Got kicked twice last night, trying to load my horse.

Beau ..

The last thing I'm going to do is kick you again while you're down.

I understand being "gut kicked" sotospeak by a horse kicking you for the first time.. it will take the wind out of your sails for sure.

He's your horse, so ultimately the decision is yours. Just know that "sending him down the road" might be the easier thing in your mind, but it likely will end bad for the horse. It was never worth it to me for the couple hundred bucks the kill buyer will pay.

Putting him down (and shooting him is the quickest way) is a tough choice, but at least you know that he's not hurting, being mistreated, or taking that last trip to the kill pen.

What's done is done. What happens in the future is your decision.

Good luck today...

Its ok to have your feelings hurt, as im pretty sure it has happened at some point or another to every one of us. But I agree with what was said above, you need to let yourself calm down before making any rash decisions.

If he's been with you all these years and has been a good dependable horse, he deserves better than another fight into a trailer to be hauled to an auction, and end up god knows where..

Deserves better than an auction.. you run him and used him up and than will send him to slaughter. Put on your big girl panties and put a bullet in his head.

Well, Beau, I hardly know where to start with this.

So, I guess with the farrier first -- I must say this is the first time I've heard of a farrier that didn't make barn calls. I can see the argument for efficiency on his part but it does somehow seem counterproductive to providing a service saleable to clients.

Now, I sense you have some experience and knowledge with horses. You recognized that your horse had trailer loading issues in the past and that it had been four years since he had been in that type of trailer. Plus he has an arthritic leg (I believe it is harder for a horse to step into a trailer with a bad back leg than a bad front leg; also having the farrier holding the leg for trimming may have created additional discomfort). It is regrettable that the horse chose the course of action that he took but he did rather get set up to fail.

I hope now that you`ve had a chance to sleep on it and ponder where things went wrong that you`ll still keep him for his sake; do some trailer loading training with him; perhaps consider Bute in the future if he`s has to go in the trailer (for pain management); and when you get your new trailer, you may want to think about one with a ramp.

Good luck.

Well I'd rather have a horse euthanised on the yard than take it to a sale knowing it was going to end up in a kill pen which there is a (98% chance of him going.
If you get after a horse they will often lash out, you just have to learn to keep out of the way and be quick on your feet
My trailer has a rear tack section that easily comes out so the horses have a full width opening to go at.
The mare we bought last year knows how to load perfectly but also knows how to 'try it on' as she's obviously been successful in the past at doing that so every now and again she decides to have a game with us
My husband - who is way stronger than me - leads her and I get behind with a lunge whip and she gets it cracked behind her and if need be flicked across her butt with it. Yes she lashes out but I know where to stand and where to move too to be safe. I also yell really loudly at her (well it makes me feel better) We don't get 'angry', we don't lose our tempers she doesn't get hurt (horses will kick & bite each other in the field a lot harder) but we don't let up either.
The minute she is on the doors are slammed shut and she gets a treat as a reward - makes being on that trailer better than whats behind
I wouldn't see this as way to train a green horse but for one that knows the job and is just being an ass it can work

Please think carefully: a horse who has given you his best for 14 years, but slipped up once, does not deserve this fate.
Its so sad.

I'm sorry you got hurt though, but I don't think this is the right thing to do for a lifelong companion.
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Oh and sometimes the kill pen is prefereable to some of the ignorant/lazy homes that some of these horses fall into. With the horse market the way it is, ANYBODY can get their hands on a horse these days.

I hope you come to another realization today. I totally get being mad and hurt enough to send the horse to the sale barn and if, with further work things don't change, I wouldn't blame you if you do. I have lived in parts of the country where euthanization wasn't so easy, disposing of the carcass was a nightmare. If that's your case, you almost don't have a choice.


BUT! He's been a good horse for you for 14 years and now has pain and arthritis. Before you go load him tonight, why don't you bute him to ease the pain of his hip and, since you now know he's going to kick, use a long lunge line & lunge whip instead of the lead rope. That way you can stay out of Harm's way. Work with him like you did your new horse and take the time to get him to walk on calmly.

Or go have the vet euth him on the spot at the farrier's place. Unless your husband is a very good shot and knows exactly where to shoot the horse, that can be a real traumatic mess.

And once all this settles down, I'd be looking for a new farrier.

Wow, so glad you were not seriously injured. I can tell you right now what his problem is, he is sore from the trailer ride over to the farrier. Many slants aren't big enough to accommodate large horse's in one compartment. The horse will load & ride ok in it a time or two, then they start having problems because they know the discomfort associated with going in the trailer. It's as simple as that. When you hauled him in a stock, he was fine, then you stuffed him in a too small compartment, he hurt, he told you and you ignored him so he told you again with a kick. I don't know how you dealt with that, but he needs to know a kick at a human is never an acceptable behavior. As Cherie says he is a product of your training, the good & the bad. Horses are pretty honest in their behavior. So you have a few choices here, give him some pain meds, an open stock trailer or a slant with the gate removed so he has enough room and retrain him to load properly OR never haul him again OR end his life humanely. Taking him to an auction will only eat inside of you later on if you have kind of connection with this animal. Good luck with your decision.
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Thanks waresbear and dreamcatcher arabian, you guy always say it just right, the way the rest of us wish we could.
And please know, OP, that none of us want to be insensitive to you... I am terribly sorry you are upset and hurt.
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