More NEWS & VIEWS continued from page 35
Adopting an Arab “I have been in the market for a Polish-bred Arabian horse. Over the past year I have left many voice mail messages and sent e-mails to Canterbury Farm to discuss a possible purchase, but I never received a response. Just imagine if Marsha Parkinson had sold one horse a month. Even at low-end prices due to the current eco- nomic environment, it could have meant the diff erence to her herd, it could have meant the diff erence between haying her horses and not haying her horses. Maybe she could have paid her farrier bills and gotten trims for the herd. T ank you.”
- Diane Kramer (Port Tobacco)
Seizing 150 Horses? Isn’t there a better way?
submitted by Hope Holland By now, every horse person in Maryland is
aware of the Eastern Shore seizure of close to 150 malnourished horses for neglect. It is simply dreadful for the animals that have been forced to undergo this form of neglect. At a time like that we have to be glad that we are told that animals are not given the power of reason although I am not sure that I believe that. When the animals are fi nally rescued, it is ter-
ribly hard on those who have to try to help the animals. Seeing the results of that sort of mis- ery is a stressful, a haunting vision that never completely leaves you. Sometimes, even now, modern veterinary medicine and caring nurs- ing cannot save horses in that condition. A lot depends upon the will to live of the individual horse involved.
It is easy to say that the owner of those horses should be prosecuted. However there are several issues concerning this situation which ought to be mentioned. When we hit the double wham- my that occurred when the bottom fell out of the national economy and the slaughterhouses were closed, what was the owner of a farm that had (so far) been self-suffi cient to do? Trying to tell a breeder to stop breeding
horses because there is not more market is as diffi cult as convincing a toy maker to stop mak- ing toys because there will be no more children born. T e toymaker still owns the factory; the breeder still owns the stallions, the mares and the farm. T ere are mortgages to be paid, em- ployees to think of…and so the average breeder does what the average business owner does… they try to muddle through. Should the breeder have just started giving away her horses? For the past almost four years,
it has been increasingly impossible to even give away a horse.
It is easy to say in hind- sight that the breeder should have done “the right thing” by hiring a vet to euthanize a com- plete herd (or partial herd) of horses–some of which carry some of the fi nest bloodlines of their kind. Can any horse per- son gird him or herself emotionally to do that? To start culling a herd by euthanasia? T is is not in the makeup of a horse person, and this is not what a breeder exists for–even if you could get a vet who would actu- ally do such a thing. Vets have to sleep too, and memories of those ac- tions are not conducive to sound sleep. Rather, the breeder will try to muddle through another year, and hope that next year is better. What other recourse does the person who is suddenly stuck with a group of horses have? Why have we in Mary- land not instituted a pro- gram that helps owners to maintain their horses in place when they are without fi nancial re- course? Such programs exist in other states, and exist reasonably inex- pensively;
certainly at
WSSC & The Struggle To Maintain Equestrian Access, continued from pg 8
Horse Council Trails & Greenways Committee, submitted the fol- lowing post-meeting report:
Of the 30 to 40 attending the meeting, about 10 spoke and all stood to be recognized. Representatives from the offi ces of Sena- tor Roger Manno (District 19), Senator Karen Montgomery (Dis- trict 14), and Delegate Josolynn Pena-Melnyk (District 21) spoke in support of horseback riding. T ey asked that WSSC retain the equestrian trail and work with the equestrian community to im- prove the trails and redirect the trails where necessary to reduce environmental impact. Ross Peddicord, Executive Director of the Maryland Horse Industry Board, spoke on behalf of the horse in- dustry in Maryland. He noted that the area surrounding Rocky Gorge represented a large portion of the total horses in the state including over twenty licensed riding stables. T e billion-dollar horse industry in Maryland requires an infrastructure of suitable places to ride. T e Governor, who is very supportive of growing Maryland’s horse industry, and the Secretary of Agriculture, have been made aware of WSSC’s new policy and the harm it could cause. T e Gazette newspaper was present and took pictures for a forthcoming article.
less cost than has been quoted by Days End Horse Rescue for the fi - nancial burden of these impounded horses. Let me be crystal clear: I am not saying that the ongoing breeding of horse should be paid for by the public. I am saying that making feed and hay avail- able to persons who fi nd themselves suddenly in desperate straits is a much more feasible and
By the end of the meeting, the Commissioners seemed quite pleased to hear from so many citizens. One asked for a tour of Rocky Gorge so that she can share what she sees with her fellow Commissioners. Two other Commissioners spoke up saying that they also had horses and could understand our point of view. T e last to speak was Mr. Jerry Johnson, General Manager and CEO of WSSC. He announced that he was requesting his staff to schedule a meeting with representatives of the equestrian com- munity to discuss how off ending portions of the trail could be im- proved to reduce environmental impact and discuss how the eques- trian trails will be maintained in the future. We were very pleased. T ere are several things we can all take away from this experience: • How fortunate we are to live in a land where we have the op- portunity to speak up and offi cials will listen. •How important it is to have citizen involvement; grass roots ef- forts do work. Your voice is important and it is heard. • How important it is to have elective offi cials who listen and will speak up for us. Remember they need our support as well. • How important it is to belong to organizations that support our interests. Get involved with them. It is not over, but my hope is to improve the trails, redirect them where appropriate and agree on who and how the trails are to be maintained.
humane way of caring for those animals than to let them get to the condition in which they need to be impounded, moved and requiring hugely costly rehabilitation. People, wake up! T is seizure is an insane way to face an ongoing problem. Other places have dealt with this. Why can’t Maryland fi nd a bet- ter way?
IF YOU HAVE NEWS, VIEWS OR UPDATES TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE SEND THEM TO Editor at The Equiery, P.O. Box 610, Lisbon, MD 21765 • FAX: 410-489-7828 • email
editor@equiery.com.
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72 | THE EQUIERY | JULY 2011 800-244-9580 |
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