09/05/2023
For those who missed it, we're involved in a large cruelty case with 55 horses and one donkey. And I've promised to post many updates on this case - it is the largest we've ever been involved in and it is a huge undertaking for both volunteers and foster homes.
Over the weekend, I was chatting with someone about this case and how expensive it is to handle this many horses. We have veterinary bills, equipment to purchase (halters, leads, panels for catch pens), hay, feed, mileage. We have some horses who were injured or lame and who require additional medical care. We're having to hire some professional help to get these horses moved and halter trained. Then there's the volunteer time - and that's significant too. Plus, because we're working on this, our two employees are not able to dedicate as much time to our upcoming Bluebonnet Horse Expo (so sponsorships and vendor numbers are down - they normally pour in right about now, and we just haven't been able to promote the Expo as much).
The person I was chatting with asked how much the owner or county had to pay us to take care of all these horses. When I responded that they paid nothing, the cost was all on us, he was appalled. He said, "You're telling me that you didn't create this problem but you have to pay to fix it?!" A volunteer overhead and was shocked as well.
The fact is when we help a county with a horse case, we don't charge them. The animal control budget for most counties is tiny, and I've had more than one county tell me that if they had to pay all the bills, they wouldn't have been able to seize the animals. There's only so much money in the animal control budget, and there are so many animals needing help.
And while sometimes owners are ordered to pay restitution, that wasn't the case here. And even when it is the case, we almost never actually see the money because the owner doesn't have it or refuses to pay.
So, we, Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society, are paying all the bills. Some of these horses may be with us a year or more until we find their forever homes, and we'll keep on paying their bills and caring for them, because that's what we do.
So when we ask for donations, this is why. Because we want to keep on helping.
If you would like to help these horses, you can donate here or on Paypal at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=X3JY7KVCXUUWU&fbclid=IwAR2dNzAmz0P6Iqvl_Rn3PsdfeiXsqhH5QRimoaUPpv3stfUoLoudZ0gbdpI.
You can also sign up to become a foster home or member on our website. And if you have portable panels you don't use, we can definitely use a donation of panels so we can build catch pens for the unhalter broke horses who are being housed at a holding facility. We can also use donations of round bales of hay.
It takes all of us to do this work, and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate those of you who are helping make this happen. You are a hero to the horses!
