Facilitating Change
Facilitating Change: Addressing the issue of the unwanted, abused, and neglected
horse.
Kentucky Horse Council
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Facilitating Change
Executive Summary
This proposal addresses the need for the equine industry and professional
equine associations to work together in forming a workable, humane solution
to the problem of the unwanted, abused, and neglected horse. A strong
industry leader needs to mobilize and guide equine professional
organizations in the development of a long term plan.
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Facilitating Change
Introduction: More horses are starving, abused and
neglected than ever before.
Newspapers from Florida to Idaho, Arizona to Kentucky and California to
Texas are filled with reports of neglected, abused, starving, and abandoned
horses. In 2008 images of starving horses filled the local nightly news.
Equine Rescue groups are overwhelmed with horses and in many cases are
no longer accepting them.
The Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) recognized the plight of Kentucky
Horses and established a hotline to help owners locate and purchase feed, and
to give concerned citizens a point of contact to report starving horses. The
hotline received 188 calls from February to May 2008 and provided feed for
252 horses. Owners who received assistance purchasing feed were asked for
a plan once the feed provided by KHC ran out. Few had viable plans and
many simply couldn’t afford the number of horses they owned but refused to
give them up.
Owners Receiving Assistance Feeding Horses
Owner Willing to Give Up Horses They Couldn't Feed
Owners Willing to Sell Horses They Couldn't Feed
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Hotline callers overwhelmingly express that the market will “turn” and
therefore they must maintain ownership of their horses, so they can sell them
when the price rebounds and recoup their investment. Breeders of registered
and grade stock who have contacted KHC often continue to breed their
horses despite the fact that they cannot afford to feed them.
“The Horse
Industry has been
very stable for
many years but
recently several
factors have come
into play that have
created the
‘Perfect Storm’.”
(Evans, 2008)
Background: Irresponsible breeding, the increased cost
of living and the closing of US slaughter houses all
contribute to the increased number of neglected horses.
Professionals and experts consistently identify three major factors
contributing to the excess numbers of unwanted, abused, and neglected
horses: 1. Increase in cost of fuel, feed, and living, 2. Irresponsible breeding
(over breeding), 3. Closing of US slaughter houses.
The cost of living is rising at an alarming rate yet low to moderate income
horse owners maintain ownership of their horses. According to the
American Horse Council 2004 study, 34% of horse owners had an annual
income of less than $50,000. More than half of all horse owners reported an
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Facilitating Change
annual household income of less than $75,000 (American Horse Council,
2005). The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) estimates
the average cost of attending a horse’s “basic needs” is at $1,825 per year
which does not include board, veterinary, or hoof care.
In addition to the rising fuel prices, grocery costs, and energy bills the
expense of horse ownership is increasing, yet many owners choose to keep
their horses and feed them less or not at all rather than find them new homes.
In Kentucky the cost of hay has increased by 50-150% in the past year
because of the 2007 drought and subsequent hay shortage. Fertilizer prices
increased as much as 130% over the past seven years and continue to rise
(Huang, 2007). Despite high feed costs only three horse owners receiving
assistance through the KHC hotline were willing to give up their horses. A
few were willing to sell their horses but only at prices above current market
value.
Over breeding of
poor quality
horses is flooding
the market with
middle to low-end
horses.
Over breeding of both registered and grade horses throughout the US has
been identified as a significant contributor of the unwanted, neglected, and
abused horse. A case study in Minnesota reports: “Many cases of severe
malnutrition or partial starvation (some feed available) presented to the
University of Minnesota originated from owners who acquired more horses
than they had means or interest in feeding.” (Wilson & Fitzpatrick, 2004)
KHC witnessed the irresponsible breeding practices of both the back yard
and commercial breeder. In two separate cases, entire herds of horses
(stallions, mares, and young stock) were all housed together and freely
breeding.
There is no buyer for the offspring of these matings and most likely the
progeny will enter the herd (if it survives) and continue the cycle. In another
instance, a breeder of registered stock could not afford to feed his 35 horses,
recognized that they were unsaleable, and yet reported breeding at least 3 of
his mares for the 2009 season.
Reports indicate that roughly 100,000 horses per year were slaughtered at US
slaughter houses before the shut down in 2007. Another 20,000 or more
were exported for slaughter to Mexico and Canada. US equine slaughter
houses were shut down with no plan for managing the horses left behind.
Some horses are still being exported for slaughter and facing longer, more
grueling travel and less humane euthanasia. If half of the horses previously
destined for slaughter are exported (a very high estimate) there would still be
an estimated 60,000 horses per year needing placement (1,728 horses in
Kentucky).
