Gerry Trupia loves this guy

Finally, someone in the Thoroughbred industry who has overshadowed her own breeding farm disaster!

A few days ago, we started hearing how a bunch of Ernie Paragallo's horses had been pulled out of the kill pen . "Lisa Leogrande, who operates a boarding and training center in Fulton, N.Y., discovered the Paragallo horses at the kill pen when she saw the horses’ name bands." (At least the shipper was stupid enough to leave those on. Woot! That makes rescuing a lot easier than having to trace a tattoo. Can all of you bottom-feeders who dump horses at New Holland start doing that? That'd be great.)

Paragallo (shown at left) acted suitably remorseful, if not particularly believable. The Paulick Report did a good job of outing him and his long, long history of financial problems.

Well, it got worse.

The latest on Ernie Paragallo.

From the article:

"According to Paragallo, workers at the farm didn't properly care for the horses.

"I guess my guys don't count too great," Paragallo said of his employees. "I was told only a couple were skinny from my help. That's my f--- up. It's my responsibility. My bad management."

Perez, however, said the workers "were doing a fine job with what they have. They did supply proper water, care and they seemed a bit relieved when we got there."

So now it comes back to what I've said before. 177 horses don't starve in a vaccuum. There were employees on this farm who knew what those horses looked like. Surely there were some visitors...farriers, vets, even delivery people. How many of those people bothered to file a report. Any?

As for old Ernie, yes, he wasn't at the farm. He was at the track a whopping TWO HOUR drive away. Oh, poor you! You couldn't possibly be expected to drive a whole 130 miles and check on your 177 horses.

(How many times do I have to say it...do the math. Very, very few people can pay to feed 177 horses. Even in a state where hay and grain are cheap, that's a minimum of $17,700 a month JUST for feed. Not even counting vet and farrier. How many people truly DO have that money? When you see 177 horses in one place with one owner, you'd better be checking up on their welfare...frequently.)

Very good editorial about Paragallo repeatedly swerving his responsibilities and continuing to train horses.

I think the reason people don't report is that it seems like there's nothing that can be done. You have to realize, it took 3 years of people reporting Dean Solomon up here for action to be taken. It is not going to be a quick process and it's highly likely horses are going to die during the process, as they did at Dean's. I know it is frustrating! But when you throw your hands in the air and say, nothing will be done, I'm not going to bother, that's how this stuff happens. Report - even if nothing happens at the time, it helps so much to show a pattern of behavior later that will result in an actual prosecution and not a wrist-slap.

And hey - he got in trouble for starving his horses two years ago, too! The story is so familiar. This is a pattern of abuse. Abuse is the norm for him. At left is a horse called Pass the Pie - top is how he came out of Ernie's, bottom is after rehab.

Ernie, your claims of innocence are ludicrous. You have been keeping your horses this way for a very long time and you've gotten away with it. You clearly are not hurting for money - you just have too many. Why didn't you sell off half so you could feed the rest? Why? Why? Why?

Why? Well, in his own way, Ernie's as much of a hoarder as some 62 year old lady trying to feed 16 horses off her SSI check. Ernie thinks he's better than that, but he's not. The end result is the same - starving horses and an owner who seems completely delusional about the fact that they are starving. I scream about people whose horses are starving while they still have a Nintendo, a quad and a plasma TV, but holy crap, how much shit does Ernie have that he COULD have sold to feed these horses? He's NOT THAT BROKE. He's still actively racing. He just didn't care...and that's disgusting.

Another Chance 4 Horses has some of the horses and the ASPCA is caring for the rest. More pics on the AC4H site. Kudos to all of those who have stepped in to help these horses, and hope some of you who are looking for a new prospect this year will consider them if/when they are released for adoption.

Well, if they weren't handicapped before...

Click to see a larger version.

"We are looking for volunteers who want to play with young horses. They range from 2-6 years old. They are gentle but need discipline. We are recently got halters on two of them and they are learning to lead. These horses need attention. We are hoping to get them trained to help run a horse camp for handicapped kids this summer. They have so much potential, they just need time. My father is recently ill and it has been hard to accomplish much without him. One can partly ride, if you have any skills such as breaking, grooming, halter, or show experience we would be ever so happy to have you out. It is supposed to be sunny this weekend so this would be a great time to start!"

