Starting our 6th
year and seeing change...
2005 starts an exciting new year for
Horse Haven of Tennessee. The year starts with two new officers elected
to the Board of Directors. We welcome Lisa and Denise to the position of
President and Secretary. Tiffany and David retained their positions as
Vice President and Treasure. We also welcome to the Advisory Board - Dr.
Robin D., Dudley, Ronald, Sarah, Nancy and welcome back Diane and Don.
We are looking forward to working with everyone in the coming year.
The biggest news is the first Equine
Cruelty Investigator Training is final to become a reality in April. HHT
will be co-sponsoring with the University of Tennessee Ag Extension and
the Tennessee Horse Council a 20 hour certification course. The class is
limited to 28 participants and will involve both classroom and hands on
training. We hope to be able to offer this training in other areas of
the state in the near future.
Our supporters have been very supportive
this past year and have come through for us when emergencies came into
the rescue in 2004. They were there to show their support when Shrek the
donkey came in from a case in McMinn County. They donated hay and
fencing which has allowed us to work on our public adoption site goal.
We thank everyone who have been so faithful and have donated items of
need and their time.
We cannot do it alone and your support is greatly appreciated.
May the new year offer peace and safety for
all our equine friends.
Nina Margetson
Executive Director
Fundraisers...
Looking for a Few Good Homes
Horses adopted from HHT cannot be sold, given away of disposed of in any manner without prior written approval from HHT. All males are gelded and mares are not allowed to be bred.
Before a horse can be adopted from HHT, the following procedures must be followed. A completed application must be filled out and pictures of the available shelter and fencing must be provided. A $25 application fee is now required which is deducted from the adoption fee. An appointment will be made to check out your facility. If satisfactory, then a potentially suitable horse will be introduced to the adopter and arrangements made for placement.
At the time of adoption, HHT requires a Permanent Adoption Contract signed by the adopter. Payment in full of a non-refundable adoption fee is based upon each individual horse and set by the sole discretion of HHT. At any time an adopter relocates a horse from the original, approved facility for more then 30 days, HHT must be contacted.
Due to the increase in potential adopters looking to adopt a horse for their children, we are making it mandatory that those wishing to adopt realize that the horses that come through our doors are not grade A riding horses. Many will make fine trail horses, but only after many hours of proper care and personal contact. Personalities of most undernourished horses will change as they begin to improve and regain their strength. The majority of the horses we place are for pasture companions or in need of a good place to retire.
So please..... If you are not serious about taking on a “special needs” equine, do not apply.
Horse Slaughter, and Downed Animal Acts, in Congress:
Horsemeat: H.R. 3781, introduced by Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD), to prohibit the slaughter, import, export, trade, and transportation of horses for human consumption.
Downed Animal: H.R 1421, would require humane euthanasia of farm animals who are too sick or injured to walk unassisted at stockyards, auctions, and other intermediate livestock markets. Current law allows these animals to be kicked, shocked, dragged with chains, pushed with bulldozers, and hauled by forklifts en route to slaughter. By prohibiting the marketing of downed animals, this bill would create a financial incentive for careful, humane handling of all equine.
These are two bills that will help in the following ways:
No sale of horsemeat for human consumption means only animals in need of rendering will be sent to slaughter. Dog food does not pay the traders* the same high dollar they were getting for horsemeat sent overseas. Healthy, family pets will no longer become the prey of traders* looking for that quick buck.
Horses unable to stand on their own will not be able to be transported for any reason other than to get medical attention or to go to the nearest rendering plant. The long, terror filled hauls from Tennessee to Texas will become a ride of the past.
*traders: People who buy, sell and trade horses for income. As with any other business of this type, there are good ones and bad ones. When looking to buy or sell a horse from a trader, HHT recommends you get some background information first. Do his/her horses receive humane care and training? Do they sell the animals they have with any type of guarantee or do they only care about the money. Do they try to give an honest assessment of the horse to the inexperienced horse buyer?
New Rules on Buying & Selling Equine in Tennessee
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has finally passed the new rule that requires a negative test for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) within six months prior to the sale of a horse or other equine. This includes sales between individuals as well as sales conducted at approved livestock markets. Untested horses horse can be sold at markets provided that blood is collected prior to the sale and the animal remains confined until the test results are known.
These new rules are in addition to the existing requirements that call for negative Coggins test whenever horses of different owners are coming together for activities such as trail rides or shows.
To date, numerous training barns across the state have been fined and quarantined for regulations not being followed. Hurrah for TN taking a stand!
Fund-Raisers
HHT is a non-profit organization that receives no government funding. We must rely on the generosity of our supporters to continue helping our equine friends. With our overwhelming caseload of investigations we must appoint a full time, paid Executive Director to handle the workload. To accomplish this we must increase our operating budget. We invite everyone to join up and become a member of HHT today. HHT welcomes fundraisers put on, in our benefit, by the public. If you would be interested in holding such an event please contact Nina at (865) 609-4030. Donation canisters are also available to those wishing to place and monitor in local businesses.
