a disturbing notication has arrived

EMWSanctuaries

EMWSanctuaries

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 July 2006
Messages
199
Location
Herefordshire and Powys
www.equinemarketwatch.org.uk
Author : Ekaterina Lomeiko (IP: 91.77.8.137 ,
>> ppp91-77-8-137.pppoe.mtu-net.ru)
>> E-mail : hill75@hotmail.com
>> URL : http://www.equihelp.ru
>> Whois : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=91.77.8.137
>> Comment:
>> Dear colleagues!
>>
>> I am writing on behalf of EquiHelp - the Russian Society for Protection of
>> Horses, as well as of many Russian horse lovers. We very much need your
>> help with the following problem:
>>
>> There are two Russian guys, Valerii Popov and Ruslan Menschikov, who on
>> March 22nd started a horseback endurance ride from the middle of Russia
>> (Urals) to Paris which will last 157 days in total. There is a seemingly
>> charitable idea behind the voyage - to promote hippotherapy and the
>> Russian breeds of horses. While the idea certainly deserves respect,
>> there are big problems with the horses and the organisation of this trip.
>>
>> One of the horses is a !!! 3-year old mare called Neposeda. Two weeks
>> ago, when the voyagers reached Moscow, we had a chance to look at her and
>> see that she is in a very bad condition. She was exhausted and had
>> definite pains in her back and loins. After about 500 km from the start
>> point she also had a bad leg injury while crossing a river, which only was
>> cared for after several days, when she appeared to have high temperature.
>> Her rider in a private talk admitted that she might not make it to Paris
>> and that he personnaly is ashamed of riding her but can not do anything
>> about it.
>>
>> Here are her photos, made in the middle of May
>> http://photofile.ru/photo/osh/115100791/large/118024779.jpg
>> http://photofile.ru/photo/osh/115100791/large/118024799.jpg
>> http://photofile.ru/photo/osh/115100791/large/118024821.jpg
>>
>>
>> The other horse, a stallion called Kombat, was in a better condition but
>> his hooves, for example, haven't been cared for about 6 months - this is
>> the opinion of a farrier who looked at them.
>>
>> The riders do not carry any food for the horses with them, there is no car
>> to accompany them, they rely on stables which they meet on their way for
>> food and shelter, but many stables don't risk to let them in as the horses
>> look really sick.
>>
>> By now the horses and their riders are already in Poland. Their further
>> route will be through Drezden and Stutgard to Paris (They are moving along
>> the road which connects Moscow-Minsk-Warsaw-Drezden-Stutgard-Paris. In
>> Stutgard there is planned to be an award ceremony for them by the National
>> Award Academy which will be held in the residence of a Russian-German
>> Society named after Ekaterina Pavlovna, the Queen of Württemberg (that's
>> what was announced here in Russia).
>>
>> Somewhere on the way after that the mare will be left in one of German
>> orphan home for children with disabilities, while the stallion will move
>> to Paris to finish the journey at Eifel Tower and then get back to
>> Russia...
>>
>> We have tried to stop them here, but didn't succeed, as, unfortunately,
>> the problem of animal welfare is not at all a priority for the Russian
>> government and society. Mass media here presents this journey as a noble
>> deed. We do not have many opportunities to track the situation further,
>> while they are in Europe. We can now only hope that some of the European
>> horse welfare organisations could do something to help the horses and stop
>> this mindless cruelty. We don't think that making horses suffer is an
>> appropriate way to promote Russian horses or to help children with
>> disabilities.
>>
>> The sponsor of the whole event is a Russian meat-processing plant
>> "Veles"... Hopefully the horses do not end up there after this journey!
>>
>> If you could somehow trace the situation and raise the issue if you find
>> the conditions of this event as unappropriate as they look to us - may be
>> it will make some people in Russia understand that this is not the way of
>> treating horses and obtain popularity!
>>
>> Thank you very much for your attention!
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Ekaterina Lomeiko
>> The Society for Protection of Horses "EquiHelp"
>> Moscow, Russia
>> www.equihelp.ru
>Surely something can be done for these horses
 
this almost defies belief. just how stupid and cruel are these 2 men?
i have no idea what can be done, but am happy to make a donation if something can.
if it was left to me, of course, it would probably be to pay a local sniper to put 2 bullets in the riders...!
 
This is really frightening........

It demonstrates a total lack of understanding of welfare needs on any level. If nothing is done as these guys traverse the EU, it sends out the message that we see nothing wrong in what they're doing.
Even more scary, is that they probably don't see what is wrong in their actions either...... I know the welfare issues regarding the international event horses from those regions is questionable. I think it may well be an education problem though.
I wonder if the larger welfare bodies have read about this, or whether we should fire off this email to them en masse......
 
