Tracking the Trends....

I love spotting a trend, and watching how it unfolds, so this is one I'd like to re-visit, as some have finally caught up with me. Let's back up a bit for a short history lesson, first. In the "old days", people used to attend horse sales or auctions. You could bid on the horse of your choice, and bring that horse home. Most of the time, you got a good one. Sometimes, the horse didn't work out, or needed a little tuning up. If you were a knowledgeable horse person, you did the work, and either kept the horse, sold it privately, or took it to another sale or auction, often making a profit for your work. Sounds like a fairly decent deal for people and horses, right? Well, at some point, someone decided that EVERY SINGLE HORSE that went through a sale was destined to go on the trucks and straight to the Slaughter plants. People were discouraged from attending sales. If you DID attend a sale, you were really looked down upon. You were supporting irresponsible owners who just didn't care what happened to their horses. Those who went began to change their language. One no longer bought a horse , they "rescued" or "saved" one. The evil Killer Buyer was described as the lowest of the low, and not even worth the time of day. His use of trickery to get horses away from the unsuspecting innocent has long been the fodder of many a story meant to shore up the Anti movement, and death has been literally been wished upon him by some. He is the enemy, and those attending sales must work against him, with his pockets overflowing with money to outbid anyone in the stands. Truly a bleak picture for anyone daring to enter the arena of horse auctions and sales. Fearing the judgment of those who truly love the horses, and competition from the bloodthirsty Kill buyers, attendance at the sales began to drop off. Unfortunately, the number of horses arriving at sales and auctions did not. In fact, due to the economy, they appeared to increase. What to do? Well, here's the trend I talked about, and it's a great idea! What we've got right now is almost a mail order horse business where lots of people, not just the Auction house make a bit of money! Genius? You betcha!!!!! For those of you unfamiliar with what is known as Feedlot or Broker Sales, here's the basic premise. Let's say a horse is run through auction and the bid gets to say $400. The horse then goes to a "dealer" "broker" "kill buyer", whatever they are called for the sake of the story. That person is contacted by a "rescue person", who offers to "bail" or "ransom" (love the terms) the horses. The "broker" prices the horse for an inflated price, making an instant profit. So the $400 horse now is priced at $700. Here's where it gets interesting. Once the horse is "rescued" an appropriately sad or dramatic story is posted, and a home is sought. Oftentimes, once the "rescue person" becomes involved, the horse becomes a freebie. Either a private owner, or another "Rescue" will "step up" and offer to take in the horse IF the purchase price can be raised by a group of gullible....oops, generous people. But wait! Now there are fees to be attached. We have transport fees, quarantine fees, vaccine and worming fees, and suddenly, we're up to $1200 or more. Everyone along the way gets a little piece of the pie, and the lucky new owner hasn't put out even one dime. For those who frequent the ABR forum, the most blatant example of this method of "Rescue" had to be the Jill Starr Percheron Team drama. Jill rescued a team of Percherons from a Sale barn, and sent funds to a woman known only as "Simone". When she sent her trailer to pick the horses up, they were nowhere to be found. Neither was "Simone" or the money. My understanding is that the original money to buy this team was donated. The tale is so convoluted, I may be wrong about this part, so forgive me if I am. Jill then claims to have spent $2000 trying in vain to find that team. Then, lo and behold, she receives an e-mail telling her that the team may have been possibly been found on another broker lot! Never-mind that the team is NOW a gelding and a mare instead of two geldings, a team is a team, and Jill just wants to get that team! Never-mind that a look into Jill's finances shows that she makes a pretty decent salary-she runs a Rescue herself. She could probably find a draft team locally. And she may not even be providing that "forever" home. The fund-raising begins, and when all is said and done, all fees added up, and everyone gets their cut, I believe the end tally was around $3000! Anyone have a clue as to how many horses can be bought outright at an auction today for $3000? Make no mistake, this is a great business for those involved in it. And it works because there's just the right amount of drama attached. These horses are, after all, going on the truck to Slaughter in X amount of days, so they MUST be saved!!! As I said, genius! The fact that one could simply attend an auction and buy a horse directly seems to be overlooked, as is the fact that in most cases, they are paying the very evil doers they vow to put out of business by "ending" Slaughter. I would get a good laugh out of this, but I hate for anyone to be taken advantage of. And in many cases, no one really knows what happens to the horses after the dramatic save. The fact that some Rescues themselves participate in it, and then sell these horses at a profit is another blog for another time. They do. I bought my horse with my own money. I take care of him myself. I pay his bills. I am solely responsible for everything that concerns him. It didn't take a village to get him here, nor does it take a village to care for him. Maybe that's the problem with this whole issue we're fighting. If you come to own your horse by the virtue of the team effort, maybe that puts the mindset in place that you really can't make any decisions about that horse on your own. Again-another blog for another time. But as for the Broker and Feedlot sales, some on the Anti side are beginning to question them. And it's about time. We've been wondering about them all along, and asking why they're so much better than going to a sale yourself. When you guys find out, be sure to let us know.

