when is a 'rescue' really a rescue?

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stormox

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There seem to be so many 'rescued' horses mentioned in posts and on FB groups,I wonder what people would class as a rescue. It seems that people who buy a skinny horse at a sale call it 'rescued from a sale', when I would class it as bought. 'rescued from the gypseys', my 'rescued ex racer' 'rescued from the meat-man' and so on.
Are they just horses in rather poor condition, or from lower class dealers or sales, that people have bought, or real 'rescue' cases?
 
I call a rescue one which I have physically rescued myself ie removed from immediate danger or removed legally from real neglect as part of my daily duties. I don't class buying or taking a horse from sales or the meatman as rescuing in any shape or form and I find it insulting to those who truly rescue animals in danger. I actually consider doing that as fuelling the crisis that we are in at the moment.
 
Rescued from a life of neglect and sometimes near death. If you look at rescue centres you will be surprised at how the horses got there. Many are bought from the auctions in a disgraceful state. In my book it doesn't matter where they came from they have been rescued from having a life of hell to a better life with care and love.
 
Moomin1 said:
I call a rescue one which I have physically rescued myself ie removed from immediate danger or removed legally from real neglect as part of my daily duties. I don't class buying or taking a horse from sales or the meatman as rescuing in any shape or form and I find it insulting to those who truly rescue animals in danger. I actually consider doing that as fuelling the crisis that we are in at the moment.
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^ This.

I get sick of seeing/hearing about people who have 'rescued' horse via purchase, and actually they look after them not much better themselves in terms feet/worming etc - they just feed them up and think that's ok. Someone I know keeps several as pets (all capable of working however...) and claims that she rescued them, when in fact she paid stupid money to gypsies for naff horses all because they had ragwort in their field.

I'm sure I will get massively shot down for this but IMO if the majority of these 'rescues' were left to the slaughter house, there would be far fewer in future.
 
I get seriously peeved when people day they rescued their horse from a racing yard. Yes the horse isn't carrying much weight - because shock horror! It is fit as a flea! I've never known a horse to win a race carrying enough weight to be a show horse! Racehorses live the life of luxury for the most part. You certainly don't rescue them! A lot of ex-racers that have been 'rescued' from training then go on to need rescued themselves due to the people that have taken them on being completely unable to deal with them.

There is someone one of the same groups as me on FB that says she is a miniature Shetland pony rescue centre - basically she goes and picks up all of the free ponies advertised and buys the 30gns colt foals from the sales.

There are fates worse than death and whilst I do not approve of live transportation and especially how they pile in the shetlands pretty much packed tight there are far too many naf ponies being bred from and thus producing naff at least the meat men are taking them out of the breeding chain.
 
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I have several bought from sales, where the meat man has deliberately refrained from bidding on seeing I was interested (they're nice people, and enjoy 'saving' the odd one themselves). Another was bought at meat price as an underweight, unbroken and difficult 'project'. I don't consider these as rescued, just cheap.

A welsh pony I went to see with a friend (as a riding pony for friend's daughter) turned out to be unbroken, younger than advertised and starving. I bought him (£150), although I didn't want him, because it seemed like a quicker way to help him than reporting the owner. I sent his poo off to the lab and found that he had nothing but sand in his gut, where he'd been chewing soil to get some roots. He was lucky not to colic. I consider that he was rescued.
 
Kaylum said:
Rescued from a life of neglect and sometimes near death. If you look at rescue centres you will be surprised at how the horses got there. Many are bought from the auctions in a disgraceful state. In my book it doesn't matter where they came from they have been rescued from having a life of hell to a better life with care and love.
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I don't know of many reputable rescues who buy from auctions and fill their spaces with bought horses tbh. If they do, then I don't agree with that tbh.
 
pennyturner said:
I have several bought from sales, where the meat man has deliberately refrained from bidding on seeing I was interested (they're nice people, and enjoy 'saving' the odd one themselves). Another was bought at meat price as an underweight, unbroken and difficult 'project'. I don't consider these as rescued, just cheap.
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The meat men aren't all that bad. When they see a 'normal' person bidding on a pony they back off - no point in paying more for something when you can pick up 3 more in it's place cheaper. We have bought a few for minimum bid with the meatman stepping down for that pony.
 
