Resource Author Francisco R. Higueras
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Trabajar Work From Home is Easy if you know how!
Trabajo Empleo Work From Home is Easy if you know how!
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Although some horses (like some people) have the good fortune to die peacefully in their sleep of old age, most horses will eventually reach a stage (due to severe injury, disease or incapacity) where the most humane action is to put them down. For the horse owner, this can be a very difficult and painful decision, in terms of when a horse should be put down, as well as how. This article is the personal view of one horse owner on this subject.
Is Now the Time?
If a horse is in a lot of pain and distress, due to an incurable injury or disease, the only correct action is to put it down as quickly and as humanely as possible. However, in some cases the decision is not as clear.
For example, a horse may be in permanent pain but quite capable of happily living with it. This was the case of a draft horse pensioned with us, who had a chronic case of laminitis which made walking painful (especially over hard surfaces). As an elderly horse, he also had dental issues which made chewing uncomfortable. However, by supplementing his diet with soft food and giving him maximum time on soft pasture, his discomfort was minimised. He was a stoic horse, who seemed little bothered by pain, and obviously enjoyed life. He would trot around the pasture with his head held high and come to us for cuddles. Although retired, he was active in the pasture and obviously enjoyed life despite the constant pain in his feet and when he ate.
For me, the question is not how much pain the horse is in, but rather is he still happy and enjoying life. One can tell this not only by how the horse behaves at the moment, but also how his behavior has changed in response to injury or illness. When life changes from a pleasure to a burden, that is the time for the horse to be put down.
Okay, what this all really translates to is that some of us riders like to take the easy way out. We like to stick with what we are comfortable doing and not risk “rocking the boat” or more specifically “hitting the dirt!” What we are guilty of doing is creating dumb horses… dumb horses and dumber riders! We don’t challenge our minds or our horses minds because we stick to the same ole easy routine…We don’t ask our horses to think!
Clinton Anderson refers to the horse as having two minds:
1. Mind #1=The everyday ho hum routine mindless mind. (what is familiar)
2. Mind #2=The Oh crap what is that? It’s time to run! (The Flight/Prey instinct)
How
When your horse has reached the point where it needs to be put down, the question is no longer ‘when’ but rather ‘how’.
The normal methods are by injection (sedative overdose) or by a slaughter gun which fires a bolt directly into the brain. In both cases, this should be done by a professional. In particular, the use of a slaughter gun should be done by an experienced person, as inexperienced people have been known to shoot the horse without killing it on first attempt, resulting in terrible pain until the mistake can be corrected. Whatever one might see in western movies, the use of a hunting gun is highly questionable, due to the risk that the bullet may not penetrate the thick skill and immediately end the horse’s life.
Learn many of the secrets the professional instructors use before you ever put your foot in the stirrup. Imagine – trail riding in the hills, mountains or the beach. Enjoying the thrill of riding, handling your horse and fulfilling that dream.
Act on that DREAM of riding – start soon with horseback riding lessons! You’ll be glad you did