Horse Shelter &

Thanks, to a large degree, to the growth in social media, online discussion, and the sharing of information via the www, awareness of the ‘doggers’ horse has spread beyond the realms of those immediately involved in recent years. Images of depressed, un-kept, and at times, malnourished horses standing in knackery yards and in the ‘meat’ pens at sale yards pepper ‘horse rescue’ web sites, facebook pages, and online forums. Naturally these images arouse strong emotions of compassion and pity in horse lovers, but, is the most effective response to these feelings to go with the overwhelmingly compelling impulse to buy one or two of these horses, and thereby ‘save’ them? In terms of the broader sense of equine welfare and making a lasting improvement to the current situation… the answer is no.

It is a basic fact that for every horse purchased from a knackery, or by out-bidding the meat buyers at horse sales, another horse will replace it. Meat processors have orders to fill and quotas to meet. They will purchase as many horses as they need in order to fulfil their needs, no matter how many horses are bought by well-meaning private individuals in the name of ‘saving’ them. Yes, the horse you brought home has been saved, but spare a thought for the horse who took his/her place in the slaughter yard.

There is only one way to effectively reduce the flow of equines through our knackeries and abattoirs and thereby eventually reduce the market for processed horse flesh also, and that is to reduce the supply in a whole-scale manner. To achieve this requires a long-term and committed effort in addressing the issues surrounding the excess and irresponsible breeding occurring within Australia.

Every equine welfare concern in this country, and there are many, can be traced back to one thing - Australia’s chronic over-supply of horses. There is no quick-fix that will overcome this very complex problem, and there is no instant gratification in pursuing this goal. It involves vast amounts of time invested in researching, networking, educating etc., and you won’t be able to tell your friends that you ‘saved’ a horse. However, ask yourself what your motivation is for wanting to save a horse. Is it for the accolades? …or are you motivated by a deep wish to make a lasting difference for horses in general? If your motivation is genuine and informed, you will seek out a way in which you can join the campaign to address the core issues which feed the massive pool of unwanted horses in this country.

Still want to ‘save a horse’ on a one on one personal level?

There is still a need for that home you can offer. There is another aspect to the illness that is excess and unwanted equines, and that is, the plague of horses languishing in back paddocks whose care has been abandoned, and who are suffering a slow, often painful, and always miserable deterioration. There are thousands of these horses across the country, those whose carers are so indifferent towards their welfare that they don’t even facilitate a swift and humane death for them at the slaughter house. These horses are the true sufferers. These are the horses who truly do need saving, and these are the horses that equine welfare charities most commonly deal with. If you have the facilities and desire to provide a home for a horse whose welfare has been compromised and who has no future, contact these organisations. They provide options and outcomes for these horses who have none. Sometimes that can be humane euthanasia, but often they accept these horses for care, whether that be via RSPCA referral, or via direct intervention with the owner. These organisations provide the nutritional and medical care these animals need, and in the process, learn much about the horse as an individual.

The below horse is a perfect example. Care abandoned by his owner, surrender negotiated, taken into care, and ultimately re-homed. Without a) the option of a place at a shelter, and b) the willingness of strangers to subsequently offer him a permanent home, he would not have been lucky enough to make it to the knackery, but would have slowly and painfully perished in his paddock.

When offering a home to a shelter horse, you will know exactly what you are committing to in terms of the care and handling requirements of the horse. The same cannot be said for horses purchased from the knackery or sales. There are many and varied reasons for an owner selling a horse to a knackery or through the sales, (where there is a good possibility that it may be purchased by the knackery), and very often these reasons are behavioural or physical. There are ‘happy endings’, but there are far more sad endings to these scenarios. Very commonly a ‘rescuer’ finds themselves unable to handle dangerous behaviours in their ‘rescued’ horse which weren't apparent to them at time of purchase, often leading to neglect of the horse’s care. Even more commonly, the ‘rescued’ horse has a chronic illness or condition which does not reveal itself until some time has passed in its new home. Sometimes untreatable, sometimes treatable but at great expense. There is a reason why these horses find themselves ‘at the end of the line’ so to speak.

You may ask… what’s the difference?

In regards to taking in a ‘rescue’ horse, if we are going to be practical and realistic, there is a vast difference between taking in a knackery horse and taking in a shelter horse. A knackery horse has an outcome. As unpalatable as it may be, that horse will not go on to suffer. A rescue horse who has been through a shelter is a horse who has been rescued from a situation where it may well have gone on to suffer for years in its previous circumstances.

Equine welfare organisations are contacted on a regular basis by members of the community who hold concerns for the welfare of a horse that has come to their attention. These are the horses who need ‘saving’. These are the horses who need the option of shelters and homes in order for it to be possible for their situation to be turned around and the suffering ended.

In conclusion

Every horse that leaves for a new home from a shelter leaves a vacancy, which enables another surrendered horse to take it’s place. In stark comparison, every horse ‘saved’ from (what is often referred to as) a ‘dogger’s’ yard leaves a vacancy for another to fulfil the knackery’s quota.

The sale yards are an emotional minefield for the well-intentioned horse person, and the resultant ‘rescue’ is little more than a band-aid solution to the massive problem, and is, in reality, exacerbating it.

If we, as horse people are truly willing to make a long-standing difference we must be prepared to take the long hard road to addressing the root causes that see so many Australian horses neglected, abandoned, and sold for meat at a premature age. On a case by case basis, we must be prepared to inform ourselves, put emotion aside, and base our choices and decisions upon realistic solutions which achieve optimum outcomes for all horses as individuals. Many 'horse rescue' groups rely upon the emotive stories of 'saved' horses from knackeries to appeal for public support and financial assistance. Unfortunately, these same groups also fail to highlight or address the 'big picture' reasons for the thriving multi-million dollar horse meat industry that exists in Australia today.

Did you know?

Each year in Australia at least 40,000 horses are processed for human and pet consumption. To further appreciate the magnitude of this number... if this many horses were lined up nose to rump, the line would stretch the distance between Melbourne and Ballarat.

Post-script:

Knackeries perform an essential service for the equine industry. At some point in all horse’s lives they will pass away. Horses are large animals to dispose of, and not everyone has the luxury of being able to bury their horse on their own land.

If you are in a position where euthanasia for your horse is warranted due to age, un-due suffering or the like, please arrange for the closest knackery to collect your horse, rather than take it to the sales where he/she could potentially be purchased by an unsuspecting individual, and your horse’s condition thereby unfairly extended. You may also deliver your horse directly to the knackery by arrangement. If you would prefer your horse euthanased on your property, the knackery can facilitate this for you.

Concerned about the conditions at a particular knackery? If you have evidence of any conduct occurring within a knackery that could be deemed in breach of the Animal Welfare Act, please contact PrimeSafe in Victoria, (the equivalent organisation in other states).