Oh.My.God.

OK let's get this straight:

You have an undisclosed number of horses, aged 2-6.

Two or more were not even halter broke.

One can "partly ride." Does this mean you can stay on him for part of the ride?

It is April 8th. Summer is 2.5 months away.

Somehow you actually believe these horses will be well broke enough to pack handicapped children around safely with no training other than free help you can scrounge off of Craigslist? Honey, they wouldn't be safe enough to do that in 2.5 months with pro training by the best trainers in the business!

This is one of the crazier schemes I've read, even on Craigslist. If I were qualified to open a handicapped riding program (by the way, we have names for those people...like "physical therapist"...I'll be surprised if the poster has those credentials), I would be picking up horses like the 22 year old mare that was the first lot in the Enumclaw sale. And I would be finding free horses that are old, retired show and trail horses who have seen and done it all.

I have an ex-rescue horse of my own placed with a therapeutic program. He has been there for going on five years now. When they came out to evaluate him to see if he would be a fit, they knew exactly what they were doing. They rode with a saddle, and bareback. They "pretended" to lose their balance and start falling to see what he would do. They walked up to him and crinkled a plastic bag in his face. (He didn't blink). They bounced balls off of him. That is the level of bomb-proof you need for a handicapped child's mount. It is fairly easy to find among 18 year old Appendix geldings. It is almost never found in horses who have had a whopping 2.5 months of inconsistent training starting with halter breaking!

We've all read the warnings about carefully checking out therapeutic programs before placing our horses there, but parents also need to carefully check them out before considering them for their child. I've written before about the need to be careful choosing a riding academy to ensure the horses are appropriate for lessons and the instructors are knowledgeable, but obviously this is even more important when the child has a disability and even less ability to respond to a crisis situation.

You will definitely want to start your research at the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, NARHA's web site. They accredit therapeutic riding centers via actual site checks as well as an application. They provide training materials and hold a conference and do a lot to ensure that the centers they accredit are as well-run and reputable as possible.

However, it is still up to you to check out the facility carefully. If you are considering donating a horse, pay close attention to how the facility's current horses look. Feet done? Weight appropriate? Groomed and cared for? Just because someone is a fantastic physical therapist doesn't mean they are a fantastic horsewoman - you need to make sure the center is equally knowledgeable about the care of both horses and children. I've certainly heard of people diving into the therapeutic biz with no prior horse experience. Scary.

If you are looking for a facility for your child, ask to talk to other parents. Ask about the instructors' training and certifications. Remember, this is therapeutic riding and there should be a medical professional involved who can make good judgment calls about the types of movement and activities a disabled child can tolerate. Not every sidewalker needs to be a professional, but there needs to be a professional supervising.

The two centers I can recommend from personal experience are STRIDES in the Los Angeles area (and if you are there, please give Padu a carrot from me - he'll be the big brown gelding with his tongue out!) and Exceptional Equestrians in DePere, Wisconsin. I know of many more that appear excellent, but those are the two I've been to on multiple occasions.

Please feel free to comment if you've had a good or bad experience with a center, either as a horse donor or as a client!

Things That You Can Do - No Matter What!

After the last two posts, I got a lot of e-mails from frustrated readers asking what they could do - not just about these horses in particular, but to help horses in general.

Today I want to make a list of things that you can do EVEN IF you don't have horse training skills, or a place to keep a horse, or any extra money of your own.

We all know the problems we're dealing with:

1. Horses that no one wants to own and care for - thanks to poor quality breeding or poor care that has resulted in temporary or permanent poor condition and/or disability.

2. Fewer Americans who can afford to own horses due to the economic situation.

3. Pro-slaughter groups doing everything they can to bring back horse slaughter in the U.S. and/or prevent us from banning the transport of horses out of the country for slaughter.

4. Continued problems with those who neglect rather than get rid of horses they cannot afford. Hoarders and faux rescues who can't let go and will do anything to cover up their conditions. And a continued need to increase penalties for abuse/neglect and enforce those penalties.

