Mustangs Still need us To Stand Strong

There have been scores of equine advocates that have been fighting for our national herd, the Wild Mustangs. Worldwide they are considered a. American breed, a foundation line of our cow horses, (American Quarter Horses), our painted and spotted breeds have lineage that can be traced to the Spanish stock that is now the American Mustang. The destruction of the Mustang is politically and fiscally driven so cattle, sheep, and other grazer ranchers can claim what little scrub land that is left for their herds.Let's do the numbers, 4-6 million grazing stock compared to about 37,000 horses. Who do you think is doing the damage to the grass lands and affecting wild game? The Mustang has been persecuted and used as a scapegoat for the ranchers for over half a century. If the succeed and eliminate the remaining herds of mustangs who will they blame for their mismanagement of lands? Elk, Deer, moose, or other true wild native grazers? Will they be the next target that must be brought down within "safe" populations? How long before our BLM allows hunting from helicopters and gives free rein to big game hunters to hunt all year long? Think about the money the BLM will be making off those annual licenses while our native grazers are bleeding in the snow.The Wild Mustang is just the beginning, they are the gate keepers, saving them means keeping the ranchers from a free for all on all the animals. We need to protect this American Icon, the descendants of the horses that helped tame the west and make this country strong and prosperous.

Support The Horses At Pure Thoughts!!

Go Team Horse!!
The T-Shirts We Have All Been Waiting For
Are Ready!!
Just In Time For The Holidays!!!
Hi everyone...Please go to the Pure Thoughts website
and check out the shirts!!!www.pthr.org This is a great way to spread the word to others about
Team Horse and the rescue work we support.

Michelle Tolley wore her shirt a few days ago, and it gets attention! It will also make you feel good that you have this shirt and the horses have your donation!A BIG THANK YOU to the "Travelling Circus Ladies" for their generous donations!Note From Michelle:If you order a shirt (and we hope that you do!), please send me an email to let me know your shirt size, # of shirts and your mailing address: mtolley@ctc.net -
Kind Regards,
Laura Boothby
Pure Thoughts, Inc.
A Stand 4 The Horses Fundraising & Rescue Education

MSNBC COVERING HR 6598

I want to remind everyone if you send the link in a cut and paste form you will NOT be counted. Every news website counts the ratings, the emails, and discussion and then chooses the MOST popular stories to air on their programs. If we cut and paste we will not be counted. At the bottom of the story it gives you the options to rate, discuss, and email please use these links. We are all in this together and I do not think any one of us will mind if we get the story in our mailboxes more than once. Send it to me as many times as you want, if it helps the horses it's worth a full mailbox.
MSNBC is FINALLY reporting on the slaughter debate and we need to vote and comment. Also if you can send the link on from the website, they count every time it is sent from the site. The more attection it gets the more likely they will talk about it during PRIMETIME hours.
Here is the link to the story.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26860570/from/ET/


Sincerely,
Laura Boothby
Pure Thoughts, Inc
www.pthr.org
http://astand4thehorses.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/4thehorses

Wait.....Wait For It...Wait For it.....

Responsibility? what’s that?
Responsibility? not quite yet
Responsibility? what’s that?
I don’t want to think about it; we’d be better off without it
So much on my mind, I have to say paying close attention to our government this week was excruciating............................
While I watched the hearing for HR 6598 a song kept creeping into my head, Responsibility by MxPx. The lyrics remind me of every irresponsible horse owner who refuses to see they hold the power in their hands to finally run the horse killers off. But that would mean they would have to think when breeding, or buying or trading a horse. Why think of the future? Why think of being responsible for a living being who is immediately affected by your inability to live up to an unspoken promise?
The Pro Slaughter camp really have shown their true colors over the last week. Cheating on a poll on Washington Watch, a committee member admitting he did not care if they got to HR6598 because he was against it, calling horse rescues under the guise of needing to place horses, and let's not forget the 288 horses that will go to slaughter every day this week while another chance for the horses slipped through the cracks. What happened to Due Process? Whether in a court of law or on Capitol Hill we as Americans should be able to have our concerns heard. First Larry Craig (Minnesota Bathroom Visitor) stalls S311 in committee and now in a committee chaired by an Anti Slaughter supporter the newest version of the bill is still not getting it's fair chance.
So as for our leadership in DC? I have come to the conclusion. After I watched the entire committee hearing on HR6598, I sat back and realized that there is a reason we have a DO NOTHING CONGRESS, regardless of who is in power. I am dismayed to see the people, that we as voters, have allowed to run our government continue to destroy what our country was founded on. Sometimes I seethe with such anger when I hear the words of Goodlatte or read how once again Stenholm was able to blur the lines of reality. And then it hits me. This is just one issue that I have watched very closely. There are thousands of issues that our government is very good at not dealing with, brushing under the rug, or completely destroying with amendment after amendment. And let's not forget the continued partisan squabbling and arrogant men and women who rarely can agree on anything for the betterment of our country. Watching the proceedings of an immigration law discussion get dragged out for hours and hours after the committee started late and took a 45 minute lunch it all became very clear to me. We are paying the people in Washington full time wages for doing a part time job. They have perks thrown at them by every interest group, they get treated like kings in there hometowns, and they continue to give themselves raises every chance they can while people like my husband who works 7 days a week, leaving the house at 7 am and often getting home long after dinner time and hasn't had a raise in three years!!
There are people out there who have been out of work for months and will soon see there unemployment benefits end and will more than likely find themselves with repossessed cars, foreclosed homes and sadly some who will have to turn to living in their parents homes or in shelters while they struggle to get themselves back on their feet. These are people with degrees and years of experience who have worked so hard for what they have. And who is getting a bail out? High risk investment companies who played with other people's money. How does this make sense? Insurance companies who continued to raise rates and then give their executives $20 million bonuses!! This type of irresponsible, pass the buck business has become the status quo whether it is big business or horse breeders who are sending horses to slaughter for being the wrong color.
We have President Bush who has lost all credibility, the man has even lost his own party's respect and trust, come on TV and tell everyone he is talking with his advisers? The same advisers that have advised us into this debacle? Please enough already. I know when this is discussed on the hill, in hearings and on the floor of our great Capitol building it will takes weeks and weeks, if not months, then DC will go on Thanksgiving break, then they will go on Christmas break, then they will go on Winter Break. They get more vacation then my kids do.
So the purpose of my rant?
If the government refuses to take care of it's own people than how are we ever to think they will do the ethical thing when it comes to our National herd [especially when there is hard cold cash being stuffed into their pockets]? If they, (our ELECTED officials) continue to leave Washington with unfinished business we will lose everything WE have fought for. It's bad enough that we can't get an animal cruelty bill passed what happens when there is a bill on the table to protect Senior Citizens or Kids from predators and it's forgotten so our government whiners...err, leaders can get on the first plane to Disney World.

Now as for the second half of the song Responsibility, I have a message for our government leaders:
You think I'm so simplistic
I'm onto you and your tricks
I'm still young and I'd like to stay that way
'Cause growing up won't make everything okay
I'm still young and I'd like to stay that way
I've got a voice and I've got a lot to say
I've got a lot to say. . .

IReport About HR 6598

For some reason CCN flagged my report and did not release it for over 4 hours. It finally is up.
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-88520

Horse Slaughter Bill Receives Added Support – Pro-Slaughter “MYTHS” Dispelled

September 17, 2008, Wellington, Florida Today Victoria McCullough will be in Washington D.C. to speak at the Judicial Committee on Behalf of H.R.6598 The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008.

