Remembering Darli

It was one year ago on the 21st that I lost my beautiful rescue mare Darli. She was only with me for 3 weeks, but she was loved beyond belief.. She is buried at the side of my stables and keeps a watchful eye on the sick rescue horse ~ Darli you will never be forgotten.

Week 1

Week 3 ~ Just before being put to rest

She was to weak RIP lovely girl

Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush, I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there. I did not die
(By Mary Frye)

Horsey Update ♥

Hopey Dopey ~ Is going really well. She has turned into a big sooky horse, loves cuddles and is a real in your face little filly now. Not bad for being a wild as hell crazy weanling sized 2 year old. She has also grown from 12hh to 14.1hh which is awesome. Hope has come a really long way since she arrived on the 31st of July 2010

On arrival ~ 31st July

Current

Current

Ma ~ Is putting on weight well and in 2-3 weeks I will be assessing her temperment for re-homing. She is such a sweet old thing but also has heaps of life left in her. I think she would make a lovely kids horsey..

Ma on arrival 12th August 2010

Ma currently

Ma currently

Sulley ~ The poor big fellow has arthritis in his hocks :-( He also has a nasty bump on the head causing pressure around his eyes, which are quite sunken and he has limited vision in one eye.

Freya ~ With tears of joy and tears of sadness I said goodbye to my beautiful Freya this week when I delivered her to her new home, but she has an amazing new mum and lovely family with 3 beautiful paddock mates. Freya was rescued on kill day from the knackery and was with me for 7 month... She holds a very special place in my heart.

Freya at the knackery 27th Feb 2010

Freya currently

Freya had a habit of jumping out of her stable.

Foster Horses ~ June, Zoria, sampy, whiskey and Krystal are all doing really well.

THE PONIES:

Helix punk pony

and Helix's little side kick ~ Garthy

Partners in Crime

Best mates....

I will be out of range until the 4th of November so it may take a while to reply to all of my emails etc.

URGENTLY NEEDS HOME ~ Hunter Valley NSW

URGENTLY NEEDS HOME ~ 16.3hh 10 year old TB gelding in the HUNTER VALLEY NSW ~ Needs and exp rider to bring him back into work. Does windsuck but is controlled by a collar. Has leg blemish and splints from racing. This photo is from Jan last year ~ He is now in lite paddock condition

He is free to good home


Email owner for all details:
kaitlin_1993@hotmail.com
 
 

Update ♥

Firstly ~ The Gold Coast and most of SEQ is flooded. Everything has turned to mud and I have lost all but two stables and both of my big paddocks. Lucky enough I haven't taken in any new rescues and only have 4 big horses and 2 ponies at home. Still everything, everywhere is mud.

Krystal's Stable

Second ~ The ABC aired our protest interview this morning on their breakfast show.

http://blogs.abc.net.au/wa/2010/10/horses-for-courses.html?site=perth&program=720_perth_breakfastAudio

Third ~ It's lovely to help people with their horses and even more lovely when they email you updates on how they are going ~ I love to hear that all horses are going well.

Donna emailed me a few weeks ago about her horse that was skinny, not gaining weight and had no energy, I helped her with a feeding program and this was her reply:

Hi Amanda,

Thought I would give you a quick update in case of your interest in feeding advice recently. We have done almost exactly as you said (the only difference is I have had confidence issues needling the chest muscle – but on reading your email again, I will certainly try it there on the next shot – I have read about and looked at instructions on needling the chest but really lack confidence – I have been putting it in the top of the rump which is still horrible for me…. Just need the confidence I guess as it seems more sensitive in the chest but clearly is not). Have had probs in getting the herbs but will perstist.
He is looking great !!!! Better still – He is feeling Great too.. I never thought I would see the day this horse runs around the paddock, cantering, giving little bucks and everything else.. Leo is looking alive without a doubt, also without being fizzy under saddle. Leo has done so well in two weeks that we have put the TB’s on Gumnuts too.
Thanks so much for your help once again.
Donna
PS, I am trying to upload some new photo’s of him, hopefully will get that sorted soon.

