Transcripts
Today's guest is Diana from Horse Rescue United.
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Diana is a dedicated advocate rescuing
and rehabilitating horses in need.
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We'll hear about the mission, the
challenges of rescue work, and the
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lives being changed one horse at a time.
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Hi, Diana.
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Thank you for coming on the show today.
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Diana: Of course, anytime.
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Dixie: My vet, Dr.
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Charlotte, is the one that
recommended you because she got
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her horse from Horse Rescue United.
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So I would like to hear
all about your rescue.
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Before we get into that, tell
me a little bit about yourself.
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Diana: Sure.
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Basically I work in marketing and
communications for a university,
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and then I also, on the side, I
write fiction novels about horses.
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And then I've been involved in horse
rescue pretty much since I was 15
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years old doing fundraising and
marketing horses and things like that.
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So yeah.
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So basically I joined the rescue
with somebody else back in, in 2010.
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So it's been 16 years
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Dixie: When you first got
into horse rescue when you
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were younger, what did you do?
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Diana: I started out sponsoring a
horse, and then I realized they didn't
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really have anyone to promote the
horses for adoption and sponsorship.
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And I was 15, I was like I have
a computer and I can make flyers,
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so if you guys want help."
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So I would basically make flyers and
then go to 4-H fairs on the weekend
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and just hand them out to people And
this is like pre-internet really.
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And then once we got, once the internet
was up and running, like more people
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were going on that, then I would
share stuff via the web and message
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boards, and then eventually that
became things like Facebook and stuff.
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So I've been on and off involved
in horse rescue since then.
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So that's been, 31 years now.
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It was just always a passion
of mine to help animals in
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need, and especially horses,
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Dixie: yeah.
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I have spoken to a lot
of different rescues.
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I've had, of course, cat rescues, dog
rescues, rat rescues, bunny rescues.
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Oh, wow.
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You're the first horse rescue.
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The only other time that I ever did
talk about horses was we're in the
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New Orleans area, so we have Mardi
Gras here, and after Mardi Gras they
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have the Mardi Gras horse adoptions.
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So- Okay … I spoke with the Humane
Society of Louisiana about what they
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do to get these horses into homes.
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So I would like to hear way more
about horse rescue, where the horses
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are coming from how you handle homing
the horses, do you foster them?
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I'd like to hear all about that.
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Diana: Oh, sure.
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Yeah.
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So how we get the horses is like
a variety of different ways.
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It can be like for example,
Charlotte's horse, Cooper,
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actually came from an auction.
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So a lot of times these horses end up at
auction, people don't want them anymore,
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and then that's where their last stop is.
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And there's, sometimes they can find
a home through there, but most of the
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time it ends up like people that are
kill buyers that actually sell them
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to slaughter in Canada or Mexico.
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So there's people that bid on the
horses for meat, and they get sold and
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then carted off to Canada or Mexico.
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Sometimes they just get sold to the
Amish and a lot of the Amish horses
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are, they're basically treated like
equipment, so they end up working in
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the field, they end up pulling buggies,
and, a lot of times not very many years
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later they're at a home and then they
end up back at the auction because they
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can't, perform those duties anymore.
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And a lot of our horses, like
including Cooper, were ex-Amish horses.
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And then honestly, and then,
we've had horses who are abused
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that, the SPCA gets involved in.
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We've had neglected horses, a lot of
those that are just skinny and starved.
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But then we've had, for as many of
those as we've had a lot of really
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nice, owner surrender situations.
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So people who have financial distress
or a death in the family or something
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those people will contact us and as often
as possible we try to help those horses
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before they end up, going to auction
and going to the slaughter pipeline.
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So that's where all the horses come from.
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I would say most of our horses are
ending up being owner surrenders now.
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But when we can go to auction, we do.
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And then as far as what we do,
so we don't have our own farm.
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We board horses at a
facility in Wall, New Jersey.
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So we have three, I think four
paddocks that we board the horses,
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and they live out 24/7 with sheds,
and we can stall them when we need to
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for emergencies or other reasons But
basically, the horses all live there.
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And then depending on the situation,
the horses are either made adoptable
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or they're sanctuary horses,
depending on if they have medical
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needs, if they're extremely old.
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So we actually have two horses
right now who are in their mid-30s,
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which is really old for a horse.
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The average age of a horse lifespan
now is pretty much 25 to 30, and some
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of them don't even make it that long.
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So we have one horse who's 35.
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We have another who's 33.
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And those horses are sanctuary horses.
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And then we have some horses who a lot
of them are adoptable, but they're only
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adoptable as a companion horse 'cause they
can't be ridden or , pull a cart anymore.
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So those horses just stay and
people sponsor them, or they
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might get adopted for a companion
home every once in a while.
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It's really hard to find people willing
to just take a companion horse, but
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thankfully we have found a number of
those horses homes over the years.
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And then the horses who are rideable or
able to drive a cart, those are usually
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the ones that are more adoptable.
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And we, do a lot of our networking
is on Facebook and Instagram.
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But we'll go on like local Facebook pages.
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We'll sometimes try to do local
events as much as possible.
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Most of the promotion we do these
days are digital, so there's not
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a whole lot of like flyers and
things like that happening anymore.
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It's all online.
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People sometimes find us through
Petfinder and on our website too.
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So there's lots of different ways that
the horses can find homes that way.
