08/22/2023
THIS
I am upset.
This page is not about me or other humans, it’s about equines in need. And the stupid bs comments are annoying, however, like the flies mentioned in comments, ultimately inconsequential.
I spent the first part of my morning, begging a stranger to kill their horse. How did this become my life?
Because people call us to take their senior horses, before they send to auction.
Now, understand, I applaud anyone seeking a solution. I do. And I return these calls to provide some missing information.
-Your old horse does not want to leave home.
-Your old horse, like you, has failing parts. Maybe sight loss, or hearing, arthritis, dental issues, maybe back pain, Cushings, insulin resistance, or even cancer. Many of these issues are not going to be cured with medical care, nor is a stranger going to invest that into your old horse.
-Auction is not a kind solution for a 30 year old horse. Confused, frightened, and betrayed, and they often know it.
-There is no wonderful home waiting for a 30+ year old horse. There are dealers, one may try to shave off 10 years and peddle her as a child’s pony, and once she can’t do the work, she will be flipped again. Another dealer may not bother, and just sell her for the weight of her meat. A private home may purchase her for the kids, which will last as long as the time it takes to get a vet bill, or a child to get hurt
-The rescues do pull from auction to prevent a catastrophic last end, but only a few horses. The odds are not good
-The senior horses we do save at auction are generally not brought in by the longtime owner, but by the second, or third “good home” you trusted. People who are not as invested as we hope you are
-Think about how you want to spend your last chapter.
-Think about how your horse wants to spend his last chapter.
-Think about how the humans will remember their last actions towards the horse they have loved for years and years.
-If care is no longer possible, Please, for the love of God, call a vet and let your senior horse go, at home, in peace.
-(To those who will argue, we did offer to take this horse if they are insistent upon auction, but we will break under the weight of everyone’s old horse, and unless YOU want to take on a senior horse, who is grieving and confused and near its end, we don’t need more pressure or judgment)
-Owners, please complete what you began. You chose to own a horse, please allow that horse to end its life at home. There is no magic solution.
We are all born, we live, we age, we pass. There is no shame in guiding your old horse over the rainbow bridge. There is honor.
Postscript: This was composed by Rosemary Farm Sanctuary Executive Director Dawn Robyn… but many have said the same thing over and over.