I'm glad to have helped Donna and very happy her horse is doing well. Keep up the good work and he will be 100% in no time Donna. :-)
 
Fourth ~ This horse is still urgently seeking a new home. He hasn't been ridden in years and isn't quite enough to pull straight from the paddock and ride. He has also had some petal bone rotation and will require shoes, this was the last post:
 
Horse will be sold through Grafton dogger sales ~> urgently needs home. Is located between Coff's and Grafton. 15.2hh station bred stock horse, 18 years old, suitable for light riding and must always have front shoes on due to petal bone rotation. Is a sweet natured horse. She needs him re-homed and the sale is the last option. Will give away to a loving home.

Call OWNER: 02 6654 3821 for more info
THIS BOY HAS NOW FOUND A HOME AND WILL NOT BE GOING TO THE DOGGER SALES.

Remembering Brandy ~ Laid to rest 2 months ago today

Forever in my heart

Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free,
I’m following the path God laid for me.
My pain was lifted when I heard Him call,
And you stood beside me through it all.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow,
I’ll shine with the sun in each tomorrow....
My last year has been full, I savored much.
Tasty treats, long groomings, and your gentle, loving touch.
Perhaps our time together seemed too brief,
Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me,
God wanted me now, you set me free.

Beautiful Brandy before she was euthanized

R.I.P my sweet girl ~ you will never be forgotten

"No Horses For Courses" demonstration in Perth

Today we held our first "No horses for courses" demonstration at Wellington Square in East Perth, it wasn't as big as I had hoped but was successful none the less. All together we had about 40 people and 12 horses battle the weather to protest ~ letting Terry Redman know that we "say NO to the sale for horse meat for human consumption in Australia".

We had a number of spokes persons from animal activist groups and a Member of Parliament along with media coverage and amazing supporters and this is only the beginning. I will keep everyone posted on the next event as it is planned ~ please keep sending letters, emails and phone calls to the media, the WA government and the Federal Government.

Department for Ag:
enquiries@agric.wa.gov.au

Honourable Terry Redman MLA
Minister for Agriculture and Food; Forestry; Minister Assisting the Minister for Education
e-Mail: Minister.Redman@dpc.wa.gov.au

Honourable Colin Barnett MEc MLA
Premier; Treasurer; Minister for State Development
e-Mail: wa-government@dpc.wa.gov.au


ALSO ~ Please sign our petition and pass it to all of your friends.
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/stop_the_sale_of_horse_meat_for_human_consumption_in_western_australia

Massive massive massive thank you to Beth Reiley, Emma and everyone else who helped organise this event and also massive thanks to everyone who supported it and came along...

http://animalswa.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/protest-to-end-the-sale-of-horse-meat-for-human-consumption-in-w-a/

Update ♥

I am currently in Perth for my "No horses for courses" protest ~ which is to show the WA Minister of Agriculture Terry Redman that we DO NOT approve of his decision to allow the killing of more horses to be sold for human consumption in Australia.

The protest is on Sunday in East Perth ~ Wellington Square at 11am.

http://www.watoday.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/horsemeat-protest-does-not-scare-prince-of-flesh-20101007-169go.html

I will update after the weekend.



RESCUE HORSES:
I will post an update on my beautiful rescues next weekend ~ they are all doing wonderfully.

A Day in a Country Knackery

Not exactly the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon.


