FarmingAnimals

These are pictures of a cattle operation in my neighbourhood, that has been an... Well, other cattle farmers just roll their eyes and shake their heads.. Right, Fern? This is another one of those pesky borderline cases.

Horses are chickens are cows are pigs are sheep are ducks are...Dogs and cats are, too.

There are no laws on the books to prevent any animal from living in it's own excrement 24/7. None. Zero, zip, nada. I'm going to re-post the link to the documentary, Food Inc.
Please watch it. Food Inc.

Paddy quotes in the previous comments:
"from the Ontario code of Practice from the 1980 Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. It states that one of the basic elements for horse comfort is the "opportunity for reasonable movement". This article also said adhering to the Code is voluntary,".
Yeah, you don't have to, if you don't want to.
If you don't want to, it is not illegal.

I've said, since I started typing out into the atmosphere, that humane treatment is possible, in all animals. Even slaughter-bound animals. Especially slaughter-bound animals.
I will never say that horses can NOT be slaughtered. Not my job to stop someone else's business. If that business ever disappears, I will indeed rejoice.

I'll continue to advocate for humane treatment for them all. ALL animals. Not just horses.
Horses are chickens...

Animals will be eaten. As they have been, for kabillions of years. Okay, lots of years. More than I've been around, anyway. Yes, ThaT long.

Horses are chickens. Okay, turkeys. You see, they are all animals, and all animals have to hope we will care for them properly, voluntarily.

OH, and I saw a commercial for antihistamines.. The example for a pet, was of course, a beeyootiful grey horsie. Lying placidly, his legs all tucked under him, on a mound of straw. His owner curled beside him. Throwing a blankie over him. Tucking him in for the night. I love reality based advertising...

Horses are often considered pets. My current rule of being able to carry my pet in an emergency precludes me from owning 800 pounds plus.

Horse owners would do well to stop the insistence that horses are pets, and as such are precluded from slaughter. Horses should be included in the list of animals always treated humanely, to a standard that can ensure health, both physical and mental. I don't think it's too much too ask.
But I could be wrong.

I feel like I'm living beside, and in the neighbourhood of, the Anti-Temples of the world.

Horses are chickens. For some reason, that mantra calms me right down.

WrongIsStillRight

This will be my last update for awhile, in regards to equines in automobile facilities. Pick up an issue of "HarrowSmith Country Life" and you'll see super expensive cars in a perfectly renovated gleaming "barn".

I guess the universe is balanced.

With the Derby coming and all, one wouldn't want to stir up too much umbrage against an already faltering industry. I wonder, I do, if they ever could go a little backwards, towards not breaking them until 3, not racing until 4, what would happen?

Would that tarnished image ever go away? I worked for one day, at the age of 18, at Windfields barn in Oshawa. I began my general dislike of the industry then. And that was Windfields, people, they did it perfectly right. Justabit too soon. The money, always back to the money. The volume required, to get that super-star, that fleetest of foot. The sheer volume of babies appalled me. It reminded me of my foreboding about people. There just seemed to be far too MANY of them.

I want to clear up a misconception, that kestrel made on the FHOTD Review.
The Racing Industry did not sell him into that garage. The Hunter-Jumper Industry did. In my eyes, the Wal-Mart horse/general economy put him there.

Meanwhile, BuffaloBob is in his back yard is climbing on His baby horsie. Heck, they do it to runners, don't they? Ayup, they do.

I will also repeat a comment I deleted on the Review, as it seemed to be lost in the cacophony of the FHOTD ire. Which I mostly get. I didn't start reading her because I disagreed with everything she said.
If you had a choice, which would you choose, as a neighbour? FHOTD, or my nightmare?
Seriously. This nightmare I have is EXACTLY why I am so tolerant of others ideas of humane. I'm living beside the lowest standard, sorry, NO standard.

I wish the horse and the neighbour the best of luck. I hope the horse does NOT end up the way I predict. Please, please. The woman is the very model of what we've done to poor, maybe challenged people. We've marginalized them, laughed at them, abused them. What right does this woman have to own animals/horses? The very same as you or me.

Believe me, please. I have Tried to "love thy ...". Didn't get me very far.

