Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

At 09:27 AM 12/28/2005, Sisu West Ranch wrote:
>  In Montana/Idaho where I live it is not hard to find yourself in a 
> place where help is a 2 day ride each way from where you are, and 
> the cell phones do not work.

In western NM where I live you can stay home and still be 100 miles 
or more from a vet - if you ride out into the National Forest or onto 
BLM land, you'll just be that much further.    Occasionally cell 
phones work, but iIt doesn't matter if a vet could be called, because 
there is no vet around here who can afford to leave his/her practice 
for so long to come that far.

Therefore, you do your own veterinary work around here, including 
euthanasia, or call a neighbor who can do it.  Having had to do the 
deed myself twice - once for a horse that broke her leg less than 100 
ft. from my door - I can tell you that it is not a lightweight 
decision to choose to have a gun and being willing and able to use 
it.  it has made me think very seriously about life, death, and the 
responsibilities of horse (and all critter) ownership.  I have a 
horror of having to administer the bullet, but my decision has been 
that I will not cause a horse of mine to suffer one second more than 
it has to while in my care.

Being the one who has to make the life/death decision means being 
educated in how to use the gun safely, how to put an animal down 
efficiently, and not only being clear about when it is appropriate to 
do so, but living with it afterwards.  It's the living with it 
afterwards that is tricky, at least for me, and knowing this, I have 
spent much time pondering the responsibilities one has to critters, 
and the need for stepping up to the line and acting when it is called 
for.  I believe it is important for us all to think long and hard 
about our responsibilities to the critters in our care.  They have 
fewer choices than we do, so it is up to us to fully understand what 
the choices are and why we make them.



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