Horse owners who have lost their beloved companions are being urged by a leading equine influencer to be open about their grief.
Esme Higgs – who has more than 1.1million subscribers on her This Esme YouTube channel – has backed efforts from the RSPCA to provide more support for those dealing with a pet bereavement.
And the content creator has teamed up with the charity amid concerns that grief for the loss of an equine can be taken less seriously than for other pets by some in society – leaving many horse owners feeling isolated and unsupported during their time of loss.
Esme said: “If you’ve ever loved an animal, you’ll know, they were never just a pet. They’re part of your family, part of your life, and when you lose them, the space they leave behind can feel enormous.
“Pet grief is real, and deserves to be seen, supported and heard about. And the challenges can be particularly profound for horse owners. Most importantly, nobody should have to go through it alone.”
Esme lost her cremello standardbred pony Mickey in 2024 – an animal who had been part of her life since she was only eight years old. He featured regularly in Esme’s content, received fan mail from the public, and was a star of several books penned by Esme.
She has since posted content on social media detailing how she remembers Mickey, including an emotional tribute video following his passing. Esme says Mickey taught her about ponies’ “needs, their ways, how they think and how they see the world”.
Her backing for the ‘Not Just a Pet’ campaign comes as a shock new survey from the RSPCA suggests people fear the stigma related to pet grief is growing.
More than seven in ten respondents (70.5%) feel a stigma exists – up from 57.8% of respondents in 2025. And only 5.5% of respondents believe pet grief is taken as seriously as it should be, which is even lower than last year.
And there are concerns that many people misunderstand the role horses play in their owners’ lives, potentially further minimising society’s understanding of the impact losing these beloved companions can have.
Ashleigh Brown, RSPCA scientific and policy manager, equine welfare specialist and equestrian, said: “Horses and ponies can fall into a classification ‘grey area’ – sometimes being considered as livestock, sometimes as sports or working animals, and sometimes as pets.
“And as they live outside the home – those who don’t own horses might fail to appreciate the depth of the emotional bond that is shared between horses and their owners or carers. But they are often loved, cherished and viewed as a family member just as a live-in pet, like a dog or cat, would be. ”
Domesticated horses have a life expectancy of around 25 to 30 years, and smaller equines can often live more than four decades.
Ashleigh added: “The connection many owners feel with their horses is equally strong – and typically developed over many years spent caring, riding, grooming, training and learning together, leading to close bonds.
“Losing an equine companion can be absolutely soul destroying, and change your life overnight. Often, owners may also have been faced with difficult decisions over end-of-life care and euthanasia, grappling with what is the best option for their horse or pony’s welfare – even when this may be heartbreaking for them personally. Therefore, it’s so important we support our friends, family and colleagues going through this every bit as much as we would someone who has lost a cat, dog, or other beloved family pet.”
To help people navigate pet loss, the RSPCA has launched an updated toolkit as part of its ‘Not Just a Pet’ campaign – including tools on how to cope with loss, support for children, how to approach difficult end-of-life decisions for your animals, and ways to support someone going through a bereavement.
And to coincide with National Pet Memorial Day on Sunday (September 13), an estimated 1,200 families and friendship groups took part in RSPCA-backed Walk to Remember events across the country in memory of a beloved pet.
“The RSPCA’s Walk to Remember is such a lovely idea – a chance to walk together, share memories and celebrate the animals we have loved and lost; and it was so amazing to see so many people and families taking part,” added Esme.
“And to anyone dealing with the struggle of pet loss, I would urge them to utilise the RSPCA’s free online bereavement toolkit with support and advice – because they were never just a pet, they were family.”
