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
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