Title: De Wae Dressage Clinic
Location: Equestria
Start Date: 2012-05-25
End Date: 2012-05-27

Description: Trainer Frederick de Wae will be holding a dressage clinic at EQUESTRIA 25th to 27th May 2012.
Limited space on the clinic for riders, spectators allowed at a cost of R75 per day

All proceeds to the Highveld Horse Care Unit’s THOROUGHBRED RETIREMENT PROJECT
Contact Julia 083 2665552, julz@bundunet.com

Trainer: Frederick de Wae
Frederick is a Belgian national trained in Germany to instruct and ride from pre-novice to Grand Prix.
He was trained by Hella Kuntz, a pupil of Johann Hinnemans, according to the German training program “Scala der Ausbildung”

In 2006 he passed his Bereitertest inthe German Riding School in Warendorf where he got the highest score in jumping and dressage.

It has been a long-weekend, (a very long weekend) for HHCU.

On Saturday, we received a frantic call for help from the owner of a horse in Botshabelo township, which is a good four-hours drive from the Unit.  His horse had been stolen, and when he found her, he knew that something was very wrong with her.  We tried the nearest animal welfare organisation, who were unable to help, and we couldn’t get a vet to go out.  What do you do?  You help.  Trevor was on duty over the weekend, and he took Samson with him, who knows the area well – we haven’t been able to do any outreach work in Botshabelo before – we cannot cover all the areas we need to due to financial restraints.

Whilst in the area, Trevor and Samson saw many other problems with horses:

We de-wormed as many horses as we could whilst in Botshabelo - all in all over 20 horses were checked, and de-wormed.

As they were leaving, our inspectors stopped a cart horse to check harnessing: he had brushing wounds, and his feet were badly misshapen.  the problems were fixed, and we will re-check on this horse on our next visit.

The owner of this horse flagged us down and asked for help - the poor animal was beyond help. Euthanasia was the only option

By this time, it was extremely late, and Trevor and Samson stayed at Samson’s home in a village near to Thaba Nchu, so that they could make an early start home the following morning.

Thank goodness they did…. as they left the house the next morning at around 6.30, a man was waiting for them – he urgently needed help with his horse.  According to the owner, he had been to Bloemfontein, and a villager had asked his wife if he could loan the horse and cart to transport some wood to his home nearby.  Apparently, the mare, who was pregnant, would not go fast enough, and the driver of the cart doused her rear end with either kerosene or petrol, and set her alight with a burning torch whilst she was trying to pull  the cart.  The guilty party has disappeared – but we will find him, and he must pay for what he has done.

So, a miserable weekend – especially Trevor and Samson, who had to deal with euthanasing four horses during this episode.  The only good thing that I can think of to say, is at least those four horses are no longer suffering.  I despair of mankind sometimes, I truly do.

Please don’t flood our facebook page and website with threats, racial comments, or hatred.  It doesn’t help.  Just work with us to find a positive and successful way of  doing something about the problems.  Raise funds, donate old tack, get a MyPlanet card -support us in any way you can.  I know that charities are always begging for money, and it be comes tiresome.  I understand that.  But how else can we tackle these problems?  If we had the funds, we would be able to send an inspector there more regularly, we would be able to educate people, prosecute offenders if necessary, and we would be able to hospitalize the injured horses.  The only way that we are going to stop this is with YOUR help.
PLEASE HELP US TO STOP THIS.

Title:

We will have a stall at this event – please come along and support us?

** YOU CAN WATCH BARRY & JOE ON SABC3 ON SUNDAYS AT 8:30 – 9:30PM **

Barry Armitage and Joe Dawson set out on their latest expedition, Into the Unknown, from the Kwa-Zulu Natal in November 2011. With their horses, Cola, Cherokee, Pat and Jack, and back-up crew Leanne Black and Natalie Basson, they planned to ride to Cape Town. Part fund raiser, part road show, part social experiment, they trusted in the spirit of goodwill of their fellow South Africans to provide places to stay for their horses, and for themselves. Their journey has not only touched hearts, but appealed to the spirit of adventure which many of us would dearly love to explore.

This event is the wrap up Fundraiser of that epic expedition.