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Dixie: So the sanctuary horses that
you have, are they living in the
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facility that you have in New Jersey?
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Diana: Yes.
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Yeah.
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So we so we don't own that facility,
but we board there, so we pay, a monthly
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fee basically to have the horses there.
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And then we're really lucky that we have
volunteers that are completely unpaid.
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So we've got about 25 volunteers that come
in twice a day to do all the horse care.
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So it's like mucking the horse fields,
making sure they have their hay and grain,
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medicine, supplements grooming, all that
kind of care, make sure they have water.
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So they come in twice a day
and take care of the horses.
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So thankfully, we don't have to
pay anybody to feed the horses, but
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obviously we have to pay all the
hay, grain the farrier for their
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feet dental costs, vet bills on top
of their hay, grain, and whatever
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medication and supplements they get,
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Dixie: and what about an
exercise time for the horses?
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Diana: So they're actually out 24/7.
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So the horses all have their own paddock
with a run-in shed, so they can just
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go in and out whenever they want to.
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And the horses that are obviously not
rideable it's just whatever they wanna do.
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And most of the horses that are companions
or sanctuary horses, you don't wanna
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really get them to run around too much
because they're already dealing with leg
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issues and lameness and things like that.
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So they can just freely run
around as they feel like.
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But they're just in and out all day.
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Most of the time the horses are
outside, and then they just go in
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their shed if it's too hot or maybe
when it's raining, but sometimes
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they don't even care about the rain.
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They just stay outside.
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And then the horses that we do have
that are rideable, which right now we
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don't have any rideable horses, but
when we do those horses are basically
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we try to either bring in a trainer or
if we happen to have an in-house trainer
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those horses are ridden, and then we
take videos of those horses and keep
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track of their progress to post those
on Facebook and other places to try
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to find them homes and just keep track
of their progress, but yeah, the ones
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that are just companions or sanctuary
horses, they just hang out all day.
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They're like big dogs.
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Dixie: Yeah, they have a good life.
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Diana: Yeah, I have two pasture pets at my
house, and I'm like, "Man, I could just…
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this is the life right here."
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Dixie: So what is the criteria
that you have for adoption?
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Diana: We actually have a
pretty strict adoption process.
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I've talked to other rescues, and
a lot of the rescues don't do what
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we do, but we're really committed
that our horses don't end up in the
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bad situations they come from again.
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So we have a really long contract.
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It has everything from, if the horse
is ever sold, leased given away,
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that kind of thing, without our
permission, there's like a $10,000 fee.
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We require photos from the
adopters every three months.
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Thankfully, I have a really good
relationship with our adopters, so a lot
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of them will just post them to Facebook.
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I don't actually have to ask them.
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And they'll put them on Facebook or
Instagram, tag us, and then we always
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provide those updates back to the people
following us, so people that give money.
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That way if they wanna see a
horse - Some people call horses
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that were adopted 14 years ago, and
they ask for updates all the time.
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So we require the photos and the updates.
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We also require a vet check form.
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So the vet check form is given to
every adopters every adopter once a
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year, and then they're responsible for
having their vet fill out that form.
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It says that they've gotten their vaccine,
they've gotten a physical there's no
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issues that we need to be aware of.
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There's a mechanism in place so that if
the vet does see a horse and there's an
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issue, they can contact us anonymously.
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So that's one of the ways
that we keep in touch.
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But thankfully, most of our adopters
in the contract, it does require them
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to update us, so if the horse, it needs
to be put down or dies suddenly, or if
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there is a very serious medical issue,
we require them to get in touch with us.
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And if somebody isn't able to keep their
horse anymore, so if they have a financial
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situation or somebody passes away and,
they can't keep the horse their contract
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requires the horse basically to come back
to us, unless we can find a new home.
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Now, we've had situations where a horse
is adopted out, somebody passes away,
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they can't-- you know, , their family
can't keep the horse, they'll contact us.
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And thankfully, we've been really lucky
that a lot of those horses haven't
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actually had to come physically back
to the rescue, but we were able to,
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find them a home through the rescue
and then get them adopted that way.
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So it's a pretty strict process.
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We do background checks.
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We do reference checks
of people to make sure…
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Like we're actually okay with first-time
horse owners, as long as they have some
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horse care experience, and we don't
require anybody to own their own farm.
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But we just like to make sure that, people
are committed to the horse, especially
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even if the horse is rideable at the time.
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We have , a clause in the contract
that specifically asks, "If this
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horse isn't rideable anymore,
will you keep this horse?"
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And if the answer is no, then
that's obviously not a good fit.
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If the answer is yes, then we
know they're a committed home.
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They're gonna keep the horse.
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And most of the people, are true to their
word and do that, unless there's a very
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serious financial situation or something.
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Dixie: Yeah, I like that clause
about the photos, 'cause that's
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nice always knowing how they're
doing when you see the photos too.
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Diana: Yeah.
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I feel like a lot of rescues,, they
adopt something and it's like, how
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do you even know where they are?
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If they're okay.
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Like they're just, there's just so much.
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And One of the things that our rescue does
is we maintain that, that quote-unquote
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"ownership" for life, even though I would
consider all of our adopters owners.
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We at least have the safety net
of if something happens to that
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adopter, whether they, if they have
an issue or if they need to reach
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out to us, like we're at least there.
