Welcome to Gaia! ::

Okay guys, I need some help. My best friend has asked me for some advice in a bad situation, and I'm looking for more ideas.

My best friend works as the equine coordinator for a therapeutic riding center in central Washington state. It's a great job, she loves it. She's in charge of horse care, the schooling program, and screening and evaluating trial horses. Most of their horses are given to them as donations.

Recently, they got a horse in on trial who is very sweet, but is not going to work out for the program. He has "thoroughbred feet" and it appears significant arthritis, so he's not sound enough. His back is also dropping, and at his side, he would be expected to be a "weight bearing" horse, and she doesn't feel she can ethically do that to him. So she called his owner up to tell her that he wasn't going to work out for the program.

We're used to weird reactions from owners when we reject horses in the TR world. People have strange ideas of what horses will be appropriate for therapeutic riding. But this lady's response just sent her for a loop. Apparently, the pasture they were keeping him at before had the irrigation turned off, so since there is no longer access to water, he can't stay there. The barn she boarded him at before that is closing down, so that's not an option either, so she has no where to put him. She doesn't want to "risk" giving him to someone who will let him stand out in a pasture and starve to death. So, if the program can't take him, she's going to have him put down.

My friend was appalled. He's a sweet horse and might be sound enough for light hacking and is quiet enough for a small child to ride by themselves. He's a little high maintenance because of his feet, but not terribly. She feels like she's between a rock and hard place now. The program is NOT an equine rescue, they can't take horses that they can't use. It's a business. I think this is really sleazy and manipulative of this lady to do this to her. She doesn't want to send a horse to his death, but they can not keep him there. I suggested that she give the lady an option to board him there for two months (they have the space right now, but they're looking to bring in more trial horses soon) while she can try to find another option. She's going to look into local rescue organizations, but so many of them are already overflowing that she isn't putting much hope in finding him a home there.

Does anyone have any other ideas? I personally think that trying manipulate a charity like this is deplorable, but that's the world. She really doesn't want to see a perfectly healthy horse put down because his owner can't be bothered with him anymore, but she's not sure how many options she has at this point.

Putting him to sleep would certainly be a better option than having him suffer, but I know people who have re-homed horses worse off than him before, and in that area. He wouldn't be for sale, he'd be for free to a good home.

Thanks for your input smile