Sanctuary....?

I read with sadness that Jim Gath laid to rest one of his horses- a 30 year old resident of Tierra Madre, the overcrowded less than 3 acre Sanctuary for horses he operates almost solely on donations. It's quite something that a horse lives for 30 years, and a plus if those are healthy years. Jim, as always spins an emotional tale with Jim somehow the main character rather than the horse. And the FTM's (friends of Tierra Madre ) do not disappoint in their support of Jim. But as always with those of us who are such skeptics, the underlying story is sad. Jim mentions how long this horse has been in pain. How much weight he has lost. How much doctoring Jim has done on him. He talks of cutting into his foot, and of the poor guy having to bear weight on a severely arthritic leg to rest that foot. Of ongoing infections. Of the possibility of cancer. And, being Tierra Madre, of the decision not to pay a large amount of money to have x rays done on a horse who has, in Jim's opinion come to the end of the circle of life. What a sad journey it was for the horse, though. During the out pouring of sympathy for Jim, someone stated the obvious. That less numbers of horses on such a small plot of land would allow for better care and more time for Jim who is ever complaining about how over worked he is. The poster even suggested that there were indeed other people who could love these horses as Jim claims only he can. The Tierra Madre thong Club of course did not appreciate this at all! We are reminded that this is a SANCTUARY, and that Jim takes in horses NO ONE ELSE wants. With enabling like this going on, no wonder there are so many horses packed into this small plot of land! I suppose it escapes these people that along with love, horses need room to run. I don't think they have the slightest understanding of how many of the problems Jim's horses experience are at least partially related to the fact that they do not get to act like horses. They are shut up in pens, and small run ins. Horses need exercise for healthy respiratory systems, joints, muscles, and circulation. Even an old 30 year old arthritic horse is much better when able to get out there and move. To lock them all up is to guarantee lameness issues. Jim's stories of the horrors these horses came from may make for good reading, but I can't stop thinking of the day to day hell they live in at Tierra Madre. I know, I know-Jim LOVES the horses. He'd do anything for them-except keep a reasonable number on less than 3 acres, train the ones that are adoptable and adopt them out, and get his finances in order so he can afford the horses he owns. I have nothing against fundraising, but when your operation depends on it, you're doing something wrong. As long as Jim is enabled, he will continue to make life miserable for as many horses as he can get his hands on. I predict a horse will soon fill the empty slot. Jim will not be able to help himself. And it will be filled with the help and blessing of his enablers. I have to add an interesting side note here, for those EPONA fans. In the midst of Jim's posts on the loss of his horse, and the condolences from his enablers, doesn't Miss Lin just post a picture of that new baby? She just couldn't stop herself. Of course, it was under the guise of the whole "circle of life" thing. My guess is that our Lin didn't quite like the shift in attention. She and Jim are truly two peas in a pod. The only thing worse than the two of them operating separately would be them joining forces.

By RH2