On May23, 2008 Victoria McCullough and members of Pure Thoughts Inc. Horse & Foal Rescue traveled to Sugarcreek, Ohio to attend one of the gruesome weekly kill-auctions held every Friday. This was the day The Triumph Project was born; all the horses were saved from slaughter. The Triumph Project was not just about saving the horses that day. It is about changing the future of the horses and horse slaughter by raising awareness through tested and proven facts. Former Representative Charlie Stenholm, (now a lobbyist for the pro-slaughter campaign) would like the country to believe that the horses going to slaughter are “old and infirm.” Pro-Slaughter would also like us to believe that disposing of 90,000 horses a year would be impossible and economically not feasible for horse owners. Both of these statements could be construed as crucial to the cause IF they were true. Horses that are sent to slaughter have been labeled “unwanted” when really they are inhumanely DISCARDED, with no accountability or responsibility to the owners.

Contrary to Mr. Stenholm’s statements, the proven facts are the following:

Total Horses Purchased 163 (all horses that were destined for slaughter)
Number of old and infirm horses from that total 7 (4.3% of the horses purchased were old or infirm and needed to be humanely euthanized, all due to neglect)
Cost to euthanize and dispose of ALL old & infirm horses $1225
In addition, in less than 3 ½ months since their purchase from auction almost half of these horses have been placed in forever homes and successfully adopted, which shows they are not unwanted horses.

In regards to Victoria McCullough’s continued fight against slaughter the following statement was made. “I firmly believe that the present economic crisis is a very clear tutorial that in arrogance we have lost a sense of human definition and traded our once core fundamentals for self-serving elements. How we treat our children, our elderly, our pets and companion animals give us our identities I would prefer to endeavor to reach for alternatives to restore our compassion and sensitivities. To slaughter young healthy beautiful horses, ponies, foals and mares in foal and to overuse and abandon work animals that have given their lives in service is purely barbaric and unjust in our country of opportunities and dreams. I am in Washington to fight for the environment; the human environment. Cruelty such as this is intolerable and I have promised the horses that we have saved from slaughter to illuminate the injustice corruption and senseless mass disposal that has lingered in back rooms permeated by greed. These one hundred and sixty three horses spared on May twenty-third will save many many more; they and I have been reborn.” Victoria McCullough for The Triumph Project

The Triumph Project - The Davis McCullough Foundation funded the Triumph Project as an awareness campaign to enlighten the world through unified efforts, both in the United States as well as abroad, of the betrayal of our equine ally. Throughout history, horses have served us by escorting us to battle, tilling our fields, drawing our carriages, and enriching our lives as our companions and friends.

Pure Thoughts Inc. - is an all-volunteer 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of horses, yearlings and foals that were intended to go to slaughter for human consumption. These horses would have been brutally tortured and slaughtered. Pure Thoughts Inc. Horse & Foal Rescue also rescues horses from starvation, abuse and neglect, any horse in need. To date, over 1150 innocent equines have been saved and we will continue to fight for the horses. We cannot do this alone...we need your help!! Please help us and others save these beautiful animals and please remember in your thoughts the ones we were unable to reach.

Jennifer Swanson
561-254-0415
Jswan0415@aol.com
www.PTHR.org




Jennifer SwansonPure Thoughts Inc.Horse & Foal Rescuewww.PTHR.org19181 Capet CreekLoxahatchee, FL 33470Saving the life of a horse may not change the world...................but it will change that horse's world.

ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE CROSS POST :We need comments ASAP.Both the ABC and NBC local affiliates here in Palm Beach covered the vote for H.R. 6598. We need to get the grassroots campaign going to let them know we want more info and to please cover more of this story.Channel 5 NBC reporter email: Jennifer Rivera: jrivera@wptv.com WPTV Station Email Contact: pnroghaar@wptv.comPhone:( 561) 655-5455Channel 25 ABC:To Make Comment: http://www.wpbf.com/station/index.htmlTo Call: 561-694-2525 It does not matter if you live in the viewing area. Tell them you heard that the station was reporting on the bill H.R. 6598 and you want to thank them and ask them to continue their coverage of this NATIONAL ISSUE. In order to get something like this picked up nationally there has to be a large audience reaction to a local story. We have our foot in the door here. We have TWO TV Stations that have reported on this today and they both are partnered up with CNN. Come On Everyone Consider This Part of The Call In Day!! Do It For The Horses!

West Palm Beach: WPTV Covers Equine Cruelty Bill H.R. 6598

Local Channel 5 WPTV came out to Mida Farm and interviewed Pure Thoughts, Inc Horse and Foal Rescue's Jennifer Swanson and Victoria McCullough about their trip to DC and the tomorrow's vote on H.R. 6598 The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 and H.R. 6597 Animal Cruelty Statistics Act of 2008 . You can see the interview today at 5 on Channel 5 (check your local cable provider) or for those across the country who would like to view it please visit www.wptv.com after 5pm today. Thank You WPTV and Reporter Jennifer Rivera for continuing to support PTHR and our National Campaign to bring humane care to out National Herd and to stop Horse Slaughter For Human Consumption in the US.
Sincerely,
Laura Boothby
Pure Thoughts, Inc
www.pthr.org
http://astand4thehorses.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/4thehorses

PLEASE VOTE!!!

The Pro-Slaughter camp is cheating in the vote by clearing the cookies and voting again!

URGENT Faxing and email campaign against horse slaughter

Guest Blogger Jennifer Swanson

Good Afternoon Everyone,

As the AWI put out this morning the vote for H.R.6598 The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 and H.R. 6597 Animal Cruelty Statistics Act of 2008 will be on Wednesday. We are encouraging everyone to contact your representative and ask him to please vote in support of these bills.

We have just returned from Washington D.C. and meeting with Carol Patton, the author of the bills and we have written a sample letter for you to send to your representative as well as a list of representatives. It is imperative we let our politicians know that there IS a successful alternative.

Please let me know if you would like this letter emailed to you. You can email me at Jennifer@PureThoughtsHorseRescue.com . Please feel free to crosspost this information

Sincerely,
Victoria & Jennifer


Dear ________________________;

I know you have been inundated with correspondences, faxes and telephone calls, and I am sure you know just how our country feels about this cruelty and inhumanity of horse slaughter.

We have continued to ask everyone to please vote in support of H.R.6598, The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 and also now ask that you vote to support H.R. 6597 Animal Cruelty Statistics Act of 2008, which will require the collection of data on animal cruelty crimes.

I am not sure if you are aware of the real story, but less than 8% of the horses that go to slaughter are “Old and Infirm." Senator Charlie Stenholm would like you to believe ALL horses destined for slaughter are in that condition as a result of abuse and neglect when in reality horse slaughter encourages that cruel treatment.

The remaining 92% of the horses are young healthy horses, pregnant mares and even foals. The slaughterhouses do not want old, infirm, skinny horses. And what you may not be aware of is that there IS an alternative for these horses. There is no need for horses to go to slaughter. They are not unwanted horses; they are DISCARDED. There are over 550 horse rescues in the United States, over 4.6 million horse owners in the United States, as well as there are over 10,000 organizations in the United States that are horse oriented or utilize horses in their program, (the 4H groups alone has 6.5 million members)

When a horse rescue attends an auction and outbids a killbuyer the rescue does not keep that horse for its entire life. They rehab and then re-home the horses. The rescues also have a follow up program for the horses to insure that the horse does not wind up in a "bad" situation again. These horses have gone on to help autistic children, physically and mentally disabled children, and even as parade or police horses. Some become show horses, family pets, trail horses, working horses, varied therapy horses, and rehabilitation horses etc. through the many adoption programs throughout this country. For the few that are older or unable to be retrained because of health issues, there are many organizations that are in place to take in these horses also. Humane euthanasia by a licensed vet is also an alternative for any horse that is suffering.

By ending slaughter you will allow the rescues organizations and individuals who want these horses to have the ability to step in and not have to travel to the kill auctions and outbid the killbuyers. Slaughter is a cruel and inhumane end to a life and not one that we condone in this country. Even the conditions that surround the slaughter process is inhumane.. Slaughter just allows a blind eye to be turned to the illegal abuse and neglect practices.