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8:30am NEIGH-BOURS BIRTHDAY OUTRIDE WITH THE RIDE
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Neigh-Bours is thrilled to be celebrating their 3rd birthday with Barry and Joe from The Ride in an outride around the very beautiful Canterbrooke Equestrian Estate.
The Ride asks that the spirit of generosity so graciously shown in INTO THE UNKNOWN extends itself to also supporting their chosen charities: the Cart Horse Protection Association, the Highveld Horse Care Unit, and the Coastal Horse Care Unit on this day too, and pay R100 to join this ride to go to those 3 charities.
Bring your horses, box out and Ride with Barry, Joe and the Neigh-Bours girls. Meet at Canterbrooke at 8am, ride out at 8:30.
Back by about 10:30 for the traditional Neigh-Bours birthday cake!!

emaiil surea@canterbrooke.co.za for more info

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11:00am FLEA MARKET FUNDRAISER
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Join Barry & Joe at Canterbrooke for a Horsey Fleamarket!

** AUTOGRAPHED PHOTOS OF YOU WITH BARRY & JOE ** STALLS ** FUN ** FOOD & DRINK ** PONY RIDES FOR THE KIDS **

“THE RIDE” AUCTION!
There will be one-of-a-kind-actually-used-by-Barry-and-Joe items up for auction!
Don’t miss this opportunity to own a truly unique piece of memorabilia!

BUSINESS OWNERS: DO NOT MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A STALL AT THIS AMAZING EVENT!
STALLS AT THE MARKET COST R100 EACH and that goes to Cart Horse Protection Association, the Highveld Horse Care Unit, and the Coastal Horse Care Unit.
We ask that stall holders please donate an item from their stall for a raffle hamper!

email info@neigh-bours.co.za to arrange a stall space!

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For more information about The Ride:
Sarah Dawson
+27 83 393 5008
info@theride.co.za
http://www.theride.co.za
https://www.facebook.com/barryarmitageadventure

For more information about Neigh-Bours:
http://www.neigh-bours.co.za
https://www.facebook.com/neighbourscoza

For more information about Canterbrooke Equestrian Estate:
Surea van Schalkwyk
+27834693421
http://www.canterbrooke.co.za
https://www.facebook.com/canterbrooke

Title:

AEDP Certified (AUS) AED Certified (USA) qualified equine dentist Andrew Portch will be at the VaalRiver Riding Club in Standerton to talk about equine dentistry and your horse on Saturday 5th May at 9am.

 
COSTS:
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R100 per adult
R70 per high school student
R50 per primary school student

** R20 from every attendee will be donated to the Highveld Horse Care Unit **

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DISCOUNTS:
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Wear your Neigh-Bours t-shirt or golf shirt and get R15 off the cost of the seminar!

PLEASE BRING CHAIRS, SEATING IS LIMITED

More about Andrew: http://www.horsedentist.co.za/
More about the Highveld Horse Care Unit: http://www.horsecare.org.za/

Andrew will also be available to work on a limited number of your horses in the area on the day after the clinic too – he will travel to your stables.
STRICTLY FIRST BOOKED FIRST SERVED!

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CONTACT:
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email jessieslabbert@gmail.com proof of payment to book.
Make payment to:
FNB Standerton, Branch code: 250655, Acc no.: 62350207025

Late on Friday afternoon we received a call from a very distressed lady whose vet had recommended that she call HHCU to assist with the humane euthanasia of her horse.  The horse had broken a leg – nobody knew how it had happened.  We were glad to be able to assist the horse and his owner at this very upsetting time…

a tragic accident

FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS HELPING HHCU:

Equine dentist Andrew Portch kindly came to the Unit last week to assist with some dentistry work on our horses and donkeys.  He returned on Saturday to do the remaining horses teeth that needed doing…. Andrew has been incredibly kind to us by making sure that the horses we help have all got the best teeth they can possibly have!  Last year he accompanied us to Thaba Nchu and Rooifontein, where he did over 70 horses teeth!  He has offered to assist us again on our clinics.  Some people are just good!
Speaking of which, Milyn  Brazier an equine physiotherapist also visited us on Friday and did her ‘thing’ with a number of young horses off the track, to help with tight  muscles and tension.  Thank you Milyn, we really appreciate it!

Andrew Portch, equine dentist - sorry about the 'butt shot'!

this horse really enjoyed his physio session!

