ravelyan wrote:
lizanator wrote:
So long story short, I have a horse that I am probably putting down. I have tried a few things to get him sound, and he's been lame for many months now. He's only getting worse, and I think his time is coming. We can't even trim him now without him getting sore, has has all kinds of issues. I wouldn't mind keeping him as a pasture pet since I can't seem to find anyone else that wants him (no surprise there, who would?), but I think he might even be getting too sore for that. I've only seen three euthanasias done by a vet, and two of them went bad. After hearing some horror stories from others about it, I kinda don't want to go that route again. I want it to be as quick as possible, and the money saved is a plus too.

I've done some reading on it and most places say to draw an X from the eye to the ear....is this right? We shot a pig in the forehead a while back and she just fell right over dead...much quicker than those euths I saw. I've heard some people do it behind the ear, but the forehead route sounds safer. I'm a good shot, and so is my friend if I can't do it (think I can), so I don't worry about that part. It was recommended to use either a .22 or a .38....will a .45 work? We have a .22, but I feel like a .45 would be better, and I'm more comfortable with it. Thoughts?
I think you should get someone experienced to do it, if you do decide to go the shooting route. Like you say, the last thing you'd ever want is for it to go wrong and the horse to survive the first shot.


Thing is, I don't know anyone around here who has shot a horse! Although I'm going to ask around some more and see, a friend said the dead animal removal guy shot her horse years ago but I don't know if he still does. I'm sure either I or my friend could do it, just making sure I have the spot right spot and a proper gun.