I wrote a series of posts about equine euthanasia on my Facebook page in late 2025 that I would like to share here. There are three parts, each stemming from the one before after reading so many comments from you. I have a list of other articles as resources at the very end.
My original post
Talking to a horse owner about euthanasia is like trying to catch a fish with your bare hands. Nature is against you. They avoid the consideration of suffering, the discussion of quality of life, the logistics of what that decision would look like.
We don’t want to even think of the end of life, especially in my American culture. We are not well prepared to consider life and death. Some of us have already had to face death in one way or another – and it is devastating to our soul.
For many of us, the death of our animal signifies something like a failure….somehow it means that we stopped trying and we gave up.
And *how* could you ask someone to give up on their beloved companion?
However understandable that perspective is (and as an animal owner I feel this way too!), I would argue this is not the best way to look at it for our horses sake.
Horses rarely die naturally. Out of all the horses my clients have lost (usually 10-12/year from my schedule) over the past 10 years, only two passed without being euthanized. One of those should have been euthanized. The other had a suspected heart attack overnight.
If you were to ask how many of them needlessly suffered for weeks, months, years before finally being put to rest? Well…. that is a hard question to answer depending on who you ask, but more than one.
Horses are fragile in some of their systems. Their digestive system can rebel. They must be weight bearing to survive so something like a broken leg that could be healed in other species can be catastrophic for them. They are prey animals, something that even anxious fearful humans have a hard time comprehending as we are predators at the tippy top of the food chain. They are biologically engineered for survival which means they will do their best to hide their pain. In this sense, they are not fragile at all. They will persist despite great cost.
- How can we best serve our horse as they age?
- What does aging with dignity look like for them?
- How would we like their death to be?
- What will their death look and feel like?
- How can we miss them and honor them?
These are the questions that we can ask ourselves.
Hold space for death in your life. It will not kill you. We see the ending, the transition of something all our lives. The seasons change, trees fall, relationships wane, our feelings, ideas, and needs ebb and flow.
Do you think your horse is afraid to die?
Or is it us who are afraid to “play God,” to have that conversation with a friend or vet, to face the inevitable end that we all will have one day?
Is it you who is not ready?
Choosing to help your horse in the end, because they will be truly dependent on you by then, is an honor. It is an offering of respect, an acknowledgement of your role as their friend and guardian and advocate in both life and death. ️
To my clients who have been brave enough to face death, I’m here with you. ️
I have 15 and 14 year old kitties and an 11 year old dog who is graying around her muzzle and face. I love them deeply and it feels like a lightning strike to my gut to imagine life without them here next to me.
I am not writing this from an academic perspective. The facts usually don’t matter anyway in these times until we can get ahold of our own feelings. Or until we are forced to deal in numbers, dollars, and days.
My hope is that as a collective who loves animals, we can pursue understanding life and death so that we’re ready for when we are called upon to make tough decisions for the animals in our lives.
Edited to add: I didn’t not anticipate this post having such a big reach! Clearly this is a topic that we all need to talk about. I hope being a part of this conversation has relieved some of your guilt or stress over losing animals in the past or preparing for the future. See below for part 2 and 3.
Part 2: How to know when it’s time….
Our euthanasia conversation, continued from yesterday.
The AAEP actually has a set of guidelines for equine euthanasia:
“A horse should not have to endure the following:
- Continuous or unmanageable pain from a condition that is chronic and incurable.
- A medical condition or surgical procedure that has a poor prognosis for a good quality of life.
- Continuous analgesic medication and/or box stall confinement for the relief of pain for the rest of its life.
- An unmanageable medical or behavioral condition that renders it a hazard to itself or its handlers.”
Above can be used as the foundation of your decision when the time comes. For some of us, that time may be now. But it’s good to think ahead – my whole point in my post yesterday was that we usually ignore or avoid this conversation as long as possible. And that makes it much harder to make the right decision in the right timing.
Some other things to consider that I have used in discussion with clients:
- The light in their eyes is gone – if you’ve seen this, you know what I mean.
- They have more bad days than good days – you’ll have to define a good day vs. bad day but compare it to their best days.
- You cannot adequately manage their pain.
- You cannot afford the next procedure or treatment – there is no shame in this, though it’s the hardest conclusion to come to.
- Your/their life circumstances have changed, such as they’re now living alone, the property can no longer support their needs, or the environment is making it too difficult for you to care for them.
- The level of care that they need is not sustainable for you or your support team.
- Their body cannot cope any longer.
- Your horse can no longer tolerate basic care from a vet or a farrier.