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So there's never a situation
where it's like, "Oh my God,"
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"I lost my job," or, "There's a
family member that passed away."
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They always, like the horses always have
a spot with us no matter what as long as
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they were, if they came from the rescue.
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So there's always people that contact
us for places in the rescue, but we
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can't always accommodate those unless
they came from the rescue before.
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Dixie: So have you ever had to enforce
that $10,000 portion on your contract?
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Diana: Thankfully, we haven't.
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We have had two horses that were
neglected that had to be taken back.
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But thankfully other than
that, we've been really lucky.
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We've had several horses that
have come back two or three times.
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Two, like one of them in
particular, both of his previous
223
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adopters passed away from cancer.
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00:11:56,784 --> 00:11:59,604
So it was one of those situations
where they didn't really have any,
225
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the families weren't horse owners.
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00:12:01,494 --> 00:12:04,734
It was really just those adopters that,
that had the horse experience, and
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00:12:04,754 --> 00:12:08,394
they just didn't feel like they could
keep the horse for various reasons.
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00:12:08,474 --> 00:12:11,914
So those horses got returned
to us, and thankfully they've
229
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all been adopted out since.
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So like I said, there's been a
few that have had two or three
231
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homes depending on the situation.
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But thankfully, I have a lot of
horses that we adopted out in 2010,
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2011, and they're still in those
homes today, which is amazing.
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Dixie: Yeah, that's fantastic.
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00:12:27,954 --> 00:12:32,034
Now, you said that some of the horses
are companion only, and in other
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00:12:32,094 --> 00:12:35,584
ones y-you may be able to ride or
people may be able to do a cart- Yep
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00:12:35,584 --> 00:12:35,994
with them.
238
00:12:36,454 --> 00:12:37,824
So would- Yep.
239
00:12:38,154 --> 00:12:40,124
E-explain to me what a cart is.
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What does that mean?
241
00:12:40,804 --> 00:12:42,224
Is that a workhorse?
242
00:12:42,284 --> 00:12:43,524
Is it, or is that different
243
00:12:43,624 --> 00:12:44,004
Diana: oh, yeah.
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00:12:44,764 --> 00:12:47,224
That would be like if somebody
wanted to go on a carriage ride.
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00:12:47,324 --> 00:12:49,834
There's a lot of around the country,
there's a lot of pleasure driving
246
00:12:49,904 --> 00:12:53,324
that happens, so there's people that
do like even, people just take their
247
00:12:53,374 --> 00:12:55,934
horses out with a carriage on a trail.
248
00:12:56,254 --> 00:12:59,994
There's some people that actually
do competitive driving in shows.
249
00:13:00,014 --> 00:13:03,354
We actually one of the horses I know
of that we've adopted out, she actually
250
00:13:03,414 --> 00:13:06,074
does do shows every year, and they
send us really nice photos of her
251
00:13:06,114 --> 00:13:07,494
competing in shows with the carriage.
252
00:13:07,534 --> 00:13:08,774
It's really pretty.
253
00:13:08,874 --> 00:13:12,724
I would say most of our horses are just
riding horses, but since we do a lot with
254
00:13:12,804 --> 00:13:18,504
Standardbreds, those horses, were driven
on the track mostly, so they can do both.
255
00:13:18,614 --> 00:13:22,054
So thankfully, we've had some horses
that, their adopters have the choice.
256
00:13:22,113 --> 00:13:24,914
So they can go riding or if they
wanna go out with a carriage.
257
00:13:25,444 --> 00:13:27,884
We evaluate all the horses
before they go out for that.
258
00:13:27,984 --> 00:13:31,084
Sometimes we'll have a horse that even
though it was a Standardbred, it's not,
259
00:13:31,484 --> 00:13:35,144
a great fit for a driving horse, but
it's a great fit for a riding horse.
260
00:13:35,244 --> 00:13:36,654
So that's how we evaluate that.
261
00:13:36,754 --> 00:13:39,964
But so yeah, we've had carriage
horses, nobody's doing any work horses.
262
00:13:40,024 --> 00:13:41,804
We don't allow any breeding of the horses.
263
00:13:42,424 --> 00:13:43,804
That's something that's really strict.
264
00:13:43,904 --> 00:13:47,124
So once the horses go out we
have a clause that they, if
265
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it's a mare, it can't be bred.
266
00:13:49,234 --> 00:13:53,604
We have a clause that they can't be
just given away The horses usually don't
267
00:13:53,624 --> 00:13:56,084
go to lesson programs or trail barns.
268
00:13:56,184 --> 00:13:59,871
I think when we first started, we
had a horse or two that went out to
269
00:13:59,931 --> 00:14:03,131
trail programs where people like,
come to a business and ride trails.
270
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But it was a really nice facility.
271
00:14:05,031 --> 00:14:07,891
It wasn't like a facility where
the horses are overworked.
272
00:14:08,252 --> 00:14:12,690
But in general, we seek private homes
and just trying to find people directly
273
00:14:12,730 --> 00:14:15,431
that are gonna kinda keep a horse as
a pet and just wanna do some riding.
274
00:14:17,349 --> 00:14:21,369
Dixie: You did mention that
you get some Amish horses.
275
00:14:21,469 --> 00:14:24,429
Do you get- Yes … more Amish
horses than you do other ones?
276
00:14:26,069 --> 00:14:29,129
Diana: I wouldn't say more,
but we've had quite a few.
