For your education, read how euthanasia is performed.

For the sick and injured
My vet and I both have difficulties making the final decision. We have a lot of very weak, abused, beaten up and old horses come through our gates, many in extreme pain. We do our best to provide the medical care they need, but there are times when miracles don't happen. I once thought that a horse will let you know when they want to leave. Not any more. I've seen them fight to regain their strength, to stand, to run, to be young again. I've heard them cry out to their herd, to their mates. I've seen them cry as I have cried for them.

I always pray for miracles to happen. There are times when they do, when a hopeless case turns around for seemingly no reason and the uphill battle starts. There are other times when we hung on too long, when we kept them alive because we couldn't make the decision to let them go.

Once, after a long, hard night trying to keep a horse from thrashing around in his stall, I looked at the Doctor and said, "I can't make the decision. I can't play God anymore."

"It's not a matter of playing God," the Doc replied. "It's just knowing when you and the horse have had enough."

And that's what it comes to - when your horse is suffering and you've reached your limit, financially, emotionally, physically, it's time to say goodbye. If you can honestly say that, given 24 hours, your horse will be better, then grab at the chance. But if you can't, then let him go.

For the old, the ill and the lame
Our oldest horse was 46 when he passed away from the effects of colic. Had he survived the colic, he would still be alive today. Horses aren't old at 20. A little worn, a little slow, but still full of possibilities. What happens when they're over 25? We believe it's time for them to retire, to be released into a green pasture with others their age, there to soak up the sunshine and munch on tender grasses. The same should happen for the horses with bad feet, spinal injuries, EPM and anything else that makes them "unusable". Let them roam, let them be horses instead of what we want them to be.

He's given you his life. Now all he wants is a dry stall, water, a pasture and a few friends. Is that too much to ask? In some cases, the answer is "yes". No one loves your horse as much as you do. But the reality is that there are too many horses. The sanctuaries are full, the rescues can't find homes for them and few can support their increasing medical cost.

When Habitat for Horses first started, we took in horses no matter what their condition. Other people's problems became our own, to the point that we were overwhelmed with expenses. We, like many other rescues, learned the lesson fast - you have to draw the line. Many of those first horses are still with us, long forgotten by their owners. The support they promised faded away and we depend on others to donate enough to pay for their upkeep.

When you're trying to find a home for your old, crippled horse, please understand why rescues have to say "no", why the sanctuaries are full, why there is no room anywhere for them. That limp means they can't be adopted. No one wants a horse that can't see out of one eye. Sure he's wonderful, but you can't expect someone else to take on your expense and his problems, not when there are thousands of others asking us to do the same thing.

If something happens in your life that forces you away from keeping your horse, you need to decide what is best for him, not for yourself. Sure the guilt will be less if you give him to some child down the street, but think about what you are condemning you horse to. Slaughterhouses are filled with children's horses and there is no worse fate for a horse than seeing his life of devotion to humans end on the slaughterhouse floor.

It's far better to end his life in his pasture, close to his friends, with you standing close by. If you doubt that, put yourself in his position. That's a hard thing to do, but what if your fate were left totally in the hands of strangers who might or might not care? What if every drop of food, every drink of water, every walk outside depended on that stranger? Sure you took care of your horse, gave him the best of everything, but remember - no one loves your horse as much as you do. Now your horse is old, crippled or sick. Do you really trust anyone to care for him as you would in the years ahead?

HfH Policy Concerning Euthanasia
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