I would again like to encourage you to support the bills of H.R.6598 The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 and H.R. 6597 Animal Cruelty Statistics Act of 2008. Rest assured there is an alternative to slaughter that is functioning successfully in the United States. This cruel and inhumane practice is not needed and must end immediately.

Thank you for your attention to this matter,




House Judiciary Committee
Democrats
Republicans
The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., (MI)*ChairmanTel: 202-225-5126Fax: 202-225-0072Email: john.conyers@mail.house.gov
The Honorable Lamar Smith (TX)Ranking MemberTel: 202-225-4236Fax: 202-225-8628
The Honorable Mark Berman (CA)*Tel: 202-225-4695Fax: 202-225-3196Email: howard.berman@mail.house.gov
The Honorable Lamar Smith (TX)Ranking MemberTel: 202-225-4236Fax: 202-225-8628
The Honorable Rick Boucher (VA)*Tel: 202-225-3861Fax: 202-225-0442Email: ninthnet@mail.house.gov
The Honorable John Sensenbrenner (WI)Tel: 202-225-5101Fax: 202-225-3190
The Honorable Jerry Nadler (NY)*Tel: 202-225-5635Fax: 202-225-6923
The Honorable Howard Coble (NC)Tel: 202-225-3065Fax: 202-225-8611Email: howard.coble@mail.house.gov
The Honorable Bobby Scott (VA)*Tel: 202-225-8351Fax: 202-225-8354
The Honorable Elton Gallegly (CA)*Tel: 202-225-5811Fax: 202-225-1100
The Honorable Melvin Watt (NC)*Tel: 202-225-1510Fax: 202-225-1512
The Honorable Bob Goodlatte (VA)Tel: 202-225-5431Fax: 202-225-9681
The Honorable Zoe Lofgren (CA)*Tel: 202-225-3072Fax: 202-225-3336
The Honorable Steve Chabot (OH)*Tel: 202-225-2216Fax: 202-225-3012
The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee (TX)*Tel: 202-225-3816Fax: 202-225-3317
The Honorable Dan Lungren (CA)*Tel: 202-225-5716Fax: 202-226-1298
The Honorable Maxine Waters (CA)*Tel: 202-225-2201Fax: 202-225-7854
The Honorable Chris Cannon (UT)Tel: 202-225-7751Fax: 202-225-5629Email: cannon.ut03@mail.house.gov
The Honorable William Delahunt (MA)*Tel: 202-225-3111Fax: 202-225-5658Email: william.delahunt@mail.house.gov
The Honorable Ric Keller (FL)*Tel: 202-225-2176Fax: 202-225-0999
The Honorable Robert Wexler (FL)*Tel: 202-225-3001Fax: 202-225-5974
The Honorable Darrell Issa (CA)*Tel: 202-225-3906Fax: 202-225-3303
The Honorable Linda Sanchez (CA)Tel: 202-225-6676Fax: 202-226-1012
The Honorable Mike Pence (IN)*Tel: 202-225-3021Fax: 202-225-3382
The Honorable Steve Cohen (TN)*Tel: 202-225-3265Fax: 202-225-5663
The Honorable Randy Forbes (VA)*Tel: 202-225-6365Fax: 202-226-1170
The Honorable Hank Johnson (GA)*Tel: 202-225-1605Fax: 202-226-0691
The Honorable Steve King (IA)Tel: 202-225-4426Fax: 202-225-3193
The Honorable Betty Sutton (OH)*Tel: 202-225-3401Fax: 202-225-2266
The Honorable Tom Feeney (FL)Tel: 202-225-2706Fax: 202-226-6299
The Honorable Gutierrez (IL)*Tel: 202-225-8203Fax: 202-225-7810
The Honorable Trent Franks (AZ)Tel: 202-225-4576Fax: 202-225-6328
The Honorable Brad Sherman (CA)*Tel: 202-225-5911Fax: 202-225-5879
The Honorable Louie Gohmert (TX)Tel: 202-225-3035Fax: 202-225-5866
The Honorable Tammy Baldwin (WI)*Tel: 202-225-2906Fax: 202-225-6942
The Honorable Jim Jordan (OH)Tel: 202-225-2676Fax: 202-226-0577
The Honorable Anthony Weiner (NY)*Tel: 202-225-6616Fax: 202-226-7253Email: weiner@mail.house.gov

The Honorable Adam Schiff (CA)*Tel: 202-225-4176Fax: 202-225-5828

The Honorable Artur Davis (AL)*Tel: 202-225-2665Fax: 202-226-9567

The Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL)*Tel: 202-225-7931Fax: 202-226-2052

The Honorable Keith Ellison (MN)*Tel: 202-225-4755Fax: 202-225-4886

Some Quick Facts and Responses That Can Be Used to Debate HR 6598

We need to remember the facts about horse slaughter.
1)Slaughter is NOT Humane Euthanasia
2)Horse Slaughter Promotes Neglect. If a horse owner/trainer does not feel responsible for the animal and he can dump him at an auction sick, starved or injured without facing any charges there is no reason for them to be responsible
3) Horse Meat is full of carcinogens. On any feed, supplement or drug used in the equine industry it states Do Not Use On Animals Intended For Human Consumption.
4)Horses Are Not Raised in the U.S. as a food animal.
5)Transport to slaughter is inhumane. Laws are broken on a daily basis. Severely Injured, starved equine, mares heavy with foal delivering on trailers or slaughter house floors, blind horses, and foals under 6 months are transported off of feedlots and from auctions to Mexico on a regular basis.
6)The proponents of slaughter are not thinking of the horses they are thinking of their wallets.
7)90% of horses bought for slaughter are healthy serviceable animals under the age 10. Alarge portion of these horses are race horses, TBs and AQHA, they are loaded with drugs, hormones, and other products lethal to humanes. So the theory that US horse meat is better for you or is safer....well it's just that a theory based in lies not truth.

Please Vote For The Horses!!!

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_6598.html#commentform
CLICK ON THUMBS UP!!!!

Mr.McCain Enough Already!!!

1. lipstick on a pig :
slang for when someone tries to dress something up, but is still that something. usually used on ugly broads, when they put on a skirt and some lipstick and well, they still look like the same digusting pig ( http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lipstick%20on%20a%20pig )

Why is a comment about putting lipstick on a pig an insult to Sara Palin? Mrs. Palin called herself a dog for goodness sake when she compared being a hockey mom with being a pitbull with lipstick.
Mr. McCain, you yourself made very similar comments about Hilary Clinton's health insurance plan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMPYkNQlJMM&feature=iv ). Why was it okay for you to use this slang phrase but not anyone else? And let's face it when you said it, I don't know if you meant it to be mean, but it sure got a laugh from your listeners. I wonder if they were laughing so hard because they interpreted your comments as an insult to Mrs. Clinton? I mean why else would they laugh that hard?
When Mr.Obama said it he was exposing your call for change for what it was, another spin on the same old tired policies of the Bush Administration, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPd4yk0x-eg your campaign started demanding apologies. You know I am so sick and tired of all this political posturing. I want to know if you are elected every time CNN, MSNBC or any critic voices displreasure with you or asks solid legitimate questions of your adminstration are you going to start whining for an apology so we are all distracted by your same old tired policies as the prior administration? Or maybe your adminsitration will invoke and exploit the horrors of 9/11 as you did during the RNC to put us all in our place? ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26645619/ )

I have to admit over the last several weeks your campaign has gotten quite crafty. Your ability to avoid the issues, to address voters' concerns, and to keep Palin away from the media has been quite masterful. Who does that remind me of? Oh yeah that's right the BUSH administration!

