"The driving force of wild horses, the things they value and love more than anything else... are their freedom and their families." --Ginger Kathrens, Emmy Award-Winning Filmmaker
Ginger Kathren's revealing journey with wild horses has been compared to Jane Goodall's experiences with Chimpanzees. I recently learned of the plight of America's wild horses and felt a nudge to DO something. I heard Ginger's words about freedom and family and felt another, stronger nudge to act.
The Cloud Foundation, founded by Ginger, is one of many organizations actively showing horse lovers how to turn nudges into action, offering specific direction in an effort to protect the endangered freedom and heritage of the wild horse.
Do you ever feel nudges to DO something, but you just don't know where to start? This month's timely and necessary article offers practical tools to help horses in need of love and care.
If you wish to pass this email along to other horse lovers, use the blue "Forward this to your Riding Buddies" link in the white box at the bottom of this email - this will ensure the graphics and text stay intact. Any email addresses entered will remain private.
Remember, we have FREE shipping through the end of this month, on orders over $125 (continental U.S.A.) See our website for details.
Happy Trails!
--Julie, "You've Got Trail" Editor
& The Gals at Long Riders Gear
A Practical Guide to Helping Neglected Horses
Excerpts from the original article, by Patricia Newton
The sight of it hits you like a ton of bricks. A starving horse. Your reaction is actually visceral, and once you begin to recover from the initial shock, you are eventually moved to disbelief, then to anger. You don't have to be a horse-person to feel these things, you just have to be human. Most of us tend to shake it off and wonder why someone hasn't done something. But for some of us, the overwhelming and inescapable call to action finally supersedes our emotions and we suddenly find ourselves on a mission.
What can you do to effectively help animals stuck in perilous conditions? You may think the answer is a no-brainer: simply call the local animal control or humane society. They come to the rescue and everyone lives happily ever after, right? Not quite. In fact, it's rarely, if ever, that simple. To be an effective advocate for animals at risk, you must be prepared to commit a potentially substantial amount of time and effort toward achieving some sort of resolution to the suffering.
Causes of Neglect
I advise you not to approach an owner, even if you know them. It is helpful to understand that people generally allow animals to decline and languish for two basic reasons; they do it out of ignorance or because of financial hardship, or sometimes both. At worst, any intervention on your part may evoke hostility, possibly putting you into a volatile and dangerous situation. At best, your interference may elicit strong feelings of shame and embarrassment, putting the owner on the defensive. Ultimately, such confrontations are generally unproductive, potentially explosive and, frankly, not worth the risk.
Ignorance which allows such blatant cruelty can be beyond your comprehension, but you must try to understand if you are to begin to deal with its consequences effectively. Hard as it is to imagine, the ignorant owner just doesn't see what you see...
Neglect resulting from financial hardship can be exceedingly difficult to deal with for a number of reasons. Neglected, starving horses are a (sometimes) highly visible symptom of an extremely sensitive, intensely private malady. Over time, pride evolves into denial, then spirals into neglect, which is generally succeeded and compounded by embarrassment, further denial, and shame. An emotionally charged environment like this can and does create unique legal barriers to providing relief for the animal, which; in the eyes of the law, is private property. Sadly, the thorny issue of private property can become an insurmountable barrier to critical rescue efforts.
|
| "Cloud" Stallion of the Rockies - Photo by Ginger Kathrens |
Occasionally animals fall victim to willful, malicious cruelty or depravity, but, thankfully, these instances are far less likely. The link between such behavior and the potential for ensuing criminal behavior is so demonstrably strong that the state of California has mandated rehabilitation for convicted offenders. If you observe such behavior, do not intervene, but do call the appropriate law enforcement agency.
Where to Begin
For starters, assess the situation as best you can without trespassing. Note the condition of the animal, the environment in which it is kept, if there is food, water, and shelter, the address, and any other pertinent information. No matter how bad it is... DO NOT attempt to help the animal yourself. This can work against you and the animal. First, no matter how noble your intentions, you are trespassing onto private property. Second, if, for instance, you give the animal water, when the humane society investigates and finds it has water (even if it knows you gave it to the animal), you've inadvertently sabotaged the animal and your efforts.
Once you've made the decision to get involved, be prepared to commit some time and energy to the task. Get a notebook, a pen, and call the local animal control, humane society, or other governing agency. If at all possible, enlist others to call and register their concerns. Don't underestimate the strength of allies -- they are powerful tools in establishing and maintaining credibility and helping to motivate agencies to action.
Befriend animal control/humane officers assigned to the case and keep in touch with them. They are important resources and can provide, among other things, insight into protocol. They can advise you regarding the tools at your disposal and, perhaps most importantly, they can tell you what their limitations are.
...I advise you to be professional, courteous, patient and, above all, persistent. Dealing with county or state agencies charged with the welfare of animals can be an enormously frustrating process, especially when you are emotionally invested and can see that time is of the essence. Take detailed notes of your conversations, the names of people with whom you spoke, dates, and times. Get them to open a file, investigate, and monitor the situation.
Follow-up is essential. You'd be amazed at how common it is for a case to fall through the cracks. For instance, my efforts to aid a starving horse were significantly delayed because Animal Control saw that County Humane had an open file so it closed its files; trouble is, County Humane saw Animal Control had an open file and closed its files too. It happens, be vigilant...
Alternatives
...There are a number of rescue organizations and volunteer groups willing to get involved. Some work with animal control officers, some contact owners, and some provide funding for rescue efforts.
...My intention is not to discourage you from answering that call to action, but to arm you with information to keep you from becoming discouraged and giving up. There are many people out there working on behalf of animals in need, but remember, despite their apparent numbers they are a rare breed. Count yourself among them, take a deep breath, and never lose sight of the nobility of what you are trying to accomplish.
View this Patricia Newton's article in its entirety, along with BAEN reader feedback at Bayequest.com.
Search for equine rescue organizations in your state (includes some resources for the United Kingdom and Canada).
A body condition scoring system can greatly aid the assessment and communication of a horse's condition. Condition is scored from (1) Extremely emaciated to (9) Obese.
Go to the LRG Newsletter Archives!...
About The Author...
Formerly an equine photojournalist, Patricia Newton occasionally freelances for a variety of publications, especially when the topic is one she's passionate about. She and her husband, Richard, own and operate Newcourse Jumps in San Diego County, an official show jump supplier for the 1996 Olympic Games.
This article was first published and featured on www.BayEQuest.com, the website of Bay Area Equestrian Network. BAEN is an online community where California equine businesses, organizations and consumers meet and exchange information.
|
