Re: Horse abuse

["GESA BRINKS" <gesaeqfx@pe.net>]

Oh my gosh Christian, my stomach is sick after reading your story.  I am so
proud of you for what you did and you should feel very good for shutting
that place down.  I just wish that trainers and owners like that would go to
jail.   I detest people like that.   Horrible but great story.
              gesa n clovis
-----Original Message-----
From: guest@endurance.net <guest@endurance.net>
To: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Friday, September 17, 1999 10:11 AM
Subject: RC: Horse abuse


Christian Love clove@lincpfp.com
I first wrote this as just a reply to one person, then I though I would
share with everyone - maybe it will help someone else stop the abuse that is
out there in many different horse disciplines.  Be careful this is LONG!!!

I must say that I agree with your remark about TWH having wonderful minds
and they are some of the sweetest horses I know.  I also think that their
amazing tolerance has hurt them.  Because they are so tolerant, trainers and
abusers have been able to do horrific things to them.  I believe that if you
tried to do some of the things to an Arabian that they do to Walkers - there
would be some dead trainers out there (wishful thinking).

MY STORY

I came to Tennessee from Texas.  I had never been around TWH and had hardly
ever heard of them except in the Horse Encyclopedia.  I went to school at
MTSU which is in Murfreesboro (near Shelbyville), TN and needed a job and a
place to board my horse.  So, I reluctantly agreed to exchange showing some
of these TWH for the owners in turn for my board bill.

After a couple of shows and learning more about the industry - I started to
question the owners about thier treatment of the horses.  They vehamantly
disagreed that there was no abuse at their barn and went on to say that
there was no abuse in any of the barns since they began to be regulated.
Then I proceeded to ask then why don't you let me come out to the barn and
ride during certain hours?  The reply was that I would disrupt the training.
Then I asked why wouldn't they let me help prepare the horses at the shows
and why did I have to meet you far away from the arena to get on the horse
and show?  (Mind you, I was extremely gullible and just could not believe
there was abuse - I had never seen or been around abuse until now).
Finally, after alot of lame excuses the owner agreed to allow me to come on
as an assistant trainer and paid me handsomely.  I worked there and kept my
horse there one for one more month after that.

The things I saw made my stomach turn - and I have a tough stomach.  It made
me cry every day at the barn and at home - and I am not a crier.  It made me
enraged to see the stupidity and the ignorance and the abuse.  I witnessed
tails being cut and slung up, I witnessed soring so bad that the horses
would try to walk ONLY on their back legs so that the pain in their front
legs would lessen.  I saw horses beaten just to make them come out of their
stalls where they knew the horror would begin.  I was even asked to get some
airplane fuel from my boyfriend because they thought if they mixed that in
their solution for soring it would work better (of course you can imagine
what I said).  I saw every horse in that barn struck with dull sad eyes.
And this was all within a couple of days.  I WANTED to quit... but I wanted
to stay.  I felt that, if anything, I could bring just a little joy or at
least caring and compassion into thier lives.  So I stayed and witnessed the
horrors.  I took pictures (secretly) and used mini-recorders and set out on
my mission - to shut this place down.

Then one day I asked about a horse named Hot Shot (now I am crying).  This
big beautiful bay gelding that had not once come out of his stall in the
dark corner the whole week I had been there.  The "trainer" said that he
never would - he would rot in that stall.  He was a killer.  He had broken
more bones on trainers than any other horse they had heard of - he was
dangerous and I was not to go in his stall.  Well, this just didn't sit
well.  So from that day on instead of leaving as soon as the abuse was done
and I had gathered my evidence for the day... I stayed.  I would work on my
studies at the barn instead of home.  I went to each horse and tried to
relieve pain and tried to love each one... and I fell in love with Hot Shot.
I took him out of his nasty stall, cleaned it, stretched his legs brushed
him and loved him.  He loved me too.  When I would leave or walk in the
barn - he and a two year old filly I befriended would whinny to me.

I finally got the nerve to ask the owners if I could work with him.  I think
they reluctantly agreed just because they knew I was trouble and were tired
of my bellyaching.  They told me that if I could train him, I could buy him
or could sell him to whoever I wanted - but if he hurt me I would forget
about him and he would go back into his stall.   The challenge was on.  I
quit working for the barn (mostly) I just worked with Hot Shot and took my
pictures here and there (although I had enough evidence at this point) but I
had a new mission - save at least one of these fine horses.  He was an
angel - I took lots of time just gaining his trust.  We rode trails, we rode
in the arena we did it all - he was wonderful.  I showed the owners and they
could not believe it.  Even their ten year old son could ride him.  The men
could not get near him.  But I could and his son could and that's all that
should.  I loved this horse.

Then the day happened - it ended.  I knew it would one day, but I just
wasn't ready.  I had to go out of town for a week.  While I was gone, they
sold Hot Shot.  They told me he went to a wonderful home.  He went to a
twelve year old little girl's home that was going to just trail ride him.  I
believed them (so gullible).  They also told me that the filly I had
befriended was now old enough to be stepped up to big shoes and she was -
while I was gone (this made me sick).  I then told them I would be leaving.

I quit.  I hooked up my trailer, loaded my wonderful Arabian mare who also
had witnessed all of this.  and as I was walking into the barn I saw one
last scene that still horrifies me.  They took my precious filly who was
still wobbly on her big (giant) shoes and hooked her up to a cart for the
first time.  All of the equipment scared her... she reared up... then she
went down.  Here I am standing there but almost as if I left my body for a
moment, I could not move, I could not scream out, I could not help her.
She fell, she got caught up under the bars of the cart and could not get up.
I still could not move or speak or scream... I just stood there in fixated
horror helplessly witnessing.  Instead of unhooking the cart and helping her
up, both the trainer and the groom began to beat her with buggy whips,  when
the sharp stinging end of the whips did not work, they turned the whips
around and began to beat her with the handles.  They beat her all over all
over her back and even head.  The poor filly could do nothing.  She finally
just curled up in almost a fetal position and tried to bury her head.  She
just lay there helplessly.

My fear finally broke and anger rushed through me like thunder.  I started
to scream.  I ran into the barn and grabbed all of the chains I could carry
and began to throw them at both the groom and the trainer.  They stopped and
put down their whips and began to come at me.  I don't know where it came
from, but I picked up one of the whips they were using and began to hit the
trainer.  Then the groom started toward the trailer that held my precious
Kaz.  I ran, jumped into the truck and took off, before he could unlatch the
door.

I never saw that place and after many letters, help from a lawyer friend of
mine and lots of evidence - that barn (only one of many) is gone.  They were
shut down and had to sell... the trainer also lost his license to train...
and I still have no idea what ever happened to Hot Shot.

So, to make a longs story short.  Sometimes when you see abuse, you have to
stick around even though you want to run... you have to get evidence, even
when you want to erase the memory from your mind... and you have to stick to
your plan and follow through, even when it hurts just to remember what you
saw.

Your horse and many other ex-show TWH have reason to fear whips and chains
and even hoof oil.  Your horse sees you as an angel.  You are his angel and
he will love you forever for saving him.

Christian Love & Althea
Executive Director/LINC, Inc.




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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
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