I hate horses: therapeutic rant. (Long)

Soundguy · Feb 24, 2009

N80 said:
Well, the horse is still alive. Still in the stall. The good front leg was swelling Friday, because it is getting all the weight. Today the good leg looks better and he is straightening the bad leg and even putting the foot all the way down. The vet says only time will tell.

Surgery is iffy. He had a horse with a congental defect in the knees.. they kep locking... surgery was less than 50-50 chnce to correct.. and even then.. he's be a pasture ornament... so we had to put him down.

If yuor horse can mend with no surgery and be a pasture ornament / pasture buddy to another horse.. might be worth keeping if you like 1200# pets.

soundguy

N80 · Feb 24, 2009

I've heard that there are people, and even groups, that will take such horses.

LoneCowboy · Feb 25, 2009

People are trying desperately to get rid of their horses (which they could probably never afford anyway) around here.
Wife volunteers at the county extension service.
They have found over 17 abondonded and dead horses in the national forest here.
People are taking their horses to auctions and horse shows, tying them up and then leaving.

so, when the event is over there are extra horses.

The shelters are full.

I'm sure all those wonderful good meaning people who made the horse slaughter plants close are going to come and help. (NOT)

N80 · Feb 25, 2009

That sounds bad. If the horse heals, but cannot be ridden, we will probably keep him if no one will take him for a pet. But he won't be staying where he is now. Too expensive. I'm fortunate in that my B-I-L will likely allow us to keep him in his pasture with all of his other horses and my daughter's trail horse. It costs him nothing and he doesn't mind.

Soundguy · Feb 25, 2009

Ditto that here.. where I work there is a woman wholesale unloading her animals.. 3 horses and lots of parrots..e tc..

soundguy

charlz · Feb 25, 2009

Cheap horses all over craigslist here. Hay about doubled in price last year. We have 'wild horses' here and some people have taken their horses out and turned them loose... of course they die promptly as the horses have no idea how to forage etc.

I saw on the news the other day that with milk being at record lows milk cows are going for slaughter. This has driven down the prices for calves (the young ones that need milk replacer) to the point where people are killing/abandoning them on public land as well.

Bird · Feb 25, 2009

I guess I saw the same story you did about the milk cows going for slaughter. The story I saw indicated, in California at least, that it cost almost twice as much to produce a gallon of milk as the dairies were getting for it. And today I saw another story of a large bunch of starving horses, plus a number of horse carcasses found in western Pennsylvania.

QRTRHRS · Feb 26, 2009

Problem: too many horses, poor economy, poor hay growing conditions in many areas.

Problem compounded: ban horse slaughter.

Problem resolved: have those who agree with the above pay for unwanted horse upkeep.

All snide comments aside, and I really hate to say this but I am starting to lean towards breeders being licensed for starters. Between the backyard mutt breeders and the thoroughbred industry's quest for the perfect triple crown winner, there are too many throw aways.

Go to any horse venue or read on line newsletters. You never saw so many rescue groups. All well and good but all begging for money that few have to give.

I have two stallions but much to their chagrine, have not bred in quite some time nor will I most likely ever again. Even before things really went south, I was turning away people that wanted a "puppy".

If you think that this was a rant, I won't even start on the SOB that dumped a very pregnant dog down the road from us today.

N80 · Apr 21, 2009

Well, the horse has not gotten worse but has not healed either and the vet, my wife, my daughter and the stable owner/coach have decided to put him down. The vet will do it this afternoon. Its been expected and they have been preparing my daughter for it, but its going to be a rough day today. She's real tough but this will be one of the hardest things she's had to deal with in her sheltered life. I'm sort of on the sidelines in all this and don't really know what to do. Not really much for me to do but be supportive and sympathetic.