United Horse Coalition - Ashley Harkins & Emily Stearns

In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Ashley Harkins, the current director of the United Horse Coalition, and Emily Stearns, the program manager of the Equine Welfare Data Collective.

Established in 2006, the United Horse Coalition is a neutral entity and broad alliance of equine organizations that have joined together under the American Horse Council to educate, advocate, and collaborate industry-wide on solutions to the issues that surround our nation's at-risk horses and those in transition. The work that UHC does helps to ensure that every horse owner has access to the resources they need to keep their horse(s) safe at home should they fall on hard times, or barring that, help provide options to rehome their horse responsibly, ensuring that no horse need be put in a situation where they become at-risk.  In addition to these essential resources, the UHC provides free presentations and educational materials to current and prospective equine owners on responsible horse ownership and breeding, estate planning, preparing for euthanasia and aftercare, responsible rehoming options, and more.

Listen in to learn more!

Transcript

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Welcome to All My Children Wear Fur Coats

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with Peggy Hoyt.

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Our goal is to keep loved pets in loving

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homes by educating pet parents about the importance of

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ensuring every pet has a forever home.

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For more information about creating a legacy for

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your pet or to listen to archived shows,

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visit ANIMALCARETRUSTUSA.ORG or LEGACYFORYOURPET.COM.

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Join your host, author, estate planning

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attorney, and animal advocate, Peggy Hoyt.

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Hello, pet lovers.

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Welcome to All My Children Wear Fur Coats.

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I'm your host, Peggy Hoyt, and this show is brought

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to you by the law offices of Hoyt and Bryan,

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where we create estate plans for pets and their people.

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Also brought to you by Animal Care

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Trust USA, a national nonprofit dedicated to

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keeping loved pets in loving homes.

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We do this by educating pet parents

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about the importance of getting a pet

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trust, and we provide pet trustee services.

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Today, we have the absolute privilege of talking to

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two individuals from the United Horse Coalition, and I'm

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going to introduce them to you in a moment.

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But welcome to the show.

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Ashley Harkins and Emily Stearns. Thanks for having us.

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Thank you.

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All right, let me tell you a little bit about Ashley.

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Ashley is the current director of the United

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Horse Coalition, a coalition of industry and nonprofit

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organizations who have come together in their dedication

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to promoting responsible horse ownership and helping America's

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horses at risk or in transition.

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Ashley completed her Bachelor of Science in Pre

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veterinary Science at the University of Vermont with

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a particular interest in equine science.

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Before coming to uhc, Ashley managed the horse

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and livestock rehabilitation program for the Animal Rescue

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League of Boston's denim branch for 14 years,

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as well as serving as a local certified

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animal control officer, which included working with law

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enforcement cases involving neglect and abuse.

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Seeing these equines in need impressed upon Ashley

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the importance of the uhc's mission and the

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incredible work it does helping owners of at

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risk courses and educating about responsible ownership.

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Ashley currently spends her free time with her 28

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year old gelding, sammy, who was adopted from one

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of her neglect cases 18 years ago and who

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is now instilling a love for horses and children

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as well as her horse enthusiast husband.

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She is joined by her colleague, Emily Stearns.

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Emily is the program manager of

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the Equine Welfare data collective.

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Emily completed her msc by research in Equine

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Science at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

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She is a self admitted horse girl

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and grew up eventing in Massachusetts.

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Her experience includes various equine research projects, managing large

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and small horse farms, animal care and adoption counseling

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at an animal rescue, and teaching as an adjunct

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professor in the University of New Hampshire Equine Program

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and post University equine program.

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In her free time, she enjoys riding,

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traveling, and hiking with her dogs.

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Emily is extremely excited to be managing the ewdc and

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working to bring this vital resource to the public.

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Welcome, Emily. Thank you.

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So we have so many exciting things to talk about

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because as a huge horse lover myself, I wasn't even

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aware that the Horse United Horse Coalition existed, and now

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I'm very excited to find out that it does.

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And one of the things that I like best about you

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guys already is that you changed your name back in 2018.

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So, Ashley, tell us about what the name

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change was and why you did it.

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Yeah, absolutely.

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Initially when, UHC, came about, we were came

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about in 2006 when a bunch of prominent

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equine industry organizations held a summit during the

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American Horse Council's Annual conference.

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And at the time, what they wanted to do was

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sort of come together and talk about the issues that

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were surrounding what were formally termed unwanted horses.

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And though we still continue with that mission today,

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we really want to put the focus on changing

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the way that these horses are talked about in

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the wider public and wider industry.

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And we no longer use the term

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unwanted because of the negative connotations that

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people have with the term unwanted horses.

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Now, what we do is we call these

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horses at risk horses or those in transition.

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So at risk meaning that these are a

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group of horses that have the potential to

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become at risk for abuse and neglect.

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And those in transition are just those that

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are moving from one home to the next.

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And we've sort of put our efforts into providing

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resources for the owners of these at risk courses

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as well as a lot of educational materials around

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that we especially right now, focus on responsible ownership.

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And we want to help owners have

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access to responsible options available to help

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them to rehome their horse safely.

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So one of the I might be jumping the gut

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a little bit, but one of the things that I'm

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most proud of that we're working on right now is

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what we call the United Horse Coalition Equine Resource Database.

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And this is a really big undertaking.

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We just completed it, I believe, and it was like

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early 2001, and what we did was we created a

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national database of safety net resources, assistance programs and a

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listing of over 900 rescues and sanctuaries nationwide to help

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owners in their time of need.

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And this database is continually audited.

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There's always new organizations coming in and adding

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their information to the database and it's all

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free, it's all online on our website.

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And what owners do is they go to the database,

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put in what it is that they're looking for.

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So say, for instance, one of the

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popular ones that we have is owners

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looking for hay and feed assistance programs.

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So they'll put in the state that they reside

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and then they'll select the type of program that

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they're looking for and we will populate the results

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with any of those types of programs that have

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been identified in their area.

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So it's a really neat tool and we're proud

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to be homing that on our website and it's

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something that we're obviously proud of and looking for

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more industry support to keep that going.

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Well, I think that's incredible.

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Emily, your job is really to be

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the manager of all this data, right? Yeah.

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This month I just started a new position within the Horse

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Council, so we had a little bit of a shuffle.

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So Kelsey Buckley, who is the incoming

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program administrator, she will be the new

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woman behind the curtain answering the emails. But yes.

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So the Eagle welfare data collective.

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Our goal is previous to kind of the launch of

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our initiative, the industry, and that includes major players in

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the welfare community as well, major grant funders.

