I have a 20 year old horse that i've owned for 5 years.
She's not been ridden in 2 years due to my loss of confidence, it's through no fault of hers. Previously she was the perfect horse, we hacked out several times a week, schooled occasionally (we both preferred hacking!)
I'm now having to face the decision to rehome her, due to the fact that i've started my own business so have limited time, along with the fact that I can't bring myself to ride (any horse, not just her) so she's just sitting wasted in a field. I might add that she is comfortable in the sense that she has everything she needs, she doesn't go without. She is a healthy horse and there is no reason that if she were with the right person that she couldn't come back into work.
My problem is, I don't know what to do with her. I've tried advertising her, even last year when she'd only been out of work for 1 year, no one is interested. I'm aware that the market for horses is terrible at the moment and people are wanting young horses to be able to do things with. My horse won't load, so that limits her even more. She's also a typical mare and isn't afraid to push her luck. I'm wondering now if the kindest thing would be to have her PTS, atleast that way i'd know that she wasn't going to be passed pillar to post and that she's had a good life wanting for nothing. The other half of me says she's too good of a horse to PTS, she's got so much fire in her belly and i'd feel guilty stopping all of this.
Gah, I hope this makes sense, I really don't know what to do. Help please?