Moomin1 said:
I don't know of many reputable rescues who buy from auctions and fill their spaces with bought horses tbh. If they do, then I don't agree with that tbh.
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Well there was a lovely shire at York in a terrible state and it was bought by Tia. Not to fill their spaces but to help the poor mare have a life again.

You don't like the work EMW do either then? I respect their work personally.

Just because a poor horse ends up in the hands of humans who think its ok to sell them in a hell of a state at auction and a charity helps the animal by buying it, treating it, giving it water, food, shelter, confidence and a life again that's not rescuing it?
 
The people on social media who have rushed to 'rescue' a pony that has been photographed in a bailer twine halter ridden by a big chap drive me mad, they accept there are no vaccinations, no passport, no history of any basic care and actually pay over money to the sellers leaving the seller open to do the same with the next pony possibly with a queue of people disappointed they lost out on the first pony. The sellers know full well that a picture showing any sort of abuse will rocket their ad across social media in hours

yet ponies that have been well bred, passported and looked after fetch as little as £50 or dont sell at the registered pony sales around the country

I do wonder what the motivation of these 'rescuers' is. They often don't have money for livery etc
 
Kaylum said:
Well there was a lovely shire at York in a terrible state and it was bought by Tia. Not to fill their spaces but to help the poor mare have a life again.

You don't like the work EMW do either then? I respect their work personally.

Just because a poor horse ends up in the hands of humans who think its ok to sell them in a hell of a state at auction and a charity helps the animal by buying it, treating it, giving it water, food, shelter, confidence and a life again that's not rescuing it?
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I'm not saying it isn't rescuing that individual animal. I'm saying it's also fueling the problem. When money is exchanged to 'rescue' any animal, it serves only the animal which has been bought not the subsequent ones who continue to pass through the hands of the unscrupulous. But that's just my opinion, and I am aware that many many people 'rescue' horses by paying money for them.
 
Horses that have been seized on veterinarian grounds accompanied by the Police (although that isn't always necessary if owner consents to give horse over), treated where possible (otherwise PTS) and taken to an equine rescue centre when healthy enough for further rehabilitation and re-homing.
 
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"When money is exchanged to 'rescue' any animal, it serves only the animal which has been bought not the subsequent ones"

As far as I can tell, the little pony I bought had fallen foul of a divorce. The husband had taken the wife's pony, and his new squeeze was ignoring it in favour of her mare and it's foal, which were in fine shape. I don't think there was a pattern, or that there was likely to be a 'next one'. Poor thing was being punished for bad human relationships. How any horse lover could treat one like that out of spite and for personal reasons is beyond me.
 
pennyturner said:
"When money is exchanged to 'rescue' any animal, it serves only the animal which has been bought not the subsequent ones"

As far as I can tell, the little pony I bought had fallen foul of a divorce. The husband had taken the wife's pony, and his new squeeze was ignoring it in favour of her mare and it's foal, which were in fine shape. I don't think there was a pattern, or that there was likely to be a 'next one'. Poor thing was being punished for bad human relationships. How any horse lover could treat one like that out of spite and for personal reasons is beyond me.
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The vast majority of horses bought to rescue now will come from unscrupulous breeders/dealers/auctions/meatman. Of course there are the odd exceptions.
 
Moomin1 said:
I don't know of many reputable rescues who buy from auctions and fill their spaces with bought horses tbh. If they do, then I don't agree with that tbh.
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I know of two in my small country where there is only like three. Haha
 
muckypony said:
^ This.

I get sick of seeing/hearing about people who have 'rescued' horse via purchase, and actually they look after them not much better themselves in terms feet/worming etc - they just feed them up and think that's ok. Someone I know keeps several as pets (all capable of working however...) and claims that she rescued them, when in fact she paid stupid money to gypsies for naff horses all because they had ragwort in their field.

I'm sure I will get massively shot down for this but IMO if the majority of these 'rescues' were left to the slaughter house, there would be far fewer in future.
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are you by any chance in wales? lol i know somebody exactly as you describe (actually bought two of my ponies from her) and whilst she is a really lovely person and her heart is in the right place sadly she is jst fueling the fire and its the softies like her that keep these god awfull people in business :(
On another note i do know somebody who won "best rescue" horse at a big show a few mnths ago who had classed their horse as rescue because she had purchased him from beeston (allbeit in a sorry state) but i did wonder myself if this was classed as a true rescue so tbh im not really sure what i would class as a rescue. Ive bought and loaned horses and ponies from all kinds off backgrounds sorry states and in good health physically but due to pts for various other reasons, my anglo was a real bag of bones having wintered out without rugs or hard feed and had never had any jabs since birth and worming was questionable but he had saw the farrier on a regular basis (farrier was actually there when i viewed) and was very well handled and loving so i think the 'rescue' thing is a very grey and subjectable area
 
Kaylum said:
Rescued from a life of neglect and sometimes near death. If you look at rescue centres you will be surprised at how the horses got there. Many are bought from the auctions in a disgraceful state. In my book it doesn't matter where they came from they have been rescued from having a life of hell to a better life with care and love.
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I agree.
 