If this woman had been shown enough kindness, early enough, she could have ended as my cousin has, maybe living in a group home, safe. Maybe. And/Or out working, honestly. She has a good enough intellect to understand how to work our system to her advantage.
She has a "flip" side to her that frightens me. She's probably slightly mentally-ill. (Hey, who isn't??) She puts on an act of mentally slow. I do not think she is that slow. She has no means of support that we can see. But an extension of goodwill is met with a "taking over". My, place. My life. Any rebuttal is met with disbelief. She's like the SeaGulls in "Finding Nemo". MInE? miNe?

Where her mare is kept, the kindly couple have initiated horse-eviction proceedings, wide-eyed and horrified they even have to do such a thing. They are nice people. They did a nice thing. That mare is now safe, up to and including 30 days after the registered letter is RECEIVED. The kindly couple are required by law to feed the animal now. Not just out of kindness, which they've been doing for two years, whenever they'd notice the mare wasn't fed..
I have such disgust for the cruelty this woman has wrought upon another bunch of nice People.
Try getting a registered letter to someone who is never home at the same time each day. Ever.

The seller, (H/J industry) thinks I'm the NutBar. How could I say such things about another horsey human being? One who obviously loves horses, old Chief was very friendly to her in the field. Well, he's never met this woman before. Look at his face below. That's fear hinting through, people. And of course, I over anthropomorphize, with my FOOLISH notion, that horses should be allowed to have movement and fresh air.

Oh, of Course, he does! Neighbour says so. It must be true. Never have seen any more hoof sign. He never has to leave that stall. At all. That is legal. OSPCA got quite shrill about it. Not that I wasn't being totally nutso myself, the police had just called me. (Did I tell you that story?) Cannot remember.

I truly hope everything goes well. It's just that my husband and I have watched this terrible cycle for close to 20 years. This woman has done this to (almost) everyone in this VERY horsey community, (only the mostly lah-dee-dah of them ALL) except of course to the seller.

She was helpful to the kindly older couple for almost a year? Then, it became Her Place, and they were the renters. She came over at all hours, or did not come at all. They asked her to look after the property last fall, when they came back, the shite was to the rafters. These are tidy, clean, nice people. They know NOTHING about horses, but they know the horse in the garage is wrong, and they want the horse on their property OUT, because where mare is staying, is also wrong, to them.
It isn't illegal, though.

The kindly couple asked her to move the mare last October. The mare's pasture fencing has been removed. Her pen is now just the cattle's pen. About as big as a 10meter circle. Three strides or so. It's a palace, compared to...

I have been told by the OSPCA that there is nothing they can do, of course. The horse is not in distress. Woman had the vet in to see him yesterday, husband reported.
I received a note from the seller (H/J) saying only "Hi. Chief is for sale for $500.00"
I answered, could you???? I was ready to get him, right then and there, as you all will have guessed.

H/J seller replied later "Oh, sorry, I am not selling him. Somebody saw an ad at the track. I called Woman, she said the ad was misread, he is not for sale. She had the vet there for coggins and shots, said the horse seemed very happy".
I didn't ask if SHE had been by to visit him. Why bother?
I smell a bit of a set-up. I have to back away, and go back to life with an invisible neighbour, and now, an invisible horse.
For all I know, this IS a set-up, neighbour's going to sell him for enough to pay off enough debt that she can move the mare, into the garage. Let's just see what happens though, okay?
Same bat-channel, indeed.

That this woman is even in this horse community, convinces me ever more, to stay out. I can't be trying to buy every animal she neglects. I'm not dripping cash, who is??
The attitude that barn help isn't worth the horse owners time of day is really starting to bite 'em in the arse. Looks good on the wealthy fools. Quality Shite-Shovelers of the World, Unite!!

Thanks for being there with me, my dearest, most patient reader. I warned you about her, way back when, when I was being a PITA on the FHOTD comments. Yeah, it could be worse, I said. It could always be worse.

I'm so sorry as well, that Chief's story is so disjointed. I've posted quite a bit more on the Chronicle forum, but I'm done, now.

