A new Web site launched this week, UnwantedHorses.org, focuses on the unwanted horse problem in America and says it’s time for a new view about horses.
“While many horse owners are devoted to their animals and keep them for life, the sad fact is that too many people only want to keep a horse as long as it is useful for something,” said Steve Smith, co-founder of the Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary, a Montana nonprofit that specializes in caring for disabled animals, including blind horses.
“More than 100,000 unwanted horses were slaughtered in America in 2006, and that is tragic evidence that we need to tackle the unwanted horse problem in a fundamental way–by rethinking our relationship with these wonderful animals,” Smith said.
The Web site acknowledges that this new view will be controversial and will require a sweeping cultural change in the horse industry, and a change in mindset for millions of individual horse owners.
Smith said his nonprofit was motivated to create the site because of all the calls and emails they received from people who wanted to surrender their horses.
The new Web site also offers specific steps on what individuals can do to help reduce the number of unwanted horses in America, and provides concrete recommendations for horse owners who find themselves with an unwanted horse.
Photo by Big Grey Mare.
Joni Solis on February 1st, 2007 at 4:05 pm
>The new Web site also offers specific steps on what individuals can do to help reduce the number of unwanted horses in America, and provides concrete recommendations for horse owners who find themselves with an unwanted horse.
YES! Thank you for posting this important information. There are way too many people breeding horses and too many people that buy a horse without learning all about the time and money it takes to care and train them. A web site with information about unwanted horses and what to do about them is badly needed. I wish the owner the of this new site the best and hope people with horses will check out this site and learn from it. The first step in solving a problem is admitting we have one in the first place.