Such a cute mare too
frown.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
if it was left to me, of course, it would probably be to pay a local sniper to put 2 bullets in the riders...!

[/ QUOTE ]

I would suggest it might be kinder to use another bullet into the 3 year old mare. God only knows what sort of permanent damage has been done to something that shouldn't even have been backed yet!
 
Perhaps the Long Riders Guild would get involved - and they may have some contacts who could dissuade these riders.
I will see if I can find a contact number/details for them...
S
grin.gif


ETA: Have now e-mailed Longriders Guild to see if they can do anything...
 
Apart from the welfare issues, what mind numbing stupidity went into deciding to do this ride on a stallion and a mare??? Once again we realise that our horses are so very well cared for in the UK. Having witnessed the unbelievable poverty in Russia, I can understand why these people set out with nothing. I am not sure this is a charity ride, possibly a hunt for an escape route! Whatever, I hope there is a welfare organisation which can help the horses and educate the riders.
 
Hmmm. Is there any further verification that this isn't actually just a hoax? I've googled this, along with the names, and I can't get anything back, but it sounds very suspect to me. All the usual emotive hype with pictures. I wouldn't be sending any money anywhere (or getting upset) until I knew more.
 
That is very disturbing, and I think it should be taken seriously.

I have also copy pasted the letter to the BBC International news team, in the hope that they may investigate, and bring the plight of these horses to a wider audience.

Many thanks for bringing this to our attention. Please pm me if there is anything else we can do...
 
Just passing this on if it helps a little - World Horse Welfare have said

"We not have any projects currently running in Russia so as a result we do not have any relationships with other organizations in the country. We do however have contacts in France who we will alert to this story so that if and when they reach Paris they may be able to intervene."

Emma
 
Paris by the look of it may be too late.. how disappointing...and tragic. Our best hope is the news chanels and the euro MP's then...what of the WAHO...they surely should be able to help with this. Our own contacts in France are willing to intervene but the hope was this would get stopped before tha time is reached.
 
I agree. I cannot find a Polish rescue organization, in fact am struggling to locate any non UK rescue organizations who may be able to intervene before they get to France. As you say the Euro MP's and press may help but again how quickly?
 
Well, here are the problems that mark this out as a prototypical internet hoax - and for the sake of the horses involved, I hope I am right: There is mention of a "National Award Academy which will be held in the residence of a Russian-German Society named after Ekaterina Pavlovna, the Queen of Württemberg". Sounds very impressive and notable, yet there is nothing online, so how are supporters meant to know or to be there to cheer them on? Surely they would publicise this trip if their intent was to, well, publicise Russian breeds? If they are being published in the Russian mass media as heroes, why aren't either of their names mentioned in full, together, online, anywhere, let alone in any online Russian newspaper sites? I can't find anything about it on the Russian site, EquiHelp - is there a direct link to the page in question? I can't find any connection between the name 'Ekaterina Lomeiko' and EquiHelp either. Nor can I even find evidence of a Russian meat processing plant called Veles. The photos could be of any horse - it's not clear that this is even a mare, and typically pictures like this are tacked onto hoaxes to 'verify' them.

I'm not arguing this point to be irritating; I am arguing it because there are too many hoax emails out there burying genuine calls for help, and this has a lot of classic hoax hallmarks - vague details, emotive language, no 'anchors' in the real world, horrible but unsubstantiated pictures, etc. If you have any contacts within EquiHelp or any other organisations that could verify the truth of this, I think that should be the very first port of call rather than resorting to the age-old 'send it to everyone in your address book' scenario. After all, there is another thread on here already today demonstrating the nature of misinformation very quickly getting out of hand, much to the distress of others.
 
My OH works for McAfee, and has lots of experience with hoax emails. In his opinion, this is a genuine message.

If you google the senders name, you will notice that the topic is being discussed at length on Russian forums too. Here is a translated link:
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?...%3DQzg%26sa%3DG

It's not beyond comprehension that a meat processing plant may be called Veles, being that in the old sources Velez is the patron of domestic animals (cattle god)...
 
With all respect to your OH, what are his reasons for viewing this as genuine?

