A new initiative launched by The British Horse Society will ensure that no horse owner has to face the loss of their equine companion alone.
The charity has introduced a new scheme, ‘Friends at the End’, in response to pleas from owners who felt isolated and unsupported during the time every horse lover dreads.
Losing any animal is hard but with horses it is often doubly difficult as so few of them pass away naturally. Owners frequently have to make the decision about when the time has come to end their companion’s life. Even when this is unquestionably the right thing to do, it often leads to feeling of guilt.
The loss of a horse can have an enormous effect on someone’s entire life. Going up to the yard twice a day fills a huge amount of time and can form the basis of many horse owners’ social lives. Losing all of this on top of losing your horse knocks many people for six and is made worse by non-horsy friends and family who just don’t understand – 'buck up, it was only a horse. It’s not like someone has died.'
So it’s no wonder that so many people put off euthanasing their horse. However, that doesn’t mean it is the best decision for the horse. Sadly, many of the welfare concerns that the BHS receives are about old and much loved horses who have been left to go on for too long and are now suffering. It might be a cliché but the saying ‘better a week too soon than a day too late’ is true when it comes to horses.
Making the decision is even harder if the horse is not old. Sometimes, when a horse has a chronic injury or behavioural issues, then it may be necessary to consider euthanasia. There are scores of other reasons that have been brought into sharp focus by the recession. More people simply cannot afford to keep field ornaments, yet the horse isn’t suitable to sell on. Many owners assume a charity will be able to take the horse on, but this is hardly ever the case. Britain’s sanctuaries are struggling to cope with the number of welfare and neglect cases they need to take in and do not have room for any more horses.
This is why the BHS has launched Friends at the End.
More than 100 volunteer welfare officers have attended training that will help them support horse owners through the difficult process of saying goodbye. BHS Friends at the End can talk to owners about the options available if they can no longer keep their horse for any reason. It doesn’t have to end in euthanasia and if there are other choices they will help find them.
If a horse does need to be put the sleep (for whatever reason), BHS Friends will discuss the choices with owners, from the method of euthanasia to what to do afterwards. Many are willing to be there on the day to offer support, and some will even hold the horse if the owner doesn’t feel able. All BHS Friends are Welfare Officers who love horses and know what the owner is going through. It might help to know that if you don’t feel able to be there for your horse’s final moments, there is a horse lover willing to be with them.
Senior Executive (BHS Welfare) Lee Hackett said: “All of our Friends at the End have lost horses themselves and received training from bereavement counsellors so they really do understand the feelings of loss and grief that come when a horse dies. They aren’t there to take the place of a counsellor or vet, but they can offer an extra source of support. At the hardest time in a horse owner’s journey our Friends are available to make it as smooth and straightforward as possible.”
If you feel you might benefit from talking to someone through the Friends at the End scheme, contact BHS Welfare and they’ll put you in touch with your nearest Friend.