WITH SADNESS……

Ashley Ness was on duty this weekend, and was called out to an emergency in Orange Farms townships for a ‘colic’.  Fortunately, Andrew Portch the dentist was at the Unit, and being the gentleman that he is, he offered to accompany Ashley.  They found a very young mare that was in a lot of pain, aborting her foal.  On veterinary advice, the mare was euthanased – the foal had already died inside of her – she had internal injuries,  and septicaemia.   A post-mortem was carried out.  The loss of such a small, perfectly-formed little life always saddens us….. the first thing that came to my mind, was from a hymn I remember as a child…”sleep in  heavenly peace”.  I don’t know why.

this young mare was in a lot of pain

sleep in heavenly peace.. sleep in heavenly peace

WE ARE SO VERY GRATEFUL TO SUN CITY (LANI AND THERESA) FOR PROVIDING ACCOMODATION FOR OUR INSPECTORS !

Solly and Samson, our ‘dynamic duo’ spent 5 days in the rural areas surrounding Rustenburg doing Outreach Clinics for working donkeys. We had a get-together this morning over a cup of tea, and from the sounds of it,  they had a hard time, but by the time they arrived back late on Sunday night with one donkey ‘patient’ they were smiling again.  I think one of the most difficult things that our Inspectors and fieldworkers face is  dealing with PEOPLE – not the animals.  Having been an Inspector myself for many years, I really understand their situation – it isn’t nice having to face confrontation on a daily basis.

One of the main problems in rural areas is a lack of animal welfare education, and to a large extent, providing this is part of our job.  But sometimes, people just don’t want to listen, and for the sake of the animal, we are forced to take firm action. This is why, unlike many animal welfare organisations,  we qualify to become authorised inspectors so that if and when education, co operation and goodwill fails, we can take the legal route.  It almost came to that in a village called Letlhakeng where Solly and Samson came across a donkey with an obviously broken back leg.  The owner refused to have the animal put down humanely, and by all accounts, became aggressive and confrontational.  Our Inspectors don’t accept that, and stayed put until an agreement was reached, and the donkey was put out of his misery later that night. Unfortunately, after both inspections, we had a blow-out in a tyre on our vehicle.

a road accident left this donkey with a broken and infected leg

injuries were sustained on both sides

Another major problem in rural areas is the lack of safe holding facilities for livestock – there are simply no enclosed camps.  As a result, a lot of animals are hit by vehicles on main roads – roaming stallions are a major problem.  We need a major gelding programme in these areas, and this forms part of a motivation that we have put into the Lottery Funding Board .

There was little to no provision for drinking water for the donkeys – we will address this with the Chief of each village when we next return.  Residents do not have a water supply in their homes – they obtain water from a tap in the village.  Animals hang around the taps hoping for overflow, or some kind person to give them a drink from the open tap. We would like to install a cement trough at each tap to catch the spill-over.

HHCU's Samson opens up a tap in the village

thirsty donkeys drank immediately

some waited for us to open a tap

we made a mess - but they all had a good drink

We took away some nasty ‘bits’ and booked some donkeys off work….

NOT ALLOWED! This donkey was booked off, and the owner issued with a warning

This bit was confiscated and replaced with a second-hand, more suitable bit

THE WAY FORWARD: 

Education education education.

Install built-in troughs at the village water taps.

Get funding for our donkey outreach clinics

Buy 500 donkey bits for future clinics.

Take a deep breath……….

Thanks to you all for reading about our donkey outreach clinics – we are proud of what we are doing, and know that through perseverance and a little help from our friend upstairs, we will make a change!

We are about to receive a donation from overseas that will go quite some way to helping us with our work.  It is from an anonymous couple who are sincere horse lovers, and very supportive of the work that we do.  The funds will go towards our township work – if only they knew how much this means to us – it may well mean that we will not have to cut back on this vital area of  our work, which was the gloomy outlook for us in January this year. Fundraising is very difficult these days, and at a recent committee meeting, it was noted that unless we receive substantial sponsorship and donations this year, we will definitely have to make cutbacks.  This breaks my heart – so many animals and people depend on our assistance.  We are working extra hard at trying to get in funds so that we can keep our heads above water.

