Compassion and activism each have their place says Harmony HorseWorks

Guest Post by BARBARA WRIGHT

Compassion and activism are sometimes seemingly incompatible activities in the horse rescue/sanctuary business, but each has its place. It takes one type of individual to be compassionate and caring on a daily basis, taking responsibility for stewardship of an entire herd and a business, and another personality to be “out there” in the world creating or defending a platform on behalf of animals.

We are often asked why we are not more “activist” and our answer is always the same – there is not much energy and no money left over at the end of the day to be an activist other than in a supporting role after our primary activity – caring for our horses. Innumerable causes for and against horses exist and to pick one and stand for it would be taking a narrow point of view and to try to support all causes supporting horses is too enormous.

We try not to take hard positions or stances and instead focus on the horses that come through our sanctuary and do the best we can to care for each and every one of them. In this way, we can set an example to others and perhaps do some good.

We also help other equine welfare organizations and individuals help place at risk horses into safety. By setting a local example to our community and inviting volunteers in, we hope to educate people about horse care and the plight of the “unwanted” horse so each person’s awareness level is raised to the point of at least compassion. Some even go on to be activists.

Visit their website for more information.

Harmony HorseWorks is a horse sanctuary for special needs horses with good dispositions and otherwise general good health. Located in Conifer, Colorado, Harmony HorseWorks received their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status on February 23, 2004. Fundraising efforts bring are responsible for a majority of Harmony HorseWorks’ annual revenues and is run by volunteers.

Combat veterans use equine therapy to deal with post-traumatic stress (US)

Cross-posted from Colorado Community Newspapers

HORSES OFFER A HEALING TOUCH

By ASHLEY DIETERLE
Published March 26, 2009

Veteran John Nash credits his horse Rain for helping pull him up from his lowest point when he was dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. Nash hopes to help other veterans with the disorder through Equine Assisted Therapy at Moon Fall Ranch, east of Elizabeth on Colo. 86. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen.

Every time John Nash feels a trigger coming on, he rubs his belt buckle with his thumb and he is right back with the horses — the horses that saved his life.

Three years ago Nash, a Vietnam combat veteran, was diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Until then, he had no idea the disorder was causing the nightmares and flashbacks to his previous experiences, allowing him only two hours of sleep a night.

When Nash was finally diagnosed, he started taking medications and seeing a therapist on a regular basis. Although the meds helped with his sleeping, Nash continued to experience depression, rage, survivor’s guilt and began to self-medicate with alcohol.

Nash hit rock bottom. The alcohol began to get the best of him and he would come home filled with alcohol and sit in his barn with his head hanging, completely lost and ready to give up on life.

That is when something unexpected changed his life. As Nash would sit, engulfed with depression, his horse Rain came to his side.

Every night, she would nuzzle Nash and watch over him as he slept in the barn. After some length of time, Nash says, Rain would nudge him awake as if to say “everything is OK now. You can go to bed.”

That was the moment Nash realized the power of the horse.

Since then, Nash has made it his mission to help other combat veterans using Equine Assisted Therapy.

“The thought of other combat veterans with mental health issues being similarly helped by a horse was the beginning of my commitment and passion to develop a program which would do just that,” he said. “Thus, I started the Combat Veterans Cowboy Up program.”

Read full story at www.ColoradoCommunityNewspapers.com >>

Horse tail whackers puzzle Colorado owners (US)

By JADED MARE

Elbert County, Colo. The horses at Tom Johnson and Jim Hoff's place once had tails that hung down to their hooves. Shampooed and combed, they gleamed, flaxen-colored, when the Belgian draft horses drew wagons for children and pranced in parades. Tom Cole took this photo for KUSA 9 News.

So, those uncooperative horses who won’t be killed any more in US slaughter houses and go all the way to Canada and Mexico are now being blamed for a horse tail shortage, forcing normally law-abiding Americans to risk their immortal souls by cutting and stealing them.

It’s happening all over the place in Colorado anyway, or around Denver some place, but it has happened before even when they were butchering horses all the time here, also.

DeeDee Correll of the L.A. Times tell us:

The horses at Tom Johnson and Jim Hoff’s place once had tails that hung down to their hooves.

Shampooed and combed, they gleamed, flaxen-colored, when the Belgian draft horses drew wagons for children and pranced in parades.

But a significant portion of their tails disappeared one recent night when a knife- or scissors-wielding intruder hopped the fence into their pasture and hacked away, leaving half a dozen horses and ponies with shredded stubs.

and then:

Some have speculated that the shuttering of slaughterhouses in the U.S. in the last two years has led to a scarcity of horsehair. Others doubt that theory, because the hair is still available from slaughterhouses in other countries, and some thefts nationwide occurred before the slaughterhouse closures.

It is considered abuse cos horses can’t swat flies from their nether regions and stuff, and everybody is mad about it, so please pay or go to jail. Horses who do not need their tails should please donate them, which won’t be anybody. LA Times.com >>