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No one really had any hard data on the

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scope of the issue or what was happening with

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Atrisk courses and equal and welfare in general.

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The data had been collected in the dog and

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cat world for about the last ten years and

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the horse world, it just hadn't gotten there yet.

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So in 2018 of several grant funders, the aspca,

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the American Horse Council Foundation, the aep Foundation, which

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is now called the foundation for the Horse, came

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together to fund this research initiative and house it.

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They all decided it should be housed within

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the United Horse Coalition because the data as

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it exists, the point of the initiative is

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to understand the problem and share that information.

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But we don't make suggestions as of

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yet on what action should be taken.

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We're just kind of a neutral entity to kind of

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help be this bridge of information for people on all

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sides of all problems within the horse industry.

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So right now we are just

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about to publish our fifth report.

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And within these reports they're all posted for

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free on the United Horse Coalition website.

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Within these reports, we have surveyed and

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maintained this database of nearly 1000 equine

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welfare organizations across the country.

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And we at this point have had participation from over 35%

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of all of them since 2018, which is pretty cool.

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And they're reporting information on things like how many horses

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they can house per year, how many requests for help

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they get, how many requests for help they're able to

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fulfill, where they're located, what breeds of horses are coming

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in, where are they coming in from?

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So are they coming from owners?

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Are they coming from law enforcement?

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Are they coming off the feral

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of Virginia and Kentucky horse mines?

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And then how are they leaving these shelters?

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Are they being adopted?

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Are they being returned to owners?

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Are they being euthanized?

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So all of this information, we now have about four

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years of data and we're continuing to track and collect

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this data has been really critical to not just helping

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understand the scope of the issue, but how it differs

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from other types of animal sheltering.

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So we did a webinar last year that's

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posted on the website discussing not just how

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the statistics of Equine welfare differ that we've

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kind of discovered through the Equine welfare data

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collective in comparison to dog and cat sheltering.

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But also how the logistics of equine welfare and

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equine sheltering differ and what that means for programming

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and what that means for the needs of programming

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in the future as other grant funders work together

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to kind of build and develop these support services.

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Technology and animal rescue.

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Yes, there's an app for that.

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Check out Doobert.com where you can

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connect with over 5000 organizations and

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35,000 volunteers across the country.

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Doobert is fully automated so you can create

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transport requests for the animals that need a

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ride across town or across the country.

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The system will automatically notify the volunteers and

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manage the sign up process for you.

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dubert even has powerful integrations, like importing

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your animal profiles from Shelter Love and

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Shelter buddy, or automatically pushing your transport

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request to your Facebook groups and Pages.

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But that's not all.

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Doobert has a fundraising module, an online store and

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auction house where you can sell your items, and

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even a mobile app on both Android and Apple

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for those people on the go, check out Doobert.com

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to get signed up for free today and start

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saving more time while you save more animals.

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I think that sounds fascinating, actually, not really being

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that numbers girl, but really appreciating the value of

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the data that you can collect and the fact

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that the horse world is maybe a little bit

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at a disadvantage because they haven't had the benefit

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of collecting that data for so long.

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I think it's great.

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It's going to be a terrific resource.

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I can't wait to share it personally.

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I am the current chair of the Equine Committee

253
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for the Animal Loss section of the Florida Bar,

254
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so the first place I'm going to share this

255
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information is obviously with my colleagues there and encourage

256
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them to start utilizing your resources.

257
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So I see on your website though, that and I

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think this is an important thing to talk about because

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00:13:29,237 --> 00:13:34,360
for atrisk courses you state that there are basically four

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00:13:34,361 --> 00:13:37,902
options available, and I want people to be really aware

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00:13:37,903 --> 00:13:40,408
of how those options play out.

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00:13:40,409 --> 00:13:42,568
The obvious one is that people might try

263
00:13:42,569 --> 00:13:46,994
to sell their horse to another possible owner.

264
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And yet within the realm of selling your horse,

265
00:13:49,907 --> 00:13:54,444
there are always those bad apples that might not

266
00:13:54,445 --> 00:13:58,920
really be legitimate buyers, but might be fronts for

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what we would call the killer buyers.

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So I wanted to talk about that in a

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second because I think that's something that maybe a

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00:14:08,065 --> 00:14:10,000
lot of people are not aware of.

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The second would be either donating or

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gifting the horse to another person.

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For example, the third option would be

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to surrender to a rescue or sanctuary.

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And I want to talk about that in a

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00:14:25,225 --> 00:14:30,296
little more detail too, because there are rescues that

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really only take abused and neglected horses.

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They don't take owner surrenders.

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And then there's the fourth option, which nobody wants

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00:14:38,717 --> 00:14:43,480
to really acknowledge, which is the euthanasia option.

281
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And yet that may be the best option for some

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00:14:48,029 --> 00:14:52,912
at risk courses based on their age, their health, or

283
00:14:52,913 --> 00:14:56,688
their chances for having continued quality of life.

284
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So that was a big mouthful.

285
00:14:59,790 --> 00:15:02,548
I'm going to come back around and you

286
00:15:02,549 --> 00:15:04,484
guys can jump in as you see fit.

287
00:15:04,485 --> 00:15:07,946
But let's talk about the sale of horses

288
00:15:07,947 --> 00:15:12,324
for a minute because not all sales are

289
00:15:12,325 --> 00:15:15,060
legitimate, let's just put it that way.

290
00:15:16,550 --> 00:15:19,170
Tell us about your experience with that, Ashley.

291
00:15:20,790 --> 00:15:26,660
Personally, I don't have well, not personally, but obviously

292
00:15:27,910 --> 00:15:30,188
depending on where your horse ends up and where

293
00:15:30,189 --> 00:15:32,268
you go, where you sell, what avenue you go

294
00:15:32,269 --> 00:15:34,738
with, there is always the chance that that horse

295
00:15:34,739 --> 00:15:37,612
is going to end up in harm's way.

296
00:15:37,613 --> 00:15:41,398
Depending on where, who you sell to, what contracts

297
00:15:41,399 --> 00:15:44,528
you have in place, if you've done your research,

298
00:15:44,529 --> 00:15:49,024
where they're going to, if you're talking about if

299
00:15:49,025 --> 00:15:51,818
you're selling to another owner, obviously there's some homework

300
00:15:51,819 --> 00:15:53,410
that you can do there.

301
00:15:53,411 --> 00:15:56,868
To a certain extent, a lot of people will

302
00:15:56,869 --> 00:15:59,354
do first right of refusal in their contract.

303
00:15:59,355 --> 00:16:02,788
I don't know how well that holds up.

