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 Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 12:09 pm
Okay guys, I need some help. My best friend has asked me for some advice in a bad situation, and I'm looking for more ideas.
My best friend works as the equine coordinator for a therapeutic riding center in central Washington state. It's a great job, she loves it. She's in charge of horse care, the schooling program, and screening and evaluating trial horses. Most of their horses are given to them as donations.
Recently, they got a horse in on trial who is very sweet, but is not going to work out for the program. He has "thoroughbred feet" and it appears significant arthritis, so he's not sound enough. His back is also dropping, and at his side, he would be expected to be a "weight bearing" horse, and she doesn't feel she can ethically do that to him. So she called his owner up to tell her that he wasn't going to work out for the program.
We're used to weird reactions from owners when we reject horses in the TR world. People have strange ideas of what horses will be appropriate for therapeutic riding. But this lady's response just sent her for a loop. Apparently, the pasture they were keeping him at before had the irrigation turned off, so since there is no longer access to water, he can't stay there. The barn she boarded him at before that is closing down, so that's not an option either, so she has no where to put him. She doesn't want to "risk" giving him to someone who will let him stand out in a pasture and starve to death. So, if the program can't take him, she's going to have him put down.
My friend was appalled. He's a sweet horse and might be sound enough for light hacking and is quiet enough for a small child to ride by themselves. He's a little high maintenance because of his feet, but not terribly. She feels like she's between a rock and hard place now. The program is NOT an equine rescue, they can't take horses that they can't use. It's a business. I think this is really sleazy and manipulative of this lady to do this to her. She doesn't want to send a horse to his death, but they can not keep him there. I suggested that she give the lady an option to board him there for two months (they have the space right now, but they're looking to bring in more trial horses soon) while she can try to find another option. She's going to look into local rescue organizations, but so many of them are already overflowing that she isn't putting much hope in finding him a home there.
Does anyone have any other ideas? I personally think that trying manipulate a charity like this is deplorable, but that's the world. She really doesn't want to see a perfectly healthy horse put down because his owner can't be bothered with him anymore, but she's not sure how many options she has at this point.
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 3:16 pm
I would try and contact any local horse rescues or, perhaps a retirement ranch and see if they can take him. You could try selling him on a website like Dream Horse.
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 6:20 pm
let her put him down. There are plenty of free horses out there who DON'T have bad feet and who ARE great for TR uses. if she wants to put him down so he doesn't starve or suffer, he's her horse, it's her decision.
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:12 pm
no one's going to stop her from putting him down if it's what she really wants. I am very aware of how many free horses are appropriate for TR. If no home can be found for him, he'll be put down, but that doesn't mean an effort shouldn't be made to find him a home.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 9:14 pm
AriaStarSong Okay guys, I need some help. My best friend has asked me for some advice in a bad situation, and I'm looking for more ideas. My best friend works as the equine coordinator for a therapeutic riding center in central Washington state. It's a great job, she loves it. She's in charge of horse care, the schooling program, and screening and evaluating trial horses. Most of their horses are given to them as donations. Recently, they got a horse in on trial who is very sweet, but is not going to work out for the program. He has "thoroughbred feet" and it appears significant arthritis, so he's not sound enough. His back is also dropping, and at his side, he would be expected to be a "weight bearing" horse, and she doesn't feel she can ethically do that to him. So she called his owner up to tell her that he wasn't going to work out for the program. We're used to weird reactions from owners when we reject horses in the TR world. People have strange ideas of what horses will be appropriate for therapeutic riding. But this lady's response just sent her for a loop. Apparently, the pasture they were keeping him at before had the irrigation turned off, so since there is no longer access to water, he can't stay there. The barn she boarded him at before that is closing down, so that's not an option either, so she has no where to put him. She doesn't want to "risk" giving him to someone who will let him stand out in a pasture and starve to death. So, if the program can't take him, she's going to have him put down. My friend was appalled. He's a sweet horse and might be sound enough for light hacking and is quiet enough for a small child to ride by themselves. He's a little high maintenance because of his feet, but not terribly. She feels like she's between a rock and hard place now. The program is NOT an equine rescue, they can't take horses that they can't use. It's a business. I think this is really sleazy and manipulative of this lady to do this to her. She doesn't want to send a horse to his death, but they can not keep him there. I suggested that she give the lady an option to board him there for two months (they have the space right now, but they're looking to bring in more trial horses soon) while she can try to find another option. She's going to look into local rescue organizations, but so many of them are already overflowing that she isn't putting much hope in finding him a home there. Does anyone have any other ideas? I personally think that trying manipulate a charity like this is deplorable, but that's the world. She really doesn't want to see a perfectly healthy horse put down because his owner can't be bothered with him anymore, but she's not sure how many options she has at this point.[/quote maybe an ad free to good home, light work for a child horse? some people still just like having something in there yward to take care of?
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 3:17 pm
I think that the owner of this horse should try to sell it online... And If rescue centres are already full the owner should just go out looking for places that board. Not all Boarding places are mean enough to toss a horse in a pasture and leave it there until it dies! But if this owner thinks that TR is a place to throw away old or broken horses, she/he should think again!
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