The final chapter of a horse's life — whether euthanasia, slaughter, or abandonment — raises critical welfare questions that the equine industry must address more systematically.
Equine end-of-life welfare is complicated by economics, culture, and infrastructure. Horses are expensive to maintain and expensive to bury — creating genuine hardship for owners facing a horse who can no longer be kept or used. Without affordable alternatives, horses are sometimes sold into long supply chains that end in poorly regulated slaughter, or abandoned to suffer without care. Improving equine end-of-life welfare requires affordable euthanasia access, dignified disposal options, and rescue networks with capacity to absorb horses surrendered by struggling owners. The welfare cost of the current system — horses undergoing stressful long-distance transport to slaughter — is significant and addressable.