- Joined
- Feb 20, 2012
- Messages
- 104,071
- Reaction score
- 84,041
- Location
- Biden's 'Murica
- Gender
- Female
- Political Leaning
- Moderate
Many of you know I draw my user name from one of my favorite now retired racehorses, the California based Tres Borrachos. I've also shared my experiences with horse racing, and many years working in and around tracks in my youth, as well as the last few years being very active in retired Thoroughbred rescue and rehabilitation. I love horses as anything in this world.
With all the news of the fires in CA, some of the stories not involving humans don't tend to get on the news. Most people in the country probably aren't aware of the many horse deaths as a result of the fire. Hundreds of horses have perished at private stables, riding facilities, and most famously, San Luis Rey, which is a big training facility in soCal and lost 10% of the horses in the fire (and many are still missing) - 46 at last count in that one facility alone.
http://beta.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-horses-deaths-update-20171209-story.html
Horses are terrified of fire. They resist being moved out of their stalls. Many brave men and women, from trainers to grooms, risked their own lives saving what they could, and many of them will bear permanent emotional and physical scars.
I lost my show pony in 1973 in NJ when our barn burned, and she and 53 other horses were killed. I remember my parents getting a call pre-dawn, and going to the stables. They let me sleep in and when I finally learned about it and my sister drove me there, and they were digging the mass grave for all of our horses. 44 years later I can still remember the horror, grief and pain, and the real horror of learning about how my pony, among dozens of others, was so terrified that she resisted the efforts to get her out of her stall and into safety. One of the barn staffers told my parents that she was kicking out at him as he tried to get the lead on her.
If you can spare some sympathy or good thoughts, please send them out to the innocent horses victimized by the fires. They don't get the press, but their suffering is so real.
With all the news of the fires in CA, some of the stories not involving humans don't tend to get on the news. Most people in the country probably aren't aware of the many horse deaths as a result of the fire. Hundreds of horses have perished at private stables, riding facilities, and most famously, San Luis Rey, which is a big training facility in soCal and lost 10% of the horses in the fire (and many are still missing) - 46 at last count in that one facility alone.
http://beta.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-horses-deaths-update-20171209-story.html
Horses are terrified of fire. They resist being moved out of their stalls. Many brave men and women, from trainers to grooms, risked their own lives saving what they could, and many of them will bear permanent emotional and physical scars.
I lost my show pony in 1973 in NJ when our barn burned, and she and 53 other horses were killed. I remember my parents getting a call pre-dawn, and going to the stables. They let me sleep in and when I finally learned about it and my sister drove me there, and they were digging the mass grave for all of our horses. 44 years later I can still remember the horror, grief and pain, and the real horror of learning about how my pony, among dozens of others, was so terrified that she resisted the efforts to get her out of her stall and into safety. One of the barn staffers told my parents that she was kicking out at him as he tried to get the lead on her.
If you can spare some sympathy or good thoughts, please send them out to the innocent horses victimized by the fires. They don't get the press, but their suffering is so real.
