What’s the Worst Thing That Could Happen to Your Horse?

By Amy Ryals of Honestly Horses  · Guest Contributor


I have been thinking on this question lately as I came into possession of two incredibly nice mares that were in a world of trouble. The situation has led me to make some changes to my own care and preparedness, so I thought I would share their story. We have all seen the images of kill pen horses who look half starved and, if you can bare to even look in their eyes, you’ll find they look bewildered and lost. You may have even found yourself sending funds to help rescue one of these lost souls. Though this is a very different story, the demise of the horses involved was just as grim. The horses that I now have, in my care, didn’t look starved, in fact, they were quite the opposite. They had fat deposits in random places and feet that looked grossly neglected. The look in their eyes was the same as those kill pen horses. They were worried, lost and one of them was in so much pain she could barely walk. It’s easy to want to reprimand and lay blame, but this story isn’t one of neglect. It is simply a case of one not knowing. The person who had charge of these horses had no idea that the “care” they were providing was literally killing them, slowly. They didn’t stand a chance in the, knee deep, lushness of the hay meadow. When their owner became ill seven years ago, nobody knew what to do with her beloved horses. She bred them and raised them. They were her greatest joy, and yet, she couldn’t have known that within a few short months she wouldn’t even know their names. It fell to her loving husband to now care for them. He’d been around them. He had supported her from the stands, when she showed. He covered for her at feeding time when she wasn’t able to get there in time. He didn’t really know anything about all the care that went into them, though. She took care of all of it. He didn’t know that the farrier needed to be there on a regular schedule. He didn’t know that vet visits should be annual and that “fat” isn’t a good thing with horses. He had seen all the pictures of horses grazing in lush pastures and thought that must be their best life. So, they sat there, year after year, while her health declined and nobody took notice of the pain the older mare was in. She struggled to even walk as her feet were in such a sever state of founder. The younger mare had a sever reaction to bug bites. She was covered in sores and had rubbed her tail out, to the bone. It was nothing but a bloody mess of sores with no hair left. She was miserable. When the farrier did come, which wasn’t nearly often enough, he failed to mention to the poor man just how serious the issues were. He didn’t want to pile on in his time of struggle with his wife’s health. So, he did the best he could to try and help the older mare be more comfortable and made the subtle suggestion that maybe the horses should stay in the pen near the barn more often. He made it a point to give the younger mare a good fly spray to offer her a bit of relief. It wasn’t near enough. The wife passed in early summer. It was a brutal battle and the man cared for her with everything he had. He managed to somehow keep her beloved horses there, just in case she had a moment of clarity and wanted to see them one last time. Now, it was just him, and them, and he was completely lost as to what to do next. It seemed life had stood still for so long and now it was moving again and things seemed urgent. The farrier came, and seeing the state of the horses, finally, spoke the truth and the hard facts of where these horses were and what needed to happen. Fortunately, the man wanted only to do what was right for them. He was now faced with the realization that what he thought he had been doing right for years, was actually killing them slowly. He sought out a place and someone to take them. That’s where I came in. A mutual friend connected us, in hopes that I could offer some help. I am happy to report that both mares are doing very well. The damage done in the older mare is not going to go away anytime soon, but we are managing it well and she can even run and play, and her spirits are certainly lifted. Her eyes are starting to shine again. There’s hope there. The younger mare is just so happy to have some care and attention and she’s doing a fantastic job as a lesson horse in my riding program.