I am Back!!

I am so sorry to have not written for days. When Mike lost his job I was a bit freaked out and I couldn't write. I was always worried and always on the edge of tears. But last night Mike got a call and he was hired at another plumbing company. We didn't get to have our planned date today but it is okay because he has a job!!!!!!

Anyway our date would have consisted of bitching about McCain and his running mate. How so many in our country are naive about this Republican Ticket is beyond me. I don't understand how this woman who has come out of left field with a horrendous environmental and animal rights record as she has I would think CNN would have covered it sooner than last night. She believes that the war is God's Plan and that the church where she spoke these words believes that Alaska is going to one of the safe haven's during the "End Of Times". Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4LjsfWbZLA and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQq4b5IQhq8&feature=related
She told the members of the church to pray for the gas pipeline and that again it was God's Will. Now normally I would say everyone has a right to their beliefs and this is a free country after all. BUT guess who paid for the travel expenses for that trip? The Alaskan Tax Payers Did, That's Who!!! $639.50 of state funds were used for her to spread her gospel. What happened to the separation of church and state? Why would tax paying Jews, Muslims, and other denominations be okay with this type of abuse of power? Maybe Palin feels since Alaska is so far away from the rest of the country her words would never be heard, I don't know, but it is scary to think that of all the men and women that died defending our rights, our way of life, our ability to choose what is best for OUR families. Those who laid down their lives during The Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, The Gulf War, and now the Iraq War all died in vain, if we don't stand up and say enough is enough!!!! I guess Separation of Church and State means nothing in 2008. It scares the hell out of me, when we allow our government officials to write and approve laws with a Bible in their hand instead of the Constitution, it only leads to more of our freedoms being stripped away.

In the end I am an Independant who is a christian, I believe the Lord is my Savior, I also see him as my only judge. I know when I die that I will answer only to him, not the Republican Party. I refuse to allow this group of judgemental liars be my moral judge. I find it ironic that the Republican Party is always complaining about Democrats wanting BIGGER government when in truth they are the ones who want to be in our homes ruling over every move, every decision we make for ourselves while they meet men in public restrooms (http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/28/craig.arrest/ )
and flirt with underage congressional pages ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901574.html ). \
Then the lying about why we as a country invaded Iraq while they line their pockets with dirty oil money. I find it terrifying that many people in this country believe that Saddam and his government had something to do with 9/11. He didn't! It was proven that he didn't, history will show that Saddam and Osama bin Laden HATED one another. Osama bin Laden saw Hussein as a plight on the Muslim world, an infidel and Saddam saw him as a threat to his rule over terrified Iraqis.
(http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0303-01.htm ) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/jun/16/alqaida.september11

So again with Sarah Palin and now the Lipstick/Pig comments Republicans prove they are better at Spin and munipulating the press, the American people and most of all the TRUTH!!

Comments Needed

Troubled horse owners are abandoning their animalsKansas City Star - MO,USAIt’sa growing problem in the wake of rising feed prices and new laws that bar the slaughter of horses for meat. “There is no room at the hotel, so to speak, ...See all stories on this topic

USA TODAY CALL TO ACTION

"If you can't trust the USA Today on this issue,

can you trust them on any issue?"

A boycott is in order until they start printing factual information!

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/08/homeless-on-the.html

Please Read the blog at the link provided.

And then comment and spread the word!

We are calling for a boycott of USA Today.

They have continued to promote Pro-Slaughter Propoganda as fact.

Several members of the Anti-Slaughter movement has approached USA Today to please report the facts, to research both sides and they refuse or ignore us.

Let's Stand Together As One Voice For The Horses And Say No To USA Today!

Heavenly Perfect's Santa Anita Race

You can view Heavenly Perfect's races on YOUTBUBE Thanks to a fellow FOB.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZl7gyB-cBY&feature=user

Watch Melody's Last Race Before She was Sent TO Sugarcreek

When I thought I could not feel any worse about what has happened to this mare.. I did.

I have just watched Heavenly Perfect's last race at Riverdowns.. We all know the condition she was in.. DO you know that mare stayed in second until the last stretch... Again... an OTTB that gave their heart... and then sent to slaughter. Jerry Hollendorfer should be stripped of any title of compassion or glory he may have. This is awful

You can go to this website http://www.calracing.com/replays.php

You will need to register... put in Heavenly Perfect's name and it will bring up her race on May 13th

Jennifer Swanson
Pure Thoughts Inc.Horse & Foal Rescuehttp://www.pthr.org

19181 Capet Creek CourtLoxahatchee, FL 33470

Once you register, you have to confirm your email address. Then go to Replay Races. Type in Heavenly Perfect and you sgould get the proper race. I got a green screen, but that is a software problem, not site problem.

Research Project:Please Respond!

This is for research only you will not be held to it LOL. This is for a Power Point Presentation. Thank You!!!

PLEASE PASS THIS AROUND AND POST IT WHEREVER YOU CAN THINK OF...
***Please email me at Jennifer@PureThoughtsHorseRescue.com and here is the information I need.****
I need to know if the situation should arise who could take in and care for a needy horse.

I need to know if you could...

1. Take in and care for a needy horse if all the expenses were paid OR

2. Take in and care for a needy horse is all medical expenses were paid (you could supply hay, feed and supplements) OR

3. Take in a needy horse and you could pay all expenses.

Your name and contact information
City and State
How many horses you could take in and properly care for
and which you could do #1, #2, or #3
*******Please email me at Jennifer@PureThoughtsHorseRescue.com******.

Jennifer SwansonPure Thoughts Inc.Horse & Foal Rescuewww.PTHR.org19181 Capet CreekLoxahatchee, FL 33470

USA CLAIMS OLYMPIC SILVER

Gina Miles surpises the world winning the Individual Eventing Silver Medal.
Here is Gina's NBC BIO Page Link
http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=1257/bio/index.html

I have to say I am quite disappointed in NBC's lack of respect for the Equestrian portion of the Olympics. I have talked with so many horse lovers, equestrians, and Olympic fans who say they can't find the equestrian programming. They feel that some of the excitement and beauty of the games have been lost with the tunnel vision on sports like Beach Volleyball and Water sports. The fact that China's Archery team got more play time that our Equestrian Team has really turned off many Americans who were looking forward to seeing our majestic horses compete.

US Equestrian Team TV Schedule

• Many of the posted schedules show the first of the Equestrian events for the olympics on the Oxygen Network. Tongiht they are going to be aired on USA at 2 am. It looks like NBC has made some changes to the plans for which network will air which event so please double check the day of the scheduled time and station. These are the latest listings as of 1am 08/09/08.
• USA Network 8/9/08 2am eastern (DirectTV Channels 242 and Channel 750)
  
• USA Network 8/09/08 9 am est (DTV channels 242 and channel 750)
  
• OXGN WEd 8/13/08 6pm est (DTV Channel 251 and channel 753)
  
• OXGN Thur 8/14/08 6pm est (DTV 251 and 753)
  
• MSNBC 8/16/08 5am est and 9am est (DTV 356 and 752)
  
• OXGN 8/19/08 6pm est (DTV 251 and 753)

Please Remember To Check Local Cable Stations for your viewing pleasure

Sincerely,

Laura Boothby

Pure Thoughts, Inc www.pthr.org

http://astand4thehorses.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/4thehorses

Redwood's "Main Drag" is County Rte. 37. If you want to find out local news stop into Knorr's, all the local info is a question away

The view from the village of Alexandria Bay is a history lesson in itself. Boldt Castle is located on Heart Island and is part the romantic history of Alexandria Bay, NY

If you blink you will miss it. Redwood, NY, tucked between Butterfield Lake and Mud Lake in Northwest Jefferson county, to me is paradise. Cool mornings and warm afternoons where fishing and easy walks along secluded trails makes one forget the everyday responsibilities we all face.

