You have gotta be kidding..

[Nahla]

I just need to vent about this a little bit because it pissed me off so much I need to let it out.

I volunteer at a horse rescue and some of the horses we get there have been very abused and neglected, some are surrenders and we also re-train retired racehorses to be pleasure mounts.

One of my favorite horses is a ex-racehorse gelding named Buddy, he is super sweet I love him. He had been at the rescue for about a year when a lady and her daughter came to the rescue looking for a horse, Buddy was perfect for them. The owner of the rescue went out and checked their land though it was 2 towns over she always wants the best for horses, it seemed perfect, they seemed perfect so she let Buddy go on lease clearly stating if they ever need to return him Buddy will always be welcomed back.

For a while it was great, the people leasing Buddy called and gave updates, sent photos and Buddy was perfectly happy there it seemed. I was so happy he was adopted as that meant we had more room to help other horses that needed it.

However soon the owners went dead, the owner tried ringing them but their number was disconnected. Frustrated she drove up there on Saturday to where there land was since she was going there anyway, and there was Buddy.

Skin and bones, standing in a field of mud with no grass, the fencing was broken and to top it off, the headcollar was growing into his face they made it way too tight.

The owner called the police, and since she was the rightful owner she got to take Buddy and bring him back, the leasers daughter it seems 'lost interest' and the mother couldn't afford to care for him anyway. The mother was charged with animal neglect.

If they could not afford him, why on earth did they just not bring him back. Why leave him to suffer like that? Also why on earth did you get a horse if you were not prepared to pay for it. Horses are big expensive animals, they are not a goldfish, they are not a budgie. They are horses.


Needless to say, the lady is now not only blocked from adopting a horse but from adopting any animal in the area including dogs, cats etc.

If you 'rescue' an animal and then give it an awful life, did you really rescue it or did you just make it worse? The latter, if I got a dog from the shelter that was going to be put then tied it in my backyard never feed it and just beat, did I really save it? Nope.

Buddy is now starting rehabilitation. I'm seriously tempted to adopt him myself and put him in my pasture with my horse, Skittles.

I find it stupid we need a licence to drive a car, ID to buy alcohol yet anyone can just take on a living animal without any requirements just because they want one.

Can someone invent an animal licence please.

[The Lone Dragon]

That is just Shocking!
I can't blame you for being angry I would be furious. People can't just "purchase" an animal and then treat it like dirt.  

My sister (16yrs) has two pet rabbits but hardly ever attends to their needs, instead she leaves me to do it for her because she is to "busy" or rather to lazy.

It's just sad that people do these things to animals and poor Buddy, I also like riding on horseback as much as cycling and I understand that keeping horses is no walk in the park. It is even more shocking that the owner did not do the common sense approach and returned him to where he would be looked after.

Seriously how daft can you get?

I hope Buddy will be okay and with regards to taking him in, if you believe that's the right choice then I say go for it, you have another horse, a pasture and have experience with them so I don't see the harm.  

Though I do understand that it might be a little tricky in taking in another horse with all the weather in NSW which looks pretty stormy (It's not as bad in VIC) at the moment, hope you make it though alright. Also hope Buddy recovers, you're certainly doing the right thing at the moment, I just wish that some people would not mistreat any animals like they do.

A licence might be a good idea, some animals do require a licence and they have worked out, but even if you do have a licence that just means you can look after an animal and that you are allowed too, it might not stop people from making stupid decisions but hopefully it would help.

Anyway good luck

[Kor]

They should, but also licenses to be parents and other things. It was meant to be a funny bit in an old sitcom called Dinosaurs but when I watched that episode instead of finding the parenting license idea funny and that it had be renewed or they would not have access to their kids, I found it a very good idea.

Some people are naturally just stupid, not considerate and so on, but I think the school system should drop the fact they really are not life preparation but college preparation.  Drop the college preparation totally and make the school system totally life preparation.  and have stuff like basic living stuff like cooking, how to care for and what it entails having the various animals humans have as pets, basic auto, house, plumbing repairs, basic child care, and so on.  as well as if you do have a pet license, parent license it's not automatically renewed but  you are checked up on from time to time.  as well as other things.  but some humans are just naturally stupid, not considerate, among other things.

Now I'm sure schools today would say like they did when I went to school, that they assume kids learn that stuff at home, but I would say since going to school is compulsory and it's obvious many do not learn that stuff at home, schools have to teach that and leave the college preparation for college.

[Zimba]

You were telling me about this, poor Buddy. Thats just disgusting just because an animal is 'yours' doesn't mean you can do whatever you want to it.

If you ask me the lady should be banned from adopting an animal Australia wide, not just that area. I have no remorse for animal abusers, the animals don't have a voice.

Hope Buddy recovers back to full strength and goes to a home that deserves him, if you have the time (and the money) I say you should so take him or if not you someone else who least knows what they are doing with horses.

People so need to understand what taking care of animal really means, with Christmas coming I fear that many people will get their child a cute puppy or kitten and later the animal will be dumped in a shelter when the child is no longer interested or it's not a cute baby animal anymore.

You don't get rid of a human when it's no longer a cute little baby you can carry around, yet people do it to animals everyday.

But you know what they say, there is no cure for stupid. Just sad that stupid people can have animals and children, and the animals and children always pay.

I'll be up for an animal license and a parenting license, might not stop the stupid but might stop being getting animals and having kids just because they want to.

[Nahla]

Buddy doing fine, considering. He is on a special diet to re-gain his weight without shocking the system and having him colic on us.

He also had a heavy worm burden so that also had to be dealt with, I doubt this people even knew horses needed to be wormed, the part that really makes me smile that the people who had him have to pay back the owner all cost it takes to get Buddy back up to health, his teeth need floating down, plus he had a bit of Thrush in his hooves, but he'll be fine.

He won't be ridden until sometime next year, and even then it'll be slowly bringing him back into work. I decided I will adopt him when he is ready, already put my name down for him I was looking for a second horse since I'll be getting my own land (currently 'rent' a pasture someone else owns) and my horse will need a companion, he stays with two other horses whose owners rent the pasture as well right now and really want to get out of public pasture, I am so sick of people using my stuff without asking. Everything from brushes to my saddle and feed, buy your own feed mate. Plus it would be nice to be able to walk out my back door and see my horses when I want right now I have to drive 15-20 minutes. Not really a farm, just a house and a few acres and I'll get a shelter put up.

Just hoping I never run into that lady, I won't be able to resist punching her in the face for doing that to Buddy, I have no respect for animal and child abusers. Wherever they physically beat the animal/child or just plain neglect.

All this could of been avoided if the lady just bought him back, she didn't even really own Buddy he was a lease horse he belonged to someone else.  The lease was set up so the leasers can back out anytime, but nooo. Guess it was easier to dump him a field and leave him to fend for himself. Cause it's not like phones exist to call the owner if she can come collect him.