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We had a veterinarian once tell us, “Often the most difficult thing to do for you is the best thing for your horse.” We then had our beloved horse euthanized when she had suddenly fractured her femur. Years later, we still often think of her.
A broken femur on a horse is irreparable. If it wasn’t successful on a famous and valuable horse like Alydar, the decision, although far from easy, we pretty clear. Often, there is a grey area and people are on the fence whether or not to euthanize their horse.
Death may be scary and foreign to many people. We once boarded a horse with a woman who was a forensic doctor and was even featured on an episode of the television show Forensic Files. Her horse had navicular disease which soon became worse. Since she had a pragmatic view regarding end of life decisions, it was clear to her to euthanize her horse before his bad stumbles became tragic and painful falls. However, not everyone can be so pragmatic.
Horses and other large animals are vastly different from dogs and cats. For example, small animals can survive with three legs whereas horses cannot. If a horse injures one of its legs, often the secondary issue results in laminitis which claimed the Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro.
So when should you euthanize your horse?
You should put your horse to sleep when their quality of life is poor, marked by severe pain, an inability to stand, or untreatable illness. It is kinder to make this choice a day too early than a day too late, because horses hide pain very well.
If you are facing this difficult choice right now, ask yourself:
If you make the often heartbreaking decision, Euthanizing a horse is a difficult experience, and understanding the general process can help with preparation. Veterinarians follow a professional medical protocol designed to ensure the animal does not suffer.
It is important to know that certain involuntary post-mortem reflexes are normal and do not indicate pain:
As owner Gretchen Jackson once said when the decision was made to euthanize her horse Barbaro, "Grief is the price we pay for love."
We agree, while trying to remember the joyous times together and great memories we shared with our beloved horse.
There are more informative articles in our section on Retire & Rehome.
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Western artist Gary Ward expresses himself in a variety of ways.
Story by Holly Clanahan for The American Quarter Horse Journal
In the American Quarter Horse world, it’s not uncommon to find stories that are a little more complex than first meets the eye. You might have, for instance, a performance halter horse that also excelled on the racetrack. Or a rider who has found success in two very different disciplines. Or even a Western artist who is populating Amarillo, Texas, with a herd of custom-painted fiberglass horses but who also has a rich history in the more traditional media of oil, pastels and bronze.
Let’s start toward the beginning of Gary Ward’s story, as he was growing up in Canyon, Texas, just south of Amarillo, influenced osmotically by his parents, Jackie, a teacher, and Jim, a jack of all trades who had been a ranch manager, cowboy, rodeo clown and a staff artist and designer for what was then The Quarter Horse Journal, among other things, before settling into life as a full-time artist. Watching his dad’s trajectory, a young Gary asked his parents for his own “arter,” his childish name for an easel.
Jim Ward was as versatile as the Quarter Horses he loved, working in oil, pastels, pencil, watercolor and bronze, even owning his own foundry for a while. “He was a very well-rounded artist,” Gary says. His works graced the covers of several Journals, and Jim was happy to help his son develop his own talents.
“When I was about 20, he bought me a set of pastels and enrolled me in a workshop with Ben Kornis, who was in Amarillo,” Gary says. Ben was an internationally known artist and teacher. “Of course, my dad was right here, and we’d always compare notes and critique each other’s paintings. He was a very good artist, and I greatly respected everything he did.”
As Gary realized how difficult it was for a new artist to make a living, he split the difference between his parents’ occupations and got a degree in art education. He taught at the elementary and junior high level for several years, all while painting in the classroom–something his administrators loved, as it set a good example for the students–and attaining his master’s degree in computer art.
Life was plenty busy for Gary and his wife, Lisa, who were raising two children, Seth and Ellie, and time sailed by, with Gary working as a computer graphics teacher at Canyon High School and Lisa working as the local postmaster. “My dad and I went to a lot of art shows together,” Gary says. There was never any competition between the two; “We were always just happy for each other if either one of us did any good.”
One of those joint ventures was the art show at the Texas Cowboy Reunion in Stamford, Texas, which Gary has continued to attend after his dad’s death in 2012. He is a regular at other shows around the country, as well, including the Western Spirit Show at the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days Old West Museum, the Mountain Oyster Club show in Tucson, Arizona, and the Phippen Western Art Show in Prescott, Arizona.
Gary, now 66, retired from teaching in 2015 when he turned 55.
As you might guess, western subject matter is Gary’s love, whether it’s the Longhorn cattle he grew up with, depictions of pioneer women, western wildlife or the horses and cowboys that he knows so well. What might be a little more unexpected is how his other skillsets influence his art. Utilizing his computer savvy, he might take a reference photo and tweak the composition or colors in Photoshop to get a more painterly image. Using the skills he learned at his dad’s foundry, Gary makes the molds for his sculptures and sends them off to a foundry in Arlington, Texas, for rough casting. On their return as bronzes, he says, “I’ll do all the finishing on them myself.”
Gary’s graphic design skills again came into play when he and several partners created Gold Buckle Printing to produce rodeo back numbers in leather, felt or vinyl for rodeos such as Cheyenne, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Denver and more.
“When we started (over three years ago), I did all the production work on it, since I was the computer guy and able to do the design,” Gary says. Now, other employees handle the hands-on work, but Gary still goes into the office every day.
In this episode of StallSide, Dr. Dale Brown shares his approach to building effective herd health vaccine programs tailored to the unique needs of each farm. With experience managing broodmares, foals, weanlings, and yearlings, Dr. Brown emphasizes the importance of farm-specific risk assessments, timing considerations, and communication between veterinarians and farm managers. He also discusses how thoughtful vaccine planning can help reduce disease risk and support the long-term health of the entire herd.
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