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End of the Road by Rebecca Sparenberg |
The bony chestnut pony scouted the edges of her dirt paddock for the last scraps of her morning hay, but the pickings were bare and it would be hours before she would feed again. The same family had owned her for years and they loved the little chestnut mare, Nelly. All their children had learned to ride on her, but they were in a financial bind, and unfortunately, so was most of the horse community. They had tried to sell Nelly, but the newspapers had been flooded with cheap or free horses; younger, sound horses that could still run and jump. These days no one was looking for a 29-year-old pasture pal. And if they took her to an auction there was the chance she wouldn’t sell, or worse, a kill buyer could pick her up. They had called all the local horse rescues and all told them the same thing, “I’m so sorry, we get calls like this all the time and we don’t have any room.” Nelly’s family could barely afford to feed her and her health was quickly declining. The older she got the more she cost to care for, and hay and feed prices just kept going up. It was time for one last act of kindness, to humanely put Nelly down. But when they called the vet he quoted them $500 and that didn’t include removing Nelly’s body. They were at the end of their road; what else could they do? Tawnee Preisner, vice president and co-founder of NorCal Equine Rescue in Oroville, is trying to provide an answer. As of press, NorCal was preparing to hold their first low-cost euthanasia clinic on Nov 19. Many in California’s equestrian community have been taken aback at the idea that the economic situation has driven horse owners to seek euthanasia as a viable option. Advocates from both sides have vociferously debated the hot topic on both The Chronicle of the Horse’s and thehorse.com’s online forums. But Tawnee is the first to state that the clinic isn’t for all horses. When equestrians ask her why NorCal decided to offer low-cost euthanasia clinics, she tells them Nelly’s story. “The economy is literally killing horses in droves,” says Tawnee. “People are having a very hard time feeding their horses with the high price of hay and feed. We get calls almost on a daily basis, ‘I can’t afford to care for my horse, what do I do?’ We try our best to help out, but these are hard times and it’s impossible to take in every horse we get a call about. What happens to those horses?” Neglect, abandonment, abuse, starvation and slaughter: Tawnee has seen an increase in them all as the economy has declined. In 2008 alone, NorCal has rescued over 308 horses, almost equal to the total number of horses they have rescued since opening in 2003. Still, Norcal estimates that almost 400 horses from Northern California are being shipped out of country every month to slaughter. Tawnee asks the equestrian community which is more unkind, “humane euthanasia or being shipped hours across board to a slaughterhouse?” Over the past year rescue volunteers have been diligently raising money to cover all the costs of the euthanasia clinic. Each clinic costs approximately $1,900 to host and cover the humane euthanasia and disposal of the 15 equines. Norcal has already received almost $7,000 in pledges. Horse owners are only charged $25 for the euthanasia service, which is performed by licensed veterinarians. All owners are also required to sign a release allowing the rescue to retain and place potentially adoptable horses. “We are hoping to keep the clinics going as a monthly outreach effort to help prevent horses from heading to slaughter, being abandoned or left in a pasture to die a slow, lingering painful death,” says Tawnee. “We are happy to report that people who are signing up for the euthanasia clinic are signing up old and crippled horses. They’re horse owners who don’t want to see their beloved pet struggle through another winter, but don’t have the financial resources to give them a loving end.” A second clinic is scheduled for Dec. 19 and similar events are planned for January and February.
For additional information call 530-534-7742, e-mail info@savethehorse.com or visit www.savethehorse.com. |
