52 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
groom one of the quiet, smaller ones. You’ll both enjoy it.
If you’re a vet, farmer, rancher, feed or hay supplier, you can
take a tax deduction on any goods or services you might donate.
Lots of ways you can help. With Internet you have speedy search
engines at your fngertips: key into a search box and hit return:
hay bank or no-kill shelter or horse rescue. If you have an older
horse for whom the sands of time are running out, search for
“euthanasia clinic” or go to UnwantedHorseCoalition.org and hit
the resources tab then click into Additional Assistance where
you will fnd all sorts of links around the country for hay and feed
banks, clinics for vaccinations and to get studs gelded to avert
the breeding of more unwanted horses, as well as what Theresa
Manzella of Willing Servants calls that fnal act of kindness for
your horse. After you see what’s out there, give back by steering
someone in fnancial stress to help before more horses suffer.
Establishing the Right Priority
Your horse’s welfare comes frst. Don’t let pride get in your
way when your horses are hungry or need proper vet care: ask
for help. If you’re afraid that they might end up in the processing
pipeline, put them (even during good times) into the National
Do Not Slaughter Registry, which is part of United Horsemen’s
programs.
“We will be able to do a lot of good for people and horses,” said
Sue Wallis, the Wyoming Representative. “We have a number
of experienced horse people like Theresa Manzella working with
us. Horses with potential and that means trainable and safe will
go through Rescue and Rejuvenute. It helps to keep in mind that
these horses will always bring more being sold as saddle horses
than any horse that goes to processing.
“Part of the profts from horsemeat will help to support the
non-proft,” she added. “One thing we can guarantee is that any
horse going through a processing system that we have anything
to do with will be handled humanely at every stage, dispatched
professionally with a minimum of stress and no pain. It will be as
kind, or kinder, than any alternative and the horse will be used and
honored by not being wasted.”
Theresa prefers the term horse
harvesting, which is certainly gentler on
the senses. She admitted being taken in
by all the AR propaganda.
“Then I turned around and asked
myself how can that possibly be true?”
recalled Theresa. “For them to be
accurate, it would mean that every USDA
inspector is derelict in their duty and that
just didn’t make sense to me. My quest
for truth took me to United Horsemen as
well as to the horse processing plant in
Canada, Bouvry Exports, where I took a
tour of the facility provided by Mr. Bouvry
and recognized that this multi-faceted,
complicated business that exports
products to 10 different countries was
being managed and run in a professional
manner. Mr. Bouvry knows he lives in
a fshbowl and that the AR people are
out to get him. He does everything in his
power to run a humane operation.”
Euthanasia by lethal injection provokes
environmental concerns, but Theresa
thinks that horse harvesting provides
a way to honor the horse by using it to
sustain other life. It just has to be done
humanely.
Unintended Consequences?
“Most of the rescues oppose horse harvesting and also feel
that the mustangs should go unmanaged – they truly feel they
are doing what’s best for the horses; but we’re dealing with
some tremendous unintended consequences of their beliefs,”
explained Theresa. “I’m more aligned with United Horsemen
than ever before and more aligned with the need for humane
horse harvesting. United Horsemen has solid plans in place to
sort horses out so that no horse that can be rehabbed will be
harvested. I think they’ve got the most workable program.”
People are welcome to register for free at the United Horsemen
website and see the plans, programs and how you can enroll
horses on the National Do Not Slaughter Registry. Scroll down
the page until you see the appropriate button. All it takes is your
name, voting precinct and a valid email address. www.united-
horsemen.org
Rescues and Adoption Programs
To end on a beginning, please check out your local rescue and
adoption programs. Many do incredible work, especially with
ex-racehorses. This one came up in conversation with Christina
Hansen, animal welfare activist within the carriage industry,
who said: “I’ve had nothing but positive encounters with New
Vocations.”
Founded by Dot Morgan, the wife of ffth generation trainer-
driver Charles Morgan, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption
Program takes Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds from the track
to new homes. They have placed more than 3,000 horses since
1992 and anticipate 350 adoptions for this year. The program
serves as an outreach for at risk youth who learn work ethics and
responsibility with the horses. Two locations are in Ohio, Dayton
and Marysville; other locations include Danville (IN), Lexington
(KY), Manchester (MI), Reinholds (PA) and Chattanooga, (TN).
www.horseadoption.com
Please get involved with animal welfare: do it for the horses.
The New York City carriage trade is in the crosshairs of animal rights extremists even
though the horses are in good condition, well watered and fed and obviously happy with
their jobs
Photo by Blue Star Equiculture