304
00:16:02,789 --> 00:16:04,820
A lot of times that does fall through.

305
00:16:04,821 --> 00:16:06,740
So you can't always rely on that.

306
00:16:08,790 --> 00:16:11,624
Certainly if you're going the route and I don't know

307
00:16:11,625 --> 00:16:13,656
if I'm jumping the gun a little bit, you're going

308
00:16:13,657 --> 00:16:19,708
the route of rehoming your horse through a rescue, I

309
00:16:19,709 --> 00:16:23,788
want to say reputable rescue, because even there you run

310
00:16:23,789 --> 00:16:26,748
the risk of the possibility that your horse could end

311
00:16:26,749 --> 00:16:30,830
up at a less than desirable rescue.

312
00:16:30,831 --> 00:16:33,014
So even in that situation, it's

313
00:16:33,015 --> 00:16:34,390
important that you do your homework.

314
00:16:34,391 --> 00:16:38,032
And on our website, we actually do have a list

315
00:16:38,033 --> 00:16:41,568
of questions that you can ask when you're looking to

316
00:16:41,569 --> 00:16:44,110
rehome your horse or sell your even sell your horse.

317
00:16:44,850 --> 00:16:48,372
Questions that you want to ask of the

318
00:16:48,373 --> 00:16:51,684
facility that they're going to, whether that's a

319
00:16:51,685 --> 00:16:55,470
rescue, whether that's a private sale.

320
00:16:55,471 --> 00:16:59,880
And you ultimately want to make sure that you're asking

321
00:16:59,881 --> 00:17:02,872
these specific types of questions so that you have some

322
00:17:02,873 --> 00:17:06,028
sort of guarantee that that horse isn't going to end

323
00:17:06,029 --> 00:17:11,000
up heading down that pipeline where they end up at

324
00:17:11,690 --> 00:17:14,760
a low end auction, things like that.

325
00:17:19,150 --> 00:17:21,637
You're heading me down on Good Road, Ash.

326
00:17:21,638 --> 00:17:25,150
I think something I see come up a lot, and I've

327
00:17:25,151 --> 00:17:29,238
previous to manage the Ewdc, I taught a lot of lessons.

328
00:17:29,239 --> 00:17:34,050
I worked in several very professional barns.

329
00:17:34,051 --> 00:17:39,620
And one thing you try to advise people on is

330
00:17:39,621 --> 00:17:42,148
once you sell that horse, even if you have a

331
00:17:42,149 --> 00:17:45,992
contract, a first right of refusal, this horse can never

332
00:17:45,993 --> 00:17:48,664
be sold to auction or something like that.

333
00:17:48,665 --> 00:17:50,792
Once you sell that horse, pretty much

334
00:17:50,793 --> 00:17:52,408
for the most part, legally, you give

335
00:17:52,409 --> 00:17:55,176
up all control of what happens after.

336
00:17:55,177 --> 00:17:59,210
And if you're not comfortable with that possibility,

337
00:17:59,211 --> 00:18:01,196
then you need to come up with another

338
00:18:01,197 --> 00:18:03,442
situation, and that could mean leasing.

339
00:18:03,443 --> 00:18:07,942
Long term lease contracts are much more straightforward

340
00:18:07,943 --> 00:18:11,008
to enforce, from my understanding, compared to a

341
00:18:11,009 --> 00:18:16,384
right of first refusal, you could rehome through

342
00:18:16,385 --> 00:18:21,188
us recognized, affiliated certified rescue, so they end

343
00:18:21,189 --> 00:18:23,588
up keeping track, and they have contracts that

344
00:18:23,589 --> 00:18:25,630
are actually fairly enforceable.

345
00:18:26,770 --> 00:18:32,042
But the idea of being able to sell your horse

346
00:18:32,043 --> 00:18:35,032
through a private sale and continue to keep track of

347
00:18:35,033 --> 00:18:39,662
them is very high risk for the most part, unless

348
00:18:39,663 --> 00:18:42,104
you know the person you're selling to very well.

349
00:18:42,105 --> 00:18:45,128
And even then, I think we've all seen those kind

350
00:18:45,129 --> 00:18:48,334
of really alarming facebook posts or other social media posts

351
00:18:48,335 --> 00:18:50,108
of, I sold my horse to this person, and I

352
00:18:50,109 --> 00:18:51,372
haven't heard from them in five years.

353
00:18:51,373 --> 00:18:52,348
Has anybody seen it?

354
00:18:52,349 --> 00:18:53,660
Has anybody known what's happened?

355
00:18:53,661 --> 00:18:59,100
So again, it's just kind of continuingly trying to

356
00:19:00,510 --> 00:19:05,072
cover the inevitable or potential options and making sure

357
00:19:05,073 --> 00:19:09,616
that legally you understand what potential is out there

358
00:19:09,617 --> 00:19:11,412
for what could happen to the horse and just

359
00:19:11,413 --> 00:19:13,332
having contingency plans for that.

360
00:19:13,333 --> 00:19:17,284
So either leasing long term, rehoming through a

361
00:19:17,285 --> 00:19:20,720
rescue with an enforceable contract, something like that,

362
00:19:21,890 --> 00:19:23,898
I think that's very good advice.

363
00:19:23,899 --> 00:19:26,328
And I think maybe leasing is not an option that

364
00:19:26,329 --> 00:19:29,592
people always think about, because I know when I talk

365
00:19:29,593 --> 00:19:33,038
to people who might be interested in getting a horse

366
00:19:33,039 --> 00:19:36,172
for the first time, I generally will encourage them not

367
00:19:36,173 --> 00:19:38,738
to necessarily jump in by buying a horse.

368
00:19:38,739 --> 00:19:43,228
But consider leasing initially until they really find out

369
00:19:43,229 --> 00:19:45,714
what it means to be a horse owner.

370
00:19:45,715 --> 00:19:47,036
Absolutely, yeah.

371
00:19:47,037 --> 00:19:50,348
Because it's not inexpensive, number one.

372
00:19:50,349 --> 00:19:53,408
And number two, it is a full time job.

373
00:19:53,409 --> 00:19:56,832
It's 24, 7365 days a year.

374
00:19:56,833 --> 00:19:59,770
One of my favorite sayings is poop does not sleep.

375
00:20:00,990 --> 00:20:04,724
And so that job is out there every day.

376
00:20:04,725 --> 00:20:09,028
So as a lawyer, a practicing lawyer, I jokingly say to

377
00:20:09,029 --> 00:20:11,748
my clients on a daily basis, I might be one of

378
00:20:11,749 --> 00:20:15,758
the only lawyers they know that starts shoveling shit.

