Gather round now for a sad, strange tale …..
And one I feel needs told.
DO LET IT BE SAID ~
I do not do this to belittle, ‘bash’, not judge anyone but merely put forth the facts pertaining to these unfortunate horses.
I do not OWN these horses, nor am I an agent for the Kill Pen who does. ( That’s a nasty bit that I feel ridiculous even having to state, but it must be said. )
I am simply attempting to help these horses who have already been let down too many times, for whatever reason .
And away we go………….
For those who do not wish to read this in it’s entirety but do wish to donate ,
Voila:
https://linktr.ee/Soulhorsesllc
THE BACKSTORY:
Dating back over a period two years ( Perhaps a bit more) several ( If I am not mistaken close to fifty) horses were purchased both privately ( by an individual) and fundraised for BY ‘rescue’ groups from a Louisiana Kill Pen ( Thompson’s Livestock) and immediately sent to Erby Thompson for quarantine in Pitkin, LA.
As someone who has previously used his services for quarantine, I can say this is not at all uncommon to do.
Generally speaking, it is $10 per day per horse for care and quarantine.
I cannot presume to know what price he set forth for nearly 50 , but I would imagine very close to that.
With fifty horses, at said $10 per day, that is $15,000 per month. ……. OUCH.
According to the information that I have, this bill went unpaid, or at least the lions share of it.
Skip forward to January of 2021, and a court hearing.
Erby Thompson was awarded ALL of the horses in court after meeting the requirements of ‘abandonment by owner’.
( Please see attached photo. The name of the former owner has been blacked out for privacy reasons. It is not my place to put forth that name.) I DO NOT EVEN PRETEND to know the owner’s story, nor what all truly transpired.
I am ONLY interested in the fate of these horses NOW.
Who is ‘to blame’? I’m not entirely sure.
LET IT ALSO BE SAID………She is not solely responsible here , as other ‘rescue’ groups/ fundraisers also raised for, bailed, and sent horses with this group to Erby Thompson.
How many? I am unsure…but even one is still one. A particular horse comes to mind for me….
A tall, gangly, one-eyed sorrel gelding.
Yes, folks…….he is on the trailer back to hell with his comrades.
NOW………..
THE PROBLEM(S)
Fast forward a bit and here we are TODAY.
Twenty two of the original fifty(plus) horses have been sold BACK TO the kill pen from whence they came and will be shipped to slaughter FRIDAY February 5th if not helped before that time.
( Are you intrigued yet?)
These horses are for sale AS A GROUP( Yes, sadly it has to be all 22 purchased) . A bit despicable and cruel……….but after two years, poor care, and no funding to help……….I cannot say I have an opinion on what exactly is the ‘right way’ here.
So….alas, these twenty two unfortunate souls stand in the mud and muck once again…..
And in quite horrid condition .
BUT WAIT!!!!!
HARKEN unto this tidbit!
A rescue organization and one of the individuals who originally fundraised FOR ( some) of these horses posted a fundraiser which promised to purchase them ( again…and again)…..
This should have been the end of it………………………but……………
They backed out.
( SAY WHAT?)
You read that correctly , most unfortunately.
ENTIRELY backed out and moved on to ‘fundraising’ other horses from other lots.
( Are you not yet curious WHO that may be?) Do stay tuned.
This brings to me ‘What to do’.
I watched this , a bit, from afar without comment nor interference. I was told by several to ‘let it be’, and the like.
I nearly did.
But these words rang in my mind(quite loudly I may add)~
‘“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”― Edmund Burke
Is this ‘evil’? I wouldn’t go that far, no. But what IS evil is how often horses just like these are used for ill intentions, greed, and artifice.
Personally……….I’m sick of it.
( And that, mon amis is a story for another day)
Have these horses not been through enough hell already?(More like 3 cycles of it)
So will I stand by and do NOTHING?
No.
Will WE?
No.
So………..
THE SOLUTION:
After several days of contemplation ( I am a bit ashamed to state that I did think about not stepping up, for it is a rather grisly situation) …………
I’ve decided that is not who I am, nor who I want to be.
I have reached out to THREE people who do beautiful things for horses concerning proper quarantine and rehabilitation and after quite careful planning….
We are prepared and able to provide that for ALL of these horses.
It would be bananas for me to personally take on 22 nearly emaciated horses in one facility, clearly. ( If anyone tells you differently, I’d love to speak with them and know why and how they could possibly come to such an absurd conclusion.)
Now.
There is the matter of ‘ bail’, for though its …well, tacky……
It is not in the slightest against the law for the kill pen to ask a price for them. ( Damnit.)
Therefore yes, we are asking for help with the BAIL END of this scenario.
(Sorry, but I’ve not achieved independently wealthy status as of yet)
AMOUNT NEEDED : $12,000
Amount of horses to be saved FROM slaughter: Twenty Two ( Details forthcoming)
VIDEOS BELOW of all horses to be helped .
Currently they are in one pen, together, awaiting shipment to Mexico.
FAQ~
Where will they go?
ALL horses will be taken to RUSK, Texas to have hands laid on them, assessed, and initial vetting.
Updates will be posted on each.
What next?
Proper quarantine, vetting, re-feeding and rehabilitation will commence immediately.
We WELCOME fosters and home offers. Both will require a contract and home check.
Do contact me via email or telephone with questions or for any needed information~
Randi ~
soulhorsesllc@gmail.com
409-998-4339
What are their details?
Unfortunately I do not have all information at this time as to sexes, ages, riding ability, et cetera.
We will not know that until they are assessed.
Can we come see them in person ?
The simple answer is yes.
While we discourage largely visiting horses while in the mandatory quarantine period for disease control reasons ( add in Coronavirus craziness to that) , we will work something out and try to accommodate.
What is the goal? How do we know they are truly safe this time?
The goal is simple.
To first get them out of their current situation ( God help them) , assessed, and on the track back to health. It is my HOPE that all are sound and healthy enough to go on to individuals as companion, riding, and friends.
Each will be fostered or adopted under contract with required updates to be shared .
This way, they can be followed from here out.
CAN I PURCHASE ONE FROM THE KILL PEN MYSELF?
Abso-freaking-lutely.
Though they will not separate nor sell them individually, I still feel that we can get them ALL safe, and anyone who wishes to purchase one directly should contact the lot ( Thompsons) to pay for their selected horse.
And lastly………….
HOW DO WE BEST HELP?
Many ways.
1.Provide a home /adoption/ foster .
2. Sponsorship ( Please do inquire about how that works, and which horse you choose to sponsor.)
3. Of course, DONATE.
https://linktr.ee/Soulhorsesllc
Please do understand we are not currently a 501c3 Organization. If that is a problem, do contact me directly and I will happily refer you to those I work closely with , for they need help as well, and often.
I welcome any and all questions ANY time.
Now………
Let’s see what we can do for these guys, shall we?
UPDATE FEBRUARY 5th 2021 ~
ALL twenty two were saved. Soul Horses LLC will be taking in twelve , and another rescue nine.
Sadly, one horse colicked and passed away before we could help him.
A new post with all details and updates will be posted this coming week!
~Randi