Sounds like an intro to a tourist pamphlet doesn't it? For the most part the above statement is true, but for this woman, it was a time to reflect and dig as deep as I could into what I was put on earth to do. It made me think about my everyday responsibilities and other concerns I have been hiding from. My life had been in a stalled state of unfinished business for so long and I was afraid to fix. Afraid of the happiness that could be, because in a split second it could all be taken away. I have seen it so many times, happy people with an easy rode ahead of them, with lives shattered because of a health issue, death, job loss or numerous other things that can pull us down from the clouds we were dancing over. So. why even be happy in the first place right? Why not just stay under the radar, never quite satisfied or achieving my goals, that way when something went horribly wrong it wouldn't bring me to rock bottom in a second flat, breaking me in two, because I was always just hovering over it. The higher the fall, the harder the fall. It hurts less when you don't have far to go.

I know, crazy right? So many people are living this way. Why? Studies show that people who don't follow their dreams live shorter lives, more likely to get sick at a young age, or live at the poverty line. Who wants that? I know I don't. I tend to dream big, but my dreams are a matter of helping others, four-legged and two-legged. Why not look into one's heart and soul and find out exactly what you want from life and what you really expect from yourself? How are we to succeed in life without really knowing ourselves?

So this is what I found I wanted in life. There are two goals I want to see achieved. My number one goal is to have a sanctuary for horses and people in Northern New York. A place where horses deemed un-adoptable could live out their lives being doted on by volunteers who cannot afford to own their own horse or are vacationing in the 1000 Islands region and need their horsey fix. My farm would be a sanctuary to those who need some time to get away from the grind of everyday life. Kids, adults, and families who find themselves in need of returning to the simple things, touching the soft velvety nose of a pony, or catching a yellow perch off a lake dock. Goal Number Two? There is a piece of property for sale in Alexandria Bay, NY that would make an amazing Tea Shop and Book Store. The building is old, it needs so much work, but it is a piece of American history. The goal of the shop is to help sustain the sanctuary while promoting the 1000 Island region during the short five month tourist season. The building is large, large enough to sustain a Rescue Shop where items, new and old could be sold to support Pure Thoughts and the sanctuary. My vision for the shop is to educate about rescue and earn a revenue to support needy horses. Is it big crazy dream? Yes it is. Will it take a lot of hard work and some major sacrifice? Yes it will. Do I think it would be worth it? Yes I do.

This is what my vacation gave me. It gave me time to asses my life and the goals I had put on the back burner years ago. My tea shop in Alex bay? A dream I have harbored for close to 10 years. Having a sanctuary? Well my entire life I have put off this dream not believing in myself enough to even consider taking steps to achieve this goal. To be honest I am still not sure where to begin, but did get some advice. I was told Laura, write. Write, a lot. It's who you are above everything else, you are a writer and in order to achieve your goals you must follow your heart and from the time you were able to put a sentence together you have written. So buckle down and get to work. So here I am writing down my dreams, writing my words for others to read. I may fail, but honestly, I would rather try and fail. then fail because I didn't bother trying.

Dreaming Big

My vacation to New York has me dreaming about the future and what I should really be doing with my life. Breathing in the country air and feeling the soft warm noses of the horses that live down the rode from our cottage it reminded me of what I wanted in life before it got in the way.

Figuring out how to get what I want may be harder than I had hoped it would be but isn't that life? Even when we think we have our path set or see the light at the end of the tunnel things can happen that knock us off our feet. This was proven last night when I opened an email from a friend informing me that her barn burned down, or while on vacation a dear friend and cousin was diagnosed with cancer. We can plan and plot but life will always get in the way. On a daily basis there are multiple paths put before us and we must choose one of them to follow...or maybe, even lead others down.


I have had a great meaningful conversation with myself. I will share my thoughts and goals. Right now I have to go pay some bills by working my dreaded retail job....................

Northern NY Does The Mind, Body and Soul Good

Just got back from our family vacation. I spent two weeks with the family in NY. We went to our hometown of Buffalo then spent a week at Butterfield Lake in Redwood, NY. Nothing like early morning fishing and exploring the halls of mansions on tiny islands! The 1000 Islands is a treasure and an amazing history lesson for all of us.
As soon as I figure out why I can't upload pics I will get up some amazing sunrise pics.

No Horse Meat Here!!

It's a rare occasion when I get to go to the grocery store alone. When I do, I enjoy my "quiet" time without the family bugging me for soda and pudding. On this day trip, Publix had tables set up with sushi samples and other goodies. I was stopping and sampling, trying to ignore a man who was huffing and puffing around the meat department. As I moved away I saw the Meat Manager step out from the back. "Huffy-Puffy" and he start talking. I roll my eyes and walk off as I hear Huffy-Puffy start complaining in a very thick French accent about the lack of international fair.
The manager asked him exactly this, "Sir if you tell me what you desire I can see what we can do for you." (Our Publix is like that, great customer service.) Huffy-Puffy says lovely, what I really would like to enjoy this evening is....... Okay I can't remember exactly what the dish was called now, but I did have cheval in the title. I stopped dead in my tracks. The manager looked confused and asked him what exactly was in this wonderful dish. Well I spun my cart around, hit the spice and condiment display in front of the Seafood display and yelled it's horse meat!!! I was fuming! The man looked down a me from his pointy nose and with a smirk said yes.... exactly horsemeat!
LOL The manager looked at me and him with big round eyes and said "OHHH I am sorry I didn't realize that is what you were asking for, we don't have that here". Huffy-Puffy started to complain again when I pounced. "Do you know where your beloved cheval comes from? It comes from our American horses! They are tortured and sent to inhumane slaughter houses. Do you know what you are eating? The carcinogens, the chemicals? Wormer, steroids, medications? Don't you people realize what you are putting in your bodies? In THIS country horses are fed feed from bags that say DO NOT USE ON ANIMALS MEANT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.
He started to get really red, really really mad. Next thing I know I feel the managers hand on my shoulder pulling me away, gently. As I walked away he started spouting in French, probably something along the lines about that Crazy American Lady, but my French is lacking.
The manager's face was pasty white, he didn't know what to say. I looked at him and told him I was sorry. I work in horse rescue, am fighting to end horse slaughter along with millions of other Americans and gave him my email address. I also told him in detail how bad the horses are treated and if Publix ever considered adding Horse Meat to satisfy the European consumer they would lose 1000's of customers. He told me that he didn't think Publix would ever do it and thanked me for the education. I think he was a little afraid of me too.

So that was my story.
I saw the manager the other day and he said when I left the French guy said I didn't know what I was talking about!

Kind Regards,
Laura Boothby
Pure Thoughts, Inc
www.pthr.org


A Stand 4 The Horses
Equine Welfare & Rescue Education
http://www.myspace.com/4thehorses

A Journey Home: The Story of A Broker Horse

This week AC4H, and their network, worked very hard to save the lives of the broker horses who were at high risk of going to slaughter. I was reminded of Lily Reba, a little arab mare that many people fell in love with and worked very hard to save. I wanted to revisit her story today. So here is Lily Reba's story in her own voice...........................

I am not sure how I ended up here, but I am sure glad I have. Please gather around ladies and hear my story. I can't remember all the details, but I do remember how it all made me feel........

I was born an Arabian Princess. I was dainty, but quick on my feet. My Mama was so proud of me and how a swept across the fields faster than the wind. I think I was a happy filly and as I grew I learned to except humans as part of my herd. I knew I was special, as all horses are, but when you are born an Arabian Princess who is quick on her feet and as smart as a whip you learn to hold your head up high and prance with elegance and grace.