379
00:20:15,759 --> 00:20:18,740
They get to the office every day.

380
00:20:20,550 --> 00:20:24,712
And so let's talk a little bit about the really

381
00:20:24,713 --> 00:20:31,100
hard decision about euthanizing a horse instead of rehoming it

382
00:20:31,101 --> 00:20:36,440
or placing it with a sanctuary rescue situation.

383
00:20:38,970 --> 00:20:41,718
I know from personal experience, losing a horse

384
00:20:41,719 --> 00:20:46,832
is such a traumatic experience, but there may

385
00:20:46,833 --> 00:20:50,148
be circumstances where that's going to be the

386
00:20:50,149 --> 00:20:54,830
best option for your aged or injured horse.

387
00:20:55,570 --> 00:20:59,034
Do you have any statistics on that, Emily?

388
00:20:59,035 --> 00:21:01,940
Is that one of the things you guys are tracking? Yeah.

389
00:21:01,941 --> 00:21:06,980
So I can tell you that of the respondents we have,

390
00:21:08,310 --> 00:21:14,296
typically in a year, of the horses coming into shelters, 70%

391
00:21:14,297 --> 00:21:17,060
of them are coming directly from owners in need.

392
00:21:18,630 --> 00:21:21,820
10% to 20%, depending on the year,

393
00:21:21,821 --> 00:21:26,972
are coming from law enforcement confiscations, and

394
00:21:26,973 --> 00:21:29,942
typically horses coming from law enforcement confiscations.

395
00:21:29,943 --> 00:21:32,256
If you know anyone familiar with animal control

396
00:21:32,257 --> 00:21:38,358
operations, those horses are in usually extreme situations

397
00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:45,648
of neglect, starvation issues that the horse has

398
00:21:45,649 --> 00:21:51,364
experienced extremely poor welfare or essentially suffering from

399
00:21:51,365 --> 00:21:55,422
some aspect of neglect in terms of outcomes.

400
00:21:55,423 --> 00:21:59,592
So 80% of horses are adopted when they

401
00:21:59,593 --> 00:22:01,650
leave the shelter, which is pretty incredible.

402
00:22:03,430 --> 00:22:07,048
But for euthanasia, about upwards of

403
00:22:07,049 --> 00:22:09,618
ten to 15% are euthanized.

404
00:22:09,619 --> 00:22:13,836
And one of those reasons that we see

405
00:22:13,837 --> 00:22:19,328
is accessibility to euthanasia and disposal across the

406
00:22:19,329 --> 00:22:23,142
country is extremely variable and in some areas

407
00:22:23,143 --> 00:22:25,718
can be extremely cost prohibitive.

408
00:22:25,719 --> 00:22:30,768
So in New England, where Ashley is in Massachusetts, when

409
00:22:30,769 --> 00:22:34,516
I was down there, I could spend upwards of 1000,

410
00:22:34,517 --> 00:22:38,830
$2,000 euthanizing a horse and handling the aftercare.

411
00:22:39,410 --> 00:22:41,338
Where I am up in New Hampshire

412
00:22:41,339 --> 00:22:44,324
right now, it'll probably cost me $800.

413
00:22:44,325 --> 00:22:46,328
And that's with being able to bury the

414
00:22:46,329 --> 00:22:49,064
horse on my own property when I was

415
00:22:49,065 --> 00:22:52,744
out in Colorado last summer, probably $150.

416
00:22:52,745 --> 00:22:56,508
You can bring your animal after you euthanize it

417
00:22:56,509 --> 00:22:58,988
to the dump for a disposal fee of $25.

418
00:22:58,989 --> 00:23:00,738
So it's still variable.

419
00:23:00,739 --> 00:23:06,402
And those high, high costs really do impact owner

420
00:23:06,403 --> 00:23:10,270
ability to provide that service to their horse.

421
00:23:10,271 --> 00:23:15,222
So then we have horses who are suffering painful medical

422
00:23:15,223 --> 00:23:20,262
issues, who are aged and can no longer digest nutrients

423
00:23:20,263 --> 00:23:25,490
and maintain calories, maintain weight, who are unstable on ice,

424
00:23:25,491 --> 00:23:30,116
and they are unable to have a humane euthanasia because

425
00:23:30,117 --> 00:23:32,820
of the costs associated with it.

426
00:23:32,821 --> 00:23:35,528
So Ashley and I, we are very big I

427
00:23:35,529 --> 00:23:38,472
don't want to say proponents of euthanasia, because that

428
00:23:38,473 --> 00:23:42,696
sounds weird, but we are very supportive of making

429
00:23:42,697 --> 00:23:49,502
sure owners have access to financially accessible and logistically

430
00:23:49,503 --> 00:23:52,812
accessible euthanasia and disposal options because it's such a

431
00:23:52,813 --> 00:23:56,470
huge side of humane care for our horses.

432
00:23:57,210 --> 00:24:00,582
I think, if I may add, one of the biggest

433
00:24:00,583 --> 00:24:03,232
things that we're also trying to do is remove that

434
00:24:03,233 --> 00:24:07,488
stigma and that judgment behind it, that it is okay

435
00:24:07,489 --> 00:24:11,802
to make a decision to euthanize your horse, and nobody

436
00:24:11,803 --> 00:24:13,280
should be judging you for that.

437
00:24:14,130 --> 00:24:15,748
It's a decision that's between you and

438
00:24:15,749 --> 00:24:19,310
your vet, depending on your horse's circumstances.

439
00:24:20,050 --> 00:24:26,318
Obviously, if the horse can be helped and safely

440
00:24:26,319 --> 00:24:30,504
rehomed and you have that avenue to pursue, certainly.

441
00:24:30,505 --> 00:24:33,262
But if not, and that horse is in medical

442
00:24:33,263 --> 00:24:37,500
distress, behavioral distress, and you have no other options

443
00:24:37,501 --> 00:24:39,852
available to you for that horse, is absolutely okay

444
00:24:39,853 --> 00:24:42,010
to make a decision to utilize.

445
00:24:42,011 --> 00:24:46,572
And not for nothing, I think also people

446
00:24:46,573 --> 00:24:50,730
kind of discount, we talk about euthanasia for

447
00:24:50,731 --> 00:24:54,108
health reasons, for age related reasons, but I

448
00:24:54,109 --> 00:24:57,004
think there's not necessarily enough discussion about the

449
00:24:57,005 --> 00:24:59,586
logistical reasons for ethan Asia.

450
00:24:59,587 --> 00:25:02,500
My astros, that I euthanized him

451
00:25:02,501 --> 00:25:05,252
at around 2021 years old.