- Your horse’s behavior makes things dangerous for the humans caring for them.
The AAEP spoke of enduring….
What is your horse going to have to endure? This often comes up when we’re discussing procedures or treatment options and weighing the pros and cons.
But what about the daily enduring? This is the quality of life consideration.
What is a good quality of life for an equine?
What is a good life for your equine?
My goal in sharing yesterday’s post was to start the conversation because most horse owners have a subconscious fantasy that one day after aging gracefully, their horse will just lay down and pass peacefully. This rarely happens and your horse is not likely to be the exception.
But in most cases, we do get to choose how our horses will die.
A peaceful death is a great gift.
Your vet and other professionals that work on your horse can help aid in these considerations. Ultimately, the decision is yours.
Part 3: Untruths
I would like to go over some common statements that I hear – reasons why people refuse to consider euthanasia.
“They’re still eating.”
If your horse is still eating, it means their appetite, mouth, and digestive system is still somewhat functional. That does not indicate that they have a good quality of life just because they’re still eating. I don’t know of any horses who were put down because they stopped eating – there are so many ways in which their body fails before then. This is the worst reason people give with the least logic behind it.
“They’re still running around in the pasture.”
We know adrenaline can mask lameness. And they’re a horse! Of course they’re going to have a wild hair, a spook, or feel the need to stay with their friends. They also do not want any predator to know that they’re the weakest in the herd.
If they’re not sound, they could further injure themselves due to slippery footing, herd dynamics, being unable to get up and down comfortably, be too far from the barn for a daily wellbeing check, accidentally deprive themselves from water depending on the set up…. the list goes on. It’s not an inherently good/bad sign that they’re willing to move. Movement in most cases is best! But this can’t be the only determining factor.
“I can’t afford to do that.”
The cost is definitely a concern and I understand that, especially if your horse gets sick/lame suddenly and you’re needing to make a quick decision. However, this is no excuse to allow your horse to suffer. You can figure this out. It’s awful to be in a position where you don’t have the funds immediately available but you have options to get the money one way or another.
“They’re still happy.”
This is a tough one. You know your horse best. The question is – are you too close to the situation? Do you understand how to perceive pain in your horse – think lameness scale, the grimace/pain face scale….Are you tracking their progress or regression when it comes to their mental or physical health? Do you know what it looks like when they’re unhappy? Can you compare good days and bad days?
I’m never going to contradict an owner on this one. But happiness can be subjective especially when we’re doing the interpretation for someone else.
“I could never do that.”
Well – that’s actually what we sign up for when we buy a horse and commit to being their partner. I think this is one reason people rehome their older or lame horses. It’s painful to face the reality of life and death. Many horse owners are unprepared or choose to ignore the inevitable. No one wants to be in the position to call the vet and make a date. And yet, that’s exactly what it may be time to do.
There is a difference between can’t and won’t….
“I’m scared.”
No one says this directly, but I know they feel it. We fear the unknown. Open yourself up to information. It will help you feel more prepared. I went on a ridealong with a vet and was grateful to get to watch a euthanasia happen that day. There is so much fear around death and instead I saw a compassionate vet team and loving owners surrounding their older horse whose body was failing. He went peacefully. It was a good death. Ask your vet about the process.
Though no one has said this directly, I think a lot of owners have the intention of not waiting too long but the timeline and understanding of what would be “too long” gets muddied.
It feels weird to say the opposite which is, I don’t want to put down my horse “too early.” Which is an interesting way to look at it and brings us to a deeper conversation about perhaps a horse’s spirit, honoring their journey here on earth, and not wanting to interrupt that.
It’s commonly said “better a day too early than a day too late” – but you usually don’t know it’s too late until it is. Which implies that you’re likely going to feel that the timing is just right or it’s too early, if you don’t wait too long.
There is no easy answer here. If you’re willing to have this discussion with yourself, your horse, your vet, trusted friends…. have faith that you’ll be informed and brave enough to make the right call in the right timing.
I hope our conversation has sparked food for thought for you.
Unless more comes to mind, this concludes my thoughts on equine euthanasia!
Thank you for sharing your stories.
TLDR:
- Horses are the best.
- We owe them a peaceful death, if we get the choice.
- It sucks because we love them so much.
- We can face death and survive.
Resources:
Article on how to assess your horse’s quality of life. Excellent information and includes a checklist for you.
Article from the AAEP about the guidelines I mentioned for considering ethical euthanasia.
Article on the study which developed the horse grimace scale (HGS) – scroll down to see images.
Article on diagnosing and understanding your horse’s lameness.
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