Horse death??

Question

my aunt's best friends horse just died. i have known her for a long time, and she has had her horse since he was one and was put down today at the age of 22. he had a bad colic and went to Newbolten to get treated he spiked a fever and said they couldnt do andy thing to help him. he was put down early this morning. does any one have any advice how i should act around her like wat should i say, wat can i do? any advice would be helpful

Answer 1

Wow, I'm really sorry. But i know exactly how she is feeling. My aunts horse gave birth to a few months premature foal on February 23 of this year. It was the hardest thing Ive ever delt with. Me and my sister did a demo for our 4h club about what could go wrong during birth and i held it together until the end when i couldn't take anymore and had to run to the bathroom. Death is hard as it is, but for some reason, to me its harder when a horse dies.

To get over the tragedy, i had to forget it. We went back out to the barn later that day, and it was like "wow, that really wasn't a dream." Just let her know that it gets easier every day. I still cant talk about the event without getting teary eyed (including now). Just tell her that hes in a better place now, and he was lucky to have such owners who loved him and that he was happy.

Answer 2

It's really tough when you lose a "Forever Friend".  When I lost my beloved Quarter Horse at the age of 25 I thought my world would end.  My friends gathered around me and one camped out on my doorstep, knowing how much pain I was in.  Give your aunt's friend a hug, tell her you're there if she needs you.  It will take time for her to adapt, but she will.

Answer 3

tell her your sorry about what happened and then act  how you usually act and go play somewhnere else

Answer 4

Just act yourself when you see this lady again.  You can tell her that you were sorry to hear about (horses name) she will probably accept your condolences and offer a comback.  If she wishes to talk more about the subject, fine, if not, that is fine too.

Answer 5

I would look for a picture you have of her and the horse or just the horse and enlarge it and put it in a cool frame and give it to her.  

That will mean more to her than any words :)

Answer 6

Again, Mulereiner is thinking along the lines of what I always do, whether someone has lot a relative or an animal...I find a photo of either the person that they have lost (usually on the funeral handout) or of their animal that they have lost) preferably with them in the photo as well and find something appropriate to make it permanent on some object.  I find a particular piece of beautiful barn wood, or a nice, large stepping stone, or even a barn implement or saw or a bucket or small feeder that was used,  whatever might carry some special meaning, and decoupage it on the object.  Use several coats and it becomes weather proof as well and can set on the fireplace or the porch or where ever...I will also include a sympathy card with it....I try to do it soon enough so that it isn't so "after the fact" and opens old wounds.

Answer 7

Pray with them, and be very proud she gave that horse a good home.......

Answer 8

tell her your sorry and give her a big hug and tell her that everything will be ok. remind her about how wonderful her horses life was and tell her that at least the horses life was well spent.

hope this helps!! :)

Answer 9

A sympathy card would be very much appreciated....people's animals are as important to them as their beloved friends and relatives, so treat it the same way.  You might include a small hand written note expressing your support and that your thoughts are with her.

Answer 10

Just reassure your aunt..   the horse had a long and beautiful life..  22 years for a horse??   my goodness.. that's 100+ years in our life...

Answer 11

My mothers horse died of colic just last year. We were both devastated. All you can really do to comfort her is to try not to mention the death, and offer her a chance to go to lunch or something, go have fun and get her mind of of it. And if she tries to talk to you about it, sympathize with her, and be a friend to lean on. oo:

Answer 12

Had a horse that broke his leg and had to be put down. Nothing you can say. Just listen if they need to talk about it..I still think of him and it was ten years ago.

Answer 13

All you can do is tell her how sorry you are. It will take time to heal. Don't tell her she can get another horse, or comments to that effect. That horse was a very special horse for her and can't be replaced. She just needs to know that people care.  Maybe when has started the healing process she will want to talk about her horse and tell stories. That is all part of healing.

Answer 14

Remind her of the good times.  Tell her you thought the horse was marvelous in some way - be specific, it'll mean more if you can reminisce about a specific incident - even if it's just "every time I drove by I picked him out, he was so cute".

Talk about how the horse had a long and beautiful life, how well cared for he was,  that he was always loved, and had a life most horses can only dream of.

Tell her you wish all owners were as good as she is.  She did everything she could, even though nothing could save him.  She did everything right and was willing to get him the treatment to save him despite the cost but it just wasn't to be.

But if she doesn't want to talk, don't push it.  We all have our own ways of dealing with grief.

Answer 15

Just give her a hug and don't talk about it unless she brings it up. It really just upsets me when someone brings up issues like this after loss of any kind. I know not all people are like me, but, it just makes it worse for some people. Not everyone wants other peoples sympathy and to chat about it or to even have it brought up.  Word travels fast in most cases. If you give her a hug, she will know why you gave it to her.

Just my humble opinion.

Answer 16

When you see her, you can say, I heard you had to put your horse down, I was so sorry to hear. He was a very beautiful horse. and then say, I can only hope to be lucky enough in my life to have such a magnifisent animal.

Answer 17

Give her a nice big hug and tell her you are sorry to hear about (horse's name).

It is always difficult to get thru these times when your animal was part of the family and loved so much.  It sounds like she took extra special care of her horse.  Altho she had this horse for many years, it is still an unexpected death.

I, myself, am very sorry to hear this news but I am certain this horse lived  a very special life.

Answer 18

Im really sorry to hear that. Just act normal, not giddy, or depressed. Plan sothing fun today to get the horse off her mind. Say your sorry about what happened and drop the subject. Let her talk about it and get her feeling out if she wants tho.

hope i helped!