When I became a young mare I learned to carry humans on my back. It was scary at first, but I learned to trust them as my ancestor had. Now this is where my memory gets foggy. One day I remember hurting my leg very badly and my humans did nothing to help me. It is possible I was left in a pasture or stall for a very long time and considered useless. You would think because of my royal heritage I would be treated better. I have since learned this happens to many more horses than I ever imagined! I think because of the pain and hurt I learned to forget the betrayal of my humans. One day my humans didn't want to take care of me anymore and made me leave on what humans call a horse trailer....you know those big black caves. I was scared but again I did as I was told.

I can't remember how long my ride was, but I sure didn't like where they took me. It was loud and smelled of fear. There were so many animals and humans all of them yelling and sweaty. It was early spring and I started to very chilly. I kept getting pushed around and stepped on. The other horses around kept saying how they hoped their humans would come back soon. I had a feeling none of us would see our humans ever again. Sometime later I was taken into a area where a whole lot of people stared at me. Not many seemed to like the looks of me, but one man with kinder eyes then most raised his hand and nodded at me. I hoped this was a good sign.

I soon found myself in another one of those caves on wheels, this time I had some travel mates. We ended up at a big red barn. There were many horses, all different shapes, sizes and colors. I wish I could say I enjoyed this time with so many beautiful creatures, but the truth was I was starting to feel very sick. Every day my nose got stuffier and then I had a fever. The doctor said I had pneumonia, I don't know what that is but I sure felt sick and I wouldn't wish it on the grumpiest mare.

Rumor had it that I had found a new human but because I was sick I wouldn't be able to go home yet. First they had to send me to Horse Spa and Recovery. I wish I could say I was a good patient but I was not. I wouldn't eat and I got sicker before I got better. I lost so much weight because I wouldn't eat. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. To tell you the truth I was a little sad. I was so hoping to go to my new home right away, but humans have rules and we have to follow them. I have learned that it was for the best. I made a good friend in a pony who drove up in the cave with me. I will miss him,but I know he is going to his forever home too.

It took me a while to get better, but when I did I knew that I would soon be coming home. The nice ladies told me I would have a new home with 4 other ladies, and best yet they all knew how I felt. All of them had been thrown away after being used up and injured by their former humans. The nice ladies told me how many people had come together to save my life from a horrible fate. I was so excited to meet my new Pasture Pals!! Most of all I was so thankful to all of th humans who didn't give up on me and thought I was worth my weight in gold.

So ladies that is how I ended up here with you. I look around at you all in amazement. We all have come from different places, but our story is almost the same. An Arabian Princess with a crooked front leg, a Standardbred matriarch who hobbles about with 2 bad fronts legs, a paso/QH who has had her knee blown out. Oh and of course the Alpha mare, who recently lost her pasture mate. She is all Paso Fino, tiny thing that she is. I can't wait to hear all of your stories ladies.A very special home we have here with Ms. Randa our super human lady. She says she knew I belonged here and she cried the day she knew I was coming home. I also heard how she plans on having a special brace made for my bad back leg!! She told me of how many humans waited to hear I was safe and sound. They waited to hear my journey was done. I am glad to say that it is. I have truly found a home.

Thank You humans.... all of you!!!! Because of you I have a new forever home in NY!! Thank you to all the other rescues (horses) who gave me support. I am so happy to be home!! I already took a nap and strolled in my new pasture!!!

Sweet Nickers to All,

Lily Reba (Reba for short)

PS. Special Thanks To Christy for telling everyone I needed help.

Donate? Volunteer? I Am Gas Broke!!!!!

Talking with fellow volunteers and donors of horse rescues, and other non for profit organizations, this week I found out I am not alone in trying to figure out a way to pay for trips to the farm to volunteer, donate toys, serve at the local soup kitchen, or even hand over canned goods to local food banks. We have all found ourselves working more and more to cover the expense of gas and other related expenses that we don’t have the actual time to dedicate to volunteering.

I have come to the conclusion it is a no win situation. We simply can’t keep up with the rising costs and this leaves the rescues and charities we support in an even harder place. How are they able to cover cost and supplement labor if donations and manpower is down? How do we help the rescues, pay our bills, and feel like we are contributing to all our goals for the horses and people who need us to help?

The Salvation Army, Goodwill, national food banks, and many other not for profit charities are seeing a major decline in donations of material goods and monetary donations. As our economy continues to be hit, week after week, and big and small business's continue to cut employees' pay, jobs, and benefits, many have stopped donating and are squirreling away pay checks.

I have been contemplating a garage sale on a large scale. Bringing lots of volunteers and donors together and making it into a weekend event for our local rescues. It’s time to look in the garage, the storage unit, and our closets and decide what we can live without.

For every unused picture frame or piece of clothing with a tag on it we could purchase a tube of wormer or a bale of hay. We could raise awareness by having our local news out to talk about horse slaughter and equine welfare. We could make a difference in a needy family’s Christmas.

Next week I am traveling to New York. I hope to gain the support of friends and family and have asked them to contribute and clean out their garages to help save a horse from slaughter or to donate for vet care to a rescued horse. Even if you only have one item to sell it can make a real difference to that one horse, one kid, or war vet who needs something…anything that let’s them know we care, we are here and that we will try harder.

Add YOur Comment

A clarification to the correction

I added my Lisa Ling Blog comment to this blog's page. I have learned finally to have a few stock comments to use as rebuttals to pro-slaughter articles. Over the next few weeks I will be adding talking points everyone can use. I have heard from many people that they would like to participate in such discussions but are not good at writing and commenting. I hope to help those who would like to be heard.

GUEST BLOGGER JOHN HOLLAND

***Note from John Holland***

Hi Folks,

There is a great deal going on and much of it is encouraging, however some other trends are very worrisome. It appears to me that there is a concerted effort to get rid of the mustangs before the Bush administration ends. They know that either Obama or McCain will be less likely to let it continue. I will pass along more information on that soon.

Here are some recent articles covering many aspects of what is happening. This is all on our side. The bad guys are also very active right now, so the battle is heating up.

John Holland

Transcript: Talkin' Horses with Welfare Advocate Alex Brown
TheHorse.com - Lexington,KY,USA
I follow your battle to end horse slaughter and certainly appreciate your dedication to such an important cause! My question: Do you think Barbaro's...

Slaughtering the facts about horse slaughter John Holland
Hillsboro Times Gazette - Hillsboro,OH,USA
As a writer and horse lover, I belong to a small group that monitors stories on horse slaughter and tries to get such stories corrected.

Ed Whitfield, Equestrian Hero
U.S. News & World Report - Washington,DC,USA
Before he took up the cause of thoroughbred racing reform, he led the so-far unsuccessful move to ban horse slaughter in the United States. ...

Suffolk downs begins zero tolerance slaughter policy
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2008/june/27/suffolk-downs-begins-zero-tolerance-slaughter-policy.aspx

Thoroughbred Times
by Steve Myrick
Suffolk Downs has established a new policy holding trainers accountable when their horses are sold for slaughter..

Petition to stop long distance hauling of horses in the EU.
http://www.ilph.org/makeanoise/thankspetition.asp

Please Comment On Lisa Ling's Blog Site

Here is the link.......
http://www.lisaling.com/

And here is what I wrote on her site..........
Horse Slaughter for human consumption is not only horrifically inhumane but may be causing long term health problems for consumers overseas. American horse meat is loaded with carcinogens from chemicals, drugs, and feed. Quarter horses and thoroughbreds go to slaughter more than any other breed, off track thoroughbreds are loaded with drugs and steroids and that is what people are eating. Consumers in Europe and Japan do NOT know this. The companies selling the horse meat are perpetuating the belief that the meat being consumed is coming from horses kept out on the range like cattle.
Americans were screaming from the rafters when China was sending us goods that were contaminated with harmful chemicals. The hypocrisy is unbelievable. Our government is looking the other way while foreign companies are lying to their countrymen. Any horse that is fed a name brand horse feed or grain has levels of carcinogens. On the side of a bag of grain it clearly states that it should not be fed to animals that are going to be slaughtered for human consumption.
Wake Up America, this is not just about ending an inhumane practice but about protecting fellow World citizens from greedy Big Business.
Let's not forget that according to the USDA that 90% of horses sent to slaughter are healthy, serviceable animals. They are of good weight under 7 years old and are not lame or sick. It's actually illegal to ship sick(such as cancer), blind, or "three legged" horses to slaughter.
Laura Boothby
www.astand4thehorses.blogspot.com

Knock Knock...