By RH2

FOB Stands for Forward Operating Base……….

It’s winter.

I'm bored and reflective.

I’ve been through plenty of miserable winters before.
It’s ‘bring the brass monkeys in cold’ these days. I am trapped inside more than normal. The chores which force me outside cause me to think about why I do what I do. The long nights give me time to write these reflections down.
It’s a cause and effect chain reaction…..
I have a lot of trouble reading about the FOB. I keep trying to wrap my head around FOB meaning something other than Forward Operating Base. I am a military mother. Besides…….
Barbaro’s life would have little to do with horse slaughter. Barbaro’s death had absolutely nothing to with horse slaughter. It had everything to do with botched end of life decisions and personal emotion, both then and now. Had his horrible accident happened during the 9th race at Fonner Park, playing with a buddy in the corral, or in a pasture trying to turn back a rank cow, he would have been quietly destroyed. His owners would have cursed the misfortune, reminisced what a good horse he had been, and he would have been free from any pain. I believe that’s what the good colt deserved and didn’t get from his connections, real or imagined. The flowers, cards, rescues, and quilts meant nothing to the horse. And……
The sigs and cyber names of the FOB cult members include unicorns, idealized racehorses, prancing horses, moonbeams, sunlight, stars, rainbows, and mythical quotes of all sorts. A feast of cotton candy for the soul and vision, which makes my eyes roll and all listening skills disappear. http://heartlessbitches.com is more my style. The message behind the feminist humor is one the Cult is in dire need of applying to their outlook. “Own it, control it, and whining is not empowering”…The membership by-laws forbid me to speak to or worship dead race horses, use saccharine language, or take part in blind faith thong throwing.
The use of saccharine brings me to the Pure Thoughts article. I told you I was going to stretch it out over several days, and here is part two.

Unfortunately, in our country, breeders send horses to slaughter because of their color; yes, this does exist. For example, two QH babies named Abercrombie and Fitch arrived at Pure Thoughts Horse & Foal Rescue. They came with AQHA papers so we called the previous owner, a breeder in Minnesota who selects for color: "palomino to be exact." According to the breeder, the two babies were sold to Simon Horse Company in Minnesota owned by Joe and Ryon Simon who are known kill buyers for horse slaughter. Both horses were sold because they were red in color, and Fitch's mother was sent to slaughter because that was her third red baby. This almost takes us back many years ago to a situation which was referred to as "cleansing."

How many times are we going to look into the pro-slaughter bowl of cherries and see that the pit is usually someone who stands to gain personally or financially, whether on the sale of horsemeat or the act of slaughter itself?

Even the horse novice understands the homozygous genes and the possibilities of perfecting color choices. Another thought would be to take that $100,000 and donate it to a rescue that saves slaughter-bound horses, and we will take all your not-so-perfect babies and mares that do not produce foals of the "right" color and place them in loving homes. It is so redundant to have yet another attempt at promoting horse slaughter stem from the AQHA arena.

Obviously Simon didn’t “ship” the babies she is holding up as yet another “my little pony” example of what’s wrong with the horse industry. A point I have been trying to get across to the New Age Horse Savior Cult (NAHSC) for YEARS…………if a horse had more value as anything other than lunch that’s where he would end up even at Simon Horse Company. http://www.simonhorsecompany.com/ is the website of this business. When or if you research them, notice the consignors and buyers of several of the HIGH selling horses at the Twin City Horse Sale. Hmmm……Ryon Simon……Simon Horse Company……I wonder where they get all those horses? Do you suppose they buy them at, OMG, other auctions from other sellers? (For those too lazy or challenged to look this up…..yes, they do).

