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Aging horses and ethical concerns

Thank God my 21 yr old palomino Morgan mare is still healthy and full of energy, but I know the day will come when I will have to let her go. I don't want her to suffer just to stay here for me, and I won't let her. She has given me so much since I bought her when she was 16, and I owe her a peaceful passage when the time comes.

Financially at this time I can't spend a lot on medical care, and I don't see that situation changing any time soon. Maybe it is better that way so I won't be tempted to keep her here just for me if and when she takes a bad turn.

Cassie - it sounds like you are on the right track with regard to your mare's end of life decisions. These decisions should never be made lightly but I firmly believe that the final decision is a gift that we give to our beloved animals. I wish you and your mare a long time together before such a decision must be made - you never know how long a horse might live. My first horse, an Appy gelding, lived to be 39 and his best buddy for most of those years was a Mustang cross gelding that lived to be 44 - they passed only a few short month apart the appy first and the mustang grieved so hard that he never did recover. I miss them both very much but they had very long and happy lives and I have them both buried on the property.

I have read that Morgans can live easily into their 30's, and she is a foundation bloodline old-type Morgan, very sturdy and well built. She is not one of the hot house flowers that they call Morgans these days. Granted, they are pretty to look at with all of their flair, but I will take my salt-of-the-earth mare any day over one of those horses. She is stable minded, trustworthy, and considerate, a testament to her age, experience, and breeding. She has been a good friend to me these past several years, and I owe it to her to ease her pain if some day she needs it to be so.

I thought I was going to lose her last year when she colicked, and it nearly did me in. I thought to myself, "Not now, it is much too soon." I had just gone through a divorce and I pretty much lost everything but my horses. I didn't want to lose my Morgan now too. I have a younger Paint mare as well, but my Morgan will always have a special place in my heart because of the confidence she instilled in me after getting hurt while riding my first horse, a gelding. My lovely Morgan has been the safe mount for me to learn to enjoy riding again. She has taught me so much. Thankfully her colic was a mild case and I still have her in my life.

I only wish I could see her more because she is an hour and 10 minutes away from me now at the farm where she and my other mare are boarded. We are far apart because I had to move after my divorce and I cannot afford to move my horses closer. Board fees where I live now is much more expensive because of location, and both mares are being used in a lesson program so I am getting a discount where they are now. It is a good situation for my horses, but it is not a good situation for me.

Such is life.....

Stay strong Cassie - nothing is forever - as time passes you may find a way to get them closer to you. It sounds as if you have done all you can to keep them with you and it is wise to keep them in work with the lesson program - a very good compromise. I hope that you are getting out there at least once a week to check on them and that you trust the stable to keep them in good shape - eye balls on them often will help waylay any chronic health issues that might be creeping up on the horses - sometimes these things are first noticed by those that do not see the horses everyday so your situation may, in fact, serve your horses well as long as do check on them as often as you can.

Stay well.

I trust the owner of the farm wholeheartedly with my horses. I have had them there long enough and familiarized myself with her daily practices over the long term. I know my horses are in good hands. Each horse is handled daily, fed individually, and turned out all day. But.....

I do miss being there on an almost daily basis. A year prior to my marriage falling apart I had moved my mares to this woman's farm. I enjoyed having my horses just two properties down the road from where I lived. With me being unemployed now and looking for work, my car not driveable at the moment, the cost of gas, and the hour and 10 minute drive, well, it is nearly impossible to get out to see the horses more than once a month at this point. With winter on our doorstep and lots of snow typical where I live, I may not see them much this winter.

I don't like the issue of so much distance at all, but there is nothing I can do about it right now. I do have good communication with the farm owner and I know my mares are well cared for, but it is hard for me to be away from my horses. I was used to at least checking in on them on an almost daily basis.....adjusting sheets/blankets as needed, fly spraying, giving treats, grooming, working the mares, riding, etc. Right now my main concern is just trying to keep both horses at all with no income coming in. I know they are getting their basic needs met, but I got a lot of joy out of the little things I would do for them.

I did see my horses last weekend and then just today, a special bonus because we had nice weather and I did all I could to get out there. Last weekend I brought up the horse blankets for winter, wormed my mares, groomed them, and rode both horses a little bit. Today was an even better day because I took my Morgan on a nice trail ride. It was relaxing and just what my psyche needed. I am not sure now when I will get up there again.

I try to stay strong but it is hard sometimes. My mares are not the only financial obligation I have, so sometimes it gets a little overwhelming trying to keep my chin up. One day at a time for now..... Thanks for your kind words.