We arrived at the gates of this old country knackery, and we could see the horses in the pens.. waiting. My friend whistles out to the horses and a few call back, one is a big pally mare with a roman nose.. She is beautiful. We walk up the old rocky driveway to a tin shed that looks normal in the country but it's far from normal. At the front of the doorway lay the raw rib cage of the last slaughtered horse. We walk up to the tin shed and see more of the horse waste.. Some guts, hooves and a little chocolate brown horsey's head... It's disgusting and heart breaking and my friend says to me "harden up princess".. She was right, I had to harden up.... This is how things are done in the country....
The slaughter man see's us and he comes over, his hands were covered in blood, his clothes and even his face.. It looked like something out of a horror movie and my friend says to me "if he comes out with a chainsaw, i'm outta here".. She wasn't joking...
We chat to him and he agrees to let us have a look, and I fall in love with the pally mare.. There is no way i'm leaving her.. We also fall in love with a little stock horse colt... On one side of the pen is a TB with a broken leg, he was there for a reason.. In the pen next to him is another TB thats completely blind, he to was there for a reason. There was also a number of brumby foals and a few ponies..
We try to catch the pally mare, she is so scared.. My friend slowly gains her trust, I standby and watch... We walk her out, past all of her pen mates remains and load her onto the float without a problem, she is happy to leave... We go back for the colt and spend a while trying to get his trust, but he is unhandled.. The slaughter man comes out to let us know he is sending more into the shed, we hear two gun shots.. I look up towards the shed and he threws a little brown head out onto the pile of waste, iIcan see it's tongue hanging out of it's head... Very sad....
We decide that we can't catch the little colt and make the very hard decision to leave him there, he was next in line to die...
The mare travels home well and is placed in her new paddock, she is happy and settled.. A lovely mare named "Sweetheart"... I smelt of death for long after we left, it was hard to get it out of my nose and head, a smell i'll never forget...

Another Day in a Country Knackery

I think to myself “Am I crazy?” My boss has given me the day off work for R&R because he thinks I’m stressed. He’s right; I am stressed, but mostly my own doing. I sit inside the company car I borrowed ready to make the 4 hour drive; I better call ahead and make sure someone will be there. He answers the mobile number I have dialled, he seems nice enough. I lie and tell him I have a sick horse that I need shot and that I want to come down and check out his facilities, I don’t want my horse to suffer. He assures me that it won’t suffer and will be the first killed on the day, he hesitates but after some chit chat he allows me to meet him at 1pm. I better get moving. I ask my self “Am I crazy?”



The drive is long, but I arrive at the gate of another country knackery, only this time I’m in central Victoria. I remember the words Tegan once said to me “harden up princess” but today would be different, it's not kill day. I get out of my car, the air feels hot but the smell of death is present. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be, but it’s an unforgettable smell, distinct, one that I’ll never forget. The holding pens are not far from the road and the slaughter house is on the other side, just a small tin shed. I was surprised at the amount of horses in the yards, maybe 6 all together. It’s a small country knackery only really servicing the local area, processing fresh pet food for the local grey hound trainers. I walk up the driveway to where the holding pens are and see 2 beautiful QH’s, they are amazing, fat and seem healthy, both geldings. The pens are filled with mud and I think to myself “are they always like this”, “is it from rain, or just a lot of waste”. The horses seem scared and won’t come anywhere near me.


I turn to walk over to the slaughter house but I see an old man about 80 walking towards me, he introduces himself to me and says “don’t worry, they were signed over to be killed, health problems i'd say”, but I find this hard to believe. I have been told many times by people in the industry that some top performance centre will have their horses slaughtered when they hit a certain age; this includes hacks, and western performance. I have also heard that another “horsey organisation” that have their horses slaughtered as well, this makes me think that those big QH’s are not sick at all.

The old slaughterman show’s me around while sharing with me the process….


First the horse will go into the crush and be pushed into the shed, it will be shot with a rifle between the eyes which will kill it instantly, it won’t feel a thing. The horse will then be bled and cut up. He assures me that this way is better than having the horse put down and is not wasteful. I hold my hand over my mouth the whole time trying not to vomit at the smell and he laughs at me, probably thinking to himself “harden up princess”. He tells me that kill day is tomorrow and if I bring my horse down at 8am he will do it first, if only he knew the truth he would probably kick me off his property, I wanted to take some photo’s but it was impossible. I ask him if he would sell a horse to the public and he says that he will not. Some knackery’s do, some don’t. This one does not, I feel sad for the beautiful horses waiting in the pens, but I drove here knowing I could not save any anyway; I had to prepare myself for that. While I’m talking with this old man I hear the sound of a truck horn and on inspection I see that my car has blocked the entrance of a cattle truck trying to enter the knackery with what appears to be a load of horses, my gut sinks as I run to move my car thinking about a story one of the young volunteers told: She wanted to ride her horse Krystal to the knackery and hijack one of the trucks and let her horse Krystal drive the truck home.. If only Jackie and Krystal were here now.


