Kentucky Horses and Kentucky Horse Farms: High Cost of Horses in the Horse Capitol of The World: Adopt Rescued Horses.

How terribly sad.  I own two Quarterhorses.  How lucky they are to be loved and cared for.  What is wrong with people for neglect animals in general.  Maybe you can start a horse rescue, your kindness will be paid back many times.

Lizette, I kept preaching and preaching and preaching (to deaf ears) that passing a slaughter ban was putting the cart before the horse, putting a bandage on a wound that would simply fester, and that the proposed slaughter ban was, in essence, a "feel good" law with predictable dire consequences to the horses so that certain people could pat themselves on the head about "saving the horsies" while studiously avoiding looking at those consequences.  Heck, equine health organizations did the same.  And, now, the predictable is happening.  Makes me more than worried; makes me full of rage over the constant denial of those who created this situation rather than doing the hard work of fixing the problems that led to the need for slaughter in the first place, the ones that you wouldn't get headlines (and donations) for fixing.  The rescues are overwhelmed, and it's not just Kentucky, horses are being dropped off on ranches like dogs and cats are that are no longer wanted for one reason or another.  

And, boy, those prices you got are good!  Based both on what I've been hearing in online discussions where people share the best prices and where to get them, what my friends who work at the feed store are telling me, what my friends who work at/run rescues are telling me, and on what I'm paying for my own horses' feed (we grow our own hay, which was really really good when round bales were going for $90+ from individuals, not feed stores, rather than their usual $25-30, and square bales were going for about $7-10/bale rather than the usual $3.50-$4.00).  The cheapest feed that I buy goes for about $8.50/bag - the feed for my 30-year-old mare is about half again that for a 50-lb bag (she goes through about a bag a week).  Remember, rescues can't feed the cheapest feed, because most of the animals they take in are either elderly or in compromised condition.

It's a sad situation, it's true.  Just wish it had been thought all the way through from the beginning before it was made worse.  

Lizette, This just tears at my heart. Who would have thought that stopping the cruelty would develop such a problem. There are many horse rescue groups around; here's a link to one list: http://www.netpets.com/horses/horsresc/horsgrp.html. But just as the canine rescue groups, I'm sure they're doing everything they can. I have always loved horses and owned a beautiful Chestnut Thoroughbred some years ago who I rode hunter. He was the sweetest thing and I learned more from him than I ever taught him. I still love him and miss him. Talk about horses loving their people; Ike's stall was at the far end of the barn. As soon as I would set foot at the other end, he'd be nickering to me. Or he could be laying down in his stall and I could go in and sit by him and he'd put his head in my lap. Anyone else went into the stall and he'd be on his feet.  It's still one of my goals to have horses again. Being in Texas, it's a good area to have them. I'm also a Realtor, with Keller Williams in N. Dallas. If you know anyone who's moving to the Dallas area or nearby, send me the referral and I'll be sure to help them find the perfect place for them and their horses, or near a great stable.
Take care,
Peggy

Renee - I wish I were younger and in the position to even own one horse now. I do know how time consuming and expensive it is to own one as a pet. I took care of them for 22 years. The rescue people have a hard life(but rewarding) I'm sure.

Tricia - You are so right it is happening everywhere! I'd did sound like a good law to me at first but now I am begining to wonder. The prices you pay for hay and feed are really high too! I guess I have been out of the loop for so long that I really was shocked by what people were paying to feed their horses. It is expensive to own them.

Lizette, What an outrage. I wish I could adopt a horse... Perhaps You could write to 60 minutes  about doing a feature.

Peggy, Thanks for the rescue link. Hopefully, people that can afford a horse can pick one through one of these centers. I too had that thought in the back of my head that I might one day get a little farm and have a horse again. It might be just a dream.I'll keep you in mind if I have a referral for your area.

