Tough economic times have meant that many people can no longer afford their horses.
Sadly, you see many of these horses being sold on Craig’s list. Recently, the ads for two horses were highlighted on the equestrian forums. Here’s the good news: both of them were purchased by people who are committed to helping these horses recover. The bad news? No horse should look like these two.
The good/bad news is that these two are the lucky ones. They were purchased by people who are committed to nursing them back to health and who have the knowledge and skills to succeed. Many of the horses being sold for just $50 are not going to have happy endings.
What are people to do? Sometimes circumstances are beyond our control. I know several people who have lost their jobs and have had no success finding new ones. When money is tight, there are hard decisions to make. Rescues are full and even the kill buyers don’t want horses that are skin and bones. Some times, however, people buy horses without understanding the care and commitment that is required, or the money it takes to keep a horse healthy and fit. There needs to be more education and more, well, choices. I’m not a fan of euthanasia for healthy horses but I also don’t believe in starving them.
I’d love to hear some of your suggestions on how we can prevent horses (and their owners) from ending up in a sad and horrible ad on Craig’s list.
Here’s how just a few weeks of care and feeding can help:
