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 Parting ways with your equine friend is a daunting task. The emotional stress of not knowing for sure your friend will have a good forever home can be overwhelming. That is if you are a true horse lover like myself.  I know there are many that just think of their horses as nothing more than livestock . Livestock that is dispensable and nothing more. 
With the uncertainty of what is to become of your equine friend , it is understandable why so many of us are hesitant to sell .

I receive emails from reputable animal rights organizations and recently one email  particularly  caused me great concern, saying roughly 50,ooo plus horses had been shipped to Canada and Mexico for slaughter this year alone.

 I am all for banning horse slaughter. But what are we to do with all the unwanted horses? Especially when all the horse rescue facilities are full and donations are down. Should we be responsible horse owners and keep our equine friend, though he is just a pasture ornament? If we can afford to , do just that. Keep your equine friend till he dies of old age unless you can without a doubt, find a wonderful home. Don't sell to the first person with their money in hand. Ask a lot of questions and give all known information you have about your horse. After all this is an animal you said you love and care for , right?

 There are many people out there that love horses, but have no idea the time and money involved with horses. So lets make sure we educate these want to be, first time, horse owners. This will keep down animal abuse cases , first and foremost. Many owners don't realize they are mistreating the animal. They just do not know how to care for a horse properly. Which, in my opinion is no excuse. Common sense should give anyone a clue. 

 The reason this subject has come up, is that I have decided to sell my daughters retired horse. He is 18 yrs. old and has a bad knee. He can only be ridden lightly.  So he needs a special home. He has mostly been a pasture pet the last three years. My daughter has two other horses she rides and shows. So Rebel is not getting much attention. There is another horse I'd like to get, that I can use for shows and lessons, but I can not afford another horse. So one has to go and that is Rebel. What do I do? Someone is coming to look at Rebel today! I will not let him go to just anyone. He is a good boy who took my daughter to the Ga. State Show and though he did not place he did come in 7th. He is good on the trails and loves to go. His only vice is that you can not ask for a lope--he only has a fast speed run. He will jump ! But due to his bad knee should not be allowed . This is my dilemma -can I trust someone to take care of Rebel and give him a good home ? I fear he will end up in a slaughter house if I let him go.  I guess I will leave it up to fate. I will do my part on searching for a good home. After that it is up to them to keep him and care for him the way he should be. I will hold my breath with each person I interview for the position of caretaker for my friend Rebel.

 Till next time --keep riding and keep safe 

Tina

horse boarding, training, free classifieds, horse clubs, horse tack, horse and western art, horse shows,  and other equine events in Ga. , Atlanta , Statesboro, Swainsboro, Macon, Dublin, Brunswick and of course Savannah areas expanding to Florida, Alabama, S.C., N.C. , Virginia,( S.E. U.S.)