So I want to respond to each of these with some things you can do - many without necessarily having horse training skills, a farm of your own, or money. These are things almost anyone can do.

Unwanted Horses

Number one is always - try to stop them from happening. When you have that neighbor talking about breeding their grade mare, talk them out of it. You can talk about things that go wrong during foaling and the cost of those things (I have a great story I use all the time about a friend's mare where the foal tore through everything on the mare and both had to be rushed to the emergency vet and it was thousands of dollars. They were fine but her credit card wasn't.) With most people, you will get further with an argument about economics than about responsible breeding. If you're a teen, you have a great opportunity to change your friends' thinking about this stuff before they grow up and can become BYB's. Arm yourself with the facts and spread the information.

And remember, know your audience. The ditzy friend who wants to have a baby at 15 to keep her boyfriend is more likely to be discouraged from that plan by e-mailed pictures of stretch marks than by common sense. :-) Likewise, many BYB's can be discouraged by arguments about horses being a PITA (running through fence, getting loose, causing damage you have to pay for, chewing down all the fences, etc.), vet bills being outrageous, or the heartbreak of losing a foal (which inevitably happens even with good care when you have a breeding operation). They aren't going to listen to your lecture on responsible breeding.

Now, what about horses who are already here? I am always asked WHERE it is safe to actually donate money. My advice is: Find out for yourself! Go out and see the place. Hooves trimmed? Quality hay present? Are the people you meet and talk to knowledgeable? Are pastures and paddocks obstacle-free and safe? Do your own site visit to see if it's a rescue you feel comfortable supporting. I would always ask to see before-and-after pictures showing improvement that is obvious even to a non-horseperson, before I supported any rescue.

One personal criteria I have is that I support rescues that have staff able to ride their horses, or that pay for professional training. I do not support "warehousing" - it doesn't help in the long run. Train them and get them going. Save a Forgotten Equine just paid for training on two older broodmares and now, voila, both have pending adoptions. Those mares would have sat in a field the next five years at many rescues.

Once you find a good rescue, what if you don't personally have extra dollars? Times are tough and many people are living on a shoestring. This doesn't have to stop you from helping horses. Consider doing some fundraising. Fundraising doesn't have to be a black-tie, elaborate event. Teens, ask your local feed mill or tack shop if you can hold a car wash for equine rescue in their parking lot. Or how about a block-wide garage sale? I've heard of elementary school teachers having their class adopt a rescue animal and do bake sales all year at school events to help fund the animal's care. I think that's awesome. You guys are creating the next generation of rescuers!

Here's a cool one - My friend's daughter just turned 13 and mom gave her QUITE the awesome blow-out party - but with a catch. The gifts weren't for her. Guests were asked to bring a donation for a horse rescue. They could choose to bring cash or supplies and were provided with a list of things the rescue needed. Well, the girls had a great party and the rescue wound up with several hundred dollars to show for it, new feed tubs, equine senior and more! What a GREAT idea and what a GREAT lesson for the girls.

Rescues also welcome donations of skills. Can you build a shed? Can you make a web site? Design a brochure? Complete a grant application? Take excellent horse photographs? Balance the books? (Most rescuers would kiss the feet of a good accountant who wanted to volunteer their time a few days a month) Look at the skills you use at work and ask yourself if you can offer them on a volunteer or discounted basis to rescues.

Broke Horseowners

They are everywhere and they are often people who never had a problem providing for their horses in the past. The situation out there is truly ugly and we're seeing people with lots of education and great resumes out of work thanks to companies like banks failing. So, if you have a friend who's in this boat with horses, what can you do to help?

First of all, if you can just help hands on by making a ton of hay appear, that's awesome. If you know your friend is a responsible person who's in temporary trouble, there's nothing wrong with lending a hand. You can always do it anonymously. Of course, a "responsible person who is in temporary trouble" means that they are not breeding more horses or acquiring more horses. It also means they are actively, vigorously looking for work and doing other things to improve their own situation, like renting out a room of their home or selling possessions they don't need. Don't put yourself into a situation with someone who is not trying to help themselves. Sometimes a better way to help is to offer assistance with tuning up, cleaning up and marketing their horses. The person who has been out of work for two months will probably come back and be able to keep their horses - the person who has been out of work for two years doesn't have such good odds and needs to think about selling/adopting out.

