I have a TB mare that is 27 and in good condition for her age. Right now I ride her when weather allows and I am not too busy. I have let friends ride her as well, they are always suprised at her age because she seems younger. The problem is I am leaving for college this august and cannot keep her. No one wants a horse that is 27, and the idea of putting her down when she is still healthy and sound seems wrong, but I can't afford to keep her while I am in college. What are your opinions? I'd appreciate any ideas as I am at a loss for what to do....

Since she's in good condition, contact a riding therapy center where they use horses as the only therapists some kids can relate to. In addition, advertise her somewhere like DreamHorse and say that she could be a good companion horse. Is she good with beginners? It sounds as though she is, since you've let friends ride her. Again, advertise her as a good "starter" horse. But be very selective about the buyer, to make sure that they can handle the needs of a senior horse, and don't let her go to slaughter. Put a price on her, even if you would give her away to the right person. A price gets rid of the people that aren't going to care for her.

 You are correct that there is NO market for companion horses -- they are flooded and there are too many of them out there.  No one can take on the responsiblity that you can no longer carry.  It sounds harsh, but it is not pretty out there for older horses. 

You can try and donate to a riding school or therapy program but you need to be VERY careful as there are more than a few that send their rejects to auction.  

Have you tried leasing her to someone?  That or retirement board seem like the only viable options.

Euthanasia is an option as well -- I know it sounds terrible, but you've given her a long and happy life and she honestly doesn't know the difference.  A peaceful and dignified death in her happy place with the person she loves is far better than an uncertain future that could end badly somewhere else.

A lot to think about, indeed.

I agree with Solaris: euthanasia is a better end than slaughter or an uncertain home. Horses have no sense of death--that we know of--and calmly drifting off to sleep is all she sees. If you are there with her until the end she'll have an easy passing, and as far as she is concerned she'll sense nothing but a nap coming on.

I agree with the others, as much as we hate to think about it, sometimes euthanasia is the kindest option.

The market is saturated right now, so I think you'd have a hard time finding a home for her.  I've seen people giving away perfectly sound 4 yr olds. 

Plus there's no guarantee that someone who has a job and can afford to keep a horse now won't lose their job six months from now and the horse end up on the slippery slope to the slaughter auctions.

I wish you the best, which ever decision you make.

 

Thanks everyone. I will look into possibly leasing her and if that doesn't work out I will consider euthanasia, I do agree it's definitely better than her ending up in the wrong place.

I Agree with 48northfarm. The horse does not have to be put down because it is older. There are many therapy centres out there that would be willing to take a horse in. At the Healing Horses Sanctuary in Maple Ridge BC we use our less than rideable horses for equine facilitated therapy. This includes a retired horse, a blind horse and several that are lame for one reason or another. There are lots of therapy centres that can still make good use of a well trained, ridable horse.

The thought of having the horse euthanized is appalling. Would you do that to your aging mother or grandmother. Look around, put posts out. If you are willing to rehome for no money, there will be someone who will give her a good home. I had one young man contact me from New Mexico the other day looking for a horse he needs for his own personal therapy.

Get the word out there that you are looking to rehome your horse. Use facebook and other horse forums. Someone will want her. If I wasn't no far away, I'd offer to take her in.

No, I would not euthanize my mother or grandmother. But then, I would never even consider leasing them to someone or selling them, even if someone offered me a great deal of money and said they'd have a good home. I would hate to be your mother or grandmother if you treat them like animals!

Euthanasia may be the best option for my horse at this point as she has developed a few issues that leave rehoming her out of the question for the most part. Even if anyone would be interested, which I'm afraid would not be the case in my area as I have tried that in the past. Many people are giving away younger, nicer horses that are more versatile and even some of them are having trouble finding places for their horses. There are simply too many. My options for Belle are very limited. Especially with the safety issues that have recently become a problem with her so she will probably be put down this fall or winter if not sooner.

Putting her down is probably the most humane option, as many of us said. If she has you with her for her last moments, she will just drift off, peacefully. I've never had a horse put down, yet, but I've had 5 cats euthanized, and it's not easy, but much better than an uncertain future. I'm sure the kill buyers are always looking for someone like you, but you're not going to give them a chance to prey on you. Belle is lucky she has you to cover her back: many owners would just let her loose in the woods or desert, telling themselves, "Oh, she'll be fine. She'll find food and water to sustain herself until she dies of natural causes." Not true. Euthanasia is much more humane. I actually wish humans could die that easily, rather than struggling with painful diseases in their last months.

Thank you very much. I was planning on waiting till after this summer was over before euthanizing her but I'm not really sure if waiting is what's best for her at this point. I started a new post with her newly developed problems because I am just not sure what to think at this point, it is a hard decision to make. Once you do it is so final it's hard to take that step.

Like 48, I've also not had to euthanize a horse yet.  With one of my two horses getting closer to the 20 mark, I know it's something I might be facing sooner rather than later.  The decision isn't an easy one, but it's the brave and responsible one.  Hang in there and spend as much quality time with your girl as you can beforehand.