Source: Shutterstock
As the owner of an older horse, this is hard for me to talk about. I've owned my horse since he was an impertinent 4 year old. I've treated him kindly and with the best of care. He's gotten regular shots, dentistry, and even chiropractic appointments for his entire life. He's not a fancy show horse or a race horse. He's just a trail horse ridden by me, a weekend warrior, who generally eschews riding when it is too hot or too cold. My horse has more jackets (blankets) than I do, I think. He's led a charmed and pampered life.
This year he turned 20 and was diagnosed with a metabolic disease (Cushings Syndrome), which is common in older horses. X-rays also showed that he'd had a very slight rotation of the coffin bone due to Laminitis or Founder, which is a common occurrence in horses with Cushings. Fortunately, the vet advised trimming the toe shorter and shoes for a while and said it could be corrected.
When I told this to my very non-horsey parents, the first question they asked me was if I could still ride him, and if not, was I going to get rid of him or put him down so I could buy a new horse.
Their question took me by surprise and my initial reaction was anger and indignation. I quickly realized that they just didn't understand. I don't love my horse because I can ride him. I love him because he's my horse. I've owned him for 16 years, all the while knowing the day would come when I would have to put aside my own desires to ride, and simply care for my horse and give him the luxurious retirement he deserves.
Until the time comes when he is no longer able to manage without chronic pain, he will be with me. When the time comes for him to cross the rainbow bridge, he will cross peacefully and feel no pain. It is a misnomer that we are animals owners. We are simply their stewards until God, their creator and ours, calls them home.
I'll admit, with a pang of guilt, that some unwanted thoughts crossed my mind at times. I knew that someday my horse would grow old or sick even as I enjoyed all the other years of his life. I knew that there would come a time when I would no longer be able to ride him. I knew there would come a time when he would need "special" care, extra visits from the veterinarian, and costly medication.
There is a part of all of us that does not want to face the reality of watching friends, family, or animals grow old and die. For some reason, it has become acceptable for horse owners to simply dump their trusty steed near the end of his useful life.
There are a million excuses I hear when I see people doing this. Some of them range from the blatantly selfish, "I want to ride and my horse is too old and I can't afford two horses" to people who feign ignorance (or maybe they really are ignorant) and act like there is some market for elderly horses.
Recently, I saw an ad from a teenage girl who was trying to sell a 27 year old horse for almost $1,000 on Facebook. She admitted that it was because she needed a younger horse to ride and couldn't afford to keep two. People tried to gently explain to her that it was not good to sell an elderly horse that had served her faithfully for its useful life. Other people immediately piled onto an declared that this was totally fine because "at least she was being honest" and of course people want elderly horses for "pasture pets".
Yes, I'm sure that is what they tell themselves to assuage their own guilt about dumping their own elderly, sick, and lame horses. The fact that the kill pens are literally filled with these type of horses each week seems to contradict the claims of there being a market for these horses as pasture pets.
Every week, you see rescue groups trying to save these horses from being slaughtered and individuals begging for donations to pull them from the slaughter pen before they ship. It is depressing because the flow never stops no matter how many are "saved".
And it will never stop until individual horse owners take responsibility for their horses and stop being so ignorant and selfish thinking that someone else wants to take care of the horse that they enjoyed for all of its useful years and give it the wonderful retirement that they themselves owed that horse.
Most people do not try to sell their dog or cat or family members when they get old and need extra care. Why then do people believe that it is somehow acceptable to do this with a horse? Horse ownership is a privilege and a responsibility. I hope someday that the horse community will scorn people for trying to dump their elderly, lame, and sick horses out like trash. It's just not right.