Since I am in the "rescue" business, my first question is: why do
folk think that they have the "right" to throw away an animal? Any
animal? It is made to sound like these folk are in a horrible
situation because they no longer desire to care for
the "good 'ol riding horse". I have been doing this for a few years now and I
can tell you that 1 of 50 calls is from someone who can no longer (due to
health, death of a spouse, divorce) care for the animal. Instead it is
"she's old" or "she's lame" and we just don't need/want her anymore. Where
does accountability and responsibility come in to play?
Is "throwing grandma away" also condoned? Unfortunately, in the US,
that answer is often "yes". But that means that someone becomes
financially responsible after she is thrown into a nursing home, etc. Too
often it is state Medicaid, unless there has been a hospitalization, and then
Medicare might pay for 100 days. We make it too easy to toss grandma into
the nursing home and then pat our selves on the back if we visit once a month,
all the while allowing our Sate taxes to pay for her care. More often than
not, it is because caring for her is inconvenient.
So, when throwing people and animals away is no longer convenient
(i.e.slaughter auctions) then perhaps we might see a ramping up of societal
responsibility. If carcass removal is such a big deal (as so many say),
then as a group (horse people) we need to come up with a solution rather than
using slaughter as an acceptable option. Here at our ranch, we
compost.
Just my highly biased opinion on the matter since I care for rescued horses
every day and have lost faith in many "horse people".
Karen Everhart MEd Rainbow Meadows Rescue and Retirement,
Inc. Serving the equine companions who have so loyally served us... www.rainbowmeadowsranch.com 620-725-3402
Owner/Operator Horse Calls - Equine Management Solutions Centered Riding
Instructor Distance Horse Conditioning and Training www.horsecalls.com 316-648-5082
But what do you do when the area Zoos, wildlife
agencies, handicapped riding non-profits, state non-profit rescues &
university equestrian teams - are full and cannot accept anymore horses? And
you can't even get a $20 bid on your horse at auction?
This has
happened to over 10 people who called me wanted to GIVE me 'good 'ol riding
horses' (in just the last 6 months).... They've got nowhere else to turn
to..
