01/07/2024
Shared from another.
I have noticed a few posts lately that are asking the question of when is the right time to allow a horse to pass with assistance and dignity. I am repeating a post I wrote a few years back.
About once a year I post a piece on euthanasia. The word "euthanasia" comes from the Greek words, "Eu" (good) and Thanatos (death), with its meaning to be death without suffering. Domesticated horses innately live in the present and don't really concern themselves with much other than when they will be turned out to pasture or when their next meal is coming via their caretaker. A horse's brain is wired with a strong flight instinct that has them flee when they feel they are in danger. They run in herds to utilize a collective instinct that is ruled over by a dominant horse whose job it is to keep them all safe. The herd benefits from a leader whom all other horses submit to. Often, in domesticated horses you will find a lead mare that is the dominant horse, where in the wild a stallion would hold this protective position​. In either scenario, it is the horse that has proven itself by temperament and physical prowess to be the one most capable of watching over the herd that gets the job. When wild horses travel together and one may be old or ailing, it is common for the herd leader to expel that horse from the healthy herd in order to increase the survival of the overall herd. This may seem very brutal to us, as ostracizing the compromised animal is likely to cause it to fall prey to a predator thus increasing the chances of the herd's survival. But this is instinct and that is how it is in the wild.
Horses in captivity do not run the risk of this kind of outcome but their fate may be less than kind at times because modern veterinary medicine can keep a sick horse or a horse in pain alive longer than they would in their natural herd environment. Humans think in completely different terms and our ability to understand the concept of the future can at times influence our judgement on what really is in the best interest of our horse's quality of life. When we make the decision to euthanize an animal, where does our emotional pain actually arise from? Are we heartsick because our animal will be released from suffering and/or pain? Does our emotional pain come from the fact that we are the ones to make the decision and plan for our animal's mercy killing? Or, is it that we really don't want to remove that animal from our own life because it is too painful for us to look at the future without them? My guess is that the irreversible decision and the personal loss is simply more than many of us can handle. So we fill our horses with all manner of drugs that relieve pain and suffering, possibly prolonging its life for a time, but knowing full well that it is​ likely a band aid solution on a terminal condition that will never be remedied. This we do for a horse that has no real concept of the future.
I have heard the phrase more times than I can count, " I'll know when my horse will have had enough" or " I'll be able to tell by the look in his/her eyes", "I'll know the time has come when my horse can't get up or doesn't want to eat". I fail to understand why people have to wait for their horse to have trauma and drama in order to let them go humanely. Why can't the decision be made to let our beloved horses go before it gets horrible for them. We know they are hurting or ailing, we know it isn't going to ever get better. We also know that most of the pain medications are hard on a horse's stomach yet many keep on pushing medicine into their equine loves because they (the human) cannot handle the day their horse's death becomes a reality. I have a great deal of admiration for those of you that decide to let your old or ailing horse go before the harsh winter comes or before the scorching heat of the summer beats down upon them. Those of you that can see your elderly horse is having a failure to thrive despite all the groceries you are providing for it. This is what I think love is all about. It is putting the word love into action and knowing that you are able to make a decision that is in the very best interest of an animal that has willingly carried you through streams and over bridges, up and down hills and brought you home safely.
In the world of horse owners, we are the ones that make the final decision that would have been made by the herd leader in the wild. We have the ability to schedule a time and place, to make sure our horse is pre-sedated so that the final syringe can be given more precisely to a calm animal, thus ensuring a death with no unnecessary drama. Please think about what your horse has meant to you and be willing to advocate for its peaceful passing before it becomes a traumatic situation for you both.