If you live in North Palm Beach, FL and two little girls are knocking at the door. Please listen to what they have to say, take the pamphlet they offer, and dig around for that loose change in your pocket.
Late this afternoon we received a call from Jen Swanson at Pure Thoughts, Inc. Horse and Foal Rescue to please ask everyone to pray for Melody, Team Barbaro's sponsored mare from the Miracle Save ( www.pthr.org ) . She was suffering from impaction colic and was headed to the vet. We were so worried about this sweet mare who had stolen all of our hearts over the last few weeks.
Maria and Emma knew that the vet visit and possible need for surgery would be very costly. The immediately headed out the door to ask their lemonade stand customers to please gather their hearts and pocket change together for this sweet TB mare. In about ten minutes they had $8 in loose change to help pay a tiny fraction of Melody's bill.
Maria and Emma felt defeated. They knew that the eight dollars they collected wouldn't even pay for a bale of hay here in South Florida. I told them that it was okay, that when more people heard about Melody's illness and the rescue's determination to help her, that more people would turn to their own pockets and change jars and send a little to help. That it alll adds up.

I reminded the girls of all the times we raised funds for horses that needed help. Whether it was a horse saved from slaughter or the orphan foals, we all worked as a team to reach our goals.
This was a great lesson for both girls and now they are determined to try harder. I learned a lesson from them to.......TRY HARDER.


Laura Boothby
Pure Thoughts, Inc
www.pthr.org
http://astand4thehorses.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/4thehorses

Watch With Caution

This video says it all. I have cried viewing many videos created by fellow horse lovers and resuers but during this video I completely broke down. It is very hard to watch, but it may just be a tool we can use to get people to see what is really going on out to the mainstream public. Please if you don't think you can watch horse in pain, panicking or in extreme neglect or abusive conditions to NOT watch this video.

Make Some Noise...Make A Difference!

I have Stage Fright? Could it be!!?? I couldn’t wait to get the Blog up and running, now I can’t seem to figure out what to write about. I have started this paragraph five times only to hit the backspace key each time, unsure of my words, unsure of the message I am trying to get across. Even the word message does not feel like the right word. Do I mean my belief, my opinion, or perspective? How do I begin to explain what I am thinking and feeling when I cannot even decipher my own thoughts in my own head? Is this block coming from frustration, helplessness, or is it a deeper problem, like lack of confidence?

I could write about the fact I have not touched a horse in a week because I can’t fill my gas tank anymore to make the 45 minute drive to the barn. I could write about how the Olympics are right around the corner and our U.S. Team is preparing to make us all proud. I could write about how internet stalking of rescues is at an all time high. But does anyone really care about these things, when we still have horses going to slaughter in Mexico and Canada every week? When every day we have horses, mules, and donkeys popping up that have been suffering long term abuse and neglect?

It’s time to look at ourselves and see what we can change about ourselves to help the horses more every single day. We need to not only work on the anti-slaughter legislation but changing the state and federal laws that continue to protect the abusers of our National Herd. I know many people feel like me. How can we get the federal and state governments to change the laws when they themselves are contemplating the destruction of our wild Mustangs in the name of Big Business?

I think we each have a talent, better yet, a weapon that we are not utilizing. Our voices, our intelligence, our experience in the Horse World among all different types of people, young, old, wealthy, and very horse poor. It cost nothing to email our government representatives, it cost nothing to talk to fellow horse people who have no idea what is going on. Even more we have an entire country that may not own horses, but love them, respect them, and have childhood memories of their first pony ride or seeing their kids grin ear to ear as the touch the soft muzzle of a sweet horse at a fair or a local farm. The people who see horses as a National Icon, but do not live with them every day, they are a resource to our National Herd we must tap. We must reach out into the mainstream public and touch their hearts…..no their sense of right and wrong, the most human part of all of us who want to right the injustices that are happening every day to the voiceless, helpless victims of abuse, neglect, and our government’s inability to step up to the plate.

So please stand up with me and network for our American horses. Start conversations with your fellow shoppers at the pet store or grocery store. When you go to a horse show this summer, ask the trainers, riders, and spectators if they know what is happening to the horses every day over the border. Educate yourselves with talking points, statistics, and quotes from those among us who have first hand knowledge of what happens at US auction houses in every state in the Continental U.S. Don’t be afraid to say the word slaughter or describe what is happening, unless a person really can get a sense of what is happening they will not be moved enough to act!

If we make some noise …..we can make a difference.

Laura Boothby

The Truth Must Be Told

Guest Blogger Jennifer Swanson
Co-Founder Pure Thoughts, Inc. Horse And Foal Reacue

THE TRUTH MUST BE TOLD...
OUR FIRST ARTICLE IS PUBLISHED... THE TRUTH WILL BE TOLD
This is on the www.phelpsprts.com . You need to be a member to read it there. I am hoping it gets picked up eslewhere. I thank Phelps Media for being courageous enough to publish this article. The article is called. "What did they do to deserve this"You can see more of the pictures from the auciton at www.PTHR.org

http://www.phelpssports.com/viewarticle.php?id=7477

Jennifer Swanson

June 22, 2008

As you approach the auction house the first thing you see are the eyes looking out through rusted caged windows. The horses get as close as they can to the air, the sunlight they know is out there, but they can’t get too close or their eyes will be impaled by the bent and rusted prongs. Still, they look out, hoping to see something familiar, someone coming to take them home.

Every horse has a different story. For the horses at auction, the look in their eyes all begs the same question: what did I do to deserve this? These horses are in a dark, man-made and operated cement hell.

They are poked and prodded and crammed, sometimes 50 horses, into single pens. Some horses fight, some try to stay to the side to avoid getting kicked. Some are hurt, some are mares trying to protect their foals. Others are just trying to stay on their feet so they don’t get trampled. There are tired and wounded workhorses. Colicking horses. Injured racehorses standing on three legs that still wear sweat from their last race.

This horror is just the first step in a torturous journey that these horses are on. It’s a journey that we as Americans, horse lovers and humanitarians allow in our country. And just when I think it can’t get worse, they open the gates and shove another horse in there, and the ruckus starts again, as the horses shift and struggle for position. A few strong ones can fight for a little bit of hay in the corner. Many horses have their heads stuck out of the pen in hopes a passerby will give them a pet on the head, in hopes someone will see them and take them out of there. Their quiet pleas seem somehow louder than the screams of the horses who are scared and hurt.

The horses do not have to have a voice to tell their story. The workhorses and Standardbreds, injured and abused and yet often clearly fresh from work, are the most painful to watch. These horses have given their lives to work for their owners and then they are delivered to a painful death. The Amish, the people who use these horses for their means of transportation and agriculture, in many cases provide the most horrible cases of neglect and abuse. A bullet to the head is more humane than what they do to these horses. What in their faith allows for this cruelty? The auction at Sugarcreek is the dumping grounds. Most people will bring their horses there to be sold, but they will buy their horses from better auctions. They will go to Mt. Hope or and spend thousands on a beautiful Standardbred with bows in her hair right off the track. In a year or two this same horse will be at the kill auction in Sugarcreek: weak, abused and destined for slaughter. They will go to a draft farms and spend thousands on a beautiful team or a draft horse, usually a Belgian and the same things will happen. This horse will be used and worked to within days of its life and then sent to the kill auction. That is the reward these horses receive for their work and servitude. If the horses are injured, they don’t care for them. They simply work them until they can no longer work, then they are sent to the killbuyer. I know there are Amish people out there who take good care of their horses, but we see so, so many that don’t.

