Throw Away Horses

October 23, 2009 · Filed under Horsin' Around, Uncategorized · Tagged Horse Rescue, Horse Slaughter, Horses for Adoption, Throw-away Horses

This is a little mare I rescued from a herd of horses that was headed for the auction block last October if not removed from the ranch they lived on by November 1st. This meant that probably at least half of them would end up going to Mexico for slaughter. They were basically being thrown away.

If you’re a horse lover, and especially if you have horses, you are probably familiar with this phenomenon. Especially when the economy is in a nosedive as ours presently is. Folks fall on hard times and, if they have horses, those are often the first to suffer. They are often underfed and, worse, sometimes  just turned loose to fend for themselves because their owners can’t afford any feed at all.

I am blessed to live in an animal-loving area where all manner of rescue takes place, for just about any species. I don’t know why but this frame of mind is much more prevalent here than it was where I came from in Texas. There are more shelters for dogs, cats, and horses than I’ve ever seen anywhere. And there is a huge network that relays information via email, the local paper, and phone calls when there is a dire need.

So last October the call went out to hundreds: a small herd of about fifteen horses on a nearby ranch had to be removed from the ranch or adopted by November 1st or else off to the auction block they would go — and that would mean slaughter for many.

As is so often the case in this community, two or three individuals jumped right in, spread the word to hundreds, complete with pictures, ages, breeding, etc., and organized a visit to the ranch  by all interested potential adopters. They even took applications and screened the prospective owners. I contacted one of the women to find out more about it, and she told me they already had more than enough applications to provide homes for all these horses.

My fingers and toes were crossed that this indeed would come to pass and that these beautiful animals would be safely in new homes soon.

In this case the horses were highly desirable, being Arab or Quarter Horse or a cross of both — with a registered Arab stallion in the herd — and, at least from their pictures, being relatively healthy and in good shape. That fact surely made this  rescue more successful.

I am happy to say though, that, even when this is not the case and when the horses at stake are old or in poor condition, rescue efforts in this area are always underway.

I was poised to take one of these horses if not enough homes could be found. And as you can read about in a future blog post, that did in fact happen, and one little mare no one wanted came home with me.

If you’re a horse lover, I urge you to become aware of the need in your area for horses in dire straits. And if you can’t adopt one yourself, help get the word out or send whatever donation you can to your local rescue groups.

The plight of the horse in our country is not pretty. There are over 30,000 captive Mustangs languishing in holding pens who will probably never be adopted. And then there are situations like this one too, where those we have already domesticated are just being thrown away.

Let’s ALL try to help in some way.