Sometimes you can help the horses indirectly. Can you help the person network to find a job? Do they have skills you could use in your own business? Can you help them with their resume or cover letter? Can you provide safe, low cost child care so that they can go back to work without worrying about their children? Look at the big picture, and see how you can help. Watching the neighbor's kids on the cheap or fixing her car so that she can get to work may free up the cash she needs to keep buying food for the horses. Again, you have to know the person. Some people are users - others are working hard to climb out of their temporary rut. Know which you're dealing with and choose to help based upon that knowledge. Don't feel bad if you're messed up and helped a user - I think we all have. (Those of us with soft hearts are perfect victims for the users - that's how CBER survives!)

Fighting the Pro-Slaughter Forces

The #1 thing we MUST do is create viable options to slaughter.

Every pro-slaughter person on earth uses the "they want to ban slaughter, but they don't have a plan for what to do with the horses!" argument. OK, first of all, yes, we do have plans. Have they all come to the implementation stage yet? No, but anybody who doesn't think that thousands of people are working hard to provide alternatives is nuts. It's just propaganda to say otherwise.

Viable option #1: Humane euthanasia. We all know it's pricy - so support rescues like NorCal that are offering it to those who can't afford it! If you have a rescue, YOU'RE NEXT! I'm working with others to get this going in the PNW this year. Let's get it going in every area. If you can't donate, at least spread the word. You can put a link in your e-mail signature.

Viable option #2: Retraining and placement. Again, many rescues are doing a great job with this and if you can't help hands-on, sending a few dollars or spreading the word to those who may is extremely valuable.

Viable option #3: Connect horses with people who do want to give them a home. Retrained or not, many of us have horses in our past that we would take back. Add your horses to the database at HorseReunions.com so that a rescuer who encounters that horse can quickly find him there and contact you. If you're a breeder, add your name to the Breeder's List. There are new resources springing up everywhere to allow you to step up and keep your old horses off that truck - the AQHA Greener Pastures program, for example. The pro-slaughter forces say that people WILL NOT take back their old horses and retire them. If you are anti-slaughter, it is up to you to prove them wrong.

Neglect and Abuse

As frustrating as the stories are, overall, enforcement is getting better. Here's your homework - today, if you don't already know, find out exactly how to report abuse/neglect if you discover it in your area. Find out who is in charge (if there is an animal control or just the sheriff). Find out what you have to do to file a report. Some places have it all online, with others you would have to go in to do a written report. Make sure you have a digital camera on yourself at all times. Most of us have one on our cell phones, for example. That way when you see something terrible, you can snap a pic and report. (Never trespass. Photograph from the road, the drainage ditch - public property, not private.) The system only works when people report, and three reports about a situation will make something happen a lot faster than one report.

Educate yourself about current pending legislation. Are things getting better for animals where you live? Ontario, Canada just made major changes for the better - including requiring veterinarians to report abuse or neglect, which I think is great. I know people argue that will discourage some abusers from getting vet care but I still believe the greater good is served by making sure these people get prosecuted as often as possible. The analogy I've used before is seat belt laws. I think seat belt laws are stupid and I hate wearing my seat belt. But I hate getting a ticket more, and enforcement is way up there, so I wear my seat belt every time I drive these days. Are there still some scofflaws? Sure, but most of us just give up and comply with the law. Likewise, most crappy animal owners will improve their care or stop owning animals when they are made to truly fear the consequences. It's really that simple.

I see situations all the time that didn't have to go bad - where if the horse had been sold or given away 6 months ago, there would be no huge train-wreck of rehabilitation costs facing us (or a dead horse). When there are stiffer penalties, that owner may be less willing to risk trying to own that animal for a few more months regardless of their inability to care for it. Guys, it's SO easy to write your legislators. If you are reading this, you have the Internet. They ALL have web sites and e-mail addresses. If you can't do other things to help animals right now, set aside an hour a week to write e-mails. This is a perfect volunteer task if you're in college (and good practice for your persuasive writing skills!)