There's a grey area here for me. On principle I don't agree with handing over money to someone for a neglected, worm-infested, lice-ridden, hatrack of a pony. I feel that by doing so people are encouraging that behaviour/treatment of equines and perpetuating the problem. However, those people who take those ponies home are changing the world for that one animal and effectively rescuing it from a very bleak situation. On principle I wouldn't do it - but if I were faced with that situation I cannot guarantee that I would be able to leave that animal to it's fate.

I recently bought a lovely young filly from a gypsy. Of course she was not passported or vaccinated and she was filthy with overgrown feet. However, she was in good condition weight-wise, her coat (underneath the dirt) was shiney and she is very friendly and trusting so I don't feel she has been handled roughly. The day I bought her, she was actually about to be taken to Appleby and a few people have congratulated me on "rescuing her". I did not rescue her, I purchased her (and I would buy another from this particular man). If I had gone to see her and she hadn't been what I was looking for, I wouldn't have done so.

I suppose it depends on varying definitions of the word rescue. It means different things to different people.
 
I don't necessarily feel that "rescuing" is a great idea. A lot of the time, doing so means perpetuating the problem.

HOWEVER, a rescue is a rescue is a rescue. To rescue something is to remove it from a bad situation. It doesn't matter how much you pay or what you do to achieve it. There are charities in Egypt or Sub-Saharan Africa that go out of their way to buy mistreated working animals to "rescue" them from suffering. That's no less a rescue than saving a drowning animal for free.

It drives me up the wall that people cannot understand that there is a difference between these two concepts. Rescuing may save a horse's life, yet in the grand scheme be a bad thing. I get equally annoyed with both sides - not just the people who rescue but the people who go nuts pointing out how this "wasn't a rescue" because the person paid to save the animal.

Everyone needs to take a step back and realise that concepts are complicated and things are not black and white. A rescue can be both good and bad at the same time, depending on your perspective. But that doesn't change the meaning of the word!

rescue
ˈrɛskjuː/
verb
verb: rescue; 3rd person present: rescues; past tense: rescued; past participle: rescued; gerund or present participle: rescuing
1.
save (someone) from a dangerous or difficult situation.


noun
noun: rescue; plural noun: rescues
1.
an act of saving or being saved from danger or difficulty.
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But to add, exactly what is considered a "bad situation" is of course subject to opinion itself. What I call a bad situation is not necessarily the same as everyone else. I would not consider buying a horse from a gypsy to be a "rescue" unless the horse was actually in a bad state before. But how much money exchanged hands would not factor into that judgement - which is what some people seem inclined to consider the criterion.
 
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The big problem in my view is that there are so many do good-er glory hunter types out there that 'rescue poor emaciated gypsy horses who were emaciated and whose hooves were falling off', when in actual fact you see a photo and there's barely anything wrong with the horse other than it's a bit mucky with slightly chipped and overgrown feet. Yet these people then go on to beg for free stuff because they can't afford to look after the horse, and also they stumped up 'donations' in order to 'rescue' said horse in the first place.
 
Moomin1 said:
The big problem in my view is that there are so many do good-er glory hunter types out there that 'rescue poor emaciated gypsy horses who were emaciated and whose hooves were falling off', when in actual fact you see a photo and there's barely anything wrong with the horse other than it's a bit mucky with slightly chipped and overgrown feet. Yet these people then go on to beg for free stuff because they can't afford to look after the horse, and also they stumped up 'donations' in order to 'rescue' said horse in the first place.
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Quite! And don't get me started on those people who take on these ponies and then immediately advertise them on Facebook for £50 with wording such as "good home wanted, this colt was a rescue but I can't keep him so need to find him a loving forever home'. At least geld the little blighter before you move him on to some unknown on Facebook - Raaaaaaaaa!

