Okay, education or not I find that I completely disagree w/this at least on a personal level. (blaming mare owners for over population). This is just simply not true.
I have 5 mares and 1 gelding. Two of my daughters have only mares 5 between them of which they are completely l00% responsible for in their overall care and love. Some we've had for almost 15 years. NONE of my mares are bred or will be. Only two were mothers before we owned them and their foals did find homes, were wanted and kept and not passed around. Most of our mares also have some excellent blood lines, including some very old ones that are desired for preservation. Still, they will not be bred...ever. As a "mare" owner as well as just a general horse owner I would not appreciate someone or an organization targeting ME and possibly forcing me to spay my mares at, say what? $1,500 a piece? I don't think so.
It takes a mare almost a year to produce a foal. A stallion can impregnate hundreds of mares live cover or AI in a short time. Multiply that... So as far as I'm concerned, back to stallion owners, especially those passing on bad temperments. That being said, I can all see stallion owners also not appreciating anything forced upon them either. We are already way too regulated as a society.
As for me, I don't breed any of my mares because I'm well AWARE of the horse population and I don't plan on adding to it. I have taken in unwanted an/or mishandled horses (ironically mares!) so I know first hand the issue is real.
Instead of blaming this or that, who or what etc, what it really boils down to for horse owners/breeders, whatever, in general terms is to be RESPONSIBLE and use common sense for peets sake. As well, as much as we don't want to really believe it, greed (money) can be a symptom of the issue which seems to over rule the common sense aspect.
Throwing the blame ball around does not solve problems. Discussing reasonably all "symptoms" of the overabundance of horses trying to get to the core issue will.
JMHO, kathie
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