Posts Tagged ‘good rescues’
Guest Post: Buying vs. Rescuing
This guest post is by a regular reader; you may know her from the comments section as “Charm”.
—————
The Rescue Fetish
I recently traded for a new horse. Believe me, I really tried to turn Sugar into a forever horse; she just wasn’t the one for me. She needed someone younger, who didn’t mind the dancing, prancing, and sometimes manic behavior of an 11 year old mare who consistently wanted to GOOOOO…
Yes, I traded her away. In her place is a much quieter, more laid back little mare who is already squirming her way into my heart. Sugar’s new owner seems very happy so far, I’m happy, and the other people involved are happy. Of course there are a few grumbles, elsewhere—just a few little whispers on the wind—why didn’t I rescue instead of buying? Why didn’t I SAVE A HORSE?
Oh believe me, I considered rescue. I’ve actually rescued horses before. I thought about getting something from Camelot, or one of the hundred other venues that are popping up like Orville Redenbacher in a high powered microwave. So I looked online, and I looked at what was out there. The pressure to rescue instead of purchasing is huge; shopping for a horse is like trying to watch a PBS special during their fund raising period; I try to enjoy the show, but all around are voices demanding that I donate. So I looked at the rescue posts. I looked at the brokered horses. Unfortunately, I discovered that I was far too picky. My list of demands is just too…well… demanding.
- I would like a sound horse. Yes, I know it; it’s really unreasonable for me to want a horse I can ride. And because I want the horse to be sound longer than a week or a month, I’m also demanding a horse without a structural defect that is going to turn into lameness soon.
- I would like to try out the horse first. I get it—the truck is coming! Someone is going to buy her first! I can’t go to the feedlot or babies in Africa will starve to death! That doesn’t change the fact that I want to try the horse out. Otherwise it’s like buying clothing at Walmart without trying it on first—it might fit nicely, or it might not. At least at Walmart my purchase is $3 on the clearance rack, instead of hundreds. Besides, I can return items at Walmart.
- Papers that are up to date would be nice. I don’t need to breed or show, nor do I get a kick out of waving my papers in random strangers’ faces screaming, “Look! Her great granddaddy is Northern Dancer!” However, I do like knowing where my horse came from, who handled her, and whether she has ever actually been ridden outside of a barn aisle in an auction lot. Unfortunately, in this modern day world of genetic diseases, I won’t even look at a stock horse anymore without a set of papers; HYPP is too heartbreaking.
- I want to pay what the horse is worth. I just read a Facebook post that was trying desperately to find this lovely nice Tennessee Walking Horse mare a nice new home. She deserved it! She was in terrible danger! She was going to slaughter! She was ON THE FEED LOT! And for the low low reasonable price of $600 plus Coggins plus shots plus quarantine plus shipping she could be mine.
~insert announcer’s voice~ “Now taking all major credit cards and wire transfers and first born sons”
Folks, that is not rescue. You are buying a horse off of a feed lot from a seller who is checking to see if he can make a lot more money by selling his horses to private buyers like us. We want to save them all, and instead we have created a fake industry in which horses at certain auctions are sold for a higher price, just so a dealer can spin the ‘rescue’ angle and make a few hundred dollars. Think about it; they have companies that will ship anywhere in the U.S., they have people who will quarantine your horse for you (for a price of course), and they can pull blood for a little bit of nothing, almost any day of the week. It’s an entire industry, in existence because we are desperate as an equine society to ‘save them all’.
Some of these organizations are truly legitimate. Some of them truly care about the horses. That isn’t my point. My point is actually this: Why buy a horse like that when you can take your money and go to a quality breeding or training farm and purchase a horse that has been well treated, well trained, and well kept? Imagine what kind of world we would have if we personally visited the farm of the horse we wished to purchase? You go there, and you see happy, healthy horses, owners and trainers and breeders who know how to care for horses, and a facility that is clearly safe and healthy. THIS is where you should spend your money. There may not be that horrid tug on your heartstrings—you know, the one you get when your prospective purchase is standing knee deep in muck, with dingle berries hanging from his belly and hips, nibbling old straw—but this way your money is going to someone who will spend it wisely.
There are great rescues out there, places that carefully vet, feed, and retrain their horses and then offer such horses for a reasonable adoption fee to the RIGHT new owner. Such places take their time to make sure the horse matches the new owner. There is no pressure on the buyer/adopter, and like the better farms in the world, the owners of these facilities are trying to create a long term home for the horse. So tell me, where have you been that deserves a shout out? What farm has well cared for horses? Which people in our industry deserve to get that money you were going to spend bailing out some unknown skinny mistreated wreck? Wouldn’t it be lovely if we changed society so that you received maximum credit for purchasing your horses from a quality caring organization, instead of getting credit for buying a horse sight-unseen from the other side of the country so you could save it?
Happy Holidays – How can we help?
It’s almost Thanksgiving and that time of year is coming when many of you will think about doing something a little extra for animals with your holiday bonus money. So today, I’m going to let those of you who run or volunteer for rescues plug whatever holiday fundraisers you have going!
Please be clear about: Location, time, place, cost, and the name of the rescue that is benefiting. You can post events for other kinds of animals – I think most horse lovers are either dog or cat lovers or both so that’s cool. I’m also cool with events that are being run to help out horsepeople who have suffered an accident or other genuine health crisis, but you should realize that neither I nor my readership will take kindly to pleas to save someone’s home/farm/rescue when that person has not gotten off their posterior to get a damn job like the rest of us…so save the drama and don’t go there, kthx?
