After a week of planning, we were able to bring home two young horses who were scheduled for slaughter. Horse rescue is a real, unbelievably emotional and stressful experience for not only the people who commit to the care, but also to the animal. I feel compelled to share with our supporters, all that is involved in this type of transaction.
The idea of bringing a horse home and "saving" him or her from an untimely death sounds honorable. It seems like the right thing to do. And with all intentions, it is. But here is our most recent experience and what many do not realize:
Kill buyers and traders will advertise an animal who may be a good candidate for rescue. In our case, the animals being shown were said to be 6 years and younger. They will then charge a price on the animal that competes or surpasses the price they can get for slaughter.
There were many people involved in this particular rescue. Many donated money to pay the "bail" for the horses and one lady in particular donated a large amount of money just to get the horses away from danger. The lot owner will then give a deadline, usually a very short deadline to collect the money and to hold the horses before putting them on a slaughter horse truck. So the next challenge is in transport. I learned a great deal about this issue this week, as the horses we hauled were in Twin Falls, ID. We had until Saturday for pick up.
On Saturday, we loaded up horses in the lot Twin Falls and headed home. At this point many believe the hard part is over. Not at all. The animals we unloaded on the property were terrified, lice ridden and had possible viruses. Then we relieved pressure and let the horses free, setting them in the arena to run, roll in the sand and check out their environment. After this period of rest, they need to be quarantined because of what illnesses they could possibly be carrying.
The quarantine pen must be a distance from the rest of the herd so as to not pass on respiratory illnesses. Horses need to be watched particularly well in the first 24 hours and although we were present, we could not be overly pushy with the animals.
On Sunday, my husband spent time reinforcing the newly built quarantine pen due to damage caused by the horses leaning and scratching the parasitic itching, while I dusted the horses for lice.
Next, we scheduled a veterinarian ranch visit to check overall health, teeth and soundness. The paint we brought home contracted a respiratory virus that we are lucky her immune system is fighting. Fortunately, her lungs are clear and she is not running a high temperature, but she still needs a few injections throughout the week before we can be sure she is safe to meet the herd.
In the process of writing this blog, I pondered the point of sharing all of this information. Maybe it is a coping mechanism. Maybe it is a way for us to feel okay that we cannot save them all. Mostly I think it is a way to share an experience that is bittersweet in so many ways. These horses, who have been abandoned or abused, often make the best healers. If a horse can learn to trust again, they can connect with children who have trust issues.
Please consider shouldering with us this these endeavors. We need prayers and strength to continue to fight the good fight for these animals.
Love to you all,
Tanya
www.sreyr.org
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. -2 Corinthians 3:17
