On the “forever home”

Thank you for “Beyond the Forever Home” (Perspective, EQUUS 470). I have been advocating this point for years. Keeping a horse “forever” is not necessarily a good thing. When you are unhappy, frightened or otherwise uncomfortable in your relationship with your horse, you need to realize that your horse may be just as dissatisfied as you are. The truth is that you both could be happier with a better match. The horse might welcome a new home and a chance to bond with someone who could appreciate him for who he is. It is unfair ego on your part to think no one else could love or care for him as you do.

Loving horses is a wonderful thing, but no love should be blind. Let the infirm rest in peace, give the young the education they need to hold their own in the world, and let go. Deb Tompkins Greenville, New York

I wanted to shout “Yes!” after reading “Breaking Attachments” (Letters, EQUUS 471), which was written in response to “Beyond the Forever Home.” Most people keep their cats and dogs for life, forming tight family bonds they wouldn’t think of breaking. Yet so many people fail to offer their horses the same stability.

If sport is all that people want, then sentient beings are the wrong vehicle. Horses have needs for attachment, family and trusting relationships. When we trade them like cars we no longer want, we ignore their very essence as beings. I hope more people will think about “rehoming” if they truly care about their horses’ well-being. Shera Felde Bend, Oregon