A good death
OUR HORSES ARE our pride and joy, bringing us years of pleasure, which is why we owe it to them to end their days when the time is right. That time might not be when they are very old or injured or ill — although in these scenarios it can often make the decision appear easier to reach. Sometimes it might mean putting a young horse to sleep following an injury that has left them unrideable because they wouldn’t be happy in retirement, or giving a teenage horse a peaceful ending rather than passing them on as a companion, even if it feels too soon. Yet all too often horses in their late teens and older are advertised on social media and horses for sale sites — and this is where the debate surrounding when is the ‘right’ time to put a horse to sleep begins.
Free to a good home?
Euthanising horses is part and parcel of being a vet, but some are easier than others.
When vet Natalie McGoldrick was called out to euthanise an old mare last year, what she found when she arrived broke her heart.
“I do get owners saying to me that they regret not making the decision sooner... I’ve never had an owner say they regretted doing it early”
Vet Lucy Grieve
“I was told the horse had collapsed and couldn’t get up, and when