The Events page for Simon Arena lists futurities, barrel races, rodeos, horse shows, horse educational clinics, and even dog shows the year around. Don’t miss Arena Trailer Sales or Simon Rodeo Company. Simon Horse Company has been a reputation and volume buyer/shipper of butcher horses for as long as I can remember. They have a hand in a great deal of money in other aspects of the horse industry as well. They have, however, paid their taxes, reinvested their income, and diversified this income and investment back into the horse related economy and many business' not even related to horses or livestock in Minnesota and many other surrounding states throughout the country.

Personally when I take a well prepared horse to the sale, I like to see the Simon’s, among other big volume dealers, show up (for a definition of what I consider a well prepared “saddle horse” see the blog “What’s He Worth?”. I’ve sold several nice horses to Simon Horse Company over the years. Better butcher horses have never been $ 3.00 a pound. The Simons’ buy other types of horses. Ranch horses, rodeo horses, 4-H horses, whatever will sell. All horses will (they used to anyway) sell somewhere and it is up to the people selling these horses to determine where their horses will fall in this mix.

Who would you rather have on the tax rolls in your county or state? Members of your Chamber of Commerce? Simon Horse Company, Arena Trailer Sales, and Simon Arena or Epona, Pure Hearts, and Karen Sussman? Yes, it is all about money. The same money supplies county/state services for you and yours. The same money generates well kept properties and a profitable economy to protect the sale value of home and property in the same county or every portion of the state.

But hey, let’s donate more money to place not so perfect horses in loving homes. It makes it easier to keep those horses in production with no reality check or remorse. In essence the rescue community has helped promote the BYBs more than any aspect of the horse industry in recent memory. We did the math a couple of columns ago on the cost to “rescue” or “euthanize” all the slaughter bound horses sold at the Corsica Horse sale in one year. That $100,000 this author seems to think would be enough to enable her to take ALL the not so perfect quarter horses and put them in loving homes is about half enough for the year for Corsica alone.

The AQHA has done some things over the years I haven’t agreed with. But they are listening to their voting body. The Simons have good and bad points. But they are making positive contributions to the industry in many ways. I am relatively sure neither will be wording any business or legal discussions with comments worded like these.........

coeurderfer said: "You are illogical, disjointed and ignorant or just simply one hard headed, me-me-me, I know better than you government separatist loon. First it was "we don't own horses, aren't involved in AG and vegans"... you sir/ma'am are a sick bunch of crap with your noxious, HCHS at all cost, Let me guess...you raise cattle? BTW...get your cattle/sheep rear off of public lands!....you lease????? You're a welfare baby. You get ANY subsidies? You're a welfare baby. "

Or this well rounded thought out comment from the ever eloquent airspace 1: "Hey Buck'' Why dont you grow up instead of growing out.. Get off the net and grab your Richard Simons sweating to the oldes. Stop being such a smuch supporting irresponsible people. "

The Pure Thoughts author made reference to “cleansing”? What better answer for these comments left by our gentle friends on the AHL site:

"Maybe we should try China’s solution of 1 child per couple-that has worked so well for them! Perhaps Gina and the rest of the animal rights activists should be willing to have themselves sterilized so as to not add to the human population here in America and that would give the mustangs, deer and other wildlife more resources."

"I think you hit on the perfect solution- sterilizing people! Then maybe our resources will last longer than another decade or so and mankind has a chance to survive. I doubt we could ever return to the pristine world that God gave us, but it would be nice to slow down the pollution and extinctions that overpopulation has caused. I think you’d be a great first for the sterilization program!"

Information in the physiological community supports the theory of abuse and lack of empathy for animals is one of the first tells of a psychopathic personality. Their rational, it is a short leap from animals to people. It would seem the New Age Horse Savior culture has inverted this principle wouldn’t you say?”

By RH1

Anyone else have a hard time understanding this?

