This is a horrible situation. The only way to insure the care of any animal is to maintain personal ownership and care. My horses will be with me until death. My family has instructions for their care if I pass first.
When I buy a horse it lives with me until it passes away. If I had a horse as great as this it would have never left my property. This is what I owe them for all they give to me. If you can't make this promise, don't fall in love with your horse - it won't end well. If you have to retire one, for gods sake find a place you can visit once a week. Do you think that a bond as strong as the one you build riding every day just disappears? That your friend just forgets you?
I have to agree totally w/ Rose from Bloomington, IL When YOU Buy a Horse & Spend the Majority of His/Her Life Riding, Showing, Etc. , YOU HAVE BECOME RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM TIL THEIR DEATH! Do you People Adopt a Child, Dog, Cat & When YOU are Ready ; SEND THEM DOWN THE ROAD!!!! NO! You Buy &/or ADOPT FOR LIFE!!!
I feel heart broken for your loss. It made me check in on my handsome boy that I retired this year after 16 wonderful years of service. Not everyone understands that retirement is sometime a must, and why we would love to say "they can stay and grow old with us" it's not always in their best interest. I have a small riding academy with a twelve stall barm that is year round full to capacity with horses in training, lesson/schooling horses, and then one very private horse for myself. We live in an area where pasture is a luxury and hay is a must. I feed forty bales of high quality hay alfalfa and orchard/Timothy mix hays daily to make up for zero grass and limited turn out for twelve horses. That is no retirement. They spend 14 hours out of their stalls each day, but not grazing the way nature intended or rolling in soft lush pastures or swimming in chest deep ponds. So the hardest desicision I have made and I make it every few years when my well deserving school horses have earned their retirement. They deserve to be loved and used and spoiled. Not to be worked, and stalled, and not to be sold and past around and around. So yes my horses leave me, they are not sold off to the highest bidders, nor are they randomly forgotten has some have tossed out there at thos poor woman who lost her beloved mount. But rather they are found what I can only hope and pray are the best foverve homes til they cross that rainbow bridge and we meet again on the otherside. "May Lou be there waiting for you as you make your way to those gates one day, I know he knew you were not at fault for his treatment"
Some of the blame should fall on the owners that place their horses in these kind of places. They may have good intentions, but as always out of sight out of mind! Such a preventable suffering if their owners would just check up on them, or send someone else to do it for them. This makes me sick!
Yes, I agree this was a terrible tragedy. However, the responsibility of a horses well being lies with the owner. It was Lou's owner that sent him to this place, it was up to her to make sure he was being cared for properly. She needs to accept ownership for the outcome. It makes no difference whether it is an expensive, well breed show horse like Lou or an ordinary backyard pet, none of them deserve to die this way. People need to be held accountable in these cases. There needs to be penalties. Speak up, pay attention, if you see abuse or suspect abuse, do something, report it and don't shut up until it is dealt with. After all isn't that what you would want for YOUR horse?
Yes, this is heartbreaking for this poor animal but his owner couldn't shoulder the responsibility of taking care of him through his retirement after all he gave her. Instead of retiring him herself she sold him. When will horse people learn that the only safe retirement is the one you provide yourself.
What an awful, awful hell. To those who blame the former owner the sale of a horse is hard. You have to place at least some faith in people or you couldn't do it. many people do not want you to follow up & visit & will not consider such invasion of privacy. It would seem that giving someone enough notice should work for both sides. The worst part is that even if you do follow uop, if you find things less than perfect you have no back up or recourse if the buyer isn't willing to work with you. all of this needs fixing in law. Anyone keeping animals in such conditions should immediately lose custody of all of them & not be allowed to own or care for a single animal without proving they are competent. If you are selling a horse you should have a legal right to visit that horse ( specified time interval/ number of times) to follow through & better support.
This story broke my heart a million times. It will sit with me always, as a testament to how cruel people can be. Rest easy in paradise, what a beautiful creature and such an unnecessary and tragic loss.....
Thank you for writing this story. Jean is my friend and Lou was the kindest and sweetest stallion I've ever known. Thank you for this tribute.