I want all of you to go have a look at Hay! Neighbor a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping out horse owners in Arkansas and Missouri. It was founded by the director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab where I work. It is intended to help horse owners that may have fallen on hard times, to educate new owners about proper care and living conditions for horses, and to assist with needs like hay, feed, healthcare, and hoof care. This is a huge opportunity for us to help out. We can contrubute our knowledge and our money, not to just help re-home these horses, but to help as many of them as we can STAY home, with the people love them but may be having trouble caring for them. Go to the website, you can become a member for $10 a year, with the money going towards education and assistance. You can also donate your services if you are in the area. They need help with hay transportation, storage, horse trainers, foster homes, people to feed horses, and horse care instructors.
Thanks for posting Jessica! It's a great organization, especially considering the legislation just put in front of the state house to legalize horse slaughter in Missouri. If more owners are able and knowledgable to care for their horses, hopefully fewer will end up at auction or worse if this bill passes.
ReplyDeleteThat is similar to the BITS Project out in California. The "Back In The Saddle Project" was started by blogger Sassysmom and a few others, who seen the horses go from the auctions to rescue, adoption, back to the rescue, adoption, back to the rescue and sometimes, at some point either being euthanized or back at the aution.
ReplyDeleteThey hopoe to keep the horses in their homes and educate people before the horses end up in any danger- neglect, abuse, overweight, underweight.
I actually welcome the plants being reopened and dispersed across the country. As long as it is here, there can be some level of regulation as to how things are done. More plants, reduces the travel time and how long the horses suffer until they reach their end.
I am not pro-slaughter, I am anti-suffering. For some of these animals, this is likely their lifes best outcome. We cannot save them all, but we can change how they leave this world.
For those who want to change the whole horse slaughter process- you have to change the people first.