452
00:25:05,253 --> 00:25:10,826
He was somewhat a toxic from epm neurological related

453
00:25:10,827 --> 00:25:14,280
condition and in the summer he was fine, but

454
00:25:14,281 --> 00:25:17,368
in the winter he was becoming unstable on the

455
00:25:17,369 --> 00:25:22,168
ice and could I have rehomed him somewhere in

456
00:25:22,169 --> 00:25:25,510
Florida and shipped him 3000 miles?

457
00:25:25,511 --> 00:25:27,458
Yeah, but that probably wasn't

458
00:25:27,459 --> 00:25:29,640
the humane choice for him.

459
00:25:30,330 --> 00:25:32,652
So I worked with my veterinarian and

460
00:25:32,653 --> 00:25:34,242
we decided we were going to euthanize

461
00:25:34,243 --> 00:25:37,116
this horse for this somewhat logistical reason.

462
00:25:37,117 --> 00:25:39,266
I wasn't going to wait for him to go down on the ice.

463
00:25:39,267 --> 00:25:42,304
That just wasn't going to be the humane option.

464
00:25:42,305 --> 00:25:45,392
It goes down to the whole again, you can never

465
00:25:45,393 --> 00:25:48,774
guarantee that once the horse leaves your possession that they're

466
00:25:48,775 --> 00:25:51,652
not going to end up with somebody who is not

467
00:25:51,653 --> 00:25:56,868
as caring and thoughtful as you and going to make

468
00:25:56,869 --> 00:26:00,372
that decision for him when he truly needs it.

469
00:26:00,373 --> 00:26:05,512
Absolutely the best thing I've ever had that say to me

470
00:26:05,513 --> 00:26:09,510
is better a day too early than a day too late.

471
00:26:09,511 --> 00:26:11,870
And I think it's really important with horses

472
00:26:11,871 --> 00:26:16,062
that we consider that because once it's emergent,

473
00:26:16,063 --> 00:26:18,088
once it's in an emergency, it's traumatic for

474
00:26:18,089 --> 00:26:20,402
everybody, it's traumatic for the horse, it's traumatic

475
00:26:20,403 --> 00:26:22,828
for the owners, and it's really hard to

476
00:26:22,829 --> 00:26:25,772
make the caring choice in that moment.

477
00:26:25,773 --> 00:26:27,388
We really encourage owners to have

478
00:26:27,389 --> 00:26:29,276
a plan before you need one.

479
00:26:29,277 --> 00:26:30,652
If your horse is healthy and happy

480
00:26:30,653 --> 00:26:31,888
now, do you know what happens?

481
00:26:31,889 --> 00:26:33,008
Do you have a plan if he

482
00:26:33,009 --> 00:26:34,730
has an accident in the paddock tomorrow?

483
00:26:35,550 --> 00:26:38,912
I think those are really good questions and

484
00:26:38,913 --> 00:26:43,514
a really good segue to having the conversation

485
00:26:43,515 --> 00:26:46,068
with horse owners about what happens to the

486
00:26:46,069 --> 00:26:48,000
horse if something happens to you.

487
00:26:49,410 --> 00:26:52,836
We don't tend to always think that way because I

488
00:26:52,837 --> 00:26:56,084
like to say that people say when I win the

489
00:26:56,085 --> 00:27:00,504
lottery and if I die, we all think we're going

490
00:27:00,505 --> 00:27:02,728
to get rich and none of us believe for a

491
00:27:02,729 --> 00:27:05,842
second that we're ever going to die or become disabled.

492
00:27:05,843 --> 00:27:09,452
And yet I got tossed off a horse earlier this

493
00:27:09,453 --> 00:27:14,844
year and that could have been my last day either

494
00:27:14,845 --> 00:27:18,940
on this planet or as a healthy human being.

495
00:27:19,710 --> 00:27:23,216
And you have to have a plan for what happens

496
00:27:23,217 --> 00:27:27,536
to your horses, because had that not resulted in me

497
00:27:27,537 --> 00:27:32,122
being a whole person, I would have had four horses

498
00:27:32,123 --> 00:27:35,972
that needed to be taken care of for the rest

499
00:27:35,973 --> 00:27:38,660
of their lives and for the rest of my life.

500
00:27:38,661 --> 00:27:43,582
And then indefinitely, I am that maybe unique

501
00:27:43,583 --> 00:27:48,136
individual, that if something happens to me, I

502
00:27:48,137 --> 00:27:50,968
want my horses to stay at my house.

503
00:27:50,969 --> 00:27:54,606
So this is a solution that I counsel

504
00:27:54,607 --> 00:27:57,080
people towards, which I call forever home.

505
00:27:57,690 --> 00:28:00,940
And it's not really the thing for everybody, but

506
00:28:00,941 --> 00:28:03,276
it is the thing for a lot of my

507
00:28:03,277 --> 00:28:07,900
clients, that they simply want a pet caregiver, someone

508
00:28:07,901 --> 00:28:11,616
to move onto their property and take care of

509
00:28:11,617 --> 00:28:14,640
their animals, their horses, their dogs, their cats, whatever

510
00:28:14,641 --> 00:28:18,448
they might have on the premises, so that the

511
00:28:18,449 --> 00:28:21,316
life of the animal doesn't change all that much.

512
00:28:21,317 --> 00:28:22,970
But that requires planning.

513
00:28:22,971 --> 00:28:25,706
That requires a pet trust, that requires

514
00:28:25,707 --> 00:28:28,240
financial resources to fund that plan.

515
00:28:29,410 --> 00:28:32,436
And you really have to think that through.

516
00:28:32,437 --> 00:28:36,792
So having said all that, in your experience, your

517
00:28:36,793 --> 00:28:40,536
joint experience, what kind of plans do you see

518
00:28:40,537 --> 00:28:44,328
people making for their horses, if any, in the

519
00:28:44,329 --> 00:28:47,454
event something happens to the horse owner?

520
00:28:47,455 --> 00:28:50,060
Yeah, so, I mean, I have to ask because

521
00:28:50,061 --> 00:28:53,052
that's the question that Emily and I always start

522
00:28:53,053 --> 00:28:56,386
out with when we're doing our presentation on responsible

523
00:28:56,387 --> 00:28:59,308
horse ownership is always in the back of your

524
00:28:59,309 --> 00:29:02,192
mind be thinking what happens to your horse if

525
00:29:02,193 --> 00:29:04,060
something happens to you right now?

526
00:29:04,910 --> 00:29:06,576
If you were to lose your job,

527
00:29:06,577 --> 00:29:08,672
God forbid, should you pass away today?

