Elderly pony and fast depleting finances

[CousinDelores]

What on earth do I do with elderly pony who I'm fast approaching being unable to afford to keep

Said pony is around 26, I've had him 23 years. I adore him and he is fit and healthy and, touch wood, not required or requiring extensive medical involvement to keep him healthy.
I used to keep him on part livery, and had reasonable savings put aside for him. Then covid came along, my work situation changes and he went onto DIY livery and my his savings started depleting as I temporarily lost my job.
I found work again (less well paid) kept him on DIY to try build his savings back up. Tragically DP died so I'm now a single parent, on a reduced income compared to what I was before. Pony is now on grass livery, but with the increased cost of life in general keeping him at all is possibly going to be impossible. Pony savings are pretty much gone, my own savings aren't exactly high, just enough to cover car issues, household appliance replacements etc and once energy increases comes in, I will have very little money to put away each month.
So what on earth do I do with my beloved pony
A) have him sadly put to sleep, he's had a good life (sadly a decision I might have to make sooner rather than later whilst I can even afford this option)
B) try to keep him, accept I can't put any money away for a rainy day and pray nothing goes wrong, 2.5 years till DS goes to school and childcare costs decrease
C) keep him and pray I find higher paid work soon (unlikely but not impossible, but I also am solely paying childcare etc, so have to stand the increase alone if higher pay = higher hours)
D) desperately try to find someone who will take him as companion (unlikely as lami prone and gets easily attached)
E) suggestions welcome

For context dear pony costs around 230 a month (averaged to include feet trimming and any extras, as I'm currently keeping him as cheaply as possible)

The problem with many rescue places is that they are overwhelmed and really only have room for genuine rescues - not well-loved ponies in a good home. OP, putting him to sleep might be the kindest option. We have a 12.2 here that really needs to go to a home with kids and have fun but finding the right home is a nightmare. I wouldn't put a 26 year old pony through it. You have given him an amazing life and you are not letting him down by PTS, you are guaranteeing that his life is blessed from start to finish. No being passed around from pillar to post for your boy, abandoned in a field or by the side of the road, or doped up and sold on by unscrupulous dealers. There are far worse things than a peaceful death in the arms of some one who loves him after a life well lived. x

Hello, I'm so sorry this is such a difficult position, I was in a very similar one not too long ago but sadly laminitis made the decision for me.

What area are you based in? Only because we have some land and if its anywhere remotely nearby I can speak to family r.e. helping out.

@CousinDelores have you managed to find anyone who will take him on x

No not yet... I have a deadline of end of July, that's when hid savings run out (but leaves just enough for me, I think, to make that decision)

:( thinking of you I can't imagine how hard it is to decide x

Do you have any riding schools around where he could do some beginner lessons for his keep? I'm in a different country, but he sounds perfect for what an instructor friend of mine does. At a school she used to own, one of the horses was a permanent loan. It's an option. Or an onsite lease for a beginner child. If he's good he may be handed from beginner to beginner as he gets outgrown.

The problem with this is that whilst it might sound good from a human perspective, I'm not sure it's best for the pony. As humans we cling on to the idea of life at all costs and prefer this to the idea of death. For a pony that's been retired and living a good life, and who has probably had very few people ride him, it could be a complete nightmare. For an older pony, having beginners haul him around could be awful.

I think OP you have to explore your options as much as you can and then maybe give him the kindest end you can if nothing else comes up. 23 years in one home is amazing. So few horses get that. I had my horse euthanised last year and whilst I miss him dreadfully, with everything that is happening at the moment it is actually a relief for me not to have that financial burden any more. I do feel for you, especially given your personal circumstances. But just be aware that it may well be the kindest thing you can ever do for him and you would have a lot of support if you went that route. Horsey people would understand the reasons why.

I'd ask on local Facebook pages or similar, there are people who would love a pony on their land or as a companion for their horse without ownership
Or ask animal charities to see if they have suggestions?

I would try and get through the summer and then PtS. Give him a great summer and make it happy and involved. Then PtS in September. I did that with my boy with wobblers. Tough but felt like the right balance xx

I really really do not recommend loan or share or similar. I have a broken mare and she is suitable
For light hacking (retired from eventing) but even sharers in my yard, with me supervising, did not care for her like I did. If you are busy with work, things will go wrong.

Horses live in the moment. A lovely summer and then the end. 26 is a very good innings all considered.

Agree with others, and I would not run to the end of your savings. So so sorry for you, what a tough time for you, but your pony won’t know any different, pts at home, hell for you, they will know nothing except that last carrot or apple

I agree with Notanotherusernamenow. Nobody will care for your pony like you and rescues are overun.

I would try to find a new home for him. My first pony we bought when she was 17years old. I had her until she was 26. We sold her to a family nearby with little kids. And they all learnt to ride and care for horses with her. She got to stay with them for another 10 years and then she died. She was still extremely fit for her age though. I did jumping competitions with her until we sold her at 26 (low ones).
Tbh i think pts would be horrible and i dont think i could live with that option.