Eta - oops, sorry, went off on a bit of a tangent there!
 
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Clare85 said:
Quite! And don't get me started on those people who take on these ponies and then immediately advertise them on Facebook for £50 with wording such as "good home wanted, this colt was a rescue but I can't keep him so need to find him a loving forever home'. At least geld the little blighter before you move him on to some unknown on Facebook - Raaaaaaaaa!

Eta - oops, sorry, went off on a bit of a tangent there!
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exactly this. if you "rescue" something from the meat man, then keep it to ensure its future. if you are not going to keep it yourself or have a friend who will, then let it be put down, lots of these so called rescues are not suitable for rehoming anyway and it would be kinder to let them go.....
 
Kaylum said:
Rescued from a life of neglect and sometimes near death. If you look at rescue centres you will be surprised at how the horses got there. Many are bought from the auctions in a disgraceful state. In my book it doesn't matter where they came from they have been rescued from having a life of hell to a better life with care and love.
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Exactly - I consider that we rescued the tb I got - he was bought from the sales however he was in a right state, covered in cuts and bruises, infected tail, off his head with stress (wore a hole in concrete weaving in about 4 hours), had no hay or water the entire time. Once we got to know him it was obvious he'd been very roughly handled. He stayed in my ownership (if not my care) until he died several years later. He was always fed, wormed, seen the farrier etc but was also loved and shown affection and not beaten. His passport showed, that at age 9, he had not stayed in the same area for more than 6 months or so since he was a 2 year old - he'd bounced from home to home to home. He came to me and had a stable, secure life until injury caused him to be pts. He did go on loan from me when it became apparent he wasn't a suitable horse for me to ride but to a carefully vetted home where he was supervised and the loaner eventually became a very good friend - to me, this is a rescue. I may have paid for him, but I took him from a situation where he was obviously neglected and mistreated and bounced around and gave him proper care, rehabbed him (took a good 6 months to get him healthy) and gave him a stable environment. Yes I paid for him, but if thats not rescuing then I don't know what is.
 
I wonder whether some of the less reputable types play on the 'rescue' fashion and make them look worse than they are for a quick sale, a far too heavy person and some ill fitting tack or doing something silly with the poor things get them notices on FB etc. and someone hands over £200 to 'save' them.

IMHO - nobody rescues from the meat man - the mean man is a clear and clean future for them (albeit short) - unless you can keep for life and/ or are 100% certain you have the time/ £/ skills to turn something worthless into something that has real value then the meat man is the better option (or the courage to try for a bit and if you can't fix their issues then go back to meat man)

ETA - I would 'rescue' a lot of fat / badly behaved ponies who are 'loved' but not given the management they need - just as much neglect in letting them get lami as in starving them - again IMHO. Lots of badly behaved horses are that because they aren't managed well (2 hours of individual turnout and ridden twice a week etc. to me is neglect)
 
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Many people I know have one or two rescues. I class a rescue as a horse taken from a situation where their needs were not being met, to a safe, comfortable existence. I have one who was advertised as late teens and in foal and, in the words of the delightful dealer from whom I bought her, 'would have gone for meat if she had a passport'. I bought her, gladly, (without a passport) because she was emaciated and allegedly in foal (she wasn't in the end, thankfully). However, it is in extremely poor taste to use the term as an advertising gimmick. I know people who have 'rescued' horses, fed them up & sold them on. This is simply a money making exercise and nothing to do with rescuing. I also know of one local 'stud' who 'rescues' horses from the sales and then breeds from them, which disgusts me. But then so do lots of things. People do rescue from the meat man - not everyone is inept or heartless - some people bid against the meat man and give the horse a good home for life.
 
Not entirely sure what you'd class as "rescue" however it does annoy me when you see the people on FB saying "look at my rescue horse I bought it from the gyppos" etc. There seems to be a similar fad on a dog page I am on... unless you rescued your lurcher from some evil person that used it to work with, you were no good.
 
My horse didn't come from a charity or was seized by the authorities but I class him as rescued. My neighbour came by him orphaned and probably going to be left to die. He had a stomach ulcer and was riddled with lice. As far as I know, no money changed hands, if it did it would have been a token amount to seal the deal. Unless he turns out to be super talented he will never be sold as he has no breeding and is bolshy due to being hand reared, I'd rather have him pts if I could no longer care for him.
 
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