So I have loved many aspects of being here in Cyprus. The thing I have hated most is the rampant animal abuse that occurs. Yes, there are people here who have been working very hard to try and stop this. But sadly this is a cultural aspect that is somewhat ingrained into people and is very difficult to combat. Now when I say animal abuse I don't just mean people beating their pets (although that is very common), I also mean neglect. Animals are chained outside without adequate food and water, which is a real problem when it's 110+ degrees outside in the baking sun. Honestly, a lot of people just don't know proper care and maintenance of their animals, especially horses. There are some vets and government officials in place who are trying to educate people but it is met with lots of resistance-change is hard and people don't really care that much.
What does this have to do with you and Harley you may ask. Well Harley was a product of this environment. I'm pretty sure he never raced but he did do race training and the racing yards are some of the worst offenders when it comes to the abuse. Again, I'll reiterate that there are some places where the horses are treated well and have good lives but they are sadly the exception here. He bore the tell-tale signs of abuse physically as well as mentally. But despite that I still loved him ferociously.
Matt and I are moving back to the states at the end of the month. We've known this day would come and it was something we thought about when we bought Harley. At that point I truly thought I would be able to find someone who would be able to buy him and continue on with him like I had. But then I started thinking, what about when they leave? Will they put the care into finding him a good home? Or what if they get into it and decide they can't handle him or don't want to anymore? Would he just get passed around from person to person to eventually end up emaciate, beaten, and alone again?
I did talk with some ladies that I know that do live here permanently if they would be interested in taking him. They did want him, very much. However they have stressful jobs that are a long commute away and so they could not commit the time needed to him. That's totally understandable and I appreciate their honesty in their situation. So what was I to do with my beloved boy?
I came to the difficult decision that the best thing for him (and my sanity if I'm really honest) was to put him down. Now I know some of you may decry "Wait! You should've tried harder! Had more people try him! Isn't there a place where he can just be put out to pasture?! Surely there must be SOMEONE who can take him on! What about taking him home? Really, was this the BEST and ONLY option you saw?" I got those questions from people who know the situation here. And I thought long and hard about each and every one. No, there is no where safe to put him out to pasture. No, I wouldn't stress him out by having person after person bounce around on his sensitive back just for me to decide they weren't suitable. I'm sure there was someone out there who could care for and ride him as I have for these last 2 years, but who's to say that they would want him? As for taking him home, he doesn't travel well and I'm convinced that the trip would've killed him (as did his previous owner which is why she didn't take him back the UK with her). Although it is hard and heartbreaking, the best option for him was to put him to sleep rather than having even the slightest chance of him falling into the wrong hands. We are responsible for our horses well being, even after they are no longer ours. Sometimes you can trust that the person you pass your horse onto will take the utmost care of them; will love them as you have. But what if you can't trust, knowing that it is so easy to pass a horse along like a secondhand item, used and abused to satisfy their need then kicked to the curb when something is wrong.
I came to the difficult decision that the best thing for him (and my sanity if I'm really honest) was to put him down. Now I know some of you may decry "Wait! You should've tried harder! Had more people try him! Isn't there a place where he can just be put out to pasture?! Surely there must be SOMEONE who can take him on! What about taking him home? Really, was this the BEST and ONLY option you saw?" I got those questions from people who know the situation here. And I thought long and hard about each and every one. No, there is no where safe to put him out to pasture. No, I wouldn't stress him out by having person after person bounce around on his sensitive back just for me to decide they weren't suitable. I'm sure there was someone out there who could care for and ride him as I have for these last 2 years, but who's to say that they would want him? As for taking him home, he doesn't travel well and I'm convinced that the trip would've killed him (as did his previous owner which is why she didn't take him back the UK with her). Although it is hard and heartbreaking, the best option for him was to put him to sleep rather than having even the slightest chance of him falling into the wrong hands. We are responsible for our horses well being, even after they are no longer ours. Sometimes you can trust that the person you pass your horse onto will take the utmost care of them; will love them as you have. But what if you can't trust, knowing that it is so easy to pass a horse along like a secondhand item, used and abused to satisfy their need then kicked to the curb when something is wrong.
Harley represents a lot of unknowns and firsts for me. I never thought I'd own a TB, let a lone a race trained one. I never thought I'd take on something with so many emotional and mental issues, something to the point that others thought he was dangerous (which I never thought he was). I'd never thought I'd put down a physically fit and healthy horse because the attitude of the people where I am is so unpredictable and unstable that I couldn't guarantee that they would be safe. If this situation was in the states, he would've lived with me until he was old and gray, happily munching on grass in a big field. But that's not the case.
This has been one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. But I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would take him on, love him, teach him, have him teach me, and make the same decision in the end because that is how much I love him and have gotten from him in such a short amount of time.
So in his last minutes, I told him how much I love him. That I only wanted what was best for him. That he has made me a better rider and horsewoman, and that I will be eternally grateful to him. So with a very tearful hug and kiss, I said "goodbye my friend."