I would infinitely rather pts than send an elderly pony off to beginners to haul about…
I think a lot of people keep elderly animals alive for their benefit.

As in the humans benefit not the animals.

I am so sorry you are in this position but it sounds like he has had a lovely life, and you must have had so many wonderful times together. As others have said, you should feel proud that you've looked after him so well, and that you are also going to give him a dignified and happy end to his life. Lots of love to you and D pony.

Tbh i think pts would be horrible and i dont think i could live with that option.

It's a huge responsibility but done properly, it isn't actually horrible. They can pass away quite peacefully and if they have the injection, you can stay with them and hold them. The problem for the OP is that there isn't really a right or wrong answer. If she could find a reliable new home that would be great but unfortunately those are few and far between and likely to become more so with the current economic situation.

Honestly, having done it, it's OK to live with the idea that you were brave and you stepped up and did the right thing for them. What I really couldn't stand is some of the things that happen to ponies on loan, and the knowledge that I could have stopped all that.

I have an elderly pony. She will be with me until the end. She is being kept and pampered like a princess. I will not subject her to intensive vet treatment and would never give her to a riding school.

A safe, loving home with you till the end is much better than moving the pony about at this age.

These things do the rounds on social media every now and again, and we've all seen them, but will post this anyway for those that are maybe less 'horsey' and haven't seen them before.
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PLEASE DO NOT GIVE AWAY/SELL YOUR OLD and/or UNRIDEABLE HORSES
Today I did one of the saddest euthanasias I have done in a long time. This wasn’t a client of mine, and to be fair, it actually wasn’t this person’s fault. I don’t normally go out to non-clients, but I wasn’t going to say no when I was told the horse had collapsed and couldn’t get up.
I arrived to find an emaciated 20+ year old, riddled with lice. The client had been sold the mare 7 weeks ago, and told she was a 7 year old. The old mare was gobbling away at feed, so she genuinely was just too weak and emaciated to stand. With some really good, strong help, we tried twice to get her up, but she just didn’t want to. So I made the quick decision to let her go.
No horse should end his or her life like that. She was scared, and whickered at me when I came back with the catheter and Somulose. She went with no dignity, in a place she had been for just a couple of months.
I want to cry when I see these awful posts on social media, offering a 20 year old horse for sale “as a companion”, for £50, or “free to good home”. I want to cry even more when I see posts on social media, with people in complete and utter shock and disbelief that the “beloved/much loved etc” horse, that they gave away just two months ago, was now being sold as a ridden horse.
I’m sorry, but wake up. Not many people really want to take on an old horse and the associated vet bills. I do appreciate there are exceptions, but if you are going to give your old or unrideable horse away, do NOT expect to then be able to take the moral high ground when he’s advertised two weeks later. He’s not your property at that point, and, unless your circumstances drastically changed, you didn’t care enough about him to now be “devastated” and “appalled” that he’s being moved on again. I do understand that circumstances can change, but the kindest thing in most (not all) cases at this point, is to let your horse be put to sleep with you, at the home he has known for many years.
A horse is as expensive to keep as a companion as it is a riding horse, so not many people want to take on old or unrideable horses. Or if they do, they don’t have the money to be able to look after the horse properly.
It is obviously completely different if you have known that person for many years, and know the home the horse will be going to, and I know several old horses who have been successfully rehomed to friends, or at least acquaintances.
You could also try a reputable rescue centre, if your financial circumstances changed, but many of these are full to bursting. Rescue centres normally ensure that if the home doesn’t work out, the horse is returned to them again, and therefore won’t be passed around.
If you can’t look after your old and/or unrideable horse, then do the responsible thing, and if you can’t rehome to a person you know extremely well, have them put to sleep at home, with you by their side. Don’t let someone you don’t know, have the horse for free, and sell him two weeks later as a lot younger, or ‘buted up as a ridden horse. Your horse deserves better.

Secure his peaceful end op.
Surely that's the least he deserves?

@veganvampire I'm so glad you shared that post.

I'm pretty shocked at a lot of the suggestions here. Rescues are not retirement homes for old horses and the idea of sending to a riding school or RDA is naive at best.

The market is flooded with horses that are being sold on when the kindest thing would be to PTS.

OP - my criticism isnt aimed at you, I appreciate you are in a difficult position.

Horses live in the present, they don't think about their coming years and look forward to them! The kindest thing you can do in this situation is PTS knowing what a wonderful life he has had, and knowing his last memories will be with you - safe and cared for.

For what its worth - i had my old boy PTS a few years ago, so difficult but I knew it was the kindest thing.

Well done for giving him such a wonderful life and don't feel guilty - you are doing the best thing for him.