Agree that finding a good home for a horse one is selling is important. However, sometimes this can't be guaranteed as in the cases cited of divorce, death, bankruptcy, illness, sudden relocation, etc. The flip side of this is in some places the 'horse world' is such a closed system that it is hard to buy a horse. I just spent nearly a year looking in Tassie. Since I am an older rider who last had a horse in New Zealand, no one here knew me, so the only people who would respond to my inquiries were selling half trained race horses or horses with injuries. I eventually went to a reputable performance horse sale out of state and purchased, to my satisfaction, two broke and decent mounts. One seller wanted to meet me and her daughter cried over the sale. The other left immediately after the sale and I found my prize wearing a hessian string with a sale number on it around the neck. So differing attitudes to parting with horses. If a horse is unsuitable for use, whether by injury or age, etc, the responsible thing is to put it down. Selling it on will only be cruel to the horse and buyer and it will ruin one's repute.
Forever homes are not impossible. I almost always give horses that I have bought a forever home. As a buyer I’ve only ever sold one horse on. But I do now understand that as a one time breeder (to date) this is impossible to guarantee from a sellers point of view. That troubles me.
Agree that finding a good home for a horse one is selling is important. However, sometimes this can't be guaranteed as in the cases cited of divorce, death, bankruptcy, illness, sudden relocation, etc. The flip side of this is in some places the 'horse world' is such a closed system that it is hard to buy a horse. I just spent nearly a year looking in Tassie. Since I am an older rider who last had a horse in New Zealand, no one here knew me, so the only people who would respond to my inquiries were selling half trained race horses or horses with injuries. I eventually went to a reputable performance horse sale out of state and purchased, to my satisfaction, two broke and decent mounts. One seller wanted to meet me and her daughter cried over the sale. The other left immediately after the sale and I found my prize wearing a hessian string with a sale number on it around the neck. So differing attitudes to parting with horses. If a horse is unsuitable for use, whether by injury or age, etc, the responsible thing is to put it down. Selling it on will only be cruel to the horse and buyer and it will ruin one's repute.
Forever homes are not impossible. I almost always give horses that I have bought a forever home. As a buyer I’ve only ever sold one horse on. But I do now understand that as a one time breeder (to date) this is impossible to guarantee from a sellers point of view. That troubles me.