48 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
For The Horses
By Lauren R. Giannini
On November 17 the US
House of Representatives and
the Senate passed H. R. 2112:
signed into law the following day
by President Obama, it allows
funding for the Department of
Agriculture and other agencies
and essentially makes horse
slaughter legal again in the US.
The bill triggered an emotional
reaction that erupted on the
internet’s social media. This
issue has many layers, to say
the least, and opinions are
widely divisive. That’s okay:
everyone is entitled to his or her
own thoughts, right or wrong.
It’s what we do to alleviate
the plight of unwanted horses
that matters in the long run.
All across the country there
are people walking the walk:
donating their time, energy and
perhaps even money to local
animal rescues. They can
see frsthand how their efforts
help. A number of communities
have started hay banks to help
horse owners get through rough
patches. Others are working
to educate people about how
horses are a vital part of animal
agriculture, which requires
responsible
stewardship
of horses and a continued
emphasis on the importance of
selective breeding.
Some Realities of
Horsekeeping
Horses are livestock. Whether
you have one or two or a herd,
they are livestock. It doesn’t
matter if you love them, call
them affectionate nicknames
and worry about them as if they
are your own fesh and blood.
They can be champions in any
of the disciplines or equestrian
sports or good old-fashioned
pleasure steeds. But they are all
livestock: farm animals of some value, beautiful creatures
that elevate their human partners, literally and fguratively.
It’s quite a different perspective from the back of a horse or
pony or even from a carriage or buggy.
In the last century as society came to embrace
mechanization, horses yielded their usefulness to cars,
trucks, tractors and the like. In the last 20 years they
have occupied an exalted place in the pet hierarchy
along with dogs, cats and rabbits. Like all livestock, they require
knowledgeable care as well as plenty of water, fresh air, stall or
shelter if they live turned out and choose to avail themselves of it
and forage or hay, possibly grain. They need their hooves tended
regularly, bare or shod, their teeth foated, annual Coggins and
shots. Some can’t be turned out freely on grass because of the
risk of founder and will require hay.
After: Justice Bailey, 4, registered paint, is the handsome mascot at Willing Servants
Photos courtesy of Willing Servants
Before: Justice Bailey, shaggy yearling+ stud colt, newly rescued from tiny enclosure that
held him and three other stallions
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