OMG shut up already - are YOU going to feed them all?

Some equine pro-life wackos named Juli and Caitlin are running around the Internet bashing Days End Horse Rescue for euthing some horses that had behavioral and health problems. (Days End Horse Rescue site)

Shut UP already, Juli and Caitlin. Just STFU.

Here's a clue, sunshine. Every responsible rescue is going to have to euth more horses in the coming months. It's really quite simple:

a) No one wants them to go to slaughter. Slaughter equals torture.

b) No one can AFFORD to feed them, house them, vet them, trim them all, either. You can't, Juli and Caitlin. Nor can I. And the government isn't going to pay for it.

c) There is no magical way to make their owners and breeders suddenly be responsible for them. Trust me. I'd go to a damn voodoo practitioner if I thought it'd work.

d) Some rescue horses are unadoptable. They are too screwed up behaviorally and have a high possibility of hurting someone. If they are adopted out and kill someone, trust me, "someone's" parents are gonna sue. That will take the whole rescue down. As I have stated a million times here, ALMOST NO ONE is (a) qualified and (b) wants to (!) take on a rank or unhandled or explosive horse.

From their web site:

"Maggie JUST learned how to walk/trot when she was adopted out to a family with a child. A few weeks ago, Maggie was returned to the rescue. Apparently, she was in a freak accident that seriously injured someone....The rescue considered her "dangerous" and treated her like a "crazy pony". After 3 weeks, Maggie was euthanized.
Yes, Maggie injured her rider, but it was an accident! Maggie was sent to the wrong home and she suffered for it. ALL horses are considered dangerous, and MANY horses have injured their riders! Just look at Jessica Forsyth, a young girl who had her horse Boomer. Jessica was riding her horse, when she fell off and died. Jessica is dead, but Boomer is still alive. He killed his rider, but he is still living. So why isn't Maggie?"

You know why? Because PEOPLE SUE WHEN PONIES KILL OR MAIM THEIR CHILDREN. That's why. Jessica's parents didn't blame the horse, and kudos to them, but it was their long-term horse. They hadn't just gotten it from someone else. And of course someone said they'd have taken Maggie if they knew she was going to be euthed. OK, so have they adopted another horse to fill that space? $50 says no. People will ALWAYS take another horse if you threaten to kill it. Doesn't mean they can afford it or have room for it. DEFHR chose to be responsible and not play that game. They simply euthed the unpredictable pony, end of problem. Pony had two good years with them. You can't say they didn't try. Sometimes we fail.

e) Some rescue horses are crippled and hurting. They have problems that can NOT be fixed. Just because they are eating and whinny for a carrot does not necessarily mean they should be kept alive. Putting a horse to sleep, as I have ALSO commented many times, is not stressful or traumatic for the horse. They get tranq'ed into lala land, get the second shot and off they go. They don't know they are going to die. They don't have time to anticipate. They are not terrified like they would be in a slaughterhouse. There is absolutely nothing wrong with euthanasia and just like with dogs and cats, the end of slaughter (hopefully!) means that WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DO MORE EUTHANASIA. Deal with it! Do you prefer they hang from a fucking hook in Mexico with their throats cut, Juli and Caitlin? Or starve in the backyard of some faux rescuer with "a big heart" and a thin wallet?

Good God. The last thing a decent rescue needs is some wacko running around the internet bashing them for actually making responsible choices and not being death-phobic ninnies. I guess Juli and Caitlin love the people who euth nothing and just let it hobble around the yard until it goes down and can't get up. That's great, you two. That's just so much better. Again, just more death-phobic, reality-avoiding idiots running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

We are going to have a lot more euthanasia until people stop:

1) breeding low end horses
2) failing to train effectively and appropriately (for ALL levels and prices of horses)
3) failing to provide proper care (nutrition, feed, deworming, etc.)

If you don't want to see horses dying, address those three issues. They're what's causing it - not the rescues that are trying desperately to clean up the mess caused by 1, 2, and 3. I have absolutely no problem with DEFHR's euthanasia policy - in fact, I think it is an excellent model for other rescues to follow.