An owner charged with 21 counts of animal cruelty in Kentucky reports that
he purchased the horses in 2007 planning to turn them out to graze and then
sell them over time to meat buyers. When the U.S. slaughter houses closed
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Facilitating Change
“Prices of lower
–market horses
have fallen
dramatically.”
(Raia, 2008)
there was no market for the horses and they slowly starved through the
winter.
Stockyards nationwide are flooded with low end horses and the prices have
plummeted. In Oklahoma an auctioneer reports, “prices of lower-market
horses have fallen dramatically—from $800 to often less than $20, and midrange horses from $1,500 to $500.” (Raia, 2008) Another auction house in
Missouri reports giving away horses at a sale when no one bid and the seller
refused to claim them (Raia, 2008).
Problem: Members of the equine industry and law
enforcement officials struggle with how to manage
unwanted, abused, and neglected horses.
Reports of abused and neglected horses are investigated and prosecuted by
local, elected authorities that often lack equine knowledge and experience.
In many cases the local veterinarians will not help because they do not want
to lose clients, or become involved in a drawn out case with no hope of
payment. Additionally Kentucky equine abuse laws are vague and poorly
defined. There is no oversight body that ensures equine abuse cases are
handled properly nor is there an organization that tracts reported equine
neglect and abuse.
Local and
county officials
don’t have the
funding to
support the
confiscation of
starving horses.
If the local officials have an instance of extreme neglect or abuse and need to
confiscate the animals, the financial burden of care and feed falls to the local
county. Often the county has neither the facilities nor the funding to support
the care of confiscated horses. In a case involving 72 confiscated horses, the
horses were fostered to temporary homes outside the county until after the
trial and court decision, which returned 25 of the best horses to the owner.
There is a difference between unwanted and neglected and abused horses.
On a regular basis people discuss the issue of the unwanted horse and tend to
use similar language to describe abused and neglected horses. The cases of
equine abuse and neglect in Kentucky this year were not unwanted horses.
An owner facing 32 counts of animal cruelty stood in front of his remaining
25 horses (living in a field with 7 carcasses in various states of decay) and
said “I’ve owned horses for 30 years and I love my horses.” Yet somehow
he managed to fail to provide them with feed all winter. His horses are not
unwanted, they are neglected.
There is limited support for the neglected and unwanted horse from breed
organizations. In instances of large herds of registered stock seeking
assistance, KHC has contacted the local breed organizations and asked for
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Facilitating Change
support purchasing feed. When a breeder of a very popular breed asked
KHC for help buying feed, we contacted the breed organization but they
refused to help stating, “We need to know who the person is, what the
situation is, and the bloodlines of the horses before we can commit to
offering assistance.” In another case involving 72 confiscated Walking
Horses the Kentucky Walking Horse Association (a slightly smaller
organization) did purchase feed for the animals.
Some owners are too proud to accept help from the Kentucky Horse Council,
while others are too picky. In one instance an owner was offered 200 bales
of horse quality grass hay that was donated to KHC. The owner chose not to
take the donated hay because he wanted hay that had been cut “this season”.
Another equine “sanctuary” refused horse quality grass hay that was sold to
KHC at a discounted price claiming it was not high priced enough to be
suitable for horses.
Care Guidelines for
Equine Rescue and
Retirement Facilities
are thorough and
recommended but
not imposed.
Equine rescue organizations are not regulated and have no established
standards. The AAEP Care Guidelines for Equine Rescue and Retirement
Facilities are thorough but currently are not enforced in Kentucky nor in any
other state. There are several equine rescue organizations that operate
without 501(c)3 status and with poor internal and external controls. One
caller to the KHC hotline adopted 3 eight month old foals from such a rescue
in February and was unable to afford their care and had no prior horse
experience. In March she contacted KHC asking for assistance purchasing
feed and again in April. Ultimately the horses were returned to the rescue at
the insistence of animal control officers.
Opportunities: Solidarity, outreach and education are
key factors in working toward a common goal that
ultimately benefits the horse.
The publicity that the unwanted, neglected and abused horse has received
over the past year sets the stage for great possibilities within the equine
industry to network and develop standards. The public has an increased level
of awareness and is ready and eager to embrace change in the industry. It is
the responsibility of equine organizations throughout the country to ensure
that the right actions are taken to educate owners, breeders, law enforcement
officials, and others to safeguard the horses.
State horse councils and local equine organizations are in prime positions to
provide education to horse advocate, horse owners, and the public at large. It
is our responsibility to provide multi-dimensional leadership, training and
forums to work toward the common goal of reducing the number of
unwanted, abused, and neglected horses throughout the country.