Googling without filtering, using the search term "Ekaterina Lomeiko" (with quotes) brings up twenty-three hits (at present). Seven point back to this thread in HHO, one points to a similar thread in the IDHG forum, and the remainder constitute the thread in the Russian forum. Now, whilst I fully acknowledge that just because I can't find 'Veles' doesn't mean that there is no meat processing plant anywhere in Russia with that name, it does seem very odd that I can't find anything else, not "Ekaterina Lomeiko", ["Valerii Popov" and "Ruslan Menschikov"], ["National Award Academy" and "Ekaterina Pavlovna"], nor any mention whatsoever of this incident outside of HHO, IDHG and the Russian forum. Yet this is supposed to be a Russian breeds publicity stunt - so where is the publicity? And they are supposedly being hyped up as heroes in the Russian press - so where are the stories? In the gentlest way possible, discussion of this topic by other forums lends no further credibility to this text. I continue to think that it would be far better to ascertain the validity of this from ILPH or similar first before making any snap decisions to 'forward' (or 'delete').
 
With due respect, are you googling in Russian text?
If you search as hard as I did last evening, you WILL find Russian articles about this expedition, with accompanying photos of the men riding the horses, and yes the mare is the emaciated wretch you may see in the provided links above (well, she certainly has the same markings etc). Perhaps I shall take some time to translate the articles later, so you may be convinced...Not having Russian keys on this Dutch laptop doesn't make it too easy, but I'll give it a shot.
 
I'm not using Russian text, no, but I'd made the leap that if this was promoting Russian breeds outside of Russia, i.e. within Europe, then the promotional material would be written at least in the Romanic alphabet, even if not in English, and names generally translate intact. Perhaps the easiest thing would be to post a couple of links to the pages with pictures that you've found? I can readily sort out translation myself (a perk of being a linguist in a large languages university).

ETS: Have actually gone ahead and emailed ILPH. It seems a far simpler method of clearing this up.
 
ILPH were alerted within 2 hours of us receiving this notification chillidragon. Unfortunately they are as hands tied as we are as have no one that far east to even check this out...the horses, if this is Kosher ( unfortunate term maybe) are doomed to carry on, there appears to be no one who can or has the wherewithall to save them.
If it is a scam, and I hope for the sake of the horses, it is...then how sad to start such a rumour, if it isn't then G*d help the poor horses.
ILPH (WHW) have the ability to intervene in France, as do EMW but that may be far too late...I know 2 horses suffering in a world full of horror and negelct and abuse isn't of utmost importance but the message being conveyed is that it's fine to work an animal to death...for what? to raise awareness of abuse/neglect/wrong doings? what a terrible way to pass that message on..
 
Agreed, I've received the same email this morning:

<font color="brown">Hi Claire

We did get this email and I wrote to Ekaterina explaining that we do not have the resources or the contacts to investigate her claim. I suggested that she contact WSPA as they have member societies in a lot of countries all over the world and although these member societies may not be horse ones they may have contacts in Europe. She wrote back to me saying that she would. I think she has contacted everybody that she could find on the internet as I did receive a call from the Blue Cross who had received the same email.

I hope this helps.
Kind regards
Sue</font>

Oh well. I guess time will tell the validity of it.
 
To: Ekaterina Lomeiko – Equi Help Russia
From: CuChullaine O’Reilly – The Long Riders’ Guild
Subject: Russian riders making unethical journey
CC: Horse &amp; Hound Internet Community

Dear Ekaterina,

CuChullaine O’Reilly of The Long Riders’ Guild, writing via the Horse &amp; Hound website so as to update you, and our equestrian comrades in the United Kingdom, regarding The Guild’s attempts to ascertain the situation in which two Russian riders appear to be involved in an unethical equestrian journey.

Upon receipt of your enquiry, as well as the arrival of the immediate follow-up message from Mor in England, The Guild contacted one of its most respected Members, the Scottish Long Rider legend, Gordon Naysmith.
(http://www.thelongridersguild.com/Founders.htm)

In the early 1970s, Gordon rode an astonishing 14,000 non-stop miles from South Africa to Austria so as to attend the 1972 Olympics. His tale is recounted in his riveting book, The Will to Win. Gordon is, therefore, an excellent judge of equestrian exploration, a seasoned Long Rider – and most importantly – currently resides in Poland.
(http://www.horsetravelbooks.com/africa.htm#naysmith)

Thus, once The Guild was informed of the situation, we immediately contacted Gordon, requesting him to notify the Polish officials so as to ascertain the condition of the horses in question, and if he deemed it necessary, to take whatever legal steps he considered prudent.

Gordon has emailed Guild HQ to share this message.

“As I am living near Warsaw I have asked friends in the Polish horse fraternity to see what can be done to find these horses. I have now been told that the police have been asked to report two riders along the route you suggested. When we know where they are, then members of the Polish Carriage Association will be asked to investigate. As soon as I hear anything I will inform Guild HQ. As a Long Rider it will be my duty to assist.”

