We've talked the TX 76 Arabian herd to death on the ABN. http://www.arabianbreeders.net/Forums/Arabians-seized-in-Pilot-Point-TX-t28129.html This is the farm they lived at: http://renazans.com/index.html

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Here's another herd of 37 horses being rescued, this one in Wayne IN

MONROE, Ind. (WANE) - A round-the-clock volunteer effort is underway in Adams County where police rescued 37 neglected horses from their owner on Thursday.

Police say Rick Hill, arrested earlier Friday, was neglecting the horses to the point that many are sick and malnourished.

The Horse and Pony Barn at the Monroe 4-H grounds is marked off as a crime scene. Allowed inside though, are the volunteers who have decided to donate their time and energy to keep the "evidence" safe.

http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local_wane_monroe_volunteers_unite_to_aide_horses_200908141502_rev1

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FL:

http://www.wftv.com/news/20460609/detail.html?treets=orlc&tid=26510498209813&tml=orlc_12pm&tmi=orlc_12pm_1_10500108192009&ts=H 20

http://www.ocala.com/article/20090819/ARTICLES/908199993/0/news 33

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Oklahoma

And 85 Horses rescued, four dead and three euth. Where does this stop? How many are starving in backyards across the country?:

http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=10959601

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"According to the Commonwealth of VA State Corporation Commission records, (owner) is on record for 2009 as officer and director of the Polo Pony Retirement Foundation, ssc id # (# is article). Her late father (see article comments for name), Atty., is listed as listed as agent for the organization. It is not clear on the scc website whether this is a nonprofit or a for profit organization.

According to her neighbors she is a former polo player and has done some rescue and breeding of polo ponies."

Here's the link to the article:
http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=10932504 20

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70 from TX + the 80 from OK + the 30 from IN + 30 from Ocala + 20 from Miami + 20 in Virginia..... not pretty guys. These are not Breyer models. They require feed and water. Do NOT breed them if ya can't feed them!

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My feelings: Here in Suwannee county the Animal Control told me that the sherrif doesn't want the liability of taking any starving horses. They also don't have land and not many people are in the position to "rescue" 10-30 head of horses. I feel for the horses but at the same time, it's going to take a lot of $$$ to get them back into condition and then after that, who knows if these animals are even usable. Why not just go ahead and euth these starving horses and "rescue" some that could use some TLC before they get this bad?

There are way too many horses that are in trouble that CAN make good horses - horses that can hold a job, be cared for and cared about, and at least make safe, sane yardart pets. When they are *that* emaciated it is both expensive and labor-intensive to get them healthy again...

Rescues are full to bursting. There are only so many rescources to go around... we see that more clearly every day here lately.

I cannot help but wonder how many GOOD horses can be saved for the cost of rehabbing one that is in dire straights, with no knowledge of the horse's background and potential - an no guarantee that the horse will ever be free of pain, no guarantee that it will be able to live any life worth living

TOOOO many times, horses that are emaciated show a disagreeable face once they get healthy..

Tough decisions, I know.. and I am not without compassion.
I believe that sometimes, death is by no means the worst of fates....
and I've seen cases of horses that became intractible and unpredictable as they regained their weight and health, and some even become downright dangerous....

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This is a cross post borrowed from Arabian Breeders Network. Take from it what you will:

[quote name='hfs']
I've presented this to the members of the AHA Rescue/Rehoming Subcommittee for action and will be presenting it elsewhere. This will require ALL of us working together. Please read carefully and comment - or contact me so we can get started!


In the light of the number of farms/horses in trouble (76 mostly SEs in Texas, the 37 Indiana horses just in the last couple of days, for example), we've GOT to sell a proactive plan to be able to preserve the genetic diversity of our breed.

I've read estimates that as many as half our US horses, over all, may be lost as a consequence of the current economic situation. Even if the arabian breed doesn't suffer that badly, our gene pool is increasingly constricted and we're going to need to preserve diversity if we hope to come through this period with a viable, genetically healthy population.

All too often, once the law gets involved, it's too late to preserve the genetic material offered in the horses that are seized. Even if the horses survive, the majority lose their formal identity and ability to return (when justified) to the breeding population because of no-breeding stipulations typical of Animal Control or an involved rescue organization's policies.

We can't wait, with our heads buried in the sand, until we're at a critical point and then shake our heads in dismay - it's our OWN FAULT if the breed and its genetic viability suffers irreparable damage.

What can we do?

We can work together developing and implementing a recovery plan, in association with law enforcement, to assure that the horses requiring intervention have both the legal support AND the responsible, knowledgeable care/rehab offered by the breed community. If we can provide what many if not most law enforcement entities cannot (appropriate and responsible housing/care for the horses), and can keep the horses within our community rather than be placed in the hands of either LE or a rescue organization which has in place a no-breeding requirement, then the horses, and we, have the chance of a future.

But it will take work. It will require negotiation. We must work together with the authorities and our registry to assure that actions are fair, appropriate, and, for want of a better term, honorable. If LE has this option available, and we have resources in place proactively, then we have a better chance of legal action being taken before there are dead horses lying around. ...