Hi there. Elle Williams has been in touch with this
man and has already taken in 3 of his horses.
The truth about these horses is that they are wild.
They have had no handling and don't have any manners.
They would only be able to be taken in by someone who
is willing to give them a long-term commitment. They
cannot be worked with over a couple of months and
rehomed.
Here is what she said based on her experience with the
situation:
"Out of the 30 he had he only wanted to give us about
11 - most of the babies he thinks he will be able to
sell - there is a 3 year old stud running the herd and
keeping everyone bred. 3 yr. old mare with a 2 year
old at her side - and a 1 year old next to her - all
bred - 10 babies hit ground this spring - 4 albino's
and 2 died in field - it is a nightmare.
... they could be fine for a long time and then turn
on you -- it's bad when you have something that big
that is dangerous. The man that owns the horses signed
the ones we got over to HorseNet...
In order to geld one of the three we took in - a 3 1/2
year old stud colt who had never been handled and
never had a halter on - took 2 darts from a dart gun
and 10cc of rompin to lay him out for 15 min. He was
gelded, had 3 feet trimmed and got up -- and was not
groggy at all -- they are very tough horses. It's not
only that they are all unhandled and wild -- but the
inbreeding adds another dimension to the training /
rehabbing problem. This herd has been on it's own for
between 15 - 20 years....that's alot of inbreeding.
After 10 months in a stall one is barely halter broke
-and barely leads. He still refuses to pick up his
feet and is not trustworthy in the stall.
If we took the pregnant horses - you are theoretically
looking at about a total of 50 horses with all the
ones that are pregnant.
There is a 2 year old appy - looks gorgeous with
beautiful blanket - he is still with mommy because he
has to be a crypt orchid -- if he was viable the stud
would have run him off. The option of watching the
herd is wonderful - just watching the interaction - of
a truly wild herd -- but what happens to them is a
crap shoot and not good for many of them.
Originally when we put out the word asking for help
trailering we got a few people that responded -- but
once I explained exactly what we were dealing with --
the numbers dwindled. It is a mess - feel sorry for
the horses - but in our society they have to learn how
to lead, how to pick up their feet - how to retain
some
semblance of decorum -- i.e. not destroying people -
jumping on them - kicking - biting, etc.....there are
rules - these horses have no boundaries and don't care
if they run over top of you. Grain does not entice
them or have any bearing in their world. It isn't a
case where you can work with one of these horses for a
month or two and move it on to another home -- they
are long term projects that may never have a happy
ending.
Anyone that wants to contact me is welcome to - I'll
explain it all to them - and they can make their own
decision. HorseNet isn't financially able, facility
able/space available nor do we have the experienced
personnel to take it on. Elle"
=====
R, Beth
The Horse: Friendship without envy, Beauty without vanity, Nobility without conceit, A willing partner, yet no slave. ~ RIP Everest, 13 July 2004 ~
Yellow Fish Designs (
www.yellowfishdesigns.com)
CANTER Mid Atlantic (
www.canterusa.org)
HorseNet Horse Rescue (
www.horsenethorserescue.org)