Reducing ‘Unwanted’ Horse Numbers

Industry members are thinking outside the box to help reduce the number of so-called unwanted horses.
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In January 2011 authorities removed 80 horses from the Montana Large Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in Hot Springs after the sanctuary’s primary patron declined further support. After veterinary evaluations the horses were relocated to the Montana Horse Sanctuary in Simms until Habitat for Horses, a nonprofit organization that works with law enforcement in equine rescue cases, could help find them adoptive homes. According to Habitat for Horses president Jerry Finch, the animals had been placed at the Montana Large Animal Sanctuary and Rescue by former owners. But he declined to classify the animals as unwanted.

Nevertheless, based strictly on definition, the horses fell under the unwanted label, according to the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC). The UHC defines an unwanted horse as one that is no longer wanted by its current owner because it is old, injured, sick, unmanageable, fails to meet the owner’s expectations in terms of performance, color, or breeding, or is a horse the owner can no longer afford to maintain.

The exact number of unwanted horses in the United States is unknown. But according to UHC estimates, 100,000 animals join the unwanted ranks annually. Some are shipped to horsemeat processing plants in Canada and Mexico. Others are abandoned or maltreated by their owners, then seized by authorities and placed at equine rescues for rehabilitation and possible adoption. Still others are voluntarily relinquished to rescues by owners either unable or unwilling to care for them.

Thanks to the persistently lackluster economy, the number of unwanted horses is unlikely to decline soon. As a result, some equine industry members, including veterinarians, rescue operators, and lawmakers, are thinking outside of the box and identifying ways to manage existing unwanted horses in the United States and to prevent their ranks from swelling

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Written by:

Pat Raia is a veteran journalist who enjoys covering equine welfare, industry, and news. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her Tennessee Walking Horse, Sonny.

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