This story IS hard to follow, and I'm living it. It's so ridiculous, that it's nothing else but true. Hard to write the book when the story ain't finished yet. It never does, and MAN, would I like it to!!!

My dogs will be very happy with me for this step back. I have not been able to focus on them the way they deserve,for 22 days. Thank you, Sunshine. Distractions are an excellent technique.
Back to my life.

Still sans cheval.

Over and out.

TooManyDays

Can you see the new expression on his face? These were taken yesterday, I couldn't see him today, too late, and too dark, now. Like his life. No, hasn't been out, anywhere. Neighbour has opened the garage door a little more. Wouldn't want the horse getting too much air.

"Are you kidding me?"

16days

My Rant on the Webs, which I forgot to post here. Duh. Told ya I was beat. Snivel.

"My neighbour has a TB Stallion in her garage. Check my blog for full story/updates, but suffice it to say, he needs help, and it may not happen in a timely fashion, for the horse. Neighbour likes to keep animals in that amorphous "borderline" state.
Has food, water, shelter. That's about it.

Cleanliness, turn-out, fresh air/water, no, not part of being humane. That is inhumane. That is what's missing from those laws. Animals must have enrichment & Cleanliness!!! How long will it take for that kind old gentleman,with his infinite patience, as he stands, and cribs and cribs and cribs and cribs. Paces his justenough perimeter. Gazes out the screenless sunny window. Wishes for horses. Wishes for his old life back, soft grass underfoot, after training/racing for almost half his life.

Now on concrete, and a thin layer of filthy straw, 23.75/24. She'll have it half-arsed clean for the OSPCA if/when they show up again. She'll "procure" her next bale of straw. I've called several more times. What else can I do? Part of the helplessly angry world, that's me? Why can't OSPCA do more? More quickly, so the animal doesn't get hurt or worse? Why is Dire Straits the only actionable offense? No idea. But it's wrong, wrong, wrong."

Fern Valley's Most Excellent Letter.
To whom it may concern;
I have grave concerns about the “minimum standard of care” for horses in the OSPCA guidelines. In particular, Appalachian Chief, who is currently housed in a garage in (location).
While the horse owner is apparently meeting the minimum standard, I feel that the bar has been set far too low.

He is currently receiving no turnout and inadequate exercise.

Is the garage floor dirt or concrete? Both pose risks to the horse health in that a dirt floor, without taking the horse out for several hours per day, will never adequately dry, regardless of how often it is cleaned. This puts the horse at very real risk of thrush and other hoof conditions.

Concrete on the other hand is in fact difficult to manage for dryness as well and traction can become a huge issue. The risks are inherent to the horse's situation for injury due to falling, or joint issues with standing on such an unforgiving surface long term are obvious.

The issue of turnout, is possibly not the greatest issue if the horse is receiving adequate exercise, by that I don’t mean 5-10 min on a longe line, but rather hand walking, a minimum of 20 min possibly followed by longing. At the risk of anthropomorphizing the horse, imagine yourself standing in a small area 90% of your day, then being forced to run in circles, the simple torque on muscles and joints alone again can lead to long term issues for the horse.

Include the fact this horse is of a higher energy breed, the issue of safety for the handler becomes greater the longer he is left so poorly managed. He is becoming a dedicated cribber which can lead to colic, also dental damages. This individual has clearly not made much effort to meet the creature comforts of this horse so far, is it really likely she will adequately manage a “hard keeper” in his later years (should he survive that long)?

I am given to understand the horse has been purchased as a breeding stallion, the lack of natural light will also negatively impact the horse potency, (which in the care he is receiving at present may not be a negative. I would be saddened to see this individual as the primary steward for a mare and foal).

If this is considered to be meeting the “minimums standard of care required"? How sad for the animals. I strongly believe the reactive approach of Animal control organizations must change. Education, and active policing BEFORE these situations get out of hand and the horses/animals suffer a catastrophic event, should be the reality. Not this slow, painful slide into starvation and extreme neglect.

Thanks, Fern. I needed that.



I figure he's losing about five pounds or so a day. And I've decided to stop posting tiny pics. Poop on you guys with wonky computers. Not My problem. That's what I like about Blogger, for goodness sakes!

