About two weeks ago, Hanaeleh was contacted by a young lady who had rescued a horse that had gone lame. While meaning well, she did not have experience with rehabilitating horses, and was talked into potentially taking her horse to a “euthanasia clinic.” She reached out to us before having her put down in the hopes that we would hopefully be able to help. Unfortunately, we were not able to get out to see the horse in time, so we put a plea on Facebook and through our rescue contacts in order to see if anyone could physically see the horse and determine whether the horse was a good candidate for euthanasia.
Before continuing, we must point out that Hanaeleh believes that euthanasia can be the most humane way to help a horse end his noble life. That being said, we do not condone “euthanasia clinics” as we believe that the decision to put a horse down must be the right one for that individual horse at that particular time, not merely because another person is putting his or her horse down. We hope you read through the end of the story so you can read about those horses who were scheduled to be put down for the sake of convenience.
To continue, we were so pleased to have so many people offer to go out to see this poor mare. Katia from Lifetime Equine Refuge called Hanaeleh and offered not only to see the mare, but also to take her as well. She picked up the horse, Jesse, that week, and a vet did confirm that while Jesse still needs some rehabilitation, her lameness issues were due to an inept farrier, and not something that would require her to be put down.
When taking Jesse, Katia also reached out to the owners of the other horses who were scheduled to be put down that weekend, and offered to take all three of them. They are 26, 28 and 30. Two are registered Quarter Horses and all of the horses are up-to-date on their vaccinations, feet, etc. According to Katia, all three are sound, rideable and have been good mounts and served their humans well through their lives. None of these horses suffer from pain or other illness that would necessiate euthanasia. All of these mares, as well as Jesse, will eventually be put up for adoption. These four horses, all slated to be killed, will eventually find new owners who will hopefully treasure their remaining years.
To inquire about these horses or to help sponsor them, please visit the rescue’s website: www.lifetimeequinerefuge.org
Because of our location in Orange County, Hanaeleh does not have the capacity to take in all of the horses who need homes. It is imperative, therefore, that we work with caring individuals and network with other rescues in order to help these wonderful animals find homes. We are very thankful for everyone who helped Jesse, and especially Katia for taking all four mares. If we continue to work together, there will continue to be more happy endings such as these.
Jesse was rescued, only to be potentially euthanized when she went lame
This beautiful mare was scheduled to be put down at a “euthanasia clinic.”