Trevor Mosia one of our township working horse inspectors spent the day in Orange Farms yesterday, carrying out the routine monitoring of working horses and donkeys.   The majority of them are looking good – a special thank you to our supporters who have donated their second-hand tack – these working horses really appreciate it!

on his way back from coal deliveries

good condition!

breakfast at Tiffany's!

booked off for a month's break - she is feeding a foal and needs a rest

Solly Motingoe has spent 5 days in Rustenburg carrying out clinics for working township donkeys.  There are many small townships and rural areas are full of donkeys – it is a mission to find them sometimes, particularly if the donkeys are out grazing in the mountains. Solly phoned me late last night to advise that he had finally obtained permission from the owner of a badly injured donkeys to euthanase the animal humanely – apparently not only the owner, but the whole village, elders and chief were involved in the debate.

I will give you an update on these clinics next week.

Thank you for taking the time to read about our work!  Till next time,

Bev Seabourne

We have been fighting the illegal slaughter, or ‘bush slaughter’ as it is called here,  of horses and donkeys for many years.  We have closed down many of the operators – some of them simply move on to another area and start up their lucrative trade again. Often, the meat is sold as beef, and a huge profit is made by the operator.  OK – it’s unethical.

OUR concern is what the animals have to go through in this process. The transportation of the horses and donkeys is oftentimes dangerous and  cruel.  We have evidence of this.  We also have evidence that many of the animals are not ‘stunned’ prior to slaughter, or they are incorrectly stunned – i.e. only injured, but not unconscious, therefore they suffer.  Animals slaughtered in a registered abattoir are checked by authorities to ensure that this procedure is carried out correctly.

We are not getting the back-up we need from the governmental authorities – it’s like hitting your head against a brick wall trying to get assistance from the very people who have the power to stop illegal slaughter.  We are investigating leads, hiding behind bushes with cameras and getting  real evidence for prosecution.  Following-up where the meat is going to and being sold.  Posing as a member of the public looking for cheap cuts of beef, and buying it for testing.  We pass this information on to the authorities, but it never seems to go anywhere.

All we can do is prosecute for cruelty. That is not always easy either – one one occasion in a case that I took to court quite a few years ago, I presented as evidence a horse’s head that had five bullet holes in it – in the jaw, behind the ear……  FIVE.  We lost the case, because we ‘could not prove that that animal suffered – the veterinary institution  used to post-mortem the head could not state categorically that the animal had not died with the first bullet’!

Anyway, let me climb down off my soap box… yesterday, after monitoring a smallholding in Randfontein for quite some time, we found 4 slaughtered donkeys on the property.  They had been slaughtered in a field.  Only one of the donkeys had been shot correctly prior to slaughter. We have notified the authorities, and we are opening a docket for cruelty to animals against the owner.  There are 12 other horses and donkeys on the premises – we have no legal  authority to remove them.  We will return to the property on Monday, when we will be able to obtain a court order, and see if we can get the relevant governmental officers to accompany us.  If there is evidence of slaughter still going on, we will confiscate the animals under Regulation 468 of 1986 – to prevent the possibility of further suffering.  The reason we couldn’t confiscate them yesterday is because the owner claimed that he was a ‘dealer’ and the donkeys had died of natural causes.. he was using the carcasses to feed his dogs.

THESE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE NOT FOR SENSITIVE VIEWERS!

WORLD HORSE WELFARE:

We had a great meeting with Karen o’Malley and Gillian Attwood of World Horse Welfare, an international equine welfare organisation that does great work in South Africa.  They were kind enough to offer us the use of their 4×4 vehicle to go on our last trip to Lesotho.  We are hoping to further our relationship with them.  Both Trevor Mosia and Samson Phuphe of HHCU have been to their saddler courses and farrier courses, and qualified through them.  What is great is that the skills that our staff have learnt through these courses go directly into helping the animals we assist, and their owners.  Many of the participants who qualify on these courses are able to earn a living through their new-found knowledge, AND the horses and donkeys benefit.

GENERAL INSPECTIONS:

old horse Benoni

Putting down one’s beloved horse is one of the most difficult decisions for a horse owner.  Sometimes, we have the unenviable task of having to counsel owners to make the right decision – quality of life is the measuring stick.