If they take forever to load, think about how slowly he's losing weight. I think it's only fair to load the biggest, most detailed pictures possible. That way, you can tell me I'm worrying too much, and he hasn't lost weight/condition. Looks like he's getting taller, too, doesn't it? Shite builds up, ya know.

Oh, how I wish I could wake up and say "April Fool's"!!! But no, it's real. gah.

Let's all copy and paste Fern's letter, and send it to the OSPCA offices, shall we? Perhaps a copy of PDF Alert, Our Canadian Standards of CARE for HORSES, for goodness sakes!
Link to the OSPCA site has always been in my link list. Let's bother the government too, shall we?? The largest problem with our government is that you have to hire a consultant to get past all the extra verbiage, so mandatory in government and big, badly managed corporations. But, what the heck OMAFRA sure isn't Busy.

The Federal Government sites are brilliant, in that they tell you nothing you couldn't figure out for yourself. Just go to The Federal Site and you'll see what I mean. Or not.

I was thinking about doing some business in the States. It would have cost me $500.00 to find anything of (possible) value out. Poop on ThaT! I do firmly believe in local business, local food, local everything. Logistically, it just makes SENSE. I am an efficiency nutbar.

Hey, nice tangent, Hmmmm? At least I wasn't thinking about him. For a minute.


COTH Forum-
Greys&Bays said "If it bothers you all that much, decide how much it's worth to you to not be bothered, trot over with your wad of cash and make the neighbors an offer they can't refuse to purchase the horse.
Then take the horse out back someplace and shoot him.
Then you won't have to be bothered anymore."

On the equiman forum I infrequent, the thread was locked. Interesting. Calling for a change in laws? Locked. Wow!

Such kind hearts out there in horse internet land. The hardness required in the business? Something I've never really gotten a good handle on, and I have tried. My heart is too big, and soft.
Like my head;)


OH, and I finally watched "Food Inc." JustTrueEnough to be scary as hell.

My husband, a farmer no more, was vociferous in his agreement with 90% of it. He started to quibble about the organic food reporting, but it was quibbling:) Really interesting, absolutely no doubt about it, true enough stuff.

Something I think many of us foresaw. Certainly my husband was railing about it all when I met him, 15billion+ years ago.

Clarifications

Just for the record. I have no problem with the horse being in a garage, it's a nice garage, really. Kinda run-down, like the rest of the place, but basically sound. No cross ventilation, but nice high ceiling. I have no problem with no turn-out, happens all the time, I've learned. But, horse people also know that horses do need exercise. Companionship. That's the problem I have.
Well, that, and the filth, and the...
sigh...

Neighbour has left a longe line in clear view at the door, for my information, I guess. I wish I could find ANY hoof signs to show for it. You see, if you own a longe line, you can say you USE it, even if you don't.
So, that said, and with that withering comment I read from a kind soul on Chronicle of the Horse Forums, man, was US ever right, I will stop thinking about AC for a while.

Happy Thoughts, Jethro!

Have you ever wondered why a car named Infiniti doesn't last forever? What other lies are built into our advertising, hmmmm? Lots of it is just background noise for me, I "tune it out" as a mental exercise. But when names don't reflect real time, I reallly start to wonder. Don't they know what infinity means? Have the advertising suits completely lost their minds?

Have you noticed that "oily hair" shampoo has now become extinct? NO-ONE has oily hair any more, except, apparently, me. How many gallons of water have I saved, I wonder, by refusing to believe that I HAVE to shower EVERY day?? I know I've rattled on about this before, but one of the privileges of ancient wisdom is you get to repeat yourself, and no-one cares:)
I'm starting to consider trying dog shampoos. Surely they need to get cleaner? I have to run out of my current useless shampoo supply, though.

I do stuff like this to 1) off-set my carbon footprint, which is bery big, 2) Annoy the heck out of kid sister. Her eyes practically stalk at some of the outfits I will appear in, in public:)
My hair, she just wishes for my hair;) I "banged" it a week ago, and did my bangs myself, too. It looks, um, hand-cut:)
Well, it is! Who cares, I say. Never have cared, either, really. Oh, I thought I was uber-ooogly, like everyone does, but after that, I realized outsides don't matter, and I quit looking in the mirror. Well, unless I Had to.