And it’s not only the Amish. The racing industry joins them in the cruelest act. Gleaming muscled racehorses are top choice for the killbuyers. On May 23^rd Pure Thoughts bought more than 15 tattooed thoroughbreds. Some of these horses were picked up at a Maryland racetrack by a man who said he would deliver them to a therapeutic riding center. Instead he planned to deliver them to killbuyers. Fortunately for those horses we were there and brought them home. What happened to Eight Belles is truly heartbreaking and it seems the racing community is trying to change practices and policies. But what about this behind-the-scenes atrocity. Do all of the people who mourned the loss of Eight Belles know what happens to many racehorses every Friday at Sugarcreek?

Next time you enjoy a day at the races, think about the ones that did not make it that far or the horses that came in last in their race. Chances are there next stop is an inhumane slaughter. Is that really worth the exhilaration you felt as the horses crossed the finish line? Is their life worth our recreation? Are we, as a nation saying "It is okay that these horses experience a horrific death" is that what we want to define us as horse lovers?

But there is more. It’s not just the racing industry and the Amish. The slaughter pens hold many of beautiful horses, show horses, ponies, trail horses, pets, workhorses. Mares and week old foals are bought by killbuyers. They will be taken from the auction together but a stop will be made. At this stop the foal will be ripped from its' mother and either left to die or fattened up until it can be pass as a six-month old and then it will be sent to slaughter. The mare thinks losing her foal is a heartbreak, she has no idea what she is in for, this is nothing. Pregnant mares who are just days from giving birth are in the killpens after auction. They will be slaughtered. Killbuyer and slaughterhouses do not want our sick, old and lame. They want the healthy horses. Slaughter does not care what is on the registration papers, it just wants flesh.

But we haven’t even gotten to the process of slaughter yet. After the auction, the next horror these horses go through is the transport. Usually this is done unlawfully and without morals. The horses are crammed, again, into a trailer. Stallions, yearlings, mare, foals ponies are jammed in together. There is no water. There are no stops. They drive across the country to Canada or Mexico and don’t get off-loaded until they reach the slaughterhouse. Some will die on the way. If they act up, they are beaten harshly.

And yet, the American public turns a blind eye to this practice. So far we haven’t forced our government to listen to cries of the horses.

Some horse owners and lovers also stay in the dark, not educating themselves on the cruel truths of horse auctions. That nice man who seems to be buying up many good horses is NOT taking them back to his ranch. He is buying them for meat and he will smile at you politely and soon those horses will begin their long hellish journey, one that will end with him or her gasping for their last breath after being mutilated and tortured.

As rescuers we dance with the devil every day for the sake of the horses. We play the game we must play in order to be able to attend these auctions, work with the killbuyers and purchase these horses. We keep our stories amongst ourselves in order not to ruffle any feathers. We all filled with anger and rage over what happens and the tears are a river that runs constant. The story I tell is one I have lived with, it haunts my dreams and fills my soul. I look at the ones we save and cannot help but think of the ones we were unable to save. When I learned of horse slaughter, it changed my life. I gave up the life I had for a life that was once unknown to me and now I live and breathe it.

My job now is to speak for the horses and do my best to bring an end to this dirty little secret. From slaughter to nursemare foals. Cruelty and misuse of horses is inhumane and intolerable. For those who cannot speak ... I will.

On May 23, 2008, Pure Thoughts Horse and Foal Rescue aligned forces with the Davis- McCullough Foundation and saved all the horses that were intended to go to slaughter at the horse kill auction known at Sugarcreek Livestock auction. We did it with help from Victoria McCullough of the Davis-McCullough Foundation, which has spent years dedicating itself to the needs children and animals.

All equines were safe that day, including some from the week before who were waiting for their trip to slaughter. That was a single day that the horses were safe. As a country we have the ability to change this action and bring the horses of our country to safety everyday. These horses are being slaughtered for human consumption and shipped overseas to Europe and Asia. Let’s ban together and tell them No. Not our horses, the horses will not be tortured for your gluttony, not on our watch.

For more information on how you can help you may email Jennifer@PureThoughtsHorseRescue.com , visit the site www.PTHR.org or call 561-254-0415

Jennifer Swanson
Pure Thoughts Inc.
Horse & Foal Rescue
www.PTHR.org
19181 Capet Creek
Loxahatchee, FL 33470

Saving the life of a horse may not change the world...........
........but it will change that horse's world.

Willie Nelson To The Rescue

Guest Blogger Cheryl Hanna

For Immediate Release:


June 27, 2008Palm Beach Gardens, Florida


The Rolling Stones once wrote, "it's the singer and not the song", but for Stormy, a 16 year old former PMU stallion it was a singer who came to his rescue.

Five years ago, Stormy had been a stallion on a Canadian PMU farm. When the Women's Health Studies appeared and connected a prevalence of cancer, stroke, blood clots and other related conditions to the menopausal drugs, 60% of the farms producing the drugs from the urine of pregnant mares ( Premarin, Prempro, etc. ) closed ,and horses who could not be homed quickly wound up in slaughterhouses to be inhumanely butchered for the plates of wealthy Europeans and Japanese diners.

As luck might have it at that moment, horse lovers throughout the US had been bringing in many PMU mares and babies as well as a few stallions. Not too many people were able to handle stallions, but Stormy's beauty caught many an eye and through various horse rescue groups, the money was raised and Stormy was saved. He was able to stay at a farm in Canada temporarily, but soon his options would run out. Another Chance 4 Horses, www.anotherchance4horses.com a PA non profit, 501 C3 horse rescue, placed his picture on their website hoping to find someone willing to help Stormy, and luckily a private horse rescue who had successfully placed nearly 70 PMU mares and babies offered Stormy a home. Flash ahead 5 years, and Stormy was in need again; he had never been gelded and once again was in danger. The private rescue failed, and all of the horses needed new homes.

It was time for a miracle. Stormy is a tri-color paint and Willie Nelson loves paint horses and provides a sanctuary both in Texas and South Carolina for them. So a call from Another Chance 4 Horses to Jerry at Habitat for Horses, an explanation of the problem, and an invitation to Stormy was immediately extended. Stormy is now an official Willie Nelson horse. He will be gelded, thanks to an emergency grant offered by Front Range Equine Rescue, http://www.frontrangeequinerescue.org/ as a part of their backyard breeding deterrent program.He will either find the perfect home or be welcome to stay as an honored guest of Luck Farms, South Carolina, the latest foster farm for Habitat for Horses under the "Willie Nelson Signature Series" adoption program.

Stormy's story is not over yet; he still needs his feet and his teeth done to bring him back to optimum health. We now look to the generous donors who enable so many horses just like Stormy to be rescued. It happens every day, but to each horse, it makes a difference. Please help us help Habitat for Horses to continue their amazing work.

All donations for Stormy can be made to Habitat for Horses http://www.habitatforhorses.org



Best regards,Cheryl Hanna
Fundraising and Publicity
Another Chance 4 Horses, Inc
www.ac4h.com

Welcome

I started a blog once before but can't find it so I am starting over. I have been away from writing for way to long. This blog is going to cover all aspects of our Equine World, from the upcoming Olympics to Horse Rescue and Equine Welfare. Each and everyone of us who loves and enjoys horses whether it ia ever day or on the weekends have a responsibility to make a marked difference for our National Herd.
So thanks for checking out my first entry. I can't wait to get going full steam!!