The impending rescue by the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre
Foundation (EHCRC) of fourteen horses from what was described as a
“living hell” in Callosa De Segura took a dramatic turn last Thursday.
Working with El Refugio del Burrito, a donkey rescues sanctuary from
Malaga, the EHCRC received a call late on Thursday afternoon which would
see these unfortunate equines taken from the premises where they were
kept in appalling conditions.
Sue Weeding, co founder of the EHCRC explains what happened.
“This tragic case has received much publicity in both the English
speaking and Spanish press over the past few weeks. We were told to
expect the result of the court investigation to happen at the end of
March. I received a telephone call to inform me that the judge had
rushed the case through the court as a matter of urgency. I was asked to
attend Orihuela court at nine o’clock Friday morning with our Spanish
foundation administrator Isabel to sign and seal the paperwork to allow
us to get the fourteen horses out of these premises.
We and the El Refugio del Burrito people were then instructed to go
to the Guardia Civil police station in Orihuela at eleven thirty. I met
with my husband Rod, Hassan our stable manager and Dorothea our equine
vet.
From there we were escorted to the horse dealers’ premises by six
Guardia Civil officers where we were met by crews from Spanish
television and Spanish press reporters along with a crowd of onlookers.”
Sue continued,” We were taken aback at the amount of interest that this
case had generated. The owner of the premises was not happy that his
horses were being taken from him and he and his family were guarding the
entrance armed with sticks.
The Guardia Civil officers were wonderful and with great diplomacy
and tact they calmed what was an explosive situation down, to allow only
Hassan and Dorothea to enter and check the horse’s condition and
suitability to travel. We had to wait outside and endure what was a
tense atmosphere at the entrance.
Eventually after what seemed ages the permission was given to move
into place the large horse box truck to take half the horses to our
sanctuary in Rojales. Unfortunately the driver had exceeded his
permitted driving hours so we had to hire another truck from Alicante to
come and collect the remaining horses. We eventually finished work at
the centre at one o’clock Saturday morning, a sixteen hour rescue which
involved us also having to build an extra secure paddock at very short
notice.”
The horses have now settled into their new surroundings reasonably
well and will remain in the custody of Sue and Rod pending further legal
procedures.
Of the fourteen horses, four are stallions which will be castrated
soon, one is a gelding and the remainder are mares which will be checked
by Dorothea to see if any are with foal and to determine their general
health and condition.
It appears that some of the more mature mares were ridden regularly
at some time by their previous owners before arriving at the dealers’
yard to await their fate.
Sue continues,” The mares are very affectionate, gentle and receptive
to touch and were probably sold on because of the financial crisis
affecting Spain or some other similar circumstances. They are certainly
enjoying their freedom here with us at the EHCRC in a spacious open air
environment.
Owners should think very carefully before selling their older
redundant equines because they can be sold on and end up in undesirable
places with poor conditions and no care and end there remaining days in
misery, after a previous life of loving and careful attention.
One of our major tasks now is education, educating the younger
generation is key to the future of animal welfare in Spain, educating
and working more closely with other owners both Spanish and other
nationalities to ensure that they treat the horses, donkeys and ponies
in their care with love and respect.”
The EHCRC would welcome any donations or sponsorship to support the
work that they are doing. If you are a bar owner or business that would
like to hold a charity event to support the centre please get in touch
with Sue Weeding on 652 021 980.
The EHCRC will ensure that your event receives the maximum press
publicity plus coverage on their Face book and website pages prior to
and after the function.
Every single cent donated or spent in the five charity shops operated
by the EHCRC goes towards the upkeep and care of the horses, donkeys
and ponies in their care. Large items such as furniture can be collected
and delivered after purchase. Contact the charity shop hotline on 636
062 000.
Visit the centre on Sundays between 1pm and 4pm where refreshments
are available in the garden café. The first horse tour starts at 2pm
where you can get close to, and meet the residents and see first hand
where your money has been spent.
For more details and directions to the centre just outside Rojales visit www.easyhorsecare.net
Source: theleader.info