I drive my husband crazy, by refusing to use the garden tractor & trailer for gardening, preferring the wheelbarrow/heavy lifting route. I canoed supplies out to old red dog's memorial site last week. I moved almost a half-ton of mulch onto Daddio's garden last weekend. Work, young lass, work. Never killed anybody.

How about the complete waste of time that advertising can be, in the huger scheme of things? My husband witnessed a signage failure on the weekend. Some pizza joint in Vaughan was having a grand opening. Hired groups of people at street corners, waving black/orange pizza shaped signs, huge blown up lines of action-figures/animal balloons on top of the whole line of strip mall, blah, blah, blah. Husband has no idea what the name of the new pizza joint Is.

Logos seem to change all the time too. Have you noticed? Being an old, cheap, Scot, I do think about changing the old business logo. But then I'd have to change ALL my stationary/printing/stuff. $$$. I think old Coca-Cola has it right. Stick with what sells. It sure DiD sell, in the early days, didn't it? Whooops. Talk about a new generation of CokeHeads. I wonder if the suits are addicted to the old Logo?
Or, scarier thought, WE are?

That's where I get a little worried about all the RedBull I see consumed. How tense do you need to be, to stay upright? (Keep in mind, I'm still a recovering coffffeee addict.)
ramble, ramble, no think-hing...HorseInNeighboursGarage. STOP.

Oh, and Doctor on VetBlog brought up a line of thought I've struggled with, particularly in the last weeks and months... Years.
Something that Karen Robinson also mentioned, in her write-up of the outcome of her blogging about Michael Morrissey & the 13-welted Crelido. Oh, what a nice horse.

Keep the Context..
I always try to keep whatever "plight" I happen to be in, in context to what other people go through, or are going through. My goodness, couldn't my life be worse!
Same with his situtation. So far, he's been quiet as a church mouse in there, except for the cribbing. It could be worse. I know.

I also think I do use my animals to avoid dealing with people. TOTALLY. Like, no, not hourly.
well, maybe...
Still thinking on that one.

Oh, My Dog, I almost forgot!! This news is the absolute worst, ever.

WORST.

Ready?? Are you sitting down??






Rush is getting back together.
Blech.

Apalachian Chief

Here's His Pedigree.

His granddaddy. Man, what a nice horse. Who doesn't know that name? Bold Ruckus.

At least I can tell you his name, right? He deserves that, at least? A Thoroughbred Stallion deserves to be called something other than "Horse In Neighbour's Garage".

Here's what comes up on a google search. Won good races as a two & three year old, retired sound. (Purportedly.)

The Racing Stable that sold him to the seller (stay with me), described his right hind marking.
Like this.

Pretty sure the horse can't sue me for IDing him. Apalachian Chief was asking a $2K stud fee in 2006. These are the sad times for the TB industry. It was not the TB industry that sold him into that garage. It was the Hunter/Jumper Industry. Way To Go:(

I checked him on April 9th, noticed his old, but newly hung, hay-net was empty, as we passed by on our doggie walk. On the way back, he'd knocked down his partition/panel/thing, and was working on the bale Neighbour had left out of reach. That's how I got the shot of his right hind. I'd post the pictures of the fence posts she has lying outside, with the nails sticking out, but it's moot. Apalachian Chief has gotten about a 1000 feet of outside exercise, if I'm really generous.

I haven't found anymore tracks than that. I'm a good horse tracker, especially on ground I walk every day. I've hoped to find more hoof sign. Nothing.

He's dirty, and his eyes are taking on a sheen I can't photograph, you'll just have to believe me that it's there. The second picture is today. He's cribbing ferociously. Desperately. But that's just me, feeling that, I'm sure.

Interesting, as a behavioural aside. He didn't crib at all, for three days. Patient soul. He has the loveliest, kindest large eye, a wise eye. A sensible eye. An eye that is starting to show fear of the future. Can it always be like this? Horses know days...

Aye, aye, aye...
I am raising a ruckus, the only way I know how.
To Apalachian Chief.
For Horses.