On the Help HHT page of our web site, you will find information on how to join the $5-A- Month Club. Please make a commitment to help HHT continue our work to the best of our ability. Your support is greatly needed.
Learning the Truth About Hormone Replacement
If you, or someone you know, use the drugs Premarin, Prempro, Premphase or Prempak-C, please ask them to change to something that does not cause horses to suffer. What the manufacturer of these products, Wyeth-Ayerst, has not put on the list of ingredients is “pregnant mares urine”.
Break it down: PREgnant MARes’ urINe!
To collect the urine, farmers confine tens of thousands of pregnant mares in tiny stalls for 6-8 months at a time. Many can take no more then a few steps in any direction. They wear urine-collection bags that chafe their legs and they can never lay down comfortably. Most foals born to these mares are taken from their mothers soon after birth. The mares are re-bred and the cycle of abuse starts again. Their foals are sold to kill buyers for fattening, then they are slaughtered for meat. Now, foal meat is becoming popular overseas like veal is in the U.S. Foal hides are also being sold to manufactory belts and purses because it is so smooth and unblemished.
If this is not enough reason to stop taking these products, the new research that reveals the dangers of hormone replacement should also be considered. The increase in heart attacks, breast cancer, and strokes, should also raise a red flag of concern.
Lifestyle changes like eating a low-fat diet, more vegetables and fruit in the diet, along with exercise, may help control menopausal symptoms. Limit caffeine and chocolate intake.
Talk with your doctor about your concerns and let him/her know that the suffering of a helpless animal and your own personal health risk are not worth the benefits these products offer.
Case Highlights of 2002 - Thumbs Up For the Good Guys!
In three and a half years time, HHT has investigated hundreds of complaints of equine abuse and neglect. Fifty five (55) horses have been placed into our program. We have worked with local law enforcement in Greene, Monroe, Sullivan and numerous other counties. HHT has been actively involved with investigating auction house abuse, riding stable neglect, breeder neglect and over use. Back yard abuse seems to be our biggest complaint.
2002 has seen the most advancement in bringing equine cruelty issues into the public eye. Two cases that HHT was involved in were:
1. This spring a Bristol couple was convicted of animal cruelty. After being investigated by HHT and the Sullivan County officials, charges were brought against Junior & Karen Gobble. Six horses had died and 14 others are in foster care awaiting final court actions. The Gobbles have appealed the judges ruling of 11 counts of animal cruelty with a sentence of 11/29 on each count reduced to 30 days in jail and no horse ownership for three years. This is scheduled for a June date. This couple is also a couple which had applied for adoption, three years prior, to HHT and had been turned down after inspection of their facility was not approved. They were very upset at that time and accused HHT of only wanting to find rich adopters with fancy barns to adopt to.
Please check our web site at www.horsehavenoftn.com for all the latest case files and adoptable equine.
2. The case I’m really proud of, is the 36 horses in Greene County. We got the call on a Friday night at 5:00 that the judge’s order to confiscate 32 horses had just come down. We needed to be there the next morning to remove them all. By 11:00 am Saturday morning the trailers were there, volunteers in place, and everyone was ready. We had volunteers on horseback rounding up the hard to catch ones. Many volunteers waded through the mud to catch others. Most horses were too weak to care and came willingly. Each horse was body inspected, photographed, and documented, before being loaded into trailers to head to foster homes. When it was all said and done, there ended up being 36 horses (4 extra) and it took 10 minutes to process each one. Fine job by everyone there! Two of the worse foals died within 48 hours and another was humanely put down a week later. 33 horses still remain in foster care awaiting legal judgment. One bill at UT was $1,236.00 for one little sick colt. He is now doing much better. We have received some donations but not nearly enough to make a dent in the piling bills. Many generous people have come forward to donate hay, feed, and other essentials. Much more hay will be needed to help feed them until they are available for adoption.
Many times horses remain in the system until they can be, or are, available for adoption. Your financial support is used to help feed, house, and provide medical attention to these animals. As we all know, horses cost much more to feed than a dog or cat, which is many times the reason they end up in our care to begin with.
Did you Know?
Tennessee Ranks 3rd, in equine population, after Texas and California.
But did you know...
California has 1 horse for every 138 people, Texas has 1 horse for every 34 people, but Tennessee has 1 horse for every 29 people.
Unregistered, mixed-breed horses make up the largest equine inventory in the state. Tennessee Walkers are second, with Quarter Horses running a close third.
Tennessee Walkers have the highest equine value by breed, with Quarter Horses running second.
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The Abused and Neglected Horses of Tennessee Need Your Help!
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