I’m also VERY interested to hear your creative fundraising ideas that may help other rescues. We had a ball with drag queen bingo in West Hollywood and it was one of the easiest and most fun ways of making some money for animal rescue ever. A lot of people who would never think of going to a traditional silent auction/dinner will head out gleefully for an evening of margaritas, screaming, singing and fun prizes! Think outside your usual box, and you may pull in a whole new group of donors. (And folks, the gay community is very animal-friendly in general and bursting with quality potential adopters, so if you are the least bit homophobic, get over it – not only is it wrong but you’re losing a LOT of donations and opportunities for education.)
So let’s hear it – what are YOU doing this holiday season? What can we come out and support? Remember, post all the details – we (usually) do not know what state you are in from your screen name. 
Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue has received a grant to implement a terrific new program for their adopters. “On The Right Track” provides a voucher for up to $200 to each adopter to be put toward professional training of their new OTTB or just lessons with their new horse to help them start out on the right foot and get on track toward being a successful team. What a great idea, huh?
If I could pick one, I would go pick up Phantom I mean, what is not to love? This is a registered Thoroughbred, despite the Paint markings, and he is cute as a bug! He’d make a great stocking-stuffer for a deserving teen or her even more deserving Mom this Christmas. Check him out!
It’s a filly, not a science experiment!
Just had to share this, from the Horse & Man blog:
Worst case of cheap-ass owner DIY’ing EVER
See, I don’t care if this was the result of being cheap or the result of being ignorant. I don’t care where this person’s heart was or if they were trying to help the horse. I don’t care if they’re unemployed and live in a shack and have cancer. It does not matter to me a bit. They tortured this mare as badly as if they’d set her on fire.
And the one thing I didn’t see are the names of the people who did this to her, and whether they have been prosecuted. So that’s one reason I’m blogging about it. Someone knows. Feel free to “leak” that information here – as anonymously as you like. WHO DID THIS?
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, come on out tomorrow night (Wednesday the 17th) for Legendary Bingo to benefit Angel Acres Horse Haven Rescue! This is not your grandma’s bingo…and you will laugh harder than you ever have in your life, guaranteed! A $20 suggested donation (more is welcome, LOL!) gets you in the door and gets you 10 games of bingo and the chance to win gift bags stuffed with fun prizes and even an Ipod shuffle complete with $50 worth of new music. Starts at 9:00, be there a little early to get seated & your bingo stuff, at Hamburger Mary’s, 8288 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. 21 & over, please.
If you’re not 21 and over, or you just love cupcakes (really, who does not?) then join us for Cupcake Camp LA at the Music Box Theater in Hollywood on Saturday! Again, we are supporting a GFAS Accredited (not just verified, but one that has been through the whole process including the financial audit and passed with flying colors!) rescue, Angel Acres, that rescues mostly TB’s but occasionally naughty ponies (more on that later), retrains them and finds them wonderful new homes.
What a…nah, too easy!
UPDATE: Â I just got the scoop on Ms. Dicke’s previous criminal and civil record. Â As my source noted, “Teresa Dicke is the scum that we think she is.”
She has multiple civil contract (small claims) judgments against her [Valley Credit; Quik Check; Wood Products Credit Union; Capital One; Credit Services of Oregon], most recently in 2008, and multiple criminal priors (mainly felonies – drugs, DUI’s mostly) – and endangerment of a minor.
OF COURSE SHE DOES. Â Because I’m telling you, it’s very rare that clean, sober, law-abiding good parents starve their animals nearly to death. Â Excuse me while I stereotype (accurately!) but how many times have we seen this? Â Drunk, worthless druggies whose animals and kids suffer until they get taken away and someone else has to clean up the mess. Â What else is old?
Here it is – the names you’ve all been waiting for!
Rescuers want to legislate horse sense
Yes, for those of you who have been dying to know, the women who starved Grace are Teresa Dicke and Linda Sessenden, both of Winston, Oregon. They claim to be co-owners but Teresa is the one who physically had the horse, in her backyard.
As far as I am concerned, they are not innocent until proven guilty. The case has already been proven by Grace’s astounding recovery in Darla Clark’s care. Clearly, Grace had NOTHING physically wrong with her preventing her from being at a normal, healthy weight. Teresa just let her starve nearly to death and did not lift one of her worthless fingers to help her.  How do you watch that in your yard? They had to see her every day. Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK is wrong with you that you can watch something slowly dying and do NOTHING?
(Oh and now she is going to plead not guilty. I can’t wait to hear what the judge has to say about that after seeing all of these pictures! See, it is very simple. No excuse she gives CAN hold up when the horse is so markedly improved in a lousy two month period of time, with NO special care. It’s not like Grace was ill and needed meds. Darla has ONLY FED HER.)
Well, apparently while the horse was starving, Teresa’s husband, Merlin, was fucking around learning about wine.  Note the date on the article.  This is exactly what he was doing while a horse starved nearly to death in his yard. Awesome.  At least Merlin admits to his limitations, saying “I’m not the brightest penny in the purse.” Well, sir, it’s good to be self-aware but I don’t know how bright you need to be to recognize that a horse is not supposed to resemble a fucking hatrack. Beats me why you are not being charged, too. You lived there. You own the property.  You married the poster girl for animal neglect. I think you ought to have some charges brought against you, too!
You can ask that Dicke be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by calling Rick Wesenberg, Douglas County District Attorney, at 541-440-4388. As always, be polite, succinct and sane on the phone.
And an update showing her progress, from last month
Grace today — within striking distance of normal weight. Bear in mind this is only 2 months post-rescue. If you like to donate to rescues that actually do the work, I highly recommend Strawberry Mountain Mustangs.