And remember, you can spread news about animal issues, responsible breeding, good rescues that need help, etc. sitting at the computer. Use your Facebook. Use your Myspace. Use your personal web site. Put a banner for a rescue on your business web site or in your links. Put a flyer for a local rescue that you like in your business's window. Put links in your e-mail and message board signatures, even on non-horsey sites if they'll allow it. There are a million ways you can educate people and improve the lives of horses everywhere.

One final word about donations - check with your employer! You might be surprised at what they offer in terms of matching your donations. Many, many companies are doing this now or have other programs to help with your charity work. You could be missing out on all kinds of help from your employer, so don't hesitate to ask. If you own a business, what are you doing? Ask your CPA how supporting a charity can help you at tax time - you may be very pleasantly surprised at your ability to help horses without hurting yourself financially.

There are a million ways to help horses, and yet I still see people throw their hands in the air and say "but I don't have any money!" or "but I can't keep a horse here." None of that needs to stop you.

Do you have more creative ideas for how to help horses without money or the ability to hands-on rescue? What have you done? Post it to the comments!

And I told you I'd give you something happy today...do you remember Whisper, the emaciated filly who spent weeks in a sling and nearly died this winter during some of the worst weather we've ever seen in Washington? From SAFE: "Whisper was discovered in the backyard of a Snohomish city resident along with 3 other severely neglected horses. Apparently, her owner called Pilchuck Equine Hospital after Whisper went down and couldn't get up. They found Whisper on her back in a trough she had dug for herself, feet in the air." The filly wavered between life and death for weeks. She had to wear a padded hood to keep her from hurting herself as she tried to thrash her way to her feet. And then she turned the corner...

Here she is!

Cool, huh?

You can read more about Whisper or find out about adopting her here. She is in the Seattle area.

Enumclaw Auction Report - 4/5/09

Yeah, I promise - something less depressing in the AM. But here's the report.

1. 22 year old mustang mare, grey, very well trained. A little girl's horse. She wanted to get on her in the auction ring one last time. Hey, if you're her parents, YOU SUCK because that mare went to a kill buyer for $85. I am hoping that, given the time of year, he'll sell her to a trail string or camp and she'll be safe for the moment but you still suck for letting her go to him.

2. 11 year old APHA mare, well broke, high headed gaming type, loud color. $350.

3. 4 year old APHA solid red dun breeding stock, nice color, not broke but had ground work. Not registered yet but papers exist to register. $185.

4. 11 year old grade gelding, trail broke, very large, quiet, cute, clean legs but someone else noticed he'd foundered before. $800 to dealer - assume for resale.

5. 12 year old Arabian gelding, registered, sweepstakes nominated, Huckleberry Bey/Eleuzis breeding, E/W, jumps, shown, small, bay, very pretty head, quiet to ride, sound, but was coughing at the canter when ridden outdoors. $170. Believe he went to a private buyer.

6. Black grade gelding, didn't catch age, 4 socks and stripe, cute, camps, trails, well broke, $625.

7. 7 year old Pinto half Arabian, loud colored, explosive when they tried to mount, led through, $140 but don't think it went to kill. Looked like a private buyer to me.

8. 2 year old good sized dun tobiano APHA gelding, thin and rain rot but not bad looking. $85 to kill.

9. 16 year old very fat cushings-looking small pony or mini mare, might be bred, $180

10. 15 year old gelding, chestnut, nice elegant look to him, quarter type, well broke $600

11. 16 year old silver dapple small pony or mini mare, broodmare, led through $150

12. Adorable fat loud colored bay tobiano small pony or mini gelding, cleaned up and shiny, $450

13. 7 year old QH mare, neck reins, big head/huge ears, $160 to kill.

14. 8 year old palomino overo gelding, no papers, very well broke, carries a flag, etc. $1475

15. 5 year old TB gelding, chestnut, huge, pretty, OTTB, no papers. Ron (the auction owner/kill buyer) grabbed him for $300 before anybody else had a chance to bid. He wants $700 to re-sell. He was our pick but we thought they'd go lower to start and then, bam, Ron grabbed him. I am sure he intends upon a resale but the gelding's big enough and fat enough that he might not lose money shipping him at that price. Did not get to see tattoo to ID him - he was upset in the pen and kicking at people.