The truck is overloaded and smells of urine, I can only imagine how scared the horses are. I drive forward closer to the pens and let the truck pass, there are so many horses loaded in there it’s hard to make out what they are, there must have been a sale or something near buy. In a matter of minutes the truck has backed up to the ramp and most horses are in the pens, biting and kicking each other. Two horses remain on the truck; one big brown horse is laying down. The truck driver fixes a halter to its head and tries to drag it down the ramp, it won’t get up but it’s not dead. The other horse won’t leave its side. It looks like a mare and her foal. The mare is thrashing around but can’t get up, i'd say maybe a broken leg. The old slaughterman goes for a bobcat looking machine and the driver moves the truck forward, the horse is dragged off and the foal jumps after her, while on the ground the mare is shot dead in front of her baby, the foal is then shot dead as well. I’ve seen enough, I leave without even saying goodbye and there is no way they will see me tomorrow.


I’m driving home distressed, I think to myself “Am I crazy??” yes, I am crazy. Once again, I smell like death, only this time I didn’t save anything. So much for my day of R&R, I ask myself “Am I stressed?” the answer is yes, but I do it to myself, most normal people would have driven to the coast for a swim at the beach, but me… I trek through the mud at another country knackery!

Please save this mare ~ Must be sold by Monday

Sadly we can't take in all horses and so many OTT TB's get sent to slaughter or thrown in a paddock to produce foal after foal. This mare is one of them....

Urgently needing a home ~ 16hh OTT TB mare, 6 years old. In paddock condition, retired sound, she was just too slow. Located in Oakey QLD. Must be sold by Monday $500


Email or Call Jenny
jennilspencer@bigpond.com
0410 186 184

Update on Sulley ♥

Sulley arrived on Sunday and settled in well ~ The beautiful Freya has fallen in love and follows him around like a love sick puppy dog. He is quite sore on his hock though and its making a slight grinding sound as well as clicking. Im pretty sure we have an arthritis problem there and he is booked in to have xrays on the 15th of October. He was a little grumpy but I have put him on some bute which has helped and im presuming the pain is causing his grumpiness ~ He will go on some joint guard as well as some herbal treatment for arthritis and ulcers.

Im still trying to track down the horse dealer who sold him at the Laidley sales on the 14th of August ~ i have been told he is a regular at the Laidley sales and normally wears a blue singlet shirt. If anyone can help, please email or call me ~ Im just wanting to find out some history on him  ♥

saveahorseqld@yahoo.com.au
0405053740

Day 1

Riding For The Disabled Melbourne Cup Fundraiser

Yatala Produce who are amazing supporters of S.A.H.A are holding a fundraiser on Melbourne Cup Day for Crowson Lane Riding for the Disabled. Tickets are $50 a head and all proceeds go to Crowson Lane Riding for the Disabled. It will be a great day, check out the brochure for details.


Please contact Vick or Mark at Yatala Produce (07)38072212
 

DOES ANYONE KNOW THIS HORSE???

Sulley is a new surrender, he was sold through the Laidley sales in the dogger section in August this year and had a teenager riding him. He was sold to Rathdowney knackery for $500. I have been told that he was sold by a horse dealer and im just wanting some history on him if i cant get some. He is 17.3hh (true height) and seems grumpy, he was surrendered yesterday and he seems to have a clicky hock which is causing him some pain. Im thinking maybe some arthritis. I will be booking him in for some xrays.

If anyone has any info on this boy please email or call me

Amanda Vella
saveahorseqld@yahoo.com.au
0405053740