528
00:29:08,673 --> 00:29:10,208
Does your barn owner know what

529
00:29:10,209 --> 00:29:11,738
you want done for your horse?

530
00:29:11,739 --> 00:29:13,028
Does your horse friends?

531
00:29:13,029 --> 00:29:14,080
Does your family?

532
00:29:14,610 --> 00:29:17,572
And if not, right now, you got to start thinking about

533
00:29:17,573 --> 00:29:20,480
some plans to put in place as soon as possible.

534
00:29:22,210 --> 00:29:26,568
Not only planning, but there's also things that a lot

535
00:29:26,569 --> 00:29:28,552
of people don't think about that you can do and

536
00:29:28,553 --> 00:29:32,734
put in place in advance aside from estate planning.

537
00:29:32,735 --> 00:29:36,488
But also we often talk about training.

538
00:29:36,489 --> 00:29:39,288
If you have a funnel in your backyard or

539
00:29:39,289 --> 00:29:41,676
a horse that you have not done any training

540
00:29:41,677 --> 00:29:44,514
with that maybe just has a halter on you're

541
00:29:44,515 --> 00:29:45,858
really doing that horse a disservice.

542
00:29:45,859 --> 00:29:48,348
If something happens to you today and you need to

543
00:29:48,349 --> 00:29:53,470
rehome that horse, you're putting that horse at risk of

544
00:29:53,471 --> 00:29:55,936
ending up in a bad situation if you don't have

545
00:29:55,937 --> 00:29:59,654
certain basic training done with that horse.

546
00:29:59,655 --> 00:30:01,078
If that horse is rideable.

547
00:30:01,079 --> 00:30:02,400
If that horse is good with

548
00:30:02,401 --> 00:30:03,482
the vet, good with the barrier.

549
00:30:03,483 --> 00:30:05,810
You're already got a huge leg up

550
00:30:05,811 --> 00:30:08,130
when it comes to rehoming that horse.

551
00:30:08,131 --> 00:30:12,106
And even thinking about medical situations with your vet,

552
00:30:12,107 --> 00:30:14,852
is there anything that's unresolved that you think is

553
00:30:14,853 --> 00:30:17,368
just going to magically disappear if something happens to

554
00:30:17,369 --> 00:30:19,918
you today and you need to rehome that horse?

555
00:30:19,919 --> 00:30:24,008
Is that horse going to be easy to manage in a new home?

556
00:30:24,009 --> 00:30:26,012
Is that new owner going to be able to handle those

557
00:30:26,013 --> 00:30:30,034
medical concerns in a way that's fair to the horse?

558
00:30:30,035 --> 00:30:34,652
So having owners think about that as well on top

559
00:30:34,653 --> 00:30:40,278
of the estate planning, certainly I am not an attorney

560
00:30:40,279 --> 00:30:43,552
or a professional by any means, but when we talk

561
00:30:43,553 --> 00:30:47,850
about estate planning, obviously contact your local attorney.

562
00:30:49,950 --> 00:30:55,642
And when we have a more in depth conversation

563
00:30:55,643 --> 00:30:57,364
about the estate planning, when we do this on

564
00:30:57,365 --> 00:31:01,162
our powerpoint, I know probably for today we don't

565
00:31:01,163 --> 00:31:05,454
have the luxury of time, but from my understanding,

566
00:31:05,455 --> 00:31:08,328
there's two situations that you can have setting up

567
00:31:08,329 --> 00:31:10,280
the will setting up the trust.

568
00:31:10,281 --> 00:31:14,504
And in my understanding, it's almost always in the

569
00:31:14,505 --> 00:31:17,084
case of animals, better to go with the trust.

570
00:31:17,085 --> 00:31:20,924
Because when you go through the court system in

571
00:31:20,925 --> 00:31:25,794
the probate, you can bypass that probate time frame.

572
00:31:25,795 --> 00:31:27,564
If you were to put your horse in a

573
00:31:27,565 --> 00:31:30,448
trust as opposed to will, and when it comes

574
00:31:30,449 --> 00:31:35,558
to animals, obviously having those assets readily available upon

575
00:31:35,559 --> 00:31:38,198
your passing is critical to making sure that there's

576
00:31:38,199 --> 00:31:42,490
that continuation of care for that animal.

577
00:31:43,330 --> 00:31:47,674
You're having those conversations, I would say, too, and Ashley

578
00:31:47,675 --> 00:31:50,452
and I talk about this, set it all up, but

579
00:31:50,453 --> 00:31:52,960
then you need to tell people about it.

580
00:31:53,650 --> 00:31:56,584
The plan is only good if people know exactly.

581
00:31:56,585 --> 00:31:59,620
Have that person that you trust, that you know,

582
00:32:00,150 --> 00:32:02,952
and that knows horses enough to carry out your

583
00:32:02,953 --> 00:32:06,002
wishes with what you want done with your horse

584
00:32:06,003 --> 00:32:14,242
and the finances behind that is your organization struggling

585
00:32:14,243 --> 00:32:16,220
to keep up with the needs of your community.

586
00:32:16,221 --> 00:32:17,388
Well, great news.

587
00:32:17,389 --> 00:32:20,208
Doobert.com can help solve that problem for

588
00:32:20,209 --> 00:32:23,206
you with their Companion Case Management module.

589
00:32:23,207 --> 00:32:25,926
It allows you to create cases for all your clients

590
00:32:25,927 --> 00:32:29,632
needs, send emails and text messages right from the system.

591
00:32:29,633 --> 00:32:32,772
And with Doobert's powerful, innovative thinking, you can

592
00:32:32,773 --> 00:32:35,588
also set up and initiate workflows that will

593
00:32:35,589 --> 00:32:37,716
pretty much do the hard work for you.

594
00:32:37,717 --> 00:32:39,364
Exciting, right?

595
00:32:39,365 --> 00:32:43,560
Check it out and learn more at www.doobert.com.

596
00:32:43,561 --> 00:32:49,016
To get started today, you really

597
00:32:49,017 --> 00:32:50,312
do need to let people know.

598
00:32:50,313 --> 00:32:53,598
And I always encourage people when you are making plans

599
00:32:53,599 --> 00:32:56,940
for your animals, you have to talk to these people.

600
00:32:56,941 --> 00:33:01,228
It can't be a surprise that you're naming them

601
00:33:01,229 --> 00:33:04,258
or asking them to be responsible for your animals.

