SAYING GOOD-BYE TO YOUR
BACKYARD RACEHORSE

by Caren Sanders

There comes a time in every horse owner's life when the difficult decision must be made to reduce the number of horses you own. Finding a new owner for your horse can be a very difficult, traumatic, and stressful process. I know from first hand experience. You want the best home for the animal, the same type of love and care that you have provided. There are a number of methods that I have discovered that might be helpful.

The first part of the process is to acknowledge that you must find a new home for Buddy. This action can be the hardest part of anything you will do, especially if you have raised Buddy in your "backyard". Personal medical reasons, financial concerns, relocation to a new job, or just deciding that the horse business is not your cup of tea are but a few of the reasons you might have to say good-bye to your backyard race horse.

Once you have made the decision to say good-bye, you will probably feel sad and come up with a thousand ways you can get around the horrible deed; you'll even be prone to tears. These are all normal responses and it's best to get your feelings out and done with. Talk to your friends about what you're going to do-hearing yourself say , "I've got to find a new home for Buddy" will help you accept the reality of the task. And do your crying - this is no less a traumatic experience than a family member moving to a foreign country or the death of a family member. Just don't let your emotions take control over you- stay in control.

The first person I would talk to is your vet. If your vet is like mine, not only is he the provider of your horse care, he's also a trusted friend who tells it like it is. Your vet may know someone who is looking for a horse just like yours and knows that Buddy will get a good and loving home.

If your horse is "salable" and you need the money, you might want to consider the auction route. There is a cost to this route if you use an agent to prep the horse and take the horse to auction. The down side is that you'll never probably see the potential owner before the sale to size up whether Buddy will get a good home and if you sell Buddy without a minimum bid above the meat price, Buddy could be bought cheaply for meat.

On the other hand, if your horse is not "salable" due to age, injury, or breeding, then you need to try the private sale route. This can be very frustrating since you will have people call to see your horse and never show up. But if you are worried about the care of your horse, this is a good way to size up people when they come to see the horse. If you have not talked about price, and don't like the people you are dealing with, you can always jack up the price so that no one in his right mind would pay. I did this once when a man in a pickup truck and trailer pulled up at my door and asked if I had any horses for sale. I said none at a price that he was willing to pay and told him to get off my property. SO BEWARE--DON'T LET SOMEONE MAKE YOU AN OFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSE WHEN YOU ARE VULNERABLE.

What can you do with Buddy if he has an injury , though not life threatening, one that doesn't allow him to be the three day eventing horse of your dreams or anyone else's? Well, there are a number of really good alternatives.

Check with your local 4-H . You never know when the 4-H is looking for a horse for a project. Buddy might just fill the bill. The 4-H will probably not have the funds to buy the horse, so check with the IRS or your tax advisor to see if Buddy can be considered as a charitable contribution (more on this later).

If Buddy is sound and a gelding, but not very attractive in the eyes of prospective buyers, check out organizations that provide riding for the handicapped. Those that I've contacted don't want fillies, mares or stallions due to their temperament. These horses get tons of love and are doing a good service to society (again check on charitable contribution status).

Contact police in large cities to see if they have an equine squad in need of horses. Often they will take the horse for a specified length of time to see if the horse will fit in the program. If it does not, the horse is returned to you.

There are people around who will take horses that are unwanted and find them homes. I contacted a woman some time back who had such a program. She was a 4-H official in her home state and would take horses if you pay pre-shipping, vetting and shots, and provided transportation to her farm. I found her through an ad in an equine magazine. I contacted the magazine to check out her credentials and as far as they knew she was legitimate. She was going to be my last resort for my two fillies if I couldn't find some place else. I have recently seen some of her ads and she often describes a few of the horses that she has taken in and the new homes that she has found for them. You'd be surprised, but some of the mares have been sent to stallions in Lexington for breeding!!!

There is also the New York State Thoroughbred Retirement Farm which I believe only takes formerly raced geldings. The horses are cared for by inmates at an upstate New York Prison. There are other similar prison programs in other states.

Finally, there is donation to equestrian programs at colleges. I found this approach through a friend. The college has a 4 year equine program and was looking for thoroughbred mares to breed to Norwegian warm bloods. I paid for all pre shipping vet work and shipping. I signed their papers over to the college and was able to take a tax deduction for the value of the donation. There are certain guideline relative to determining the value of the contribution, so check with the IRS or your tax advisor before entering into this deal. I visited the college, was happy with the environment and off went the two fillies. Within 60 days of their arrival at the school, they were in foal. To locate colleges with equine programs, check the classified ads in magazines such as Equus and Blood Horse. If you decide to go this route, choose a school that is within your capability to visit. Meet with the person in charge of the program, see the facilities and be sure in your own mind that you are happy with the situation. While I went with the first school I contacted because it was highly recommended and lived up to its billing, there are other schools out there--shop around.

If your state university has an animal husbandry program or vet school, check with them to see if they need horses for study programs or student work. These ideas are only a few that I have tried. It does take some time to search out a good home for your horse. But if you do, you'll feel more at ease about making this very difficult decision.