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Facilitating Change
The Kentucky Horse Council initiated and organized a meeting of rescue
organizations in March to begin addressing ways to better serve the
unwanted, abused, and neglected horses in Kentucky. This has been a great
way for us to encourage the rescue groups to establish standards and
guidelines for themselves. Additionally it provides the opportunity for
rescues to network and learn from each other the importance of pursuing
non-profit 501(c)3 status. An adoption day is planned for June, 2008 which
will give a few rescues the opportunity to showcase adoptable horses and
allow all Kentucky rescues to meet potential adoptees, volunteers, and
donors as well as market their horses.
Recommendations: Network and unite to develop
standards, improve equine abuse laws, and provide long
term solutions.
Working together
to create and define
national standards
is the key to
addressing the
issues facing horses
today.
Work with representatives from AAEP, breed organizations, state and
national horse councils, Humane Society of the United Stated (HSUS), and
other prominent equine associations to develop a national equine minimum
standard of care document and an equine rescue standard that they all
endorse. Publish the documents and provide them to all state horse councils,
state veterinarians, and law enforcement officials. The documents will
become the standard by which all cases of equine abuse and neglect are
judged.
State Horse Councils must work with their legislators and law enforcement
officials to ensure that the national equine minimum standard of care
document is utilized and understood by local officials. The document will
carry weight in court as evidence of neglect if the provisions in the document
were not adequately provided to the horse by the horse owner.
State Horse Councils need to work with their legislators to strengthen equine
abuse and neglect laws and with their local law enforcement officials to
educate them about equine abuse and neglect. The AAEP and local State
Veterinary Medical Associations need to coordinate county exchanges so that
equine veterinarians can investigate and provide care for abused and
neglected horses from neighboring counties which will reduce the adverse
affects on local clientele.
The breed organizations must be involved in problem solving to target the
issue of over breeding. A system for stimulating the breeding of quality
stock only or perhaps offering incentives for not breeding should be
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Breed organizations
must be involved
and engaged in
addressing the issues
of over breeding and
the subsequent
increase in neglected
horses.
evaluated. “Being conscientious in our breeding and ownership may help the
industry rise out of this ‘Perfect Storm.’” (Evans, 2008) Perhaps the breed
organizations will support geld and euthanasia clinics (and carcass removal)
to provide low or no cost services to horse owners much like the spay and
neuter clinics now in operation for small animals.
Encourage the establishment of more equine rescue organizations which
meet the criteria of the AAEP Care Guidelines for Equine Rescue and
Retirement Facilities. Develop a system for rating or endorsing those
rescues on a state and national level. Encourage humane euthanasia of
unadoptable, infirm, and ill tempered horses at rescue facilities.
Get the local educational and animal medical community involved with the
care and management of confiscated horses. Working with colleges and
universities to house and care for confiscated horses has the potential to offer
unique hands on learning for students while attending to horses in need.
Confiscated horses housed and cared for by the University of Minnesota
yielded good publicity and provided vet students the opportunity to perform a
variety of procedures on live patients (Wilson et al, 2004).
Conclusion: We need a leader in building a universal,
workable, commonly accepted plan for the starving,
neglected and unwanted horse.
The problem of the starving, neglected, and unwanted horse is a national,
industry wide bleeding ulcer. It is the responsibility of all professional
equine organizations to staunch the blood flow and develop workable,
feasible long-term solutions. We need a strong and decisive leader to
facilitate, organize, mediate, and drive equine professional organizations to
develop a universal corrective plan.
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Facilitating Change
References
Evans, P.A. (2008, January ). External Influences on the horse Industry…creating the
“Perfect Storm”. USU Equine News. Retrieved May 24, 2008, from
http://extension.usu.edu/equine/files/uploads/January%2008.pdf
Huang, W. (2007, November). Tight Supply and Strong Demand May Raise U.S.
Nitrogen Fertilizer Prices. Amber Waves. Retrieved May 24, 2008, from
http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/November07/Findings/TightSupply.htm
Raia, P. (2008, May 14). Horse Auction Operators Deal with Down Market [Electronic
version]. The Horse. Retrieved May 24, 2008, from
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=11870&kw=horse+auction+oper
ators+deal+with+down+market
The Economic Impact of the Horse Industry on the United States [Pamphlet]. (2005).
N.p.: Deloitte
The Unwanted Horse and H.R. 503: An Equine Veterinary Perspective. American
Association of Equine Practitioners. Retrieved May 24, 2008 from
http://www.aaep.org/pdfs/AAEP_Position_HR503.pdf
Wilson, J.H. & Fitzpatrick, D.A. (2004). How to Manage Starved Horses and Effectively
Work With Humane and Law Enforcement Officials. AAEP Proceedings, 50,
428-432.
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