602
00:33:04,259 --> 00:33:08,300
And I always encourage people to pick not one, but

603
00:33:08,301 --> 00:33:13,638
three alternate choices, because you never know when the circumstances

604
00:33:13,639 --> 00:33:16,272
of your first or second choice are going to be

605
00:33:16,273 --> 00:33:19,894
such that they are unable to step into that role.

606
00:33:19,895 --> 00:33:23,684
So, yes, having the conversation, using a trust is going

607
00:33:23,685 --> 00:33:27,316
to be very important as opposed to using a will.

608
00:33:27,317 --> 00:33:30,830
Many bad things can happen in that environment.

609
00:33:32,050 --> 00:33:35,902
So I would also encourage people little self promotion

610
00:33:35,903 --> 00:33:38,318
here to read my book, All My Children Wear

611
00:33:38,319 --> 00:33:40,632
Fur Coats How to Leave a Legacy for Your

612
00:33:40,633 --> 00:33:45,484
Pet, which talks in detail about using pet trust

613
00:33:45,485 --> 00:33:49,026
for the purpose of planning for our animals.

614
00:33:49,027 --> 00:33:51,378
Not just our horses, but our dogs, our cats,

615
00:33:51,379 --> 00:33:57,026
our farm animals, our birds, but particularly our horses,

616
00:33:57,027 --> 00:34:01,310
because they live longer than the average dogging cat.

617
00:34:01,311 --> 00:34:03,696
And I was laughing at myself the other day

618
00:34:03,697 --> 00:34:05,968
because one of my newest minis is only a

619
00:34:05,969 --> 00:34:09,260
year old and he might have to be 40.

620
00:34:10,110 --> 00:34:15,076
So I need to have a really long term plan for him

621
00:34:15,077 --> 00:34:18,324
because he's a guy that could be around for a long time.

622
00:34:18,325 --> 00:34:23,090
But I also understand from the health related perspective,

623
00:34:23,091 --> 00:34:25,806
I used to have a horse that had seizures,

624
00:34:25,807 --> 00:34:28,952
and he had seizures for ten years until he

625
00:34:28,953 --> 00:34:30,871
had a fatal seizure, and that is.

626
00:34:30,872 --> 00:34:33,400
Not a condition that most people

627
00:34:33,401 --> 00:34:35,219
would be willing to take on.

628
00:34:35,770 --> 00:34:37,228
And that's why you don't hear a lot

629
00:34:37,229 --> 00:34:41,217
about horses with seizures, because people don't tend

630
00:34:41,218 --> 00:34:43,260
to manage that kind of health issue.

631
00:34:43,261 --> 00:34:47,030
They tend to address it with euthanasia.

632
00:34:49,389 --> 00:34:51,797
Having said all that, I am so proud

633
00:34:51,798 --> 00:34:54,447
of you ladies for what you're doing to

634
00:34:54,448 --> 00:34:57,141
get out there and talk to horse owners

635
00:34:57,142 --> 00:35:01,594
and horse enthusiasts about responsible horse ownership.

636
00:35:01,595 --> 00:35:04,234
So, Emily, I'm thinking that I've

637
00:35:04,235 --> 00:35:06,400
got a research project for you.

638
00:35:08,290 --> 00:35:11,220
We need to start querying the horse owning public

639
00:35:11,221 --> 00:35:13,028
about what kind of plans they do have for

640
00:35:13,029 --> 00:35:18,072
their horses and gathering that data so that we

641
00:35:18,073 --> 00:35:20,136
can share that with the world.

642
00:35:20,137 --> 00:35:22,104
Because people do ask that question.

643
00:35:22,105 --> 00:35:24,318
They say, well, what are the statistics?

644
00:35:24,319 --> 00:35:26,472
And the statistics kind of are.

645
00:35:26,473 --> 00:35:28,028
And these are just loose because we

646
00:35:28,029 --> 00:35:30,460
don't really have any verifiable data.

647
00:35:30,461 --> 00:35:34,668
But it's estimated that twelve to 27% of

648
00:35:34,669 --> 00:35:37,058
people have done planning for their animals.

649
00:35:37,059 --> 00:35:40,768
I think that number is high because I

650
00:35:40,769 --> 00:35:42,960
know for a fact that 50% of people

651
00:35:42,961 --> 00:35:46,060
have done nothing to even plan for themselves.

652
00:35:46,910 --> 00:35:50,676
Of the 50% who have done planning, most

653
00:35:50,677 --> 00:35:52,996
of that planning is out of date by

654
00:35:52,997 --> 00:35:57,220
more than it's more than five years old.

655
00:35:57,221 --> 00:36:01,508
And I would venture to say that almost all of

656
00:36:01,509 --> 00:36:06,472
that planning doesn't contemplate what happens to the animals because

657
00:36:06,473 --> 00:36:12,920
most attorneys are not well versed in pet trust in

658
00:36:12,921 --> 00:36:17,394
what it takes to provide for your pets.

659
00:36:17,395 --> 00:36:19,772
So I think there's a lot of good

660
00:36:19,773 --> 00:36:23,628
that we could do together to continue to

661
00:36:23,629 --> 00:36:28,090
communicate this good information to our horse community.

662
00:36:28,091 --> 00:36:28,840
Absolutely.

663
00:36:30,330 --> 00:36:34,342
Okay, so you guys have a ton of fabulous resources.

664
00:36:34,343 --> 00:36:35,696
Let's talk a little bit more

665
00:36:35,697 --> 00:36:37,734
about some of the resources.

666
00:36:37,735 --> 00:36:39,568
You mentioned a number, and you're going to have

667
00:36:39,569 --> 00:36:41,812
to remind me what that was of the number

668
00:36:41,813 --> 00:36:46,190
of organizations that the United Horse Coalition represents.

669
00:36:47,090 --> 00:36:51,044
So there's sort of two components to this.

670
00:36:51,045 --> 00:36:55,422
So, UHC itself is made up of industry

671
00:36:55,423 --> 00:36:58,616
organizations, and we also have nonprofit members which

672
00:36:58,617 --> 00:37:01,590
are made up of our rescues and sanctuaries.

673
00:37:01,591 --> 00:37:04,408
On top of that, these individuals and

674
00:37:04,409 --> 00:37:07,370
organizations are included in our database.

675
00:37:07,371 --> 00:37:10,780
But on top of that, we also send a

676
00:37:10,781 --> 00:37:15,830
database questionnaire out to the broader group of organizations.

677
00:37:17,530 --> 00:37:20,988
We estimate just under I think the

678
00:37:20,989 --> 00:37:23,280
number we're about to publish is 996.

679
00:37:23,281 --> 00:37:25,664
Yeah, just about 996 rescues and

680
00:37:25,665 --> 00:37:27,718
sanctuary is out there nationwide.