Consequently, The Guild is awaiting further word from Gordon.

In the meantime, I believe it is important to share several important cultural clues which might explain why these two Russians have undertaken their ride to Paris.

What most modern riders have forgotten is that the roots of modern equestrian travel began in Russia. This occurred in the spring of 1889 when Lieutenant Mikhaïl Vassilievitch Asseyev made a ride of nearly 2,000 non-stop kilometres from Kiev to Paris. He used two mares and travelled à la Turkmene, i.e. riding one horse till noon, then allowing that unencumbered horse to trot alongside as its companion was ridden in the second part of the day.

Though Asseyev made astonishing time, that is not why he was adored by the French horse world. Upon reaching the newly constructed Eiffel Tower, the French government hailed the Russian as a hero, not because he had completed such a difficult and dangerous journey, but because Asseyev’s horses were in such extraordinary condition !

Though they had just completed 1,646 miles in 33 days, the mares looked magnificent. For his bravery, and their courage, the Russian Long Rider was presented with a gold medal by the French government.

Here is a link to a story featured on The Long Riders’ Guild website which explains how Asseyev made his remarkable trip.
(http://www.thelongridersguild.com/Asseyev.htm)

Nor is that Russia’s only contribution to equestrian exploration history.

Soon after Asseyev completed his journey, another Cossack officer named Dmitri Peshkov set off to on an equestrian expedition which was even more amazing. Mounted on a diminutive Yakut horse named Seriy, this Cossack Long Rider rode more than five thousand miles from Siberia to St. Petersburg. Upon their arrival, Peshkov was celebrated as a hero by the Czar, while the little Siberian pony was adopted by the royal Russian children.

Here is Peshkov’s inspiring story.
(http://www.thelongridersguild.com/serko-film.htm)

Nor is Russia’s equestrian history confined to the past.

One of The Long Riders’ Guild’s most esteemed Members is Vladimir Fissenko, the modern Russian Long Rider who made an extraordinary 19,000 mile ride from the southern tip of Patagonia to the top of Alaska.
(http://www.thelongridersguild.com/membersfg.htm)

With such a dramatic and inspirational equestrian past, we may discover that the two Russian travellers, who are currently causing so much concern, may have been motivated to ride to Paris because of Asseyev’s previous journey.

Yet regardless of their motivation, no equestrian traveller should ever continue their journey if their mount is in pain or suffering. As any Long Rider will tell you, whereas The Guild was formed to encourage people to undertake a life-changing equestrian journey, such a trip must never come at the expense of the mount or pack horse.

That is why The Long Riders’ Guild maintains a Hall of Shame wherein are listed those equestrians who have violated the trust of their horses and the public. One prominent associate of this dubious collection is the notorious horse-killer named Francis Aubry, who rode a series of horses to death in his bid to race across America.

When The Guild learned that a modern endurance ride had been formed to re-enact this deplorable equestrian event ride, our organization informed the press and the leaders of the American horse world, the result being that all references to Aubry were dropped by the modern endurance race organizers.
(http://www.thelongridersguild.com/shame.htm)

Consequently, in reference to the Russian situation at hand, The Long Riders’ Guild is preparing to alert our Members in Germany and France as to the possible approach of these two questionable riders. The German Long Rider, and webmaster of The Guild’s German language sister website, can be counted on to lend his assistance should an unethical ride enter his country. Moreover, our sister website in France will also come into play. Plus, the famous French Long Rider, Jean Louis Gourard, who rode from Paris to Moscow, will also help this international effort.
(http://www.weitreitergilde.de/) (http://www.worldtrailrides.com/)

The Long Riders’ Guild would like to assure the public that anyone undertaking an unethical equestrian journey will soon discover that the equestrian explorers who belong to our organization will be the first to protect the horses and defend the public’s trust.

<font color="black"> </font> As Gordon Naysmith, or any of the other Long Riders in 39 countries, can tell you, being a Long Rider is more than just a matter of miles. It is a question of honour, dignity and behaviour and ours is an equestrian brotherhood which rises above personal interest and never sacrifices our horses for the sole motive of personal glory.

In closing, The Guild will update you, Ekaterina, as well as the readership of Horse &amp; Hound, as this investigation progresses. Anyone possessing additional information about this ride is urged to contact me at Guild HQ - longriders@thelongridersguild.com

Kind regards,
CuChullaine O’Reilly F.R.G.S.

www.thelongridersguild.com
www.lrgaf.org
www.horsetravelbooks.com
www.classictravelbooks.com
 
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