GreatGreenGobsbegatsFlipFlailingFierce

Pictures by genius kid sister, I don't know how she gets this odd-colour photo effect from that little black thing she's always tapping on. "Our" pond hasn't been that blue since I last dyed it, about three-four years ago.


Further Better Friday Tales

Dearest Flip just happened to come across some ginormous gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts today, she was SO happy. Flip was slimed from right ear to right hip. Yummy. Anybody remember the rest of the words to that silly childhood song? They've disappeared from my hardware. Or is that software? It's wared out, I know that:)

My sister, her BF and Millie the wonder dog then came over for romps in the pond. On my request, BF dunked Flip in the pond. He picked her up, and plunked her in. Where it was deep. It was either that, or a bath. I think Flip knew this, and even though all of our hearts stopped when she went under for one brief second, she thrashed her way back to shore, much cleaner, and therefore made humans happier. Flip didn't even hold it against us, as she knew she'd gotten out of the bath. Her swimming is so, so bad. Her legs don't even move in a normal sequence, she just Flails. She tries to climb out of water.
We tried other less shocking ways to get her to swim first, don't think I'm TOO mean. I've successfully pushed her away from shore, using the canoe, so she had to have a swim (three whole strokes, whooHOO!). But she was tooo wise for that schtick, so, a dunking had to ensue. My bathroom doesn't need to get any dirtier.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter!

I'll still be here, fuming. There's STILL a frickin' horse in that garage...

BADfriday

Y'all who've read me for awhile have heard me loathe my neighbour. I know, being the nice, conciliatory person I am, you'd think I could get along with my neighbour. This "person", using the term loosely, has been a psycho since she'd moved into the illegal cabin next door, for the summer, twenty+ years ago. My landlord was Just here, looking for her, she never pays her rent, never returns calls. I HatE her. Y'all know that. She hATes me. And I tried for many years to make this not a sad fact. But it is.

GUESS what. The worst, the absolute worst has happened. Deeeep breath.
She has moved a TB Stallion into her garage. A stable whose name I know pretty well, dropped off the horse yesterday afternoon, but I didn't see him until today.

I didn't know about him until today. Took my dogs for a walk, happened to glance at the garage, with HOOF prints leading up to the door... Couldn't go in and touch him, door is of course locked. And of course, he is her private property. I could be charged if I go in and see him. She'd call the police so fast..

sigh.
fcuk.
I phoned the stable owner immediately, and gave her an earful. She's asked me not to mention her, as I warned her that her reputation will fly right out the window, if this gets out.

Guess what Two. Neighbour from hell wants to breed her mare, kept elsewhere. Told stable owner that she's going to breed her new stallion to her mare. Why stallion can't go to where mare is, is obvious to me. Mare is probably living in a couple of fifty gallon drums somewhere. I told ya about the lambs she kept in milk-crates? yeah.

I guess I have to sleuth this out. Seems to me Neighbour did not want stable owner to see where mare was. No kidding. Stable Owner tells me the horse was saved from the knacker.

And you WONDER why I'd rather they were put down??
THIS PSYCHO thing COULD OWN YOUR HORSE.

Oh, CRAP, I have to go outside and breathe. What a beautiful day, wasted, a horse is on my property, not owned by me, shut in a garage, like ALL of her animals, for 24/7. Neighbour told stable owner that she had paddocks. Liar. Said she'd build paddocks, and ride/longe him every day, and breed him to her mare. The only place she could build a paddock, is on another property. NOT this one. I know, you're thinking, hey, it could be great! No, it couldn't. This person is who I based my nutbar in my fiction on. She bad. Born to be bad.
Bad to the Bone.

Stable Owner SO has promised to check on TB Stallion, dark bay, about 16.1, a little thin (because he's been breeding?? according to SO). Fcuking right. If she doesn't, well, you'll ALL get to find out who she is!!

Frying pan to fire. Poor bugger. He looks absolutely adorable.

AAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

sorry. I will go shoot myself now.
and e-mail my landlord.
and cry.

I need a shower again.
scrub off my anger.

grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Update:
April 4th, and he's cribbing. He's been in that garage since Thursday.