Yes and it was heartbreaking. She was struck by lightning, her skin was burnt and she was fitting. Called emrgency vets who could nothing for her :(

We've never had a horse but we had to have one of our cats put to sleep. Someone either poisoned her or she got hold of something poisonous inadvertently. It was a very very sad day for us. :(

Yes we've had three put down, one on a rainy day with an old, old horse down in the bushes sliding deeper into them. Very sad day it was. My horse had been my companion of nearly 30 years, since I was 9 years old. And we have had to shoot another older mare that was caught up in a fence and building wreckage during a rainstorm in the middle of the night, an emergency case :-( It was horrifying. It's nothing like putting down a dog or cat, nothing!

We had to put out tennesee walker down because he came down with west nile. It was sad sad. He had his vaccinations three weeks prior to getting sick.

Yes unfortunately, I have worked with horses for 37 years and have put 2 of them down. It's never easy. Not to be graphic but the simplest and quickest way is to make an imaginary X between the horses ears and eyes and place the muzzle of a gun right in the middle of the X. It's quick and happens so fast they never know what hit them. It's more traumatic for us as humans than the horse as it's so quick they quite honestly don't feel anything or even know what hit them. I'm Sorry for you if you have had to do this.

grass sickness, she was a little riding school pony who had just given so much happiness to so many children. i sat in the car to get away from the noise but still heard the gunshot

Yes, my first pony at 28 years old. She colicked very badly in snow. She had a lifelong history of colic. I knew the likely outcome of surgery would not be good. She was old, she had cushings, she was starting to not handle heat and cold well. We sat up with her all night, giving her Banamine and oiling her, but it only got worse. It was just time. I held her while the vet put her down so she wouldn't die alone. We gave her the best end we could. Everything dies eventually. I wanted to make sure her death was about her, not dragged out because I wasn't ready to let go.

yes, this spring we had a beloved pony put down because of a rectal prolapse very sad in loving memory of a wonderful little pony

We were caring for a horse and were about to have her euthanized because she was suffering so. However, she died naturally during one last exam as the doctor was trying to find out if there was anything she could do. My wife was there and I was on the road to try and find her owners who were on a camping trip. It was very traumatic. As it turned out, the poor thing had cancer.

My horse Gatsby. On a midnight road ride he saw cows with horn and freaked. (even thou his pasture is right next to cows without horns). He has backing into electric fence so I got off to lead him. Well he was 17 hands and when he reared I couldn't hold him. He took off down the dark dirt road at a full out gallop. We looked all night for him with spotlights. In the morning we found him caught between two fences. He had jumped the first set and then was impaled by a t-post on landing by the next set of fence. It was in his neck and really deep. He had also de-gloved his left front leg. (ripped all the skin off). We led him home and spent the next two month wrapping and bandaging. The neck would healed beautifully. The leg took a lot longer but he was sound on it. Then, the leg closed up all the way. Scar tissue formed. He went lame on that leg. Within days he was lame in his hind end. Really lame. Had my vet out. Gatsby's ligament connecting his pelvis to his hip was torn. The left front scar tissue had lamed up the left front. The left front lameness set off his arthritic right hind. The right hind lameness set off the ligament which tore. We put him down the next week. I had gotten him off the track at 4yrs. Went all over the nation with him show jumping him. He was a huge jumper. At one point had his insured for $30,000. At his time of death he was 12 yrs old. He looked to me the whole time. The day we put him down I had two people who were close to me, my fiance and my vet who is also my close friend. The boys hate eachother but got along that day for me. Gatsby didn't want to go towards the hole. He winnyed and looked to me as he reared and fell. And then he was still, and my Vet said 'say goodbye to him, he's leaving us.' But I'd already said good-bye, and he was gone. Lately I had a horse choke himself to death while tied. We had to bury him in the pouring rain, the tractor kept getting stuck, and the grave was shallow. I look outside at all my other horses and I realize they will all one day die. We all will.

I am so sorry for all you guys that had to go through the heartache of losing your often lifelong companion. I am lucky to have not lost a horse yet but i know with 13 horses and 2 donkeys it is innevitable that one day they will go. I have a 20+ year old abused gelding who had a very rough start and middle to his life and we have him here to live out his final years in peace with all the other horses and us around him. They don't last forever unfortunately as we don't, i just have to believe that when they go it isn't the end. I am not religious but i believe that when an animal is buried or cremated its body is going back into the earth and they manafest as a variety of other creatures and go on living through them. We lost a puppy a month ago who we had for 11 days his name was bomani and he came from a breeder who didnt give him the correct injections and we lost him to a virus despite ALL our efforts to save him. We buried him on our farm overlooking the lake as he loved to swim and i often see a black headed heron flying above and think that a small part of him is there living on. Everything i look at, even the plants makes me think of him. this is the way that i cope with losing my companions but that is all we can do is cope. They will live on in our memories forever and no-one can take those away from us. When i talk about him or even think about him a part of him is still alive!

There's a girl I know who likes them, and her dad owns a ranch out in the middle of nowhere. Once they had to put down a horse, I'm not sure why, but it was a female, she give birth but the baby horse wasn't healthy, and died like an hour later. Apparently, the mother freaked out and wouldn't stop damaging herself by banging in the stall and slamming her hoofs on the wall. They couldn't go near the horse, it was too crazy. Eventually she broke one leg by doing this, and a horse with a broken leg, I'm told, is as good as dead. So they didn't have a choice. :(

I've never been able to own a horse, despite I love them very much. But if I absolutely HAD TO give her a final sleeptime - I'd do it out of compasion. If she'd suffer badly from desease - I'd let her go and promise her we'll meet again... up there... And I'd be with her to the last moment.

yes, sadly. Tax my thoroughbred gelding. he was 2 3/4. Too young to die. Im not sure how he done it, but he never raced but the vets reconed he had been trainned to be a racehorse as he was broken and everything. Beautiful little boy. I rode him one day and he was fine, I was told he was sound on his blemish and was told it was a capped hock. Of course thats not bad at all and didnt think nothing of it, half way through riding he started limping - so I immediatly got off him checked his leg and there was no heat. Rang the vets and he got his Xrays to find out the supposed capped hock was a large piece of bone, and the guiders had come off the horses' hock. He has not been put down yet, but is going to be put down and im going to be so sad, only had him for 7weeks as well. Poor thing, makes me hate racing so much. Such a sweet guy, not like a thoroughbred at all. Gentle giant. Loved hugs, kisses and being praised and spoilt and loves galloping. So before he goes Im going to gallop on him bareback one last time, as for some reason canter and galloping doesnt hurt him, just trot does. here is my boy, we will meet again in Heaven. And he will be become a Unipeg and watch over me. =]

4 aged - all late 20's. Got down but could not get back up 4 Colic 3 Cushings 2 Broken Leg 1 Fractured Skull 1 Insulin Resistant with Founder complications 1 Congestive Heart Failure 1 Prolapsed Uterus 1 CID foal Yep. I've been there far too many times. If you care, it never is easy and each horse takes a piece of your heart with them.

Yes. He was an old appy. Had had a cancer tumour removed off his eye when he was younger with us. He got arthritis, which we managed with potions, then he got another tumour on his eye lid and he was constantly uncomfortable. Was too old to put him through getting another one removed. We put him down on his 20th Birthday =[

yeah. he was 35 years old. i hated saying goodbye to him :(