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00:14:29,809 --> 00:14:35,339
We've had many that were Standardbred
racehorses that got, for one reason
278
00:14:35,399 --> 00:14:38,229
or another, they were sold and then
they ended up, in an Amish home.
279
00:14:38,269 --> 00:14:41,439
My, one of my personal horses
that I adopted from the rescue,
280
00:14:41,509 --> 00:14:43,049
her name is Classic Cookie.
281
00:14:43,129 --> 00:14:43,909
She's one of those.
282
00:14:44,079 --> 00:14:44,909
She's 16.
283
00:14:45,499 --> 00:14:49,439
But she basically was in training
to be Standardbred racehorse.
284
00:14:49,659 --> 00:14:50,759
She wasn't fast enough.
285
00:14:51,259 --> 00:14:52,149
She's a small horse.
286
00:14:52,529 --> 00:14:55,849
She was sold and actually ended up
being a broodmare for a few years.
287
00:14:56,529 --> 00:14:59,529
And then unfortunately,
her owner passed away.
288
00:14:59,609 --> 00:15:03,059
I think, and before, he actually
got sick first and had to sell her,
289
00:15:03,569 --> 00:15:06,179
and then she just fell through the
cracks, ended up with the Amish.
290
00:15:06,779 --> 00:15:08,659
She didn't get adopted
through our rescue at first.
291
00:15:08,699 --> 00:15:13,159
She was like a private horse that, that
our that our founder knew from, 'cause
292
00:15:13,219 --> 00:15:14,569
she worked in the Standardbred industry.
293
00:15:15,319 --> 00:15:19,089
And what happened was, because she
was her trainer the Standardbreds have
294
00:15:19,109 --> 00:15:20,749
freeze brands on their neck usually.
295
00:15:21,389 --> 00:15:22,889
Anouk is the founder of our rescue.
296
00:15:23,469 --> 00:15:26,869
She got a phone call when they
found Classic Cookie at a sales
297
00:15:26,909 --> 00:15:29,789
lot, as basically somebody
saying, "Hey, we found this horse.
298
00:15:30,489 --> 00:15:31,669
Do you wanna purchase her?"
299
00:15:32,009 --> 00:15:35,029
Thankfully, we were able to come together
and give her a spot in the rescue, even
300
00:15:35,049 --> 00:15:36,229
though we were pretty full at the time.
301
00:15:36,849 --> 00:15:39,069
And then she has old injuries.
302
00:15:39,129 --> 00:15:42,789
So she has an injury that they think
is probably an old buggy injury,
303
00:15:42,889 --> 00:15:44,509
so she's got a huge back ankle.
304
00:15:45,109 --> 00:15:47,549
And then with her other
back leg is sunken in too.
305
00:15:47,669 --> 00:15:53,029
So she could technically maybe ride at a
light walk, but that's all she could do.
306
00:15:53,129 --> 00:15:56,009
There, she wouldn't hold up to a lot of
work, and that's probably why the Amish
307
00:15:56,049 --> 00:15:57,789
ended up dumping her at a sales program.
308
00:15:58,609 --> 00:16:00,479
So there's a lot of horses like that.
309
00:16:00,529 --> 00:16:01,419
, It's such hard work.
310
00:16:01,449 --> 00:16:03,529
They're wearing these really heavy shoes.
311
00:16:03,589 --> 00:16:05,089
It just takes a toll on their bodies.
312
00:16:05,309 --> 00:16:08,329
And, with my horse's case, she's
been with me for two years now.
313
00:16:08,489 --> 00:16:11,948
All she does is stand in the field
all day, eat hay, grass, hang out with
314
00:16:11,969 --> 00:16:14,069
her buddy and that's all I ask of her.
315
00:16:14,549 --> 00:16:15,338
Sometimes you get lucky.
316
00:16:15,399 --> 00:16:19,909
Sometimes we'll get a horse from the
Amish via auction that can be ridden on
317
00:16:19,949 --> 00:16:23,669
some level, but a lot of times the horses
that come from the Amish especially are
318
00:16:23,729 --> 00:16:28,339
just really beat up and it takes a lot of
rehab to get them in better shape again.
319
00:16:28,389 --> 00:16:31,979
Dixie: When you purchase a horse
from an auction, how much do you
320
00:16:32,019 --> 00:16:33,679
typically have to spend per horse?
321
00:16:35,279 --> 00:16:37,719
Diana: So it's gone up
considerably in the last few years.
322
00:16:37,739 --> 00:16:42,079
When we first did it back in
2011, we got a big Belgian draft
323
00:16:42,119 --> 00:16:44,299
horse who had cancer in his eye.
324
00:16:44,369 --> 00:16:48,069
So he obviously didn't have a good
prognosis, but we got him for $35.
325
00:16:48,549 --> 00:16:48,689
Dixie: Wow.
326
00:16:48,789 --> 00:16:52,507
Diana: We got another-- Yeah We
got another standard bred mare
327
00:16:52,588 --> 00:16:54,087
who was in really bad condition.
328
00:16:54,627 --> 00:16:56,127
We got her for $75.
329
00:16:56,247 --> 00:17:00,027
So I think we got-- I think Cooper
and the other horse that we got at the
330
00:17:00,087 --> 00:17:02,796
time were m- were closer to 150, 200.
