What would you do If....

Question

you went out in the AM to feed your horses and found a new one in the pasture with a note attached to his halter reading...

Hi, my name is Sunny, I am here for my family could no longer care for me, and thought you can help me

I come from a home with 4 kids and another horse (sold)

my tack is close by me somewhere, just got shod, UTD on vet care as of 8/8/08

thanks from

family in need

Answer 1

I'd keep it. At least the people knew they could not feed it & took it somewhere it would be taken care of.

Answer 2

You know there are plenty of people who would of just let that horse starve to death, take him to a sale... yeah putting him/her in a field without knowing any of the horses probably wasnt a good idea.. But at least they didnt just ship him off. I hope it goes well and that almost brought a  tear to my eye.... good luck with your sunny addition!

Answer 3

Well, guess you have a new horse.  Sounds like you have the space for him so keep him.

Answer 4

First- take pics of the horse. Visit the police and vets in the area. Reporting the horse to the police as found will protect you from charges should someone say that you stole the horse. After a time (depending on your local laws) the horse will be declared as yours. Wouldn't you hate to feed and pay all the bills for the horse and have someone come a year later and claim the horse?

A good vet would recognize the horse if it was a patient of his/hers. This would allow you access to its medical history such as colic, flounder, arthritis and shots.

Also, if the owner was identified, the local humane society needs to make sure there are no other pets there starving to death. We once had a local woman who was very well known for taking in everything from cats to horses (received commendations for her work) who years later left the animals to starve. When her home was raided, they found over 100 animals dead or dying. They removed around 90 more animals.  

Good luck with your new addition and I'm glad he has someone to care for him.

Answer 5

I would be glad to know that someone who couldn't care for the horse did the best they could to make sure the horse didn't starve to death or suffer from neglect.

The former owner though, judging from the size of your property and/or the condition of your horses, that you could take care of their horse.  Whether or not the former owner was right, he took an effort to see that the horse was taken care of.

If you cannot keep the horse, call the local Humane Society and tell them what happened and ask them to help get him adopted out.

Hey!  It's definitely better than neglect and starvation!

Answer 6

Jesus H Christ, people are so dang irresponsible.  The people who did that have NO idea what you'll do with their horse.  How do they know you'll give him a good home?  You might sell him to slaughter for all they know - heck, you might even butcher him yourself and use him to feed your family through the winter.  I'm sure you wouldn't do that, of course, but how do THEY know?  That is just as bad as shipping him off to auction or giving him away on Craigslist.

If I were you, I'd ask around with the local vets and give them a description of the horse.  If he's up to date on shots, then hopefully a vet would have administered them and would remember.  If it was me, and I managed to locate the owners, I'd pay them a visit in person and give them a piece of my mind.  Sob story or no sob story, it doesn't matter.  That is downright irresponsible and they should have had a plan in place the day they first bought the horse, in case they ran out of funds.  There is no excuse for their actions.

Answer 7

Gosh...if you want to keep him...I would. Especially as it seems like someone really needed some help and at least they included his tack. I'm glad they didn't let him starve and then drop him in your pasture. So sad...that family's are driven to this with today's economy. At least they didn't dump him at a sale barn.

How is your horse that had colic?

Edit...Well I am glad that your horse is at least doing better.

That Sunny, is a cutie.

And I agree with some, it was irresponsible for someone to just abandon a horse on someone else...but since you sound like you are interested in keeping this horse...I'd just keep it and move on...I would. If you do go asking vets to identify the horse...make sure to check in the surrounding counties also. Some people just let their pride get in the way of asking for help or for someone to give their horse a home. Maybe they saw you somewhere or heard about you and decided you were worth taking a chance on.

Good luck with what ever decision you decide to make.

Answer 8

I would first look over the horse and get a vet to come make shure sunny's in good condition then try to tack up and see what he does, if all goes well put him on the lunge line first before you ride.

Answer 9

Well if they want to remain anonymous and you can take care of the horse you should keep it, but if you can't take it to a shelter.

Answer 10

You need to contact the authorities immediately and report this. Be sure to tell them that you have no problem taking the horse in and housing. But you need to get this on record in case ole Jimmy Old Owner shows back up and cries wolf, claiming the horse was stolen off his property.

He looks like a nice horse, but should be vetted before turned out with your other equines to insure his and their own safety. Other than that, enjoy the horse and either give him  a nice home that is reliable and hopefully forever or find one for him.

Answer 11

i think you should keep it if you've been looking for another you just got it free!

Answer 12

I would contact the police and animal control.  Even if you like the horse and have no problem keeping it - I would still declare it to those two groups along with the letter so that no one can claim that you stole the horse.

I would definitely keep that letter.  It clearly says that the family could no longer take care of the horse and gave it to you along with the tack.

Just to cover your butt.

Otherwise it is up to you.  From the pictures you post he looks like a nice little Appy.  I would be interested to know how old he is.  So if you can find out who left it, it might be nice in case you need to know more.  The bad part is that the people may have traveled quite a distance to somewhere the horse would not be known.  - With that in mind I would draw a Coggins on the horse - whether you keep it or not, just to make sure it is healthy.

It could be worse - the horse could be as ugly as h**l and lame.

Answer 13

I am not sure what i would think...I guess you have another horse...just to help curiosity i would get in touch with the aspca and local vets to see if you can find the owners or health records

Answer 14

Luck horse!  First, I'd get the vet over there for a minor check up and shots.  You can't prove shots unless you have the papers.  You can't do anything with him without shots.  Then I would take an ad out on Craig's list and the paper for a "found " horse.  You never know.  He could be stolen, taken in a custody battle, etc.  Give the rightful owner 30 days to claim him, if it's possible for you to keep him around.  After that, I'd consider him my rightful property.  Check you local laws about found personal property, though.  Keep him, sell him, whatever you want/need to do.

Answer 15

wow. i would totally love that. thats soo cool. i hope you can handle it though

Answer 16

well, at least the horse is in good health. Personally i would keep the horse (if it was affordable) and then try to find him a good home(or keep him). Don't take him to a shelter if you can avoid it, who knows what will happen. though you might want to do a little research and see if you can find vet records and such.  

Answer 17

This has happened at my old barn.  I don't know what I would do,  suppose call a vet to come look at it.  I guess it's the kind of thing that you have to have happen to you in order to know what to do...I hope he is doing well though

Answer 18

He's really cute!

Can you ride him? Get a vet to come and do a vet check to make sure there is nothing wrong with him before you make any descicions

Answer 19

Wow. I think that speaks well of you that the family knows they could trust you to take care of Sunny. I think it might be a tad bit cowardly for them to do it this way rather than come to you to ask you if you would be able to take him. If you are able to and want to care for him and it wouldn't put you in any financial strains, then, go for it.  

Answer 20

Sounds like a story to me but hey, if you like him, keep him.