Rehoming my horse

Jen Pigs Fly

The most emotional moment of my life - I think I should rehome my horse, financially and time wise I cannot give her what she needs anymore.
She is unrideable - see back to my older posts regarding her, so a retirement option is also considered - doesn't seem to be many retirement homes for horses - unless anyone on here knows of any? Cannot get a field anywhere for her.

I will rehome her through a rescue, I feel this gives her the best chance to get her a home who will care for her and love her as much as I do.

She is a light bay 15hh 15 year old Arabian - she's purebred and comes with her passport and papers.

I suppose what I'm looking for is validation - what I'm doing is the best for her, my heart is in a million pieces but I just cannot afford her anymore in this moment of my life - I barely scrape together rent. Anyone on here ever have to rehome a horse? Am I doing the right thing? Are there any retirement homes out there where I can send her instead? (Still maintaining full/part ownership)

In an idea world, she will go to a retirement home where she has acres of fields with a herd of other retired horses, where I pay for her feet/vet but financially I'm not throwing €70 a week into livery for her .... But in an idea world huh!

Edit: I have decided to try to find a retirement home for her instead, one where I pay weekly for her to be fully retired and I have full ownership still of her. Rehoming will always be my last option for her.

Bunnyslippers

I think rehoming through a rescue is your best bet, if you went down the private route you have no control what happens to her you'll more than likely attract someone who will sell her for meat money or try and breed from her with no regard for the mare, or lie and sell her under false pretences as a ridden prospect.
I've done it in the past to a person who I thought was a friend, I lived the other end of the country from her and the deal was she would let me have first refusal to have the mare back if for any reason she didn't want her, I even had it in writing. I kept on at her for two years for pics etc and other than the first month or so she stopped sending them and she just had loads of excuses why she couldn't take a pic! Three years later I got a phone call from a rescue centre, she had been rescued from her third home since I gave her away, God knows what happened in those years except the last owner had tried to breed from her but hadn't fed her, she was skeletal and totally wild.
I wasn't in a position at the time to rehome her but another friend did and she is fine now but a total wreck mentally and this was a young pedigree mare. Needless to say the original friend had sold her on within a month for four grand! - I gave her for nothing just a good home!! Was so mad and the lady refused to speak to me, her husband got quite abusive so I had to leave it!:(

It's even harder now especially with an older horse, although 15 for an Arab isn't that old, to find a home, do you know anyone near you where you can keep an eye on her and she can be just a companion horse, you keep ownership and pay her basic bills to make sure she is well kept and has food etc?
The only thing is as we're coming into winter folk really don't want an extra mouth to feed and seeming she can't be ridden her value is very low so paying for her might be the only way to ensure she's well looked after, others won't have the attachment to her you do.
Try the rescues and see if they have any ideas, but they are crammed full at the mo so they may ask you to keep her until they can find a suitable home, or even try the Arab horse society?, it's a tough one. I know retirement homes are usually full too and they will ask for a weekly keep fee, so probably not much difference from a livery yard. I know someone locally who was in a similar boat, although the horses were younger just not rideable for various reasons, they were just pasture pets, he put his two down rather than them end up with the meat man or worse!:(.

They are not cheap pets at all, but if you're struggling then you've got to be realistic, good luck and I do hope you find her somewhere, I love arabs, they're so loyal, I used to have a little Arab stallion he was a dope on a rope and more like a dog than a horse!:)

fits

Its an unrideable and difficult to handle 15 year old mare. Doesnt sound like a prospect for breeding or as an easy companiion. I'll be honest, I think you could consider having her put down. At least you have control over where she ends up and she wont end up being passed up from pillar to post which is a HUGE risk if you pass her on to a rescue.

You can try a rescue but even alot of them are very questionable.

Jen Pigs Fly

She's a million times better to handle now thankfully. Is back to her old self, dentist found a sore tooth which was causing her leading problems! Much better now that the tooth was fixed!

I have decided I will get her into a retirement yard, already have a few numbers, at least then I'll be paying weekly for her at a reduced rate and still have full ownership of her.

I wouldn't put her into a rescue I'd hold onto her until a home is found, however retirement is my first choice now, rescues are full to the brim and have much worse off horses needed homes than my own, so I will do right by her and get her into a suitable retirement home. If this doesn't work and rehomimg isn't possible I will just need to find cheaper livery more afield for her.

I have a few retirement homes to check out! Some seem lovely!

lottos owner

Well if you can't manage her and wouldn't mind her being bred I could take her for crossing with connemara and she would be well looked after if her breeding is good it wouldn't matter about her being unridable if she can be loaded and hanled because I would be crossing her with something very quiet. I could take her on a long term rehoming basis and you could visit her whenever you like. That way you retain ownership and have control overwhat happens with her and I get foals to pay for her upkeep.

Lucy21

I would have to agree with FITS on this one - perhaps you should consider putting her to sleep if you cannot afford to keep her yourself.

I would stay well clear of the rescues - tried to rescue a horse once and what I saw I will not repeat but I was not impressed.

Could you maybe rent a field locally for her if the PTS is not an Option. Then you have full control over her yourself.

Jen Pigs Fly

lottos owner wrote: »

Well if you can't manage her and wouldn't mind her being bred I could take her for crossing with connemara and she would be well looked after if her breeding is good it wouldn't matter about her being unridable if she can be loaded and hanled because I would be crossing her with something very quiet. I could take her on a long term rehoming basis and you could visit her whenever you like. That way you retain ownership and have control overwhat happens with her and I get foals to pay for her upkeep.

She lost a foal three months in twice. She wouldn't be a good breeding prospect due to the problem with her hips which was causing riding problems. So thanks for the offer, but I'd have to decline, she has amazing bloodlines - traced back to 1700 desert imported Arabians. I just think it's too risky to attempt to breed her as both of my attempts failed. She has had three healthy foals before though as a 3, 4 and 5 year old. I got her as a 6 year old, she's now almost 16. I have sourced a good retirement home for her. Thanks again for the offer,

Lucy21 wrote: »

I would have to agree with FITS on this one - perhaps you should consider putting her to sleep if you cannot afford to keep her yourself.

I would stay well clear of the rescues - tried to rescue a horse once and what I saw I will not repeat but I was not impressed.

Could you maybe rent a field locally for her if the PTS is not an Option. Then you have full control over her yourself.

I have sourced retirement livery for her. Cheaper than what I'm paying and good care still being offered as it's also a jumping yard. They do retirement livery as a package which is brilliant. She will still be mine, decided not to rehome due to hearing a lot of horror stories of people doing the same. PTS Is better and more humane than putting her through the rescue system.