[sabrina]

Can a farmer shoot his own horse, just heard from a friend that the owners where she keeps her pony at livery did this at the weekend and buried the animal on their land.

[RUSTYME]

they can round here  West Wales , if the horse/cow is in pain , and to wait for a vet would cause more suffering. But no body questions it round here anyway . Cows must be taken away , sheep too !!,and burnt , but horses are counted as domestic animals so can be buried on the land.
Not sure how it would work with a working horse ?

Nobody seems very sure on the law , even vets and the Police aren't too sure !! But police will tell a farmer to shoot stray dogs even without warning to owners . They say they shouldn't be on the land unrestrained anyway !!!

cheers

Russ

[beany]

Dogs can be shot because of the rules over worrying livestock, doesn't just cover sheep but can be cows or even pheasants if they are in holding pens, as they are owned and if killed the farmer / keeper is out of pocket. When my husband was a a game keeper we had 2 terriers get into a partridge pen and killed over 200. The dogs were caught and the owner had to pay for the birds or the dogs could be destroyed because of worrying stock. i didn't think it was legal to bury any thing as big as a horse without permission in case you polute a water course.

[Pony-n-trap]

If it is classed as a pet, it can be buried I think.

[Roxy]

As I see it, so long as the owner holds a gun license, and to prolong the animals life by waiting for a slaugherman, or vet to arrive, would cause the animal suffering, then it is permitted for him to shoot it.  If he was just doing it to save paying out for someone else to do it, thats a different matter, but it would be proving it.

I know when my friend found her horse down in the stable with a broken leg, she was distraught waiting for the vet to arrive (although I am sure he came as fast as he could),  In circumstances like that, I think I would be grateful for someone to put my horse out of its suffering quickly.  That is, so long as they shoot to kill first time.

As to burying, I think you may need the permission of the local council even if its your own land.  And it must not be near any drains or water courses.  Having said that, numerous people near us, use their JCB to dig a hole and bury a dead horse, and I am sure they have said nothing to anyone about whether they can or not.