I'm shocked at the number of people who have experienced "horrible" chemical euthanasias. Are there that many vets out there that are either unable to administer the drug properly or are dosing incorrectly? I've been involved in more euths than I care to admit while on farm calls with the vet and the number of poor ones are SO few and far between. We had one due to the drug not being warmed up enough during the winter (it was a snap decision by the owner) that two 1 1/2 doses to put down but that one wasn't horrible. The only other ones have been when an owner who was entirely incapable of holding the horse insisted.......that's no longer allowed. The vet's assistant is now the only person the vet will allow to hold a horse he's euthanising or he won't do it. All of the others were uneventful.

There may be some of the reactions that spooks mentions (movement in the limbs or "gasps") as the muscles twitch due to oxygen loss, but these are not conscious movements. If done properly a horse is brain dead before they even hit the ground.

Beandog wrote:
If you spend your time trying to please everyone and ensure no waves are created you are going to end up with egg on your face, half naked in the middle of the street surrounded by Norwegian dwarves singing Kumbayah off key with a WTF expression on your face. 

JohnnyToaster wrote:

Actually, Warmbloods start out their lives as something that resembles a cross between a deer and a rhinoceros. After 6 months of this larval stage they will spin a cocoon, made of a coarse silk, and pupate for about a year. They then emerge as fully mature Grand Prix dressage horses or jumpers depending on their breeding.