331
00:17:03,236 --> 00:17:06,597
And usually the cheaper horses, that's
the ones that the kill buyers go after.
332
00:17:06,636 --> 00:17:10,296
But I know the last few years the
prices have definitely gone up.
333
00:17:10,366 --> 00:17:13,765
That's why we don't really deal so much
directly with auction horses anymore is
334
00:17:13,765 --> 00:17:18,023
for a reason, because, we went a few years
ago and there were horses that were in
335
00:17:18,064 --> 00:17:20,784
really bad condition and they wanted $500.
336
00:17:20,885 --> 00:17:24,174
So it just depends on the time
of year and things like that.
337
00:17:24,194 --> 00:17:27,755
Sometimes you can get lucky and they're
not that expensive, but the prices for
338
00:17:27,856 --> 00:17:32,495
meat and just for horses going through
auction has definitely risen considerably.
339
00:17:32,915 --> 00:17:36,005
But any of the horses, that's one
of the things we always tell people
340
00:17:36,045 --> 00:17:39,526
that are looking to place their
horses that we can't help, is just
341
00:17:39,567 --> 00:17:43,616
to try to make the price as high as
possible or require a contract and
342
00:17:43,676 --> 00:17:46,136
follow-up, because there's just so much.
343
00:17:46,186 --> 00:17:49,746
If, people see ads for free horses,
those are the horses that they're gonna
344
00:17:49,786 --> 00:17:51,376
target and try to sell to kill buyers.
345
00:17:52,331 --> 00:17:55,071
Dixie: Would you mean this is like
an individual that contacts you for
346
00:17:55,111 --> 00:17:58,401
a rehoming, but you don't have space
right now, so you just offer them
347
00:17:58,451 --> 00:17:59,231
Diana: that advice?
348
00:18:00,551 --> 00:18:01,091
Exactly.
349
00:18:01,161 --> 00:18:01,171
Exactly.
350
00:18:01,191 --> 00:18:03,921
So we'll just tell them, "Hey,"
we'll even tell people like, "You
351
00:18:03,981 --> 00:18:08,061
can go to our website and take our
contract and just change it, the
352
00:18:08,101 --> 00:18:09,601
wording, so that it's, your name."
353
00:18:10,121 --> 00:18:12,861
And that way it's something a
little bit more tangible that
354
00:18:13,261 --> 00:18:14,541
might scare a kill buyer away.
355
00:18:14,581 --> 00:18:18,161
Because a lot of these kill buyers will
literally show up to people's houses
356
00:18:18,201 --> 00:18:21,961
when they see these ads, and they'll
bring their kids, and they'll bring their
357
00:18:22,001 --> 00:18:25,421
family and say, "Oh yeah, of course,
yeah, I really wanna help your 25-year-old
358
00:18:25,801 --> 00:18:27,281
horse, and give her a great home."
359
00:18:27,361 --> 00:18:29,881
And meanwhile, they're just literally
gonna flip the horse for profit.
360
00:18:30,401 --> 00:18:32,901
So that's something that people
have to be really careful of.
361
00:18:32,921 --> 00:18:36,541
And a lot of people don't understand,
like, how bad, the industry is as far
362
00:18:36,621 --> 00:18:39,691
as just how dangerous it is to let
these horses go through the cracks.
363
00:18:39,751 --> 00:18:43,881
There are horses we've talked to people
that we can't take that are older,
364
00:18:43,921 --> 00:18:47,481
that have a lot of health issues, and
that our recommendation is to literally
365
00:18:47,521 --> 00:18:50,820
have the horse euthanized because the
risk of that horse ending up in a worse
366
00:18:50,901 --> 00:18:53,521
situation and suffering is just so high,
367
00:18:53,861 --> 00:18:55,041
Dixie: yeah, that's very sad.
368
00:18:55,141 --> 00:19:01,181
I know as far as with puppies and kittens
and cats and dogs, whenever people are,
369
00:19:01,201 --> 00:19:05,341
like, giving them away, especially on
social media, I always tell them, do a
370
00:19:05,361 --> 00:19:11,611
vet reference because they do show up
and they will actually pay a family to
371
00:19:11,651 --> 00:19:14,051
go show up and make everything- Yeah
372
00:19:14,101 --> 00:19:14,800
Look legit.
373
00:19:14,861 --> 00:19:17,851
So you're like, "Oh, they have
kids, it's a nice sweet family."
374
00:19:17,921 --> 00:19:17,931
Yeah.
375
00:19:18,531 --> 00:19:20,911
I cannot- Yeah … believe they
do that for the horses too.
376
00:19:20,991 --> 00:19:22,011
That just blows my mind.
377
00:19:22,451 --> 00:19:22,811
Diana: Yes.
378
00:19:23,431 --> 00:19:26,621
Yeah, and if anything, it's worse 'cause
it's just, they have the horse, the
379
00:19:26,721 --> 00:19:29,591
dogs that they use for fighting and
stuff, but with the horse industry- Yeah
380
00:19:29,641 --> 00:19:32,861
the way it is, it's so easy to be
like, "Oh, I'm just gonna take this
381
00:19:32,901 --> 00:19:35,311
horse, and I didn't have to pay
anything for it, and now I can go to
382
00:19:35,361 --> 00:19:37,781
auction and get five, $600 for it."
383
00:19:37,821 --> 00:19:40,641
And if it ends up, going to a
kill buyer, what do they care?