16. Very hot little upset gaited mare, Morgan/TWH, 10 years. $150.

17. 1992 black, very pretty mini mare, shown at halter, broodmare, in foal to registered mini stallion, does not ride, $160

18. 8 yr. old AQHA gelding, trail broke, used for lessons, sooty buckskin color, carries a flag, $650

19. 3 year old Arabian gelding, size of a yearling. $40 to kill.

20. 20 year old NSH, lots of riding pictures on stall but led through, very cute face. $130 to kill buyer - again, given the time of year I am hoping he will wind up at a camp or trail string.

21. Bay overo mare, 8 yrs. snarly tempered, pig eye, thin, led through $85 to kill.

22. 2 yr. old QH gelding, good size, sorrel, nice manners, led through, $105 - believe it was a private buyer

23. 14 yr. old Paint mare, bay overo, very nice quality, no sale at $575 - kudos to you, seller.

24. 7 year old black overo mare, paint, no papers but LOVELY mare, went to a horseshow yesterday and had ribbons to show for it, no sale. Kudos to you, seller. Her name is Crystal Blue Cheyenne - I looked for a private sale ad and didn't find one but if you see this mare advertised, go look - I thought she was a very nice mare. I wonder if that is her reg. name and the papers are just going to take some work? Anyway, nicest horse in the sale in my opinion.

25. 11 yr old APHA mare, Painted Jet Deck (not sure if that's her name or from her pedigree?), really nice quality broodmare, very long neglected feet, very pregnant. Has her papers but no promises on breeders' certificate for the foal. $700.

26. Yearling colt, not sure of breed? Looked like a pretty headed QH. Very cute, spirited. $60. Didn't see who got him.

27. Gray Arabian mare, filthy dirty, led through, allegedly broke. About 6 yrs. old. $130.

28. 3 year old QH gelding, reiner type, dark bay, $500

29. 13 year old TWH mare, led in, $110 to kill.

30. 4 year old TB mare, with papers (Capsized x Wild Passions by Wild Again). Unbroke. Sound and quiet and pretty headed, but straight shoulder. $200. I believe she went to a private buyer. No names on papers but breeder, Joseph DiPietro.

31. Pair of unbroke 10 year old fat Arabian mares. You all know where they went. I think they sold them both for $100.

32. 6 year old reg. APHA gelding, Shameless Express. Led through but allegedly broke. $375.

33. Chocolate palomino mini stud, rode nicely with huge oversized kid on back, $400.

Columbia Basin Equine Restaurant strikes again!

Change the name already - since on a plate is where they're just as likely to end up!

Oh yeah. It happened again. $am and her cronies put another lovely little "rescued" horse back on the truck to slaughter. If you get upset by the unhappy endings, hit your back button now and come back tomorrow and I'll try to write about something a little less sad.

Friday, late afternoon, I got a call that a gorgeous Thoroughbred filly named Make Rmine, CBER name "Dixie," had been traded back to Chuck, the CBER kill buyer, for a couple hundred dollars' credit on a bill CBER owed to him. I was told the filly was on the lot, so I set to work networking her and by early Saturday morning, we had a home (and a backup offer). Petra Lewin, who owns her sire, Makors Mark, eagerly stepped up to give the filly a home - horrified that one of her stallion's get was in danger.

We called Chuck. He had no problem telling us that he remembered the filly we were looking for and that he'd shipped her to slaughter two weeks ago. We all know Chuck's about as honest as Bernie Madoff, so I asked a friend who is local to go and see if the filly truly wasn't there. Chuck's lot is open - there's no place to hide a horse if it's there. She confirmed the bad news - the filly was gone.

So here's what happened:

On January 13th, the filly raced for the last time at Portland Meadows. The trainer was Robby Baze and the owner was John T. Parker. I'm reliably informed that Parker is a good guy and that it's highly unlikely that he knew where his filly was heading so most likely Baze is to blame here. Just four days later, on January 17th, CBER posted this filly for adoption on their web site. Here's the description: "3-4 year old. 16h. Liver Chestnut TB mare. The footing was terrible and the assessment was very hard. The ground was either frozen or thick and boggy. This mare rode nice but is only track broke. She split reined but did not respond to leg." Adoption Fee $500, Quarantine $300, Hauling $30, Check Total $830, Total Paypal $854.90.



