9-20-10

The September free euthanasia clinic is coming up this Sunday. We have a lot of calls from people who are signing up for their elderly horses. Now that wintertime is just around the corner, owners are making the wise decision not to allow their elderly horses to suffer through a long, cold wet winter. USA Fundraising website (the kind folks who hosted the fundraising thermometer) are no longer operating, and as such our thermometers are down. We are currently at $550, and need $2,500 to provide end of life services to elderly horses in need this Sunday. Please help keep these horses out of the slaughter pipeline or suffering through the winter, click here.

The kb brought 8 more horses in, 4 of them he purchased at a livestock auction, and he gave us the option to purchase them. The other 4 were from the staging area.

Sad, bedraggled horses. They wondered why this happened to them. They wondered why they had to go through what they were, wondering why their owners walked away from them, leaving them helpless.

Dawn is one of them poor dears from the staging area. Too weak to make the final trip to Mexico, she had two paths ahead in her life: languish and die a slow painful death at the staging area or come to the rescue. Some folks think it is a waste of time and money to rescue these horses from the staging area. Just look at Dawn's sad tired face. Someone at some point loved her, someone cared about her, someone who owned her at one point would probably be horrified and in tears to know where she is now and what she has been through. Every life is precious.

Opel came from the livestock auction and is a gorgeous 4 year old QH mare. She is a lucky girl to not be heading down to Mexico.

Brownie is a poor baby from the staging area. Just look at those nicks and scrapes. The double decker ride was not kind.

Laramie is Brownies friend from the staging area. No doubt, in their short lives, they have seen and experienced more horror than any horse should have to. We are just so thankful that Brownie did not have to see Laramie die under the butchers knife right in plain sight in Mexico.

Georgia is a gorgeous paint mare from the livestock auction. She is a little shy but with a little time and relaxation she should be fine in no time.

Rusty is an adorable POA who simply ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time, but now, she is at the right place at the right time thanks to your support.

Ruby is the final horse to come from the auction. It is interesting looking at her mane, you can see where someone, maybe a little kid, tried to make her look beautiful.

Midnight is the last horse from the staging area. He was too far gone, he just didn't have the strength to make the final trip to slaughter. Ironic isn't it, not strong enough to be slaughtered. What a terrible, rotten evil "industry."

At first, it did't make sense to us why these emaciated horses were ending up at the staging areas. Why were they even put on the slaughter trucks to begin with? What it comes down to, is Mexico will take anything. Pregnant mares, ponies, donkeys, mules, emaciated, fat, they don't care. The emaciated horses that have no meat on their bodies are butchered for their hides and bones. The bones are crafted into trinkets to sell to tourists. Please don't buy bone trinkets in Mexico, it could have been your horse.

The reason emaciated horses are put on the truck, is the truck can't roll until it is full. The trucking owners don't want half full loads moving down the road, so they jam anything they can find that is still walking into the double deckers. Once at the staging area, the horses that are too weak to make the last leg of the trip are kicked out and their space filled with stronger horses from other trailers. What a horrible horrible situation.

It is so sad that the slaughter "industry" allows abusive owners to throw their victims away instead of taking responsibility for them. Just imagine if you could sell your dog on the black market, just because it's old, and you don't want to be responsible, you can walk away like it's trash, and your dog is crammed into a crate, with hundreds of other dogs, destined for slaughter in a foreign country where they eat dog meat. Wake up, we must be responsible for our elderly horses!

These horses give their entire lives in serving humans. Loving, trusting, giving their heart and their all to please us. This is not what they deserve, this is not humane. There is nothing good about the slaughter "industry" they are not cleaning up a mess, they are enabling abusers, and are abusers themselves.

Midnight no doubt has let hundreds of people ride on his back. Now, his back is sunken from lack of food. Why can't people be responsible? Thank you so much for your support, Midnight and all the other horses that come to the rescue know love and compassion. Those that we must say "Goodbye" to will know thoughts of love instead of hate, and those that find homes will find that there is such a thing as a forever home.

On a much brighter note, about this time Pepper the Llama, now named Obama the Llama, was gazing into his new mommy's eyes. We are sad to see him go, but so happy for him all at the same time. He will have such a wonderful home, and his new mommy is so happy to have him.

The donkey looked on with wonder. Where they really going to be sharing a pen? Obama will have some goat friends as well. No doubt, he thought he was getting away from all the equines and that annoying Mr T.

Back at the rescue, Jason and a volunteer were at the rescue screwing down roofing onto the pen shelters. Screw after screw, roof section after roof section went down. Finally, the last screw was being screwed down!

Now, the first 5 shelters are finished! Now the Bunny Bop Bear, Rosey Bop Bear, Sammy, Jennifer Leigh, and Linda's Shelter are up and waiting for the pens to be put around them so the horses can wait for their forever homes in style.

This is a 'must have' eBay Giving Works item. Everyone needs one of these in your tack room. When that little kid comes over with his boots and helmet, you can make your saddle work just perfect for those little legs. This is a Little Dude brand child's leather stirrups. The safety stirrups in themselves are worth more than the current price of $19.99. And best of all, 50% of the sale price goes to help the horses. Click here.

Many thanks to Gail G. for her generous sponsorship. Please consider helping horses like Midnight find love, click here.