A while back I discover there is a horse rescue who is also involved in the sales of “broker owned horses”.
http://www.ac4h.com/BrokerOwned4.htm
http://www.ac4h.com/
A fancy way of saying horse traders I guess. Now mind you I have no problem with a person who makes a living dealing horses. As with any other business I only support the honest and reputable of course. Here’s where I’m having a hard time with this program.... These horses are purchased at auctions for kill or resale purposes. This rescue then advertises the horses for the brokers....OK fine, whatever you want to do with your website is totally up to you. However the purchase price becomes “bail” and the mental picture of the KB trailer backing up to the gate to load up and haul these animals to slaughter is ever so subtly painted.
This program is advertised often on the Alex Brown Racing Message Forum. You know the place..... It’s where every member must be anti- slaughter and anti-auction and have no mind of their own to be able to be a member. Does it make sense at all for Alex or other members to allow this program that supports, financially, the auction houses and the kill buyers they claim to want to destroy?
OH but wait it gets better! Not only do they allow the advertising of a program that supports a portion of the horse industry they all claim to despise they will also purchase, oops I mean “bail out”, a horse for you. That's right, if you want a horse but do not wish to pay for it you can just contact someone on the ABR forum! Here is one of many examples of this practice -
http://forums.prospero.com/AlexBrown/messages?msg=44012.1
This boy has an approved home/rescue that will take him if funds can be raised. We need $550 bail, $75 for Health Certificate, Coggins and transport to NH, Approximately $250 for shipping for a total of $875 plus paypal fees for a total of $901.25. We have pledges of $300 so need $601.25 more to save this boy!
All donations are tax deductible. Paypal to .....

Anyway the real reason I am writing this is because I want to ask the ABR forum folks if this “bail out” donation help is available for all broker owned horses that I wish to give a home to? I do so hope it is as I really need to save this poor horse and give him a wonderful home! You can see just by looking into his eyes he needs an angel like me. You can view him and his bail amount here - http://www.bestfithorsebrokers.com/Horses.html
His name is Rupert Dan, just scroll half way down the page and there he is just begging for me to save him! I think I would also need someone to donate the hauling or the hauling fees for this wonderful boy in need of ME.
So whata ya say FOB? Can ya bail out and ship Rupert Dan for me?

The AQHA Has No Pure Thoughts…….

About midway down the list of Commandments on the New Age Horse Savior Cult tablet is “BLAME THE AQHA FOR EVERYTHING”. They are working on some way to implicate the AQHA in the Kennedy assignation as I write this, LBJ being from Texas and all.
This article I found on www.equestrianmag.com is so much fun I am going to split it up into several pieces so I can enjoy it for days. Cheryl Hanna, Jennifer Swanson, and the National Horse Welfare Organization have put their minds and hearts together to bring us yet more dirt on our legislative body and the AQHA. http://www.pthr.org/ is the website of Pure Thoughts Rescue Inc. and you can read the entire article at http://www.equestrianmag.com/news/horse-slaughter-overbreeding-02-09.html .
The authors take the first stab at one of those awful AQHA breeders who happens to be an agricultural state senator. It is pretty standard New Age Horse Savior spin and reads as follows:
North Dakota State Representative Rod Froelich and State Senator Joe Miller have introduced a bill to the state's legislative assembly proposing to spend $100,000 on a study to determine the feasibility of a horse slaughter house in North Dakota. There are some startling coincidences worthy of mention. Representative Froelich's family are longtime quarter horse breeders, and according to their website at http://www.froelichranch.com/ they specialize in breeding horses of outstanding color and disposition.
Here is an idea for Rep. Froelich: rather than ask the taxpayers to pay for a study on the feasibility of opening a slaughterhouse in North Dakota (creating a dumping ground for quarter horses that do not have the most perfect conformation, sought after color or greatest disposition), ask the AQHA to designate funds for genetic studies and education. Even the horse novice understands the homozygous genes and the possibilities of perfecting color choices.
Homozygous color genetics is my next blog for this juicy little tidbit of literature. But that’s not my point today. The author seems to think it might be a good idea for the AQHA to spend $100,000 on research and education. That’s my point for today.
This is taken from the AQHA website. I assume they would know where their money is going. www.aqha.com and www.equineresearch.net have more information on this subject but here is a basic summary of the AQHA’s position on equine research.
During the 1960 American Quarter Horse Association Convention in Amarillo, Texas, a presentation was made to the members that described several diseases that were a serious threat to the horse industry. The tone of the message expressed a grave need to fund research - research that would benefit all horses.
And so it began, AQHA's Research Committee was formed and a $20,000 budget was established. That first year, Texas A & M was given the lion's share of a $10,000 grant to study equine parasites, which ultimately lead to today's medications that control parasites in horses.
Since then, more than 200 projects have been funded allowing researchers to better understand ailments to treat and cure our horses. Additionally, AQHA was instrumental in helping establish Morris Animal Foundation's Equine Division. During the 1960s, MAF was involved only in small animal research but today funds some 15 projects each year and has awarded more than $3.2 million in equine research funds.
"The research funds AQHA has provided to investigators over the past 20 years have been either partially or, in some cases, fully responsible for notable discoveries that have significantly improved the health and welfare of all horses," says Dr. Nat Messer, Associate Professor of Equine Medicine and Surgery with University of Missouri at Columbia.
Among the notable discoveries or advancements achieved through AQHA research funding are:
•The role of progesterone in equine pregnancy
•Discovery of the cause of hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP), development of a specific DNA test for HYPP and recommendations for management of horses afflicted with HYPP
•Studies of musculoskeletal injuries in racehorses
•The effects of strenuous exercise on navicular bones of young horses
•Anatomical and functional consequences of tail alterations
•Validated the diagnosis of equine infectious anemia (EIA)
•Established the feasibility of using DNA markers for routine parentage verification
•Use of cloned gene products in diagnosis and vaccination of "Potomac Horse Fever"
•Development of a model to study uterine infections
•Development of a diet to manage tying up
•Pulmonary and respiratory studies
•Immunizations of horses
•Advancements in controlling and treating laminitis
Additionally, the American Quarter Horse Foundation currently is seeking funds to establish university studies that will make advances in equine trauma-related injuries, stallion reproduction issues and anhydrosis (inability to perspire).
Here are the figures for the 2008-2009 project funding…..the same time frame Pure Thoughts is thinking maybe the AQHA should put up $100,000 toward research and education.


