Retired pony?

[3kidslou]

i have a retired pony, long story, brought in haste and ending up retiring him after owning him for only a year, BUT i absolutley love him to bits hes lovely a filthy grey pony who doesnt have a nasty bone in his body. I also own another which a ride so my costs are quite high. Im just amazed at the amount of people who have suggested i have him put to sleep or send him to the meat man. I am in a difficult situation as im caring for a pony i cant ride who also has cushings but hes happy and not suffering so i dont see how i could even go down that road. It just amazes me how so called horse lovers just dump there horses once there not performing for them and just easily move on to something else. Most horses will give u there all and at least they deserve a happy end in reward for all the work they do for us. Sometimes i just think im to soft to be in this horse world lol!

[Mirage]

I agree to a point,dpony is 23 and still fit as a fiddle,but,when she needs to retire,she will,for as long as she needs it,even if it means that we can't have another pony.BUT times are hard and unless ponies are exceptional,no one wants them.I was talking to a friend last night who has a 12 year old section b,which is dominant in the field,difficult to load,doesn't like large vehicles and is a swine to catch.Her kids lost interest,she has been out on loan but has taken to chasing the little boy who rides him out of the field,so will be coming back again.She has no one to ride her and faces paying £100 a month to keep her in the field.My friend is prepared to give her way if need be,as she can't afford her and no one else wants such a difficult pony.A trip to the kennels isn't the worst thing that can happen to an unwanted pony.

[frostyfingers]

It's a very fine line - I agree that if you can afford to keep him, and he is comfortable and happy then that's ok. The problem is when people become too sentimental and won't let go, even if the pony is in pain and miserable. O

My dhorse has a condition which will eventually deteriorate into him being unrideable and kept pain free only on bute - he is an ex racehorse who gets very bored just hanging around, and I really don't think that when that time comes it is fair to keep him going. The insurers will not pay "mortality" if I have him put down, they'd rather wait until he's in pain before they pay up..... I have his interests at heart and will lose the insurance money rather than wait for him to get so bad that they consider pts the only option.

[Floralnomad]

I agree OP , we have never sold a pony/ horse and just kept them until the end of their lives , unfortunately that means I have had to make the decision to have 4 PTS and cremated. We currently have a 19 yr old Dartmoor pony that has been retired for several years and currently has a delightful existence , lives out in the summer and is stabled overnight in the winter . To us our equines are treated like all the rest of our family animals ,once they are here they don't leave . Like yourself it amazes me how people are so quick to get rid of them once they are no longer ' useful' .

[Sparklyoldwhizzbangcatpusswhee]

I agree to a certain extent. I'm not keen on putting animals through extensive treatment, I don't like animals in pain, and I won't keep an animal alive for the sake of it.
There are a hell of a lot of unwanted equines out there. Rescue centres are over capacity. What's to be done with them? As with dogs, cows, sheep, pigs etc, we domesticated them, we use them for our own purposes and we owe it to them to make sure that they have a good life and a humane end.
I'd rather put a pony down than give it to some complete stranger who could treat it badly. None of my ponies owe me anything. If it came to it, and I couldn't find them good homes, I would have them PTS.