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Welcome to Techsurvivors => Community => Topic started by: Frances144 on March 25, 2008, 11:31:52 AM

Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: Frances144 on March 25, 2008, 11:31:52 AM
Now I have nothing about eating horse meat.  Don't do it personally but if my family were starving, there are 38 volunteers in my field!  I do, however, have issues about the way horses are transported to be killed and the complete lack of enforced EU laws for their welfare.

So, I have bought Charlot, 43" ginger-nut gelding and saved him from a trip to the abbatoir in Italy.  At worst he is an expensive lawn-mower and at best he will be driven at the county shows and shown off as a rescue who has been saved from a bad fate.

He has a long journey ahead of him (France to Shetland - about 1000 miles) and I hope he makes it ok.  Wish him luck!  Wish us luck!  I just couldn't bear to see his little face knowing he was to be eaten.  He looks like he swallowed a button! (he is the one with the chestnut star)

Stupid me!  Here we go again!

Fx
[attachment=924:Picture_1.jpg]
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: Gregg on March 25, 2008, 12:04:08 PM
If each person saved one animal.... a mind-boggling thought.

Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: Highmac on March 25, 2008, 12:57:01 PM
QUOTE(Frances144 @ Mar 25 2008, 04:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
...there are 38 volunteers in my field!

 Soon to be 39 then.... wink.gif

Of course we wish all of you the best of luck smile.gif

PS: And there is nothing stupid about being a caring person thumbup.gif
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: kimmer on March 25, 2008, 01:30:10 PM
Awwwwww ... he's cute.

What does it mean that he is chipped?
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: Frances144 on March 25, 2008, 01:34:30 PM
Microchipped for his own identity - so they know who they are eating!
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: Xairbusdriver on March 25, 2008, 03:12:38 PM
~1,000 miles! I hope he's a good swimmer!

How will he be cared for enroute? Water, feed, heat/cold, etc.? I assume the trip will be mostly by lorry?
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: Frances144 on March 25, 2008, 03:39:09 PM
Horse transporter from UK will go and collect a whole pile of them - going to different homes all around Britain.  He will be taken up to Aberdeen and then put in a horsebox and go on a 12 hour overnight ferry journey to Shetland.  We will collect him, drive for an hour and then bung him the field with the rest of the mob.  When he wants to talk to us, he can.  He will have a 50 acre field with grass, lots of space and friends!

Some horses take forever to come and speak and some are up chatting immediately.  We have all the time in the world.  The ponies here are very uncomplicated and peaceful.  He will be fine.

I am very excited and can't wait to see him!!!  Funny little spud, really.

Fx
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: kimmer on March 25, 2008, 07:15:14 PM
I was telling Sneakers about your new "pet" and he asked me to ask you ... when the winter storms hit your area where do the horses go? Do they stay outdoors? Do you round them up? Sneakers was thinking about the harsh winds and rain and the poor animals. Frances, he'd have more horses / cats / dogs , etc. than you do if he had the room and the money. wink.gif

QUOTE
Microchipped for his own identity - so they know who they are eating!

Heh! Okay, you made me laugh. I know it's not funny ... but .. sometimes my sense of humor is skewed.
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: Xairbusdriver on March 25, 2008, 09:54:23 PM
QUOTE("From: Enquiring Left Coast Minds")
when the winter storms hit your area where do the horses go? Do they stay outdoors? Do you round them up?
From what Frances says below, it sounds like they'd just come near the house and start yelling for some blankets and the key to the (heated) stalls! laugh.gif
QUOTE("From: Frances")
Some horses take forever to come and speak and some are up chatting immediately.
I know about "Mr. Ed" but I think he was more of a mule than a horse... dntknw.gif

Now I'm getting confused about Francis/Frances, mule/horse, Shetlands/ponies... maybe this will explain things.
<Strange coincidences?>
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: Frances144 on March 26, 2008, 02:48:36 AM
Well, we have Shetland ponies and Icelandic horses so, to them, snow is a fine.  They all live in huge fields (about 20 acres each) in large herds and there is always shelter, like old drystone walls of derelict houses or walls.  They rarely come in because they would just get tetchy and want to come out again.

My lot (I have the stallion and two of his missus) have the shelter of the indoor riding school and some sheds.  They came in for 5 minutes in a blizzard, ate their breakfast and left.  Shetlands tend to get bored easily and start taking the place to bits to see how it works after about 10 minutes.  Also they grow very very thick coats and they are warm because the snow insulates the air between the hairs underneath.  You rarely see a Shetland pony shiver.  Same with the Icelandics.  When it rains, the long hairs of the coat goe into points and the rain drips off leaving all the other hair underneath dry.

So my lot live outside in the all weathers perfectly happy.  As long as they have food, water and company, that is all they want.  I am not being cruel.  I have had to paint the whole inside of the school with chilli and washing up liquid because when they come in and they are bored they start gnawing the wood like beavers!!

Fx

BTW, all animals talk, it is just the humans who are not listening!
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: chriskleeman on March 26, 2008, 07:19:34 AM
Fascinating!

Thanks for posting this thread, and good luck with the new addition! Quite a cute-looking fellah! I have no doubt he will be well-cared for!

Chris K clap.gif
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: Paddy on March 26, 2008, 08:21:41 AM
Awwww....good for you, Frances! He IS awfully cute. Do you know anything of his history or temperament or did you just buy him based on pictures etc.? How on earth did a (presumably) sound 4 year old pony end up headed for the abattoir? Of course, it happens all the time I suppose - a few years ago, people were rescuing Premarin foals left and right; now that the market for hormone replacement therapy has pretty much dried up, there are far fewer of those foals and most are raised in good conditions and find good homes. But one still reads of rescue operations of sometimes staggering proportions. Two weeks ago, over 100 Arabians were seized from a farm in Alberta - many of them skin and bones. One wonders if there is an equivalent to "crazy cat lady syndrome" (where people collect far too many cats than they can care for) in the horse world!!?

I didn't know Shetlands were such little beavers. Are they just chewing or are they actually cribbing? I've only known a few cribbers from my riding days, but boy, they can do a real number on fences and stalls - plus it's not good for them because of all the air they swallow. (it's actually considered an obsessive compulsive disorder!)

Let us know how he fares! smile.gif
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: krissel on March 26, 2008, 09:59:43 AM
Hey, that's great, Frances. Wish more people would do what you are doing. clap.gif

 Been watching the case of the wild stallions in the Pryor Mountain herd in Montana. That's the group that has Cloud of PBS fame. A TS member is a good friend of Ginger Kathrens who made the first two films and is a spokesperson for the wild herd.

If you want to read about it and write to those who are making the decisions on the horses fate:

http://campaign-archive.com/archive.phtml?...;rid=q8yZQRyHQW
Title: Look what is coming to Shetland
Post by: kimmer on March 26, 2008, 11:53:25 AM
Thanks for all the info, Frances. It's really interesting to learn.

I know you'll give Charlot a great home. smile.gif