Auburn University, Pharmacokinetics of Amikacin in Adult Horses and Comparison of the Concentration of Amikacin in Synovial Fluid in an Inflamed Antebranchiocarpal Joint after Intra-Articular or Parenteral Administration or a Combination of these Routes of Administration, Dr. John Schumacher, $11,240.00


Cornell University,The Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Distribution of Minocycline in Horses, Dr. Lisa Fortier, $27,146.00


Morris Animal Foundation, Equine Consortium on Genetic Research, $50,000.00


Occidental College, The Equine Immune Response to Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Infection: Implications for Diagnosis and Vaccine Development, Dr. Roberta R. Pollock, $44,000.00


Ohio State University, Equine Head Trauma: Correlation of Neuroanatomic Skull Injury and Brain Damage using State of the Art 3T MR, Contrast CT and Immunohistochemical Analysis, Dr. Alicia Bertone, $73,596.40


Oregon State University, Prevalence and Prevention of Anesthetic Myopathy in Quarter Horses, Dr. Erica McKenzie, $19,470.00


Oregon State University, Molecular Characterization of Early Osteochondrosis Lesions in Prepubertal Foals, Dr. Stacy A. Semevolos, $13,600.00


Texas A&M University, Laproscopic Evaluation of Oviductal Patency in the Mare, Dr. Carolyn Arnold, $26,350.00


Texas A&M University, Harmful Effects of Glucocorticoids on Stallion Reproduction: Gene Expression Studies Leading to a New Clinical Assay for Fertility Prediction, Dr. Nancy H. Ing, $37,784.00


Texas A&M University, Biopsy of Equine Embryos for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, Dr. Katrin Hinrichs, $56,555.00


University of Georgia, Hydrocortisone Therapy in Septic Foals, Dr. Michelle Henry Barton, $35,000.00


University of Illinois, The Use of Tendon Derived Progenitor Cells to Promote Tendon Healing in Horses, Dr. Allison Stewart, $26,951.00


University of Minnesota, Genetic Analysis of Glycogen Storage Disorders in Quarter Horses, Dr. Stephanie Valberg, $54,901.00


TOTAL AWARDED: (13 projects) $476,593.40


According to the Pure Thoughts article the AQHA has an annual budget of over $19,000,000. $ 476,500 breaks down to 2.5% and that’s a heck of a lot bigger investment than the HSUS makes in hands on financing for animal care.

