Before I became a Holistic Equine Practitioner, I was always involved with horses, mostly showing training and horse rescues.
One day I was asked to go to New Holland Auction with a horse rescue I had helped form, now dissolved. This was my first slaughter auction.
As we a group of 4 were driving up to the auction the conversation was lively with what to expect what horse we may bring back. I was filled with excitement and curiosity, but was warned that the killer pen fills quickly and it can be a saddening experience. To me it became a nightmare and scenes of terrible horse neglect by horse owners not the auction house itself.
When we arrived we all looked around, I went to the pen to see how
many horses were in there, not too many as the auction had just began.
The president of the rescue came over to shows us a small mare that was horribly thin and filled with maggots around her rectum , her head held low with much great sadness, we checked her teeth and found she was quite young. Then we went another rescue person who frequented there a lot and asked if there were funds to have this poor mare destroyed humanely, she agreed the mare should be put down as it would not make the trip to Canada. Then we all tried to get the auction vet to put this poor beloved mare down to no avail, we were seen as activist , and not respected in their horse world of buying selling and sending horses off to slaughter.
By noon the killer pen was Half full my heart ached, the horses cries were screaming why are we here? Wat is going on. It took all my might not to let them out and run free, now my stomach ached with pain and sadness.
I told them I was so sorry for their demise and up coming fate. I left the pen and went back the frail mare; we gave her water and fresh hay I could find, not caring who I took it from either. The president of our rescue had saved one good horse but could not take the frail mare as she would need a lot of vet care plus we really did not think she would even make it home. My heart sank into my chest, so I brushed her with my fingers and gave her love, then in an instant she turned to me as if to say I am ready to leave this place. I heard her request and prayed that God would take her life so she could be free in spirit. I gently kissed her goodbye and we left the horrific auction, on the way home no one spoke, all I did was cry.
That night with my intense sadness I fell into a deep sleep, a dream came to me, so real with every feeling in my heart. In the dream was the mare she was flying with wings the exact mare we had seen at the auction, but this time her heart was happy and she was with many horse spirits all seemed to have wings they were flying and dancing and eating lush green grasses, she was happy. The in a instant she flew down to me and nuzzled my nose and said thank you for trying to help me today, I want to let you know I am free now
Keep doing what you love helping horses, I asked what is your name?
The mare with bright eyes said Free Spirit and off she went, I could feel her in my heart and I awoke in a bath of tears steaming down my eyes, not for sorrow but for joy that she was finally free and to let others
know the horse becomes free once gone from their bodies and they are happy.
Please think before you breed, please find another means of finding a good home for a unwanted horse you may not afford, consider the possibility of
humanely destroying it , it would be better than a long horrible trip to Canada don’t you think? Horses have spirits and hearts of Gold they give without any asking for anything in return.
Lorrie Bracaloni
www.happynaturalhorse.com
