FOR THE SAKE OF A HORSE

Found in old files. Thought you might be interested.

FOR THE SAKE OF A HORSE
by Roni Bell Sylvester February 16, 2008
Feral or ferine: Gone wild; used to describe animals or plants that live or grow in the wild after having been domestically reared or cultivated.
Once upon a time, settlers and industry used horses to help tame the land and ready it for a growing nation in need of food, roadways, fuel, and shelter.
Although these horses were domestic, many spent their non-working days grazing on vast unfenced pastures, until they roamed beyond the call.
And like a parentless child, they eventually became feral, and procreated mightily.
Soon, savvy promoters noticed them and crafted a romantic perception around these horses, embellishing them with claims of being “rare, exotic and wild."
They created an exciting "wild" horse promotion, and ran it to town. After all, “city folk just might want to drive out to the country and take a look see.”
Selling this wild horse concept over and over, proved to be their good horse to ride.
To maintain their money making little venture, they filed lawsuits forcing the federal government into mandating perpetuity protections of these allegedly wild horses.
This odd government, non-profit partnership was structured to lay the daily care and fiduciary responsibility of these horses on taxpayers and private and public lands usage owners.
This arrangement may have worked if - the ones paying the bills and boarding these animals were allowed to exercise needed actions such as: administer birth control and castration of the young, and to cull and slaughter the infirm and aged.
But these ferine horse promoters not only paralyzed all sensible handling of these horses, they grew the problem by initiating a ban on horse slaughter.
Even though their actions can be directly attributed to the doom of thousands of domestic and feral horses, they're exempt from accountability.
They run free, while the horses they pretend to care about are imprisoned to a slow excruciating death by starvation.
Feral horse promoters make money off equine abuse, and we’re held to accommodating them.
In many areas like Wyoming, burgeoning herds of feral horses jeopardize domestic livestock that already has to compete with an overpopulation of elk, for forage and water.
In addition to paying millions of dollars to the Bureau of Land Management for processing paperwork on these horses, taxpayers also pay for the suits filed on the Department of the Interior by feral horse promoters.
Here are some solutions to stop this unfortunate chain of events:
States where feral horses reside should have the right to identify each individual who claims interest in keeping feral horses. The state would rightfully mandate that that individual then be bound as a contracted keeper of a feral horse.
This contract would hold the contracted keeper as responsible party for horses board and room, vaccinations, identification, and eminent slaughter.
Violation of said contract would result in appropriate penalties, fines and prosecution.
Can you see our landscapes littered with thousands of gaunt, moaning horses, wreathing on the ground in pain, or limping along roadsides whinnying for help?
If you truly love horses, you'll take the benevolent action of a responsible caretaker, and call your representative today. Ask him or her to activate these solutions and stop the horse slaughter ban...for the sake of a horse.