ENCINITAS, CA (Jan 7, 2011) — A statewide Gelding Clinic pilot program will be conducted at various locations throughout California in 2011. This flagship program is intended to help economically challenged horse owners castrate their colts and stallions at a minimum cost, and to decrease equine breeding at a time when there is an over supply of horses in the United States.
Shirley Puga, Founder of the National Equine Rescue Network (NERN), said the goal of this program is to geld 100 or more horses in California in 2011, while creating a template for these charitable clinics that can then be expanded to benefit horse owners nationwide.
“The current economy has created a greater number of displaced horses and this trend will likely continue for at least the next few years,” Puga said. “By gelding colts and stallions, we can help reduce the number of new horses coming into the world during these trying economic times. Hopefully, proactive measures such as these, will go a long way toward alleviating this problem.”
The gelding clinics are collaborative efforts with local nonprofit equine welfare organizations, and veterinarians who volunteer their time for this important work. The Gelding Clinics are scheduled throughout California monthly, from February through June, with additional clinics planned for October through December.
The first clinic in the series will be held this February, in partnership with Red Bucket Equine Rescue, at the Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center. Locations and times for this and all subsequent clinics will be announced 30 days in advance of each event, and a full schedule will be posted soon on the NERN website.
NERN, a nonprofit organization itself, is accepting donations from the public to help defray the costs of these clinics, each of which are expected to geld between 10 and 20 horses. Donations can be made through the organization’s website at www.nationalequine.org.
In the near future, when the working model has been fine tuned, NERN will seek additional funding in order to assist equine welfare organizations to establish similar clinics throughout the country.
NERN conducted an extensive nationwide survey of nearly 500 equine welfare organizations in 2010 and Puga said that over 80% of those responding indicated that gelding clinics would benefit their communities. While only 16 responding organizations have this type of program available now, 93% said they would participate in gelding clinics, and other similar community service projects, if given the opportunity.
“NERN was created to help equine welfare organizations find new resources for their very important work on behalf of America’s horses. These gelding clinics are just the first step in our efforts to do this,” Puga said.
Contact: Shirley Puga, Executive Director, 760-419-2462 nationalequine@gmail.com
NERN is on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/national.equine
Source: Press Release
Image Courtesy NERN
Tuesday's Horse 
Thank You !!! Careaboutit The AQHA is the biggest culprit, if they were made to stop, problem almost solved and a huge step in the total right direction, They should be totally ashamed …………………………………. They are despicable……….Backyard Breeders are also Guilty but not the big picture………………………….
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The AQHA is a huge culprit in all of this, but it is how they make their millions, encouraging overbreeding and the slaughter of the surplus horses, so you will never stop them.
And from what I have seen, AQHA members have been drinking the kool-aid and most of them appear to support overbreeding and horse slaughter too. There used to be a handful who came forward and said the AQHA doesn’t speak for their members on horse slaughter, and they personally opposed it.
But that was a long time ago, and you don’t hear any AQHA members coming out against horse slaughter now. Clearly the AQHA was right about their members all along, and only a tiny percentage is appalled that America’s Horse is what’s for dinner overseas after a brutal and terrifying death in a slaughterhouse.
Anyone who does not work to end horse slaughter, at the end of the day supports it, and just as guilty as the butchers themselves. Everyone can do something.
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So true about how the AQHA makes their $$$$’s.
The fact that they have a “pretend” business of horsemanship to cover for their ulterior motive is disgusting.
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The Big Picture is AQHA>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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I agree Arlene.
The AQHA is evil and contributes to the vast majority of over breeding and resultant horse slaughter in NA. By number that is, and in itself is reprehensible. But practices are the same regardless of the source of using horses for profit (e.g. thoroughbreds).
The state of the horse industry is undisciplined and requires a governing body to curtail rampant over breeding. Not just for sport but even more so for the horse meat industry which thrives only because of foreign demand.
We must stop the madness. Horses were never meant to be livestock and food animals.
And if I may add a personal comment, no offence intended so forgive me, but neither are the other animals that suffer out of traditional beliefs of where our protein sources come from.
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