681
00:37:27,719 --> 00:37:29,808
And so periodically throughout the year, we

682
00:37:29,809 --> 00:37:31,252
will send a questionnaire to them to

683
00:37:31,253 --> 00:37:33,732
ask what type of services they offer.

684
00:37:33,733 --> 00:37:35,760
So do they offer any type of

685
00:37:36,850 --> 00:37:41,150
feed programs, castration, veterinary assistance programs?

686
00:37:42,610 --> 00:37:46,772
Even things like some organizations will offer

687
00:37:46,773 --> 00:37:49,608
euthanasia clinics, as well as help with

688
00:37:49,609 --> 00:37:52,260
financial resources for disposal options.

689
00:37:53,670 --> 00:37:56,238
And I might have already mentioned castration clinics

690
00:37:56,239 --> 00:37:58,636
as well, but a lot of really great

691
00:37:58,637 --> 00:38:01,050
resources to help owners out there.

692
00:38:01,051 --> 00:38:03,388
And what we will do is get them added to

693
00:38:03,389 --> 00:38:08,050
our database so that owners can find those resources.

694
00:38:08,051 --> 00:38:11,408
And on top of that, we also have a

695
00:38:11,409 --> 00:38:15,856
listing of those rescues and sanctuaries in there.

696
00:38:15,857 --> 00:38:17,648
In the event that an owner would like

697
00:38:17,649 --> 00:38:22,516
to responsibly rehome their horse, they can find

698
00:38:22,517 --> 00:38:25,236
out what resources are available locally to them.

699
00:38:25,237 --> 00:38:27,642
But we also strongly suggest that the owners

700
00:38:27,643 --> 00:38:31,204
utilize the questions that we have in our

701
00:38:31,205 --> 00:38:34,312
educational resources to make sure that they're asking

702
00:38:34,313 --> 00:38:37,350
the right questions of these rescues and sanctuaries.

703
00:38:37,351 --> 00:38:40,008
A lot of them in the database will actually

704
00:38:40,009 --> 00:38:42,472
we will denote if they have any they hold

705
00:38:42,473 --> 00:38:47,460
any sort of accreditations or affiliations with organizations like

706
00:38:48,550 --> 00:38:53,794
gsas and the right Horse, global Federation of Animal

707
00:38:53,795 --> 00:38:58,172
sanctuary's, apologies, all these acronyms out there also those

708
00:38:58,173 --> 00:39:01,584
that have accreditations with the thoroughbred aftercare Alliance and

709
00:39:01,585 --> 00:39:03,950
thoroughbred Charities of America.

710
00:39:03,951 --> 00:39:05,920
So we just want to make sure that

711
00:39:05,921 --> 00:39:09,728
owners are aware that they can do some

712
00:39:09,729 --> 00:39:12,868
homework about where their horse is ending up.

713
00:39:12,869 --> 00:39:14,426
I think that's excellent.

714
00:39:14,427 --> 00:39:18,666
And because I did not know that this resource

715
00:39:18,667 --> 00:39:21,970
existed, I'm going to be willing to bet that

716
00:39:21,971 --> 00:39:24,056
a lot of other people didn't as well.

717
00:39:24,057 --> 00:39:26,776
So I will pledge to help you guys

718
00:39:26,777 --> 00:39:30,552
get out of information out there as possible.

719
00:39:30,553 --> 00:39:34,574
Also, just from a data perspective, and Ashley

720
00:39:34,575 --> 00:39:37,198
and I kind of experienced this in depth

721
00:39:37,199 --> 00:39:39,800
and we were working in rescue together.

722
00:39:40,730 --> 00:39:41,938
There's two things to note.

723
00:39:41,939 --> 00:39:45,116
One, when people need help, they're often

724
00:39:45,117 --> 00:39:47,804
really embarrassed to ask for help.

725
00:39:47,805 --> 00:39:50,678
So a big part of this is keeping the discussion

726
00:39:50,679 --> 00:39:53,862
going and making sure the stigma of that is removed

727
00:39:53,863 --> 00:39:58,048
and helping owners understand rescues aren't going to judge you.

728
00:39:58,049 --> 00:40:01,088
They would rather you call and ask them if

729
00:40:01,089 --> 00:40:03,386
they have a hay assistance or a feed assistance

730
00:40:03,387 --> 00:40:06,964
before you let a problem sit for long enough

731
00:40:06,965 --> 00:40:09,524
that your horse is now experiencing issues.

732
00:40:09,525 --> 00:40:13,818
Absolutely be proactive and really encourage our fellow horse

733
00:40:13,819 --> 00:40:16,536
owners to understand that it's not bad to need

734
00:40:16,537 --> 00:40:19,670
help and it's not embarrassing to need help.

735
00:40:19,671 --> 00:40:22,696
The other side of that is and again,

736
00:40:22,697 --> 00:40:24,810
you see this on the social media.

737
00:40:24,811 --> 00:40:27,430
Sorry, my piranhas are circling for dinner.

738
00:40:29,850 --> 00:40:31,276
You see this on social media

739
00:40:31,277 --> 00:40:34,172
that someone will post on this.

740
00:40:34,173 --> 00:40:35,276
I saw this last week.

741
00:40:35,277 --> 00:40:38,994
Someone will post on a horse

742
00:40:38,995 --> 00:40:41,552
Facebook group, I need help.

743
00:40:41,553 --> 00:40:42,822
How do I rehome my horse?

744
00:40:42,823 --> 00:40:44,432
How do I get help for this?

745
00:40:44,433 --> 00:40:46,512
And another person will post. Well, don't ask.

746
00:40:46,513 --> 00:40:47,820
The rescues are full.

747
00:40:48,990 --> 00:40:50,016
Go ask this person.

748
00:40:50,017 --> 00:40:51,828
The rescues can't help you. They're all full.

749
00:40:51,829 --> 00:40:53,124
And that's just not true.

750
00:40:53,125 --> 00:40:56,426
It's from the data, we know that nationally

751
00:40:56,427 --> 00:41:00,330
rescues are operating at about 80% capacity.

752
00:41:00,331 --> 00:41:01,940
There is room to help.

753
00:41:01,941 --> 00:41:05,018
And just because your local rescue, the one closest

754
00:41:05,019 --> 00:41:07,832
to your house, is full, doesn't mean there's not

755
00:41:07,833 --> 00:41:11,480
another 150 miles away, 100 miles away who is

756
00:41:11,481 --> 00:41:13,528
able and willing to help you.

757
00:41:13,529 --> 00:41:15,272