384
00:19:40,691 --> 00:19:42,071
That's just a way to make money.
385
00:19:42,411 --> 00:19:42,711
Dixie: Yeah.
386
00:19:42,811 --> 00:19:47,681
It makes a lot of sense because, even
with the, with what people will try
387
00:19:47,721 --> 00:19:51,701
to do to acquire cats and dogs, and
like you said they're doing this- Yeah
388
00:19:51,701 --> 00:19:54,591
and they're not really making a
profit off of them because, most of
389
00:19:54,611 --> 00:19:57,531
the time a cat or dog- Yeah … is
just gonna be like a mutt basically.
390
00:19:58,211 --> 00:20:01,091
But I mean- Yeah … that makes a
lot of sense though with the people
391
00:20:01,211 --> 00:20:04,431
going to get these horses because
it's a financial thing for them.
392
00:20:05,191 --> 00:20:08,391
But I mean- 100% … still it just,
it like blows my mind 'cause I guess
393
00:20:08,451 --> 00:20:11,191
just most people never think about
that, especially people in the city,
394
00:20:11,271 --> 00:20:12,431
they just don't think about that.
395
00:20:13,871 --> 00:20:15,071
Diana: Yeah, it's horrible.
396
00:20:15,121 --> 00:20:18,931
It's one of those things I learned
the hard way when I was 15, 16 and
397
00:20:18,961 --> 00:20:22,501
didn't wanna believe it, but it
was just, it's just gotten worse.
398
00:20:22,561 --> 00:20:22,781
It's…
399
00:20:22,861 --> 00:20:25,651
And unfortunately you hear from
people that are, desperate.
400
00:20:25,691 --> 00:20:27,701
There's people that reach out to
us all the time, "Oh my God, I
401
00:20:27,771 --> 00:20:29,091
can't afford my horse anymore.
402
00:20:29,111 --> 00:20:30,331
What should I do?"
403
00:20:30,471 --> 00:20:32,921
And we just, all of the rescues,
especially the good ones
404
00:20:33,451 --> 00:20:34,411
don't have that much space.
405
00:20:34,461 --> 00:20:36,121
There's just a limited
amount of space and funds.
406
00:20:36,241 --> 00:20:39,101
So a lot of times it's "Oh, we'll
put you on a wait list," or, "We
407
00:20:39,161 --> 00:20:40,841
can share your horse's photos out."
408
00:20:40,941 --> 00:20:44,201
But it's really hard, and it's really
heartbreaking to see some people.
409
00:20:44,281 --> 00:20:48,641
But like I said, we-- sometimes the
best bet is if they can't afford it
410
00:20:48,681 --> 00:20:52,981
and the horse is especially older, it's
like you might wanna just, consider
411
00:20:53,421 --> 00:20:57,281
giving them a good end now before they
end up in some terrible situation.
412
00:20:57,310 --> 00:21:00,941
Because going to those auction houses,
you see some absolutely terrible things.
413
00:21:02,221 --> 00:21:03,460
Dixie: Yeah, I can imagine.
414
00:21:03,561 --> 00:21:06,761
So how many horses can you
house at your facility?
415
00:21:08,541 --> 00:21:14,331
Diana: Normally we can house, let's
see, six, about eight or nine at max.
416
00:21:14,431 --> 00:21:18,041
Right now we have eight, because one of
the horses we have is actually, I would
417
00:21:18,091 --> 00:21:20,171
actually call her a semi-feral horse.
418
00:21:20,471 --> 00:21:21,951
She's a 35-year-old horse.
419
00:21:22,501 --> 00:21:24,641
Unfortunately she was badly abused.
420
00:21:24,741 --> 00:21:28,801
She has a lot of issues, and we
can't put her directly in a field
421
00:21:28,841 --> 00:21:32,701
with other horses, or she becomes
too territorial with those horses.
422
00:21:32,741 --> 00:21:35,661
So she actually is taking up
an entire field right now.
423
00:21:35,781 --> 00:21:38,461
So otherwise we could
probably put two where she is.
424
00:21:38,521 --> 00:21:41,481
But other than that, we have
the the eight we have right now.
425
00:21:42,141 --> 00:21:42,691
It's a mix.
426
00:21:42,751 --> 00:21:47,051
We've got, I think we have three
Standardbreds, a Thoroughbred.
427
00:21:47,851 --> 00:21:50,551
We have a kind of a Welsh cross pony.
428
00:21:50,621 --> 00:21:53,741
We have what's called a Criollo
mare, which is a Thoroughbred
429
00:21:53,901 --> 00:21:55,161
that's from South America.
430
00:21:55,941 --> 00:21:57,261
And then we have a Quarter Horse.
431
00:21:58,251 --> 00:22:02,981
And we probably are about to take
actually a Oldenburg horse that's
432
00:22:03,031 --> 00:22:06,911
a European breed, that we just got
an emergency in-take request from.
433
00:22:07,031 --> 00:22:09,780
So that's gonna be, that once
that horse comes in, we're
434
00:22:09,791 --> 00:22:11,211
gonna be at capacity, basically.
435
00:22:12,531 --> 00:22:14,531
Dixie: How many adoptions do
you normally have per year?
436
00:22:16,318 --> 00:22:17,097
Diana: It varies.