By RH1

Unpacking the HSUS Gravy Train -
“We added up the totals, and HSUS gave only a little more than $450,000—that’s just half of one percent of its total budget—in grants to organizations providing hands-on care to dogs and cats. That’s less than 11 percent of what it paid “ALF” (for Arizona Lockbox & Fulfillment) just to count its money.”

“HSUS: Feed the lawyers, save the fundraisers, screw the pets.”

Unpacking the HSUS Gravy Train
There are only two things certain in life, as the saying goes, and a byproduct of one of them requires nonprofit organizations to file paperwork with the IRS. So now that the deceptively named “Humane Society” of the United States (HSUS) has submitted its "Form 990" for 2008, we thought it was time to take a close look. The tax filing itself is a bit more detailed than ones in the past, thanks to some new IRS rules. And more detail equals a clearer picture of exactly what HSUS is doing -- and what it's not doing -- with all its money. [Click here to view the full document.]
HSUS reported spending almost $20 million on “campaigns, legislation, and litigation”—enough to worry any livestock farmer or hunter looking to keep their chosen lifestyle alive. The group collected over $86 million in contributions, and spent more than $24 million on fundraising, including $4 million on professional fundraisers. Think about it: 28 cents of every dollar contributed to HSUS goes back out the door to raise more money. HSUS even paid a single “lockbox” company more than $4.2 million to count and process its cash hauls. We won’t comment on that company’s curious "ALF" initials (for Arizona Lockbox & Fulfillment).
The bottom line is the same as it ever was: HSUS rakes in millions from unsuspecting Americans who may confuse the animal rights group with an unaffiliated local humane society. And with all this cash flying around, it’s no surprise that 41 HSUS employees made at least $100,000 last year. All told, HSUS paid out over $30.9 million in salaries, wages, and other employee compensation.
HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle earned more than $250,000 in salary and benefits in 2008. We wouldn’t begrudge him a large salary, of course: He runs an animal-rights business “charity,” after all.
But the real trouble lies in where most HSUS money doesn’t go: to pet shelters. In contrast with the group’s extravagant spending on people, HSUS’s total grant allocation was less than $4.7 million. And of that, almost half went to a political campaign committee called “Californians for Humane Farms,” the main lobbying organization responsible for California’s “Proposition 2” ballot initiative.
For all the cute pictures of puppies and kitties on HSUS paraphernalia, you’d think it would operate a pet shelter, or at least give a substantial portion of its money to one. But HSUS has lobbying to do, a PETA-inspired agenda to push, meat eaters to stigmatize, and livestock farmers to put out to pasture. Lobbying? Oh, yes. HSUS takes four full pages to detail its lobbying activities on the state and federal levels.
With all the politicking going on, the animals—remember them?—seem to get lost in the shuffle. We added up the totals, and HSUS gave only a little more than $450,000—that’s just half of one percent of its total budget—in grants to organizations providing hands-on care to dogs and cats. That’s less than 11 percent of what it paid “ALF” (see above) just to count its money.
We’re musing today about HSUS’s next big self-marketing blitz, and some new slogans it might want to use. Our favorite? “HSUS: Feed the lawyers, save the fundraisers, screw the pets.”

The Center For Consumer freedom
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/h/4062-unpacking-the-hsus-gravy-train

3 and 30

I suppose the year 2009 wouldn't be complete without "Cup-O-Soup" Jim Gath of Tierra Madre adding to the already full sardine can of a Sanctuary he operates in Arizona. http://forums.prospero.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=37974.4182 Jim's got a way with words, and I suppose saying 3 and 30 sounds better than admitting that you've got 33 horses penned in on less than 3 acres of land. Like our friend Lin of EPONA, Jim is a first class hoarder who feels that only he can provide the love and care for these horses. Jim, however, is one up on Lin. He's cultivated a strong financial support base. Maybe it's because he's a guy, and ABR has quite a few lonely women members. Some of the same ones who fawn over every post King Alex Brown makes are enthralled with Jim. And why not? Jim knows just how to rope 'em in. He plays on their emotions, and uses the horses he's holding hostage to keep the donations coming in. Humanizing the horses is the trick he knows works best on the girls, and Jimbo works it for all it's worth. Lin doesn't have that advantage. Lin may have the drama, but Jim's got the thong club. But back to the 3 plus 30. Once again, Jim has convinced the enablers on ABR that the situation was dire, and the only solution was the Sardine Sanctuary. So, the money was raised, and three more unfortunate victims will now call Hotel Tierra Madre home. If you've ever gone to an auction, you've seen the metal pens they set up to hold horses temporarily until they are sold. That's kind of what Jim's place looks like. I wish we could get a scale illustration of what Jim's sanctuary looks like. People just can't imagine how cramped this place is if they don't own horses themselves. Jim describes it as if there's really lots of room, but we know Jim. This could just be another one of his Allegories, like the Cup-O-Soup tale.How many more horses will Jim take in? As many as he can. That's the problem with hoarders. They can't say no. They can't see past their own needs to understand what impact their actions have on the horses they take in. I have often wondered what Jim's vet thinks of all of this. Does he ever try to intervene? Do the volunteers? Not that it would make a difference. Jim will continue to collect horses as long as he can build pens to put them in. What will Jim's count be in 2010? And how high will his number of fatalities be? Time will tell. For those opposed to the pain and suffering of horses, lets hope that the Friends of Tierra Madre just say "NO" next time Jim says "Can we help another one?" Enough is enough, and 3 and 30 is really, really, too much.
BY RH2

