why do horses get put down?

Question

why do horses get put down when they break a leg ?

Answer 1

Horses that break a leg in a race are unlikley to even walk again and they are in great pain so sometimes the best thing to do for them is the put them down.

Answer 2

It's really sad but they just don't have a good quality of life once they've broken a leg. Because horses stand so much of the time, even at night, it's really hard to get the leg to heal properly and involves suspending them from a sling in their stable, usually for months. It's pretty miserable for the horse and they can never be ridden afterwards, it's hugely hugely expensive and I guess pretty painful for the horse so all in all it's kinder to put them down. In the same way they tend to be put down when they break any other vital bone, like the hip bone, or the jaw, in which case they can't eat. I did know a horse once that was kicked by another in the jaw but his owner had had him so long and was so attached, plus was so filthy rich, that he had the horses jaw wired back together. He could never be ridden again because he couldn't wear a bridle but he lived out the rest of his days in a paddock, eating soft mash. Although it sounds sweet, I'm guessing the horse was kinda depressed, probably had to go through a lot of stress and pain and never got to do what he'd always loved so I'm not sure it was the kindest thing to do really. Horses do seem to manage well with one eye though and I've known some who have had terrible injuries to their shoulders, followed by muscle wastage, etc. but with high quality care they can be OK again. Hmm, hope that helps!

Answer 3

Horses normally get put down through broken bones or long term illness. Racehorses get put down cause greedy owners can claim on their insurance and the horse is of no use to them unless it is a stallion which has run big races!!!

Horses cannot lie down for very long as the weight bares on their heart and lungs and makes breathing difficult. Most horses would develop punmoemina.

They sometimes put horses in slings to bare the weight, but again it puts stress on their lungs, etc. So the kindest thing to do is to put them to down - sometimes more humane than to watch them go mad in their stables.

Shoulders and backs are hard to mend so this usally means a horse is put down straight away.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

few breaks r healable and if they r its expensive, takes time, the horse is suffering whilst waiting for surgery, etc. you can't tell the horse to stop standing, etc, they have 2 be stabled for months after and often can't ever work again. Also, after surgery, and 6 months waiting for your horses leg 2 heal it can often go wrong and it hasn't healed properly so they've suffered pain and boredom and will then have to b put down anyway. basically, its really not good if a horse breaks a leg!
hope this helps

Answer 5

Because horses cannot stand on their broken leg and they stand up pretty much alot! And usally the one's who break their legs are Race Horses, which if you can imagine a hyper horse like that being stuck in his stall all day, it will depress him like not other! And purely on the outcome of the situation, my dad breeds Standardbred horses and we had a few that broke their legs and the vet always tells us that it is unlikely, unless you have the money for ALL of the treatments, that the horse will even survive.

Answer 6

Horses can be put in slings so they are unable to stand on their legs but sometimes it is better for the horse to be put down so they aren't miserable.

Answer 7

its very hard to fix a broken leg in a horse.if the leg is completely snapped in half there is no chance, if it is just fractured theres a better chance. each case is individual.the surgery might go well but the recovery is the hardest part to overcome.

Answer 8

I'm not sure but I think it's because horses won't stay off their feet (erm, hooves?) for long enough for a break to heal.

Answer 9

well c if a horse gets sick really bad or brakes something in their body that will prevent them from doing their best in sports,work,or just to be able to walk around then that is when they will b put down.

Answer 10

To provide fresh meat for the dogfood manufacturers,