How do I dispose of 3 unwanted horses?
September 11, 2024 9:53 PM Subscribe
We have 3 horses in livery in England. We are in Australia. It is no longer possible to keep paying for the livery. All the horses are healthy although one is old and has a surgically repaired leg that makes it impossible for him to be worked too hard. Only one of the 3 is said to be saleable. I want to avoid having them put down if possible. What other options are there?
It's my understanding that horses may be sent on to slaughter from the UK. For that reason, it may be risky to a horse down the line for you to sell it on or give it away rather than euthanizing it humanely. I think this is particularly true for the older horse with strict work limitations, as sadly very few people are able/willing to board a horse that can't be in some kind of work. Although the fact that only one is saleable makes me think that at least two of the horses are at risk if you pass them along, the older horse especially seems vulnerable.
The saleable horse may be saleable, and there are groups out there (on facebook, for example) where you can post about the horse and gauge interest. It may be hard to do from Aus but that seems like the natural way to go there. You might also look into donating the horse if it's very sound and very patient/gentle, for example, to a therapy barn, but be honest with yourself about whether the horse is capable of that kind of work.
Good luck, I know this can't be an easy situation for you.
posted by knobknosher at 10:40 PM on September 11 [3 favorites]
The saleable horse may be saleable, and there are groups out there (on facebook, for example) where you can post about the horse and gauge interest. It may be hard to do from Aus but that seems like the natural way to go there. You might also look into donating the horse if it's very sound and very patient/gentle, for example, to a therapy barn, but be honest with yourself about whether the horse is capable of that kind of work.
Good luck, I know this can't be an easy situation for you.
posted by knobknosher at 10:40 PM on September 11 [3 favorites]
Search results for UK horse refuge
seems like there's a full page of them, with Redwings at the top.
There are lots more stateside, but I shudder to imagine what it would cost and otherwise require to fly a horse to retirement across the Atlantic. Let alone two.
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:07 PM on September 11 [3 favorites]
seems like there's a full page of them, with Redwings at the top.
There are lots more stateside, but I shudder to imagine what it would cost and otherwise require to fly a horse to retirement across the Atlantic. Let alone two.
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:07 PM on September 11 [3 favorites]
I would never discourage anyone from looking for a place for their horse to retire, but most/all rescues are essentially full, so I wouldn't necessarily expect that there are a ton of spaces for horses to retire to even though there are rescues. This is true in the US as well, frankly, there simply aren't a ton of spots for horses who need to be cared for as a form of charity.
posted by knobknosher at 11:36 PM on September 11 [1 favorite]
posted by knobknosher at 11:36 PM on September 11 [1 favorite]
It seems that the National Equine Welfare Council is more or less the central clearinghouse in the UK for dealing with this kind of situation.
It seems there is something of a horse crisis going on the U.K. and as a result it is likely to be very difficult to find anywhere to rehome a horse. Not saying to give up or that it would be impossible, but just setting expectations.
Most of the places I looked at seem to be limited by both available space and facilities, and also budget. Many would like to see a monthly or regular payment to cover ongoing expenses and even then might not have a spot. Point is, rather than thinking that monthly expense for livery will go from its current amount to zero, could you possibly afford 75% of what you're currently paying, or 50%, or 25%? If something like that is a possibility, it might open up more potential solutions.
Also, the cost of livery seems to vary quite a bit by area across, say, the U.K. and Scotland, so one possibility for horses you are unable to sell, would be to look at moving them to a different - probably more remote and likely more northerly - location with lower monthly costs.
posted by flug at 1:21 AM on September 12 [8 favorites]
It seems there is something of a horse crisis going on the U.K. and as a result it is likely to be very difficult to find anywhere to rehome a horse. Not saying to give up or that it would be impossible, but just setting expectations.
Most of the places I looked at seem to be limited by both available space and facilities, and also budget. Many would like to see a monthly or regular payment to cover ongoing expenses and even then might not have a spot. Point is, rather than thinking that monthly expense for livery will go from its current amount to zero, could you possibly afford 75% of what you're currently paying, or 50%, or 25%? If something like that is a possibility, it might open up more potential solutions.
Also, the cost of livery seems to vary quite a bit by area across, say, the U.K. and Scotland, so one possibility for horses you are unable to sell, would be to look at moving them to a different - probably more remote and likely more northerly - location with lower monthly costs.
posted by flug at 1:21 AM on September 12 [8 favorites]
I spent most of my teen years working with Riding for the Disabled. It's a brilliant organisation, I fully support them, but it is by no means a gentle retirement home for most horses. Riders with physical disabilities are frequently more imbalanced than other riders, and riders with learning difficulties etc may not follow the usual behaviour enforced to help the horses - we had lots of riders who routinely shrieked or whooped (with joy!), had to be reminded not to flap their hands when holding reins etc. We would get about one inquiry a year about someone's lovely old horse who needed a place to retire and we could almost never take them - they just weren't sound enough. Unless the saleable horse is 100% sound, completely unflappable and you're willing to get absolutely no money for them, it's not a great option.
posted by In Your Shell Like at 1:37 AM on September 12 [7 favorites]
posted by In Your Shell Like at 1:37 AM on September 12 [7 favorites]
I came here to recommend Redwings and saw someone else already had. My local Redwings Sanctuary is wonderful and gives such loving care to horses nobody else wants.
posted by essexjan at 5:30 AM on September 12 [2 favorites]
posted by essexjan at 5:30 AM on September 12 [2 favorites]
Best answer: My wife donated her horse to an equine blood bank. Horses live in the fields and are brought in to donate blood every so often. Apparently this is the place although they don't advertise for donations (presumably so as not to be overwhelmed) https://www.tcsbiosciences.co.uk/donor_horse_serum.php
posted by el_presidente at 5:51 AM on September 12 [7 favorites]
posted by el_presidente at 5:51 AM on September 12 [7 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks, el_presidente. I've just phoned them and got a tentative answer yes, but have to await an email on (hopefully) Tuesday. So you get best answer so far.
Thanks to everyone who has responded. Redwing is the next to try.
posted by Logophiliac at 1:28 AM on September 13 [2 favorites]
Thanks to everyone who has responded. Redwing is the next to try.
posted by Logophiliac at 1:28 AM on September 13 [2 favorites]
I don't know whereabouts in the UK the horses are, but https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/ may be able to help. They'll re-home the horses if possible, and will keep tabs on their welfare.
posted by gmb at 3:59 AM on September 13 [1 favorite]
posted by gmb at 3:59 AM on September 13 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Finally got an answer from the horse bloodbank, They are full and have a waiting list.
Redwing is also full up. Still waiting on some other answers but England really does seem to be awash in unwanted horses.
posted by Logophiliac at 1:47 AM on September 24 [1 favorite]
Redwing is also full up. Still waiting on some other answers but England really does seem to be awash in unwanted horses.
posted by Logophiliac at 1:47 AM on September 24 [1 favorite]
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by Iteki at 10:35 PM on September 11 [2 favorites]