People fascinate me and often I have more questions than I can find answers to. Who or what is Gypsy Heart Horse Rescue (GHHR)? You see, there are these 47 horses that were seized from a private owner (I'll come back to that story later) and they are being held by the Collin County, TX officials at this time with a tentative auction scheduled. GHHR is asking for donations and using these horses in a video on on the GHHR website. What's the connection? Beats the heck out of me since GHHR is in Lubbock, TX, (according to the website) and that's almost 400 miles from where the horses are at.
Ah, yes, now I see, GHHR is asking for donations to purchase these horses at auction. So, again, who is GHHR? Let's see. "Gypsy Heart Horse Rescue, www.gypsyhearthorserescue.net, Ramona Foxworth, owner, 806-445-6328" OWNER??? "Click on this link to find out about my latest adoptable horses" Well, yep, that sounds like an owner. The "adoption" fee for the one horse shown on that page is $600. Looks like GHHR has one horse available currently although the sales price, er, "adoption fee" is given. It says they've been a 501(c)(3) since March, 2009 but in business since 2003. GHHR has 6 horses in residence: "purchased at auction", "I have had him since...", "she came to me [never does tell how, why, whether purchased]". You'd think they'd have mastered the rescue terminology after about a decade. You know the "we" and "our" and "GHHR wants"... All those terms that tell one they are dealing with a real corporation not an individual. In the meantime, it sounds mostly like a one woman operation and a PRIVATE OWNER rather than a "rescue" NPO.
To "adopt", you'll have to give up enough information to make identity theft a potential issue so I'd think you'd want to check these people out before filling out the form and sending it in. Seriously, are you sending money to and "adopting" from a rescue organization or just another individual who is using an NPO front for their business. If you can buy a horse at auction for $250 (which is the minimum bid at the upcoming auction), why would you want to pay $600 to an NPO?
GHHR has "had" a horse named Cricket since late 2003 or early 2004 and "are working on loading her into a trailer at this time". Seriously? 5 years and haven't taught the horse how to load into a trailer? How long does that normally take to teach? Ah, well, no matter. At least GHHR will surely be able to provide a temporary location for the horses if they raise enough money to buy them. Or will they?
"My husband and I recently purchased 20 acres of raw land, so we can rescue more horses. We now have 3 horses, 2 mini horses,1 mini donkey. We presently have them at a boarding stable. My husband often laughs and tells me we got the cart before the horse. I wanted to help these horses and boarding them was my only option. We are a private non-profit rescue. Our plans include building a barn, fencing, and home so we can be on site with our horses. And now... We have sold our home and moved to our land. Soon we hope to start building our barns and fencing..." That doesn't sound promising as a NOW home for the horses. But you're heading an effort to buy up to 47 horses? You have no place to take them? No funds to care for them? Maybe that horse/cart issue isn't as funny as your hubby thinks!
"boarding them was my only option"? Not so much. You could have declined to take them until you got your own ducks lined up. Fascinates me that people can be so critical of other animal owners when things go wrong that they approve of seizing the animals to "rescue" them and then will send them off to "rescuers" who do not appear to have the current ability to care for the animals; send them off on a wing and a prayer when they would be the first to say an individual owner taking in animals they can't care for is irresponsible. But maybe GHHR has help on this one.
Well, it looks like there's a whole little group of folks in on this "let's raise some money to buy the horses" (even though we don't know what we'll do with them after that). You might want to ignore that the website if operated out of California. And that is indeed where the person who owns the website is located:
Oh, hey, they do have a couple of local volunteers. "Tanya Eastman... a volunteer for the Humane Society of North Texas. She is willing to be at the auction and bid against the killers and will coordinate temporary boarding and arrange hauling." Let me guess... Was the Humane Society of North Texas the instigator of this seizure? Even though they had absolutely no facilities to care for them; nor any future to offer them? Can you say redistribution of wealth? I KNOW you CAN!
And then there's "Krisiti Canovali... Kristi is a volunteer with GYPSY HEART HORSE RESCUE, a 501c3, she will be on site bidding and can bid for you, coordinate temporary boarding and arrange hauling." Krisiti or Kristi appears to be in the Dallas area. Pretty obviously not a hands on volunteer at GHHR... Volunteered last week maybe?
Perhaps The Arabian Horses Rehoming Resource will be more helpful. Oops, no, doesn't look like it. Seems that might be a one woman organization too and it isn't even a 501(c)(3) NPO.
So, if this little group does manage to buy these horses, what will then happen to them? Who knows since there's absolutely ZERO accountability for animals after they are seized and they could well end up in even worse circumstances. Fascinates me that the group concerned about these horses has been expressing horror over the concept the horses could be bought at the auction by "killer buyers", meaning they could be shipped to Mexico for slaughter. IF, IF, IF these horses were in such poor condition, surely the original owner permitted them to become so partially in an effort to keep them away from the "killer buyers" as I hear it's not that difficult to arrange for a slaughter sale even now that it's allegedly outlawed here in the US. Of course, none of these raving lunatics even give the owner credit for that as they are too busy trying to raise funds to buy up the thieved horses.
And every time one of this seizures hits the news media, there's a flurry of people screaming about "how could the owner have let it get that bad?" and "why didn't the owner just ask for help?" and my response is always the same. Ask who for help? Nearly all of the alleged animal rescue organizations have gone out of the "we'll take your animal" business; most would prefer not to take foundling animals. Hey, they've got it down to a science how to get the animals that are valuable to them and those are the ones that are seized, the ones that come with the potential for fundraising or which otherwise suit their agendas (which have little to nothing to do with animal welfare).
"Habitat for Horses is dedicated to... We provide equine rescue services to law enforcement agencies, an active equine adoption program, an equine education center and equine-assisted services to youths and adults." Now go and try to find a surrender page or any information on how an individual who is in over their head can get help. These "rescue" organizations are no longer in the business of trying to help animals UNLESS they can help seize them for publicity and donation raising purposes. THIS is why owners don't ask for help. There is NONE available to them. When you donate to any organization that participates in seizures, you are supporting them LEAVING animals in need in place until things are desperate. That was yesterday's news. Today, they've figured out how to take animals that aren't in desperate shape (by making the allegations even if they aren't true because no one questions their veracity) so they get a better income from the donations and sales revenues while spending less on the animals because they are in decent shape; just basic business/financial policy. This leaves the animals who truly need help in dire need.
How fascinating is it when an animal owner can't give away their animals but, if seized, they can be taken by "rescuers" and used to raise phenomenal amounts of money and then sold by calling it "adoption", even sold frequently at FAR more than the normal market price?! Good grief people. If you want an animal, go freaking buy one or find one that's being given away. Better yet, set up a system or organization for owners in need to call for help since everyone on the planet seems to think those exist when they no longer do. Why on earth anyone who truly cares about animals would continue to support a system that has evolved into a form of private property theft under color of law, where animals have to be suddenly and traumatically transferred multiple times, is absolutely beyond my ken.
In the meantime, it appears Ramona would like to double the size of her, er, uh, that GHHR would be willing to double the size of its horse herd PROVIDED you "donate" to pay for that.