She was "adopted" by longtime CBER supporter/sometimes Board member Kay McBean (aka Kay McKee, she's used both names - I think the latter is the legal name). (You can bet Kay did not pay $854.90 like a kind-hearted CBER victim would have been asked to do!) And of course everybody on the CBER Bullshit Board posted and told Kay how wonderful she was to save her! (Where is that puking smiley when I need it?) You may recall Kay's name as she has screwed up and gotten caught before.



Dixie was quarantined for several weeks at Camelot Farms. Kay then sent her to Kristine Williams, a trainer in Ellensburg (Heaven forbid we let the poor thing down after the track like somebody with an IQ above 75 would have done) and after some riding time she was listed on Dreamhorse for sale on March 4, 2009 - for $1800. She was also posted on EquineHits, I assume a bit later, for $1200. My understand is that the filly was not consistently sound in training and that is why she went up for grabs.

Someone on the CBER message board noticed the Dreamhorse ad on March 21st, and questioned why she was again being offered up for sale. CBER cheerfully claimed the filly was just another successful rehab! "In the world of horses, the person who feeds the horse owns the horse. We have no policies against people rehoming their CBER horses," said the LATEST CBER President (it changes more often than Paris Hilton changes boyfriends), Diane Repp, on March 26th. Yeah, who needs contracts? Why even try to make sure horses that you rescue go into good homes and stay there?

(Insert major eye rolling here. When I got my CBER horse, back in 2006 when I was still out of state and thought they were the good guys, they didn't have a contract. I pointed out that this was a bad idea - that in my own case, had I been a jerk, I could have shipped the half-blind mare they sent me to kill as soon as I discovered her disability. I was assured that, down the road, they had started using them and that CBER was trying to clean up its act. Yeah. Right.)

On the same day, Karan Kees posted that Dixie "has found a new home." Completely with a fucking smiley face.

YES, ON A PLATE!

Saturday, April 4th, Chuck Walker confirmed on the phone that he indeed had Make Rmine...and had shipped her to kill two weeks previously. Y'all have got to get your lies straight. You are really bad at this. You are right up there with the folks who were bragging about their successful shoplifting on Dr. Phil. You get caught like every time that you do this. And yet, the $cam continues. They still have their 501(c)(3). How I'll never know. What part of "returning a lame filly to the lot to ship to slaughter" did you include in your rescue's intended actions in your 501(c)(3) filing?

The ads are still up. http://www.equinenow.com/horse-ad-156451

http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1366540&share_this=Y

CBER apparently caught wind that this blog was coming and posted that the filly had been adopted to a "home local to Yakima who is not involved in rescue drama." Ha. Yeah, because you asshats couldn't produce that filly alive and breathing if I offered up a million dollars for her.



R.I.P. Make Rmine. What a disgusting and unnecessary waste of a beautiful and well bred filly. The only silver lining here is that I met another good breeder, Petra Lewin, who will take back any of her homebreds if they are in jeopardy. As for everybody else involved...you all know what I think of you. Special place in Hell.



Now, Portland Meadows, what are you going to do about this? Anything? Other tracks have banned trainers who ship horses to slaughter. Isn't it time you (and Emerald Downs, he trains there too!) bounced Robby Baze out the door for good? And yeah, I know he's from a "famous" family and I don't care. Let's hope the rest of the family is as ashamed of him as they should be today.

What a cool idea!

And one that almost any horse rescue could implement.

Last year, the Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation held a Trainer's Challenge. Much like the "Mustang Makeover" events we've heard about, this challenge gave trainers 100 days to make something of a previously untrained and unwanted horse.

As a result of this event, seven out of the ten rescue horses who participated got adopted to new homes. I think this sounds like a really cool idea. A challenge like this is great motivation for volunteer trainers to put in consistent work with a horse.

