On June 17, 2021, the United Horse Coalition — the alliance of equine organizations under the American Horse Council focused on horses at risk or in transition — held its annual meeting virtually during the AHC’s 2021 conference. Stacie was the featured speaker, presenting “Responsible Ownership: Things You Need to Know Before Acquiring Your Next Horse”: a practical walk through what to prepare before a horse arrives, what to expect when a horse comes with an unknown history, and how to care for the ones who need the most help. The full 36-minute presentation is on UHC’s YouTube channel.
Responsible Ownership: Things You Need to Know Before Acquiring Your Next Horse
By Stacie G. Boswell, DVM, DACVS-LA — United Horse Coalition Annual Meeting, June 17, 2021
A few moments from the talk, lightly edited for clarity. On where her passion for this topic comes from:
I did my residency at the University of Tennessee from 2011 to 2014, and in 2011 we were still in the middle of an economic downturn. Because of the university’s involvement with the rescue group in the area, and their coordination with law enforcement, all of us were involved in some pretty big confiscation cases. I watched these horses come into the hospital, and we did every single thing we could for them. But sometimes we could not save them. That led me to get really passionate about getting people prepared for acquiring horses that were at risk.
On the real cost of a “cheap” horse:
Any horse owner should be immediately prepared to spend $1,000 to $3,000 on a problem with a horse. Keep in mind that colic can happen at any time — and I’ve certainly done colic surgery on horses that have had a new owner for less than 48 hours. … These horses will cost more than a normal, healthy horse, especially in the initial period. Even though the purchase price may be pretty low, we should be prepared that we’re probably going to make that up in medical bills pretty quickly.
And on giving older horses a dignified end:
Even if we have an entirely retired horse that’s a pasture pet, I want to make sure that we don’t get in the position where he’s down and unable to get up. I think that is the most terrifying thing we can put a horse through — to be down and unable to rise. The horse’s last day doesn’t have to be his worst day.
Her talk fills Part 2 of the meeting recordings; the Q&A continues at the top of Part 3. The United Horse Coalition’s resources for owners and rescues are at unitedhorsecoalition.org. The presentation follows the outline of Stacie’s book, The Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need, available directly from Stacie or from Trafalgar Square Books.