is. It may be time to consider putting him to sleep.
xx
March 28th, 2011 at 4:18 am
Search on google or in your phone book for a local horse rescue group and ask them to take him. If you find someone that takes in horses like that they might want him. It may come down to having to euthanize him. As sad as it seems it may be the only option.
Good luck in finding him a home I really hope someone will take him for you!
March 28th, 2011 at 4:23 am
Why pass your problems onto someone else? Do the right thing by the old horse and have him euthanised.
This sort of thing really gets my hackles up. You have a horse for one reason or another, it gets old and harder to keep. Money is tight so instead of doing the right thing and making sure that he doesn’t suffer, by going from pillar to post and ending up on a trip to Mexico or Canada, just so you can rest easy in your bed kidding yourself that he has a ‘wonderful’ happy home.
Time to face reality and stop trying to pass the buck. Nothing wrong with deciding it is time for an old friend to pass on.
March 28th, 2011 at 4:45 am
sweetie no one will take this horse from you. if you put him on craigslist or even on dream horse for cheap they will take him and use him for meat. the kindest thing you can do if he is older and unhealthy is euthanize him. if this was you, would you want your family to give you away to a shelter or a meat buyer in your old age or just put you down gently where you lived wiht loved ones all your life? do the right thing and let him go peacefully
March 28th, 2011 at 5:23 am
I completely agree with “Foxhunte” it’s time!
March 28th, 2011 at 5:27 am
I have an oldie as well he is in his early 30′s. I will not be sending him to a free home or finding a “good home” for him. He will be here till he can no longer look after himself. I would suggest that you think very hard about sending this stallion somwhere…first of all, no one will want a stallion anyway, so there is one strike against him right off…if he is in his late 20′s gelding him would be not the best idea either. If he is loosing weight perhaps his teeth are not so good, maybe lost a few and cannot chew as well and there fore does not get the good out of what he ingests. There are pelleted food that will put weight on him and keep it on..I have used it for years on my oldies and it certainly keeps them fit till the day they die. If you do not have a pasture that he can live out his life in and you cannot afford his upkeep, then it is time to look at putting him down, It seems hard hearted but in reality, you are doing the best for him, rather then blindly sending him down the road to who knows where.
March 28th, 2011 at 5:51 am
I agree with Julie except I wouldn’t have him gelded…could have major complications at that age. Although you may not want to think of euthanasia, it may be best for him. He could end up anywhere if you give him away.
Even if you were successful with the vet gelding him he has been a stud for 20 plus years, he will always think he is a stud.
It’s hard to make a decision such as this, but think of what is really best for him.
The only out is a retirement home for horses and you will have to look hard for this one.
March 28th, 2011 at 6:46 am
Put him down. He’s your horse, and it’s your privilege and responsibility to makes sure he doesn’t suffer. Don’t dump your problems on someone else and risk improper care and suffering for your old horse.
A quick slaughter death would be much kinder than some of the things I’ve seen going on around here since slaughter was banned. It takes horses months to starve to death, and since the counties and rescues are swamped, nobody even bothers to check out most of the cases around here any more.
Sickening.
March 28th, 2011 at 7:19 am
re his weigh problem, when was the last team you had his teeth floated? As horses get older their teeth get less and able to chew grain. Having his teeth floated should help and also check for parasites.. If you’re not worming him on a good schedule he could be having problems there.
If you’re old enough try to get a part time job grain and hay shouldn’t run that much a month. and health care can be something You can plan for and put a little money aside for until he needs to see the vet or the farrier.
Do what you can to save your horse.. I lost mine few years ago when we went broke and there isn’t a day I don’t think about Midnight.
March 28th, 2011 at 8:09 am
There are lots of horse rescues out there, but because of the tanking economy, they’re all pretty full right now. Furthermore, lots of well-intentioned individuals open up horse rescues only to find out they can’t afford to feed the horses six months later, and the horses have to be re-rescued. So if you decide to go that route, make sure you do some serious, first-hand research and find an established organization with a good reputation.
