Doubting Thomases, you can kiss my you-know-what...

A long time ago, I opined on this blog (and elsewhere) that I thought a lot of breeders and former owners would be interested in taking their horses back if only they knew the horse was in trouble. I was shot down soundly by various individuals, who told me people don't give a crap, that their connection with the horse severs the moment it is out of the driveway, that breeders are in it to make a buck and the last thing they want is to take back their old broken-down horses.

Well, the Welcome Home listing, for breeders who will take back what they bred if it needs a home, has been up now for ten days and I just finished updating it. So far we have over 550 breeders representing every supposedly eeeevil element of the horse industry. TWH people. Thoroughbred racing people. American Saddlebred people. AQHA Halter Horse people. Rodeo people. You know, all of those groups that I guarantee you, someone will tell you don't give a shit about the horses, only care about the money, blah blah.

Some of them do, and some of them don't. Some of them will take back not only their own horses, but any rescue of their chosen breed in need. Some are children and grandchildren of breeders who want to ensure that none of Grandma's prized horses goes to slaughter, even though Grandma is no longer with us. Some are ex-employees of farms who want to make sure the horses are safe. Some are willing to open their doors to local rescues, and lend a hand to local horse owners who are in money trouble in these tough times. Seriously, start reading it - you'll cry. It's so great. It is truly humbling and touching to read the list and the comments from the breeders. And this is ten days out. Can you imagine how long that list is going to be in a year?

If you haven't submitted and want to, just click here. I'll type them in as fast as I can. If you have submitted, please check your listing for accuracy. I am getting old and my eyes cross after coding info on 550+ breeders in Notepad, so I do expect I've made some typos. I do know the alphabet, but I got "lost" sometimes in the file so let me know if it appears I failed my a-b-c's. If you wrote up a paragraph about how awesome your horses are and how you offer lessons, yeah, you got edited. Free advertising is limited to a link to your web site.

If you are not a breeder and just want to find a horse - hang on, please! The automated system and the main site ARE coming that will allow YOU to add all the info you want. There will be no charge to list horses. Free, free, free! (There will be advertising space for sale - details to come!) We are typing our little fingers off as fast as we can, both myself and my geeky horseloving friends north of the border!

If you appreciate what I'm doing and want to contribute toward getting that main site up faster (aka buying me some more Diet RockStar and paying for forum software and hosting that doesn't suck), I would greatly appreciate your donations - there's a Paypal link on the bottom of the main page.

I know this is going to save horses' lives. I have never been more sure of anything in my life. It is obvious to me how many people DO care and WANT to take responsibility - if only we develop a way of hooking up the horses in need with the people who once loved them. That's what I'm focusing on, 24/7, right now. I appreciate your support, whether it's a donation or all of the great e-mails I'm getting right now.