437
00:22:17,157 --> 00:22:19,577
The last few years have definitely
been down because we've been getting
438
00:22:19,617 --> 00:22:23,377
a lot more older horses that can't
be adopted or just aren't adopted.
439
00:22:23,557 --> 00:22:27,878
So over the course of the past
16 years, we've adopted, I think,
440
00:22:28,477 --> 00:22:30,517
somewhere in the range of 93 horses.
441
00:22:31,177 --> 00:22:34,238
But we-- the last few years
have been two or three a year
442
00:22:34,318 --> 00:22:35,757
max, depending on the situation.
443
00:22:35,797 --> 00:22:39,658
I believe last year we had
two adoptions, if not three.
444
00:22:40,238 --> 00:22:42,318
But then this year we
haven't had any so far.
445
00:22:42,497 --> 00:22:46,238
Currently, we only have o- two
horses for adoption right now,
446
00:22:46,258 --> 00:22:49,157
and they're both companion horses,
and one of them is amazing.
447
00:22:49,218 --> 00:22:51,837
One of them is just the
nicest, sweetest family horse.
448
00:22:51,878 --> 00:22:55,617
But again, it's a companion horse, but
you can't really ride her a lot of people
449
00:22:55,697 --> 00:22:56,977
don't wanna deal with that right now.
450
00:22:57,057 --> 00:23:01,167
So our adoption rate right now is
pretty much stagnant other than, we have
451
00:23:01,208 --> 00:23:04,038
two that are available for adoption,
the chances of them getting adopted
452
00:23:04,077 --> 00:23:05,437
are pretty low, especially right now.
453
00:23:05,527 --> 00:23:08,468
People don't wanna take on
a horse that they can't ride
454
00:23:10,740 --> 00:23:13,790
Dixie: Before we end the call, do
you have any good rescue stories
455
00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:16,500
Diana: we have so many
good rescue stories.
456
00:23:16,580 --> 00:23:17,640
I'm trying to think.
457
00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:21,400
I always had really great
situations where we had a horse
458
00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:23,300
years ago, his name was Silver Gem.
459
00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:30,460
He was a gray stallion, and basically
the, our founder, Nook, was out driving
460
00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:35,280
in a neighborhood and saw two little
ponies chained on the side of the road.
461
00:23:35,740 --> 00:23:40,300
So she pulls over, she goes and inquires
with the house with these ponies, why
462
00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:41,600
are they chained on the side of the road?
463
00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:44,480
It turns out it's just this family
that really doesn't know any better,
464
00:23:45,140 --> 00:23:49,840
and it turns out they have this gray
stallion living in their backyard.
465
00:23:50,300 --> 00:23:54,020
And he is just skin and bones
living on a chain in their yard.
466
00:23:54,460 --> 00:23:56,020
And we were able to save the ponies.
467
00:23:56,040 --> 00:24:00,440
We were able to save the the gray horse,
and he was one of those horses where he
468
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:04,610
clearly had been trained at some point
in his past, but was just sitting in this
469
00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:07,400
person's yard on a chain, like neglected.
470
00:24:07,500 --> 00:24:10,530
We checked it probably took us about six
months to, to get him to rehab so that
471
00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:12,220
he gained weight and things like that.
472
00:24:12,810 --> 00:24:15,820
We finally got him back in training,
and he was one of these horses that
473
00:24:15,850 --> 00:24:19,070
was like beautiful under saddle, but
really needed a very experienced rider.
474
00:24:19,650 --> 00:24:23,290
So we had him for a good year, and
we didn't really have a lot of great
475
00:24:23,330 --> 00:24:26,210
inquiries because, again, there's
not a lot of people out there
476
00:24:26,230 --> 00:24:29,710
looking for a horse that needs an
advanced rider, and especially people
477
00:24:29,750 --> 00:24:31,150
that can actually ride that well.
478
00:24:31,870 --> 00:24:36,000
But we were able to find we, a
12-year-old girl contacted us of
479
00:24:36,020 --> 00:24:39,720
all things, and we require all the
adopters to be 18 and older, so her
480
00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:41,280
family ended up adopting the horse.
481
00:24:41,740 --> 00:24:43,280
But she adopted this horse.
482
00:24:43,350 --> 00:24:44,530
It was like love at first sight.
483
00:24:44,620 --> 00:24:45,230
They rode.
484
00:24:45,670 --> 00:24:48,670
Everything went amazing, and she
still has him to this day, so she's
485
00:24:48,710 --> 00:24:51,450
had him for, I think, 15 years.
486
00:24:51,500 --> 00:24:54,980
And he's a little old man now, and that's
one of my favorites, just like seeing
487
00:24:55,020 --> 00:25:00,129
like that horse would've probably died in
this yard if we hadn't, come across him.
488
00:25:00,230 --> 00:25:03,360
And just being able to s- like just
have him be with somebody who's not
489
00:25:03,390 --> 00:25:06,310
only you think when somebody's 12 years
old, like they might lose interest in
490
00:25:06,420 --> 00:25:09,851
horses or they might send the horse
back, and the fact that, she's well
491
00:25:09,871 --> 00:25:12,951
into her 20s and and she doesn't really
ride him anymore but she's dedicated
492
00:25:12,991 --> 00:25:17,011
to him and just that he's had such a
really good, end of his life because
493
00:25:17,031 --> 00:25:18,271
he came from a really rough situation.