This horse is suffering from African Horse Sickness

We called a vet out to this horse, whose owner had not sought veterinary attention for her.  One of the people who stables at the yard is trying to assist with various remedies to help the horse through.  We felt that intervention was necessary to at least relieve her pain and see if the mare needed any further assistance – and officially confirm African Horse Sickness to the authorities.  It is alleged that other horses have died on this property of AHS, and to our knowledge, the horses have not been vaccinated.

We have had a couple of snipes regarding our intervention from well-meaning but unqualified people who knew little about the situation we were dealing with.  This group is trying to improve the AHS problem and the current treatment of the virus in South Africa, which is commendable.  We agree that all humane methods must be tried  - it is a devastating and often lethal virus that affects horses every year… but for heaven’s sake – we have to do everything we can to alleviate the suffering that a horse goes through when affected by AHS.  As much as we also rely on alternative treatments where we can, we use them in conjunction with scientifically approved medicines and the knowledge of a caring veterinary surgeon.

BENEFIT NIGHT – ‘THE POST’

We were given the premier of the film “The Post” as a benefit night for HHCU.  The film will be premiered at The Zone, Rosebank at 5.30 p.m. on Sunday. It was VERY short notice, and we have scrambled like mad to try to find 270 people to fill the seats…. we are still trying!  If you would like to see this super film, and help HHCU, please contact Nadia on 016 3609900/1 or 082 9211644, or fundraising@horsecare.org.za to book your ticket – only R50!

The injured donkey that we collected last week from Orange Farms is doing well – he is still sore, particularly from the rope cuts, but they are healing well and he is certainly not so sore. Once he is up to it, we will have him gelded.

Shorty, the foal that was born at the Unit prematurely, wasn’t well on Day Two of his little life.  He was just a bit too quiet, and was breathing rapidly.  The vet was called out, and fluid on the lungs diagnosed.  Three injections later, and lots of loves and cuddles (which he  hates!) he started suckling again.  By Friday,  he was galloping round his mom, bucking and full of himself again..  we had a professional photographer here  -Krizelda Carelse – I am sure she will post some of the amazing photos she took of him, as well as our other horses on our facebook page.  Never having had the opportunity to meet a shetland pony foal, I had no idea that they are born full of nonsense!

Trevor had to leave early on Thursday morning to assist with humanely euthanasing a donkey that had been hit by a car in Orange Farms.. his leg was smashed, poor guy.  It’s a horrible job, but we are so glad that we are able to stop the suffering at times like this.

another fatality in Orange Farms township

LESOTHO:  NO response from the Lesotho government regarding our offer of assistance to rectify the horrific conditions under which the horses are being kept in the pounds…. we are going to have to do this the long way round!   The good news, is that I will be having a meeting with two VIP’s from World Horse Welfare mid-April, and I am hopeful that we will get help from them with this project.

These animals are used to transport everything - from people, beer, food, to muthi / medicinal herbs

DESERT RAT AND NELLA – a sad ending:

Last week, we re-confiscated Desert Rat and Nella.  We had confiscated them the year before, and lost the court case, having to return the horses to their owner. We were devastated – not because we lost – pride has nothing to do with this kind of work – but because a terrible injustice was done to them by the court and by their owner.  Well,  last week, we found them back in the condition they had been when we originally confiscated them the year before.  So we confiscated them again.  Both of them were euthanased on humane grounds by our veterinarian.
I can’t explain how it hurts  - you know you did your best for them but it still feels like you let them down.

Desert Rat, shortly after confiscation

Nella - skin and bone

More soon!

Title:

Movie starts at 17:30

R50 per ticket, all proceeds go to the HHCU

For more info and to book tickets please call: Nadia on 016 360 9900 or email info@horsecare.org.za

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ABOUT THE MOVIE
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The Melbourne Cup is called The Race That Stops a Nation, but never in the history of Australia’s 150-year-old Thoroughbred Classic has there been so dramatic a contest as the 2002 running. The Cup follows the world’s finest horsemen as they plot their paths across the globe – from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia – and into the Winners Circle of the richest and most prestigious two-mile handicap.
But the heart of this true story is a young Australian jockey, Damien Oliver, who loses his only brother in a tragic racing accident just days before the great race. To make matters worse, the same fate claimed Damien and Jason Oliver’s father decades before. Following his brother’s death, Damien suffers through an almost endless series of discouraging defeats only to triumph on one of sport’s greatest stages in one of the most thrilling finales in all of sport.