We human beings can plan ahead for our future accommodations, lifestyles and situations. In most cases, things will flow along as planned without much deviation. We have authority over and responsibility for our own lives.
Horses are at the mercy of those humans who have kept, cared for and used them. Their lives might have been easy or tough; they may feel cherished or abused. They have no say in the eventual outcome of their own existence and in this fact lies the sad reality of many cases of elderly equine neglect.
Now human beings usually have the same parents, siblings, offspring and such throughout their lives. Horses can be shifted from home to home, year after year with no clear connection and no real advocate for them during illness, injury, old age or hard times. Most horses who have been gifted with good care and sound handling become the teachers and “babysitters” of young humans. These horses’ retirement is usually comfortable with a degree of appreciation and consideration as they remain part of a family.
Other, less fortunate horses might be relegated to a patch of dirt behind the house where someone occasionally throws them a wad of hay and tops off a dirty tub of water. Some horses end up at auctions when they have lost weight, become infirm, sustained injuries and/or lost the confidence and courage they had in their youth. This leaves them looking less than appealing for any buyer except those who purchase for slaughter.
When an elderly horse finds his or her way to a Sanctuary or Rescue, it is pretty much the human equivalent of a nursing home or assisted living situation. For the horse, it might take months or years to regain health. It could take just as long to regain confidence. The people who are experienced in these things have skills to support the ongoing needs of such an equine; including bodywork, nutrition, grooming and exercise, care of injury or illness. Bringing a horse back from neglect is many times more complicated than simply maintaining good health.
And rebuilding trust can take forever. At Dharmahorse we say “For a horse to trust us, we must be trustworthy”. The people who help us help the horses here are all compassion-based and trustworthy because any step backwards can be devastating for a horse.
For each elderly or compromised resident at the Sanctuary, it is quality of life that determines length of life. We stay acutely aware of any deterioration of comfort or joy and if we cannot support a return to well being, we show them the ultimate consideration and assist their passing. A horse here does not have to be perfect by any standard of beauty, performance or attitude. They simply need to be engaged in this process of living and in need of our care.
Stablewomen 