They had a wide range of trainers participate, from NH to dressage. While I like some of them better than others, at least based upon the pics (you all know how I feel about hanging all over the horse like it is playground equipment), I love the overall result of the challenge - horses who became more valuable and more adoptable. This was a creative way of dealing with the challenge many rescues face - too many untrained horses at once, and not enough money to put them all into full training.

Trainer Rachael Walker was declared the first place winner with her project - a four year old palomino mare named Gidget. (OT but look at Rachael's web site. Look, kids with helmets and boots, horses who look great, clean facility with no junkyard features, and proper spelling. Truly, it's not that hard to put up a web site that shows you are a safety-conscious professional.)

So, if you're a rescue and you're wondering how to motivate your volunteers or board members to get out there and get those horses working, give 'em a goal like this! A regular horseshow is also a good idea - there's another SAFE show scheduled for this August and everybody is already eagerly preparing their foster horses for a show-ring debut. People like a challenge and in this kind of challenge, the real winners are the horses, who come out of it with skills that can keep them safe for the rest of their lives.

The best defense is...a really lame offense?

Remember the sad tale of the Dreamchaser's rescue, which looked like a dumping ground for old horses with serious conditions that no one could afford to obtain proper care for?

Well, Dreamchasers, like most faux rescues, is really good at one thing - conning people into believing their side of the story. With that in mind, it's no surprise they got a newspaper to print this ludicrous story defending them.

Internet Smears Hurt Horses

"The woman said Dream Chaser needed donations of supplies like halters, lead ropes and feed.

"That lead some people to assume we couldn't feed our horses," said Davis."

No, Diane, your internet sites showing that horses LOST WEIGHT while in your care led us to assume you couldn't (or wouldn't) feed your horses. They don't just all start dropping weight violently while in the care of a rescue for no reason. You're not in, like, the Bermuda Triangle of horse weight.

""Our horse, Tenacity, had unexplained weakness in one leg," said Davis. "How do you help a horse when you don't know what's wrong with it?"

Call a VET? Shiloh got that mare looked at by a vet immediately. It's amazing how well that works when you don't know what's wrong with it.

And yes, some vets are incompetent (another story on that to come). Not everybody was at the top of their class or is ethical. In every town, I can point to a vet who will overlook abuse and neglect or just doesn't have a clue how to recognize it. Dean Solomon had Dr. Emig who swore all the while that she was taking great care of the horses, even on TV! (Clearly not even Dean thought Dr. Emig was believable enough, as she gave up and pled guilty to animal cruelty before the case even went to trial). Dreamchasers has Dr. Hensler. Finding a professional who will say whatever serves your purposes is not that hard to do. (We often refer to them as "expert witnesses.")

The newspaper goes so far as to accuse Shiloh of photoshopping pictures of former Dreamchasers horses to show improvement that doesn't exist. It's an amazing example of one-sided reporting, given that they never once contacted Shiloh to actually SEE the horses. (And before you say that's exactly what I do every day, this is an opinion blog as I frequently remind people. Writing for a newspaper, unless you are writing editorials that are labeled as such, is totally different and is supposed to be unbiased and involve research into both sides of an issue. It's like the difference between talk radio and the evening news.) No one was standing at the door with a machine gun keeping you out, Gina B. Good. Why didn't you go look at the horses if you thought the improvement in their condition was faked? Maybe take some non-photoshopped pictures, if you are so convinced the existing pictures aren't unaltered?

Why not? Well, it's pretty obvious to me. You got snowed - or you're already buddies with - Ms. Davis the faux rescuer. You didn't want to hear the other side. You wanted to bash Shiloh Rescue and make them pay for having the nerve to call Dreamchasers out for their poor care.

Here's my question. Do you think they also photoshopped every frame of the running mini - the mini who could hardly walk from his untrimmed hooves when they picked him up?

No, I've got it! Shiloh hacked into Dreamchaser's web site and photoshopped long feet and roached backs and ribs onto the horses in my original post! It's all a grand conspiracy! Get out your tinfoil hats, and it will all make sense.

*sigh*

Let's hope another, better newspaper picks up the true story here and tells the world. In the meantime, I'm just happy those 5 horses are at Shiloh, receiving the care they need and deserve.