However, most rescues won’t take on stallions, or will geld them immediately, so that should be your first step. But from there, consider his quality of life. You say he can’t be ridden, which means his only chance of being adopted is to be a companion horse. Since he’s been a stallion for 20+ years, it’s unlikely (though not impossible) that he’ll make a good companion for other horses. He certainly won’t be the best option out of the many companion horses currently sitting at rescues waiting for the precious few individuals who are actually looking to adopt them.
There are only two ways to guarantee that your boy does not get sent to slaughter. One is to get a second (or first) job to support his retirement board. Since he’s not being ridden, he shouldn’t be able to live just fine on just good pasture with a shelter and roundbales in the winter. If he stays barefoot your farrier bills will be minimal, too. Horsekeeping is never cheap, but there are ways to make it affordable, especially for a retired horse. However, getting another job is easier said than done these days.
Your other option is to have him euthanized. It’s a difficult decision to make, but it’s the responsible thing to do. He’s an old horse, and letting him go peacefully in his own home is the kindest option.
March 28th, 2011 at 8:11 am
Often there are rescue organizations- check on the internet-
or if you can’t find one most non-kill animal shelters will take almost any animal in need. (I heard of an SPCA that took a crocodile once )
March 28th, 2011 at 8:43 am
I agree just put the horse down.He probably would appreciate it that way he wont be killed.He has lived a good life,Just put him out of his misery.
March 28th, 2011 at 9:39 am
Geld him.
Most places won’t take stallions.
If he doesn’t keep weight:
1) how are his teeth? his teeth need to be floated once a year.
2) is he on a regular deworming schedule?
3) does he get quality feed?
Just because he’s older, doesn’t mean he can’t keep weight. There’s 30 year old horses that look great because their teeth are kept up, their deworming schedule is kept up and their feed is quality.
Google local places near you, unless you are willing to trailer him across the country….(because you don’t mention the area you’re in).
There’s this one in California:
http://valleyviewranchequinerescue.webs.com/
If you can’t find anywhere or anyone to take him, then at least put him down. Don’t take him to an auction!!! He will end up in Mexico or Canada for slaughter (the trip alone is extremely traumatic and cruel)
March 28th, 2011 at 10:18 am
If he were my horse I would have him humanely euthanized rather than risk him ending up somewhere where he would be neglected or abused.
FYI: Old horses need not be skinny….he most likely has dental problems and needs be on a senior horse formula. I have a 26 and a 23 year old and neither one of them are skinny by any definition but I keep their teeth in good condition and feed them senior formula.
March 28th, 2011 at 10:33 am
Most horse charities are totally inundated with horses at the moment as the recession has forced so many people to get rid and even abandon their horses. A google search for horse charities or horse retirement should find you what is available in your area, you can try the RSPCA if you are in the UK.
Unfortunately many horses are ending up for meat at the moment and an old boy like this is unlikely to find a home at this time, if you cannot find a charity to take him it might be kinder to have him put down rather than the alternatives.
March 28th, 2011 at 11:21 am
You could try offering him on http://www.dreamhorse.com as a pasture buddy, for someone who might like that, or for a nice horse for a child to sit on. You can also try http://www.craigslist.com, in the farm and garden section. But, be sure that whoever you find can supply you with veterinarian references and you can go and visit their farm. People will come up with lots of schemes to mislead you, if they are dealers. Make sure you get vet references and feel fully comfortable with them. If you are not certain of the people, don’t let him go with them. Do make sure he is up on his worming, his teeth are floated properly, and he doesn’t have any infections or other things going on that you might not be aware of. Worms and inability to chew the grain properly will make a horse lose weight. Get him checked thoroughly by the vet. He might just need something in this way, or a pelleted food or change in grain.
March 28th, 2011 at 12:12 pm