EPONA-everything that's wrong with Rescue...

As 2009 is coming to an end, I am working to tie up some of the loose ends I have going on. One thing I have learned from my involvement with this blog is that there will be times when such a thing will not be possible. There is not going to be a happy ending, or an ending at all. That has been the case with EPONA. I have been working on a blog piece about EPONA for months now. Each time I think I'm done, something new turns up. For those who are not aware, EPONA is an Equine Rescue-or so they claim. I like to think of it as kind of an Equine Soap Opera. Or better yet, the Equine version of the movie "Groundhog Day", with Lin, the woman in charge in the role of Bill Murray. Each day repeats itself until Lin gets it right. But, Lin never seems to get it right, so it goes on and on and on. And there are very few laughs, so maybe we'd best stick to the Soap Opera angle. Lin does provide a heavy and steady dose of drama, that's for sure. There is so much to say about EPONA, and a limited amount of time and space, that I think the best course of action is to just highlight Lin's latest actions. Let's begin with this one-http://forums.prospero.com/alexbrown/messages?msg=43842.1 This is not only a favorite of mine, but obviously of quite a few other peoples', as it has been pointed out to me by more than one person. From what I've been told, this is not the first time EPONA has "changed directions". And what those who pointed it out really seem to enjoy about it (and I agree), is that Lin is very vague on just what those changes are going to be. Now, this is one characteristic of Lin that is an ongoing source of aggravation to anyone who has any interest in getting any sort of factual information from Lin about anything. It's not going to happen. Remember that old joke about Who's on first? That's how a question to Lin would go. If you ask Lin to clarify any of her vague statements, you'll just get more of the same. I am continually amazed that she in still in operation due to the lack of any concrete answers she has given about some of her actions in recent months. For example-Some of you will recall my articles on the Phoenix Rising incident, where there were starved horses left in the hands of a Rescue in Nebraska. Lin was involved in some of these Rescue transfers. In fact, she was the one Rescue who not only refused to remove the horses she placed there, but assured others that no horses were starving or dying. Anyone viewing pictures could see that there were in fact horses in starved condition. And unfortunately, some horses did die. Lin promised to make weekly visits to monitor the horses remaining at Phoenix rising, and in true Lin style, never followed through. She had lots of good excuses, but for starving horses, I don't think they were good enough. If this wasn't bad enough, it turned out that 1 of the horses she chose to leave at Phoenix was a horse paid for by our good friends on ABR. Lin claimed that he was in good condition, and when pictures were produced to prove that was not true, she said she would check on him again when she had time and decide if any further action was needed. By the way, the horse in question was a 2 year old stud left in with mares. Very responsible behavior on the part of both rescues. When the pressure was put on to actually visit the horse, suddenly, this horse was adopted! Lin is very quick to find homes for horses in question. I'm not saying she doesn't, but if I had paid for a horse, I think I'd want a little more than Lin's word that it had found a good home if I had found out it was in a neglectful or abusive situation. I have never seen any updates on Lin's site, but maybe it's an oversight. Her site doesn't get updated often, although she does spend large amounts of time on the internet. Which leads me to my next issue. Who can provide adequate care to the large number of horses EPONA houses while spending the amount of time on the internet that Lin does? I've seen a lot of photos, and it's very rare that they are photos of a well groomed horse. There doesn't seem to be a lot of training that occurs, and I'm not sure how much basic equine knowledge Lin possesses. During the Phoenix Rising incident, Lin posted that Little Wilbur, a Pony Mule cross she had come into possession of had passed away. There were those who had concerns about Lin having Little Wilbur because 2 other young ones had passed away in her care. One of the little ones was attacked by a dog. I'm not sure what happened to the other one. In Little Wilbur's case, the concern was over the fact that at less than 3 months old, he and his Dam were turned out daily with full sized horses, and it appeared that he was fed with them also. Anyone with any experience with mares and foals knows that housing them in this manner is not the safest thing to do. Lin has never really said exactly what caused Little Wilbur's death, and I doubt she ever will. But from what I had seen in the 3 months of his life, she was more interested in posting videos of him than in actually caring for him. Sure, it's cute to see a little long eared guy rushing around, and funny to pretend he's training to be a race mule. But in reality, he needed to be worked with on a daily basis, kept in a corral by himself with mama, and fed properly. Mama, too. Would that have changed his outcome? We'll never know. And I will freely admit that I found it very disturbing to see the post mortem "Little Wilbur" calendars being hawked to make a few bucks for EPONA. But that's just me. And I don't have a problem with Lin spending hours on videos and online chatting. Just don't take in large numbers of horses that have medical or training issues. Stick to one or two and then you can be online most of the day posting all the videos you want. Lin also used the passing of Little Wilbur to try to deflect some of the heat she was getting from the Phoenix Rising incident by posting that she had received a threatening phone call. She just didn't know what to do! Well, Lin-two choices. Mine would have been not to listen, and just hang up. But for those who crave the drama, that doesn't work. Number 2 would have been to have the call traced. But for someone who's actions involving horses that were in their care were being questioned, I suppose stirring up some sympathy would have been the smartest choice. And Lin is good at that! I was a little let down when I saw a picture of Lin. I really expected flowing robes and a crown of thorns. Lin is, after all, persecuted on a regular basis to hear her tell it. Any time her actions are questioned, she cries foul. It's someone who is just hateful, or a bully, or is jealous. And they would have reason to be. Lin has been very fortunate. How many Rescues have 130 acres donated to them? Or a truck and trailer? Lin has been blessed, yet she in continually begging for funds for everything. I often wonder if Lin pays for ANYTHING! Obviously, she isn't able to run her Rescue efficiently. With the land, and truck and trailer, there are many other Rescues that would not have to continually ask for money. They would have used the funds they had for those things to pay for their other needs. Unless they never had the money for those things in the first place. I could go on and on, but it wouldn't matter. The adventures of Saint Lin of EPONA can be read daily on the ABR forum. Her supporters will defend her, and if things get too dicey, Alex will step in and warn the offenders to back off, or shut things down-wonder what's up with that? The bottom line here is that we're not dealing with a Rescue, or a Sanctuary, or a Foster situation. It appears to be in every way a Hoarder. They seem to be the hardest ones to take down. Their support base, while small, is loyal to a fault. And it should come as no surprise that Lin's number one fan appears to be none other than "Cup-O-Soup" Jim Gath. Any time Lin is caught in a lie, or a vague statement, Jim is quick to jump to her defense, assuring her that "she rocks". Really, Jim? What rocks about providing substandard care for the horses you take in? About continually taking in more horses even while begging for funds for the ones you already have? About making statements that no one can even make heads nor tails of, and then becoming upset when you're asked to explain them? And what, exactly rocks about turning your back on horses you committed to caring for when you KNOW they are in a bad situation? Any answers? We know Lin doesn't have them. She's too busy changing directions. If only the direction was completely out of Equine Rescue. Well-one can always hope. It's hard to move on from this one, but I know it's one of those things that will not change until people understand that people like Lin and her "Rescue" operation are not the solution, they are very much the problem. We here at the "Ranch" will continue to work hard to open as many eyes as we can. The issue is not as simple as Slaughter versus Anti Slaughter. As long as the Lins and Jims can get folks to buy into that mindset, they can continue to hoard. That's an issue I hope we can address more and bring to light in 2101. The suffering of the horses in their hands is not something many would like to discuss-but we WILL do that here.
By RH2