Ginger - I know what you mean. I was looking through some of the horses that could be adopted and saw some really fantastic ones. It did make me want to get one too. I sure don't have a place to put one. :~(

Lizette, I am so terribly saddened to hear that things have come to this; it's even difficult to imagine.  This is an outrage and I believe perhaps contacting a news agency might help get the word out so these beautiful horses can get some help.  I'm sure this post did--it's not something I would have ever known.

Carole - It seems a bit off track from what I usually talk about in my blog. This story came together in a dream last night. I wanted to give the horses a voice. I wished I had my own horses back. It made me sad that many people would just abandon a friend that depended on them.

It's also a problem with old racehorses.  One couple in Georgetown, KY is trying to do something about it.

Old Friends, A Kentucky Facility for Retired Thoroughbreds, Georgetown, KY

One of the ways they support their efforts is with a bed and breakfast.  Want to spend some quiet country time with horses?

Old Friends Bed & Breakfast, Georgetown, KY

Want to help but have more money than time. 

Buy something from (or Make a donation to) Old Friends Horse Rescue Farm, Georgetown, KY

Seems the whole thing is a case of unintended consequences. 

Lizette--Dreaming of writing a blog? You poor girl! :) But lucky that you did as this is a story that is so sad for the horses...Thank you for sharing this information. It is most probably not just a problem in Kentucky as their are many areas feeling the pinch with higher prices.

Erby - Thank you for providing all the rescue links. I hope other post them as well. I'm sure there are many good ones across the USA.

Teri - Yes....I can hardly sleep for all the crazy stuff I want to write about. Most of it gets forgotten before I can get my coffee and sit down at the computer. The expensive horse problem is everywhere I'm sure.

Keep on dreaming, friend.   You have several books in you!!    This post is a very important one to call attention to our animal friends that need us.   THEY would never do to humans what some of us do to them!   NEVER.

And for a look at what's happening to the rescues because of this double-whammy (price of feed due to droughts around the country and slaughter ban), I just got this article from The Horse. 

I'm a member of a list that works with a rescue in the Northeast (though many, if not most, of the list members are around the country).  This rescue is primarily for Saddlebreds, but since a bunch of Morgan folk (us) are willing to donate funds for specific horses and work to find them homes and transport to said homes, they keep their eye out for Morgans at the sales and the brokers' facilities and will pull them and let us know when one comes in.  Several horses have been re-homed in this fashion - just one of the things that horse people are doing, a horse at a time, but when you're talking about 60,000 to 90,000 (the pro-ban folks' numbers) horses that will need to find homes every year because they won't be going to slaughter, it's a drop in the bucket.  

Tricia - This whole situation is really sad. I read the article you posted. When I first heard one of these stories about a year ago I thoought it was random.  Now I see that it is nationwide and growing! Good luck with the work you are doing in saving some of the horses. You are their angel.

Lizette,

I did a post on "Horse Neglect On the Rise" recently talking about how expensive it is these days to keep a horse and because of that neglect and abuse is on the rise.  It is an absolute shame what is happening.  I hate to say this, but, it would have been better if we could have kept the slaughter houses.  At least this way the horses would not go through the abuse they are going through now.  I have seen people own an unmanagable and hard to ride mare.  They decided that since they were having a difficult time riding it, then why not breed it.  Duh!  Didn't they realize that that trait would be passed down to the foal?  Obviously not.  Now there are 2 unmanagable horses in this world and still multiplying.  I don't know what the answer is, but maybe we should give out licenses for people to keep and breed horses.

Hi Brigita! It's sad that all this is happening. Please check your link you added. It doesn't go to your post. I hope everyone shines light on this problem of neglect and abandonment of the horses. They shouldn't be bred yearly like cattle. Even dogs and cats are neutered. Thanks for your input and friendship!

Sorry about that, Lizette!  The link has been fixed. 

Hi Lizette - thanks for this excellent post! 

Christine - Thanks for reading. I appreciate you stopping by.