494
00:25:18,311 --> 00:25:22,091
So that's one of my favorites, but there's
so many that are similar to that, whether
495
00:25:22,131 --> 00:25:25,991
they're companion horses or riding horses
that our adopters have really stepped
496
00:25:26,031 --> 00:25:27,871
up for and given like amazing homes.
497
00:25:27,911 --> 00:25:31,521
And it's really great to like still
get the updates after 15 years from
498
00:25:31,551 --> 00:25:35,071
some of these people and see like
what an amazing life their horses
499
00:25:35,091 --> 00:25:36,771
have had as the result of the rescue.
500
00:25:37,531 --> 00:25:37,691
Dixie: Yeah.
501
00:25:37,791 --> 00:25:41,311
That is amazing to hear that she
started at 12 years old and she still
502
00:25:41,371 --> 00:25:43,051
has the horse that many years later.
503
00:25:43,091 --> 00:25:43,891
That is amazing.
504
00:25:44,471 --> 00:25:44,591
Diana: Yep.
505
00:25:44,661 --> 00:25:44,671
Yeah.
506
00:25:45,859 --> 00:25:46,479
Yeah, exactly.
507
00:25:47,859 --> 00:25:51,619
Dixie: Thank you so much for coming on
the show to talk with me about this.
508
00:25:51,739 --> 00:25:56,319
And I hope it raises some awareness too,
because I think like a lot of people,
509
00:25:56,389 --> 00:26:00,449
and particularly in the city, you hear
about things like this with all these
510
00:26:00,469 --> 00:26:05,049
horses going to auction and getting sold
to slaughterhouses, but I don't think
511
00:26:05,109 --> 00:26:06,669
it really sticks with a lot of people.
512
00:26:06,769 --> 00:26:08,169
I don't think they tend to believe it.
513
00:26:08,189 --> 00:26:08,199
Yeah.
514
00:26:08,249 --> 00:26:09,869
I think it's just one of
these things where they're
515
00:26:09,909 --> 00:26:11,149
like, "Oh, that's just a myth.
516
00:26:11,209 --> 00:26:12,449
It doesn't really happen."
517
00:26:13,049 --> 00:26:13,059
Yeah.
518
00:26:13,069 --> 00:26:17,039
So I think it's good, to speak with you
to raise awareness for that too, so people
519
00:26:17,089 --> 00:26:20,849
know that kind of stuff does go on, and
these animals need to be rescued as well.
520
00:26:22,269 --> 00:26:22,769
Diana: Yeah.
521
00:26:22,829 --> 00:26:23,009
Yeah.
522
00:26:23,049 --> 00:26:23,389
Thank you.
523
00:26:23,439 --> 00:26:26,219
It's one of those things, like until I
went to my first auction, which I think
524
00:26:26,259 --> 00:26:30,119
I was a teenager when I first did it,
it really is just eye-opening and just
525
00:26:30,159 --> 00:26:32,309
makes you wanna, help as many as you can.
526
00:26:32,339 --> 00:26:34,299
And it's just hard 'cause
there's always more to help.
527
00:26:34,339 --> 00:26:36,699
But but at least the ones that
we do help, we really feel good
528
00:26:36,789 --> 00:26:37,699
that we've changed their lives,
529
00:26:37,799 --> 00:26:38,019
Dixie: yeah.
530
00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:41,099
I couldn't imagine going to one of
those auctions because, it's gotta
531
00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:45,539
be- Oh, yeah … so awful because
you can't take all of them with you,
532
00:26:46,369 --> 00:26:46,509
Diana: yeah.
533
00:26:46,559 --> 00:26:48,399
And when I first went, I was a teenager.
534
00:26:48,569 --> 00:26:51,029
I couldn't take anybody, and it
was just like, "What do I do?"
535
00:26:51,089 --> 00:26:55,079
And and Nook, who was our founder,
she went up several years ago, she
536
00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:57,699
called me, and originally she was
gonna take two horses, and suddenly
537
00:26:57,759 --> 00:26:59,109
she's I think I'm gonna take four."
538
00:26:59,219 --> 00:27:00,609
And I went, "Do we have money for four?
539
00:27:00,829 --> 00:27:02,009
Like, how are we gonna get four?"
540
00:27:02,449 --> 00:27:05,969
But we, thank God we got four because
those horses all really needed it,
541
00:27:06,029 --> 00:27:09,029
and they all ended up in, in much
better situations as a result of that,
542
00:27:09,129 --> 00:27:10,109
Dixie: yeah, that's wonderful.
543
00:27:10,159 --> 00:27:13,719
Thank you for the great work
that you do with the horses.
544
00:27:13,779 --> 00:27:14,719
Diana: Oh, thank you so much.
545
00:27:14,759 --> 00:27:17,349
And if people are interested
horserescueunited.org
546
00:27:17,369 --> 00:27:18,109
is our website.
547
00:27:18,189 --> 00:27:21,789
Obviously people can go look at
us and we always need sponsors and
548
00:27:21,829 --> 00:27:24,769
things like that, so really appreciate
anybody helping to support us.
549
00:27:25,549 --> 00:27:27,689
Dixie: Yeah, and I'll put that
in the show notes too, so that
550
00:27:27,709 --> 00:27:28,819
way people have the direct link.
551
00:27:28,849 --> 00:27:28,909
Oh,
552
00:27:28,949 --> 00:27:29,849
Diana: that'd be great.
