1996
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Katharin Tarantino's adopted
HorseAid horse,
"Dusty", will be part of
the Norco Desperadoes Equestrian Team, to be ridden in the 1997 Rose Parade
on New Year's day.
Actor/writer Burt Ward (of "Batman & Robin" TV series fame) and his HorseAid horse "Black Beauty" were featured on the TV newsmagazine "A Current Affair".
Burt Ward, "Black Beauty", and HorseAid were also featured in an article in "Horse and Horseman" magazine.
Both of the above horses proudly wear the HorseAid "No-Kill" freeze mark.
Recently, HorseAid Co-Founder Staci Wilson and HorseAid Media Coordinator Renate Andrasevits appeared on The Pet Place, a K-DOC television show devoted to finding homes for unwanted and donated animals. This was HorseAid's third appearance on the show. Staci and Renate talked about the need for temporary SafeHouses and explained how the HorseAid adoption programme works. As usual, we got lots of feedback from viewers... thanks a million to the show's host and creator, Fred Bergendorff, and producer, Gary Lycan, for the great exposure!
Staci Wilson and Renate Andrasevits with Fred Bergendorff
IGHA/HorseAid
is a proud recipient of the Pet Place "Special Recognition Award"
Speaking of 501 (c) (3) classifications...
SHAME
on the "Save
the Calumet Farm Trophies" campaign!
In which The International Museum of the Horse is trying to raise 1.2 million U.S. dollars by various solicitation methods (through use of a 501 c 3 IRS classification) to permanently keep the trophies (which are currently on loan to them) won by Calumet Farms over the past 50 years as a tribute to the "heritage" of horse racing and the "glory" of Calumet Farms.
Nowhere do we see the horses of Calumet Farms mentioned as the real reason leading to all this "glory" and "heritage". We wish to remind everyone (including The International Museum of the Horse) that it was the horses of Calumet Farms that won these trophies! While we applaud the International Museum of the Horse for most of their endeavors, they have clearly missed the horse on this one.
Each trophy in the collection represents the pain and suffering a living horse had to endure "for the greater glory" of Calumet Farms. Worse, for every "champion" there were probably a hundred horses that fell by the wayside ending up as dog food. These trophies represent nothing but shame to every horse lover caring about the welfare and well-being of horses. We see nothing glorious about the collection or its meaning. All we see are all the fallen champions that were raced too young, or one race too many, or even meeting controversial ends while very heavily insured.
How many horses can be saved with that 1.2 million?
How much veterinary research could be accomplished with that 1.2 million dealing with the physical stresses competition horses have to endure, why they so often break down, and how to avoid (or at least minimize) both.
How many programs could be started to help retrain race horses for off track use with that 1.2 million?
Surely The International Museum of the Horse can find a better use for the money they are raising than saving a vanity exhibit.
These trophies represent greed -- not glory.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it's
business as usual as alleged in a recent HorseAid representative's field
report. The representative traced a pair of sorrel mares deemed to be good
rescue prospects to "Slim" Hart's ranch
in Corona (California). "Mr. Hart", she explained, "is a
heavy buyer of slaughter horses from Mike's Auction (in Mira Loma,
California)." At the Hart Ranch the representative observed "A
bay mare with a broken leg. She had bones protruding from the skin through
a hole about the size of a grapefruit. Mr. Hart was hitting the horse on
the rear to get her to move toward an open trailer. The mare took a few
steps, got fairly close to the trailer, then collapsed. Mr. Hart and two
other people tried to get her up without success. At that point,"
the representative continued, "I asked Mr. Hart if I could purchase
the mare and get a veterinarian to put her down. He said no." The
mare was eventually dragged aboard the truck at the end of a rope, pulled
by another truck, and hauled to her death at Corona Cattle Co. Based on the HorseAid representative's
deposition, the Pomona Humane Society later cited Hart and a female assistant
for cruelty.
-- Animal People, Vol. IV,
No. 10, excerpted from an article written by Merritt Clifton
Felony Animal Cruelty charges against
"Slim" Hart were "plea bargained" down to a misdemeanor.
He pleaded guilty to Code 597O "Equine Humane Transport", and
was fined $300.00 (which is less then the profit he realized on the slaughter
bound horse he was convicted of abusing!). This took place on March 1,
1996. Case No. 53323, Corona court. The court did not even have the courtesy
to give any of the complainants notice that the case was going to be heard
on that date (on January 31st, the preliminary hearing was continued for
60 days, but was "suddenly" moved up to March 1st). This was
a slap in the face to all of us that care about the welfare of horses and
ponies, and is again just another example (in a very long list of examples)
of ineffectual court actions involving heinous horse abuse and cruelty
cases.
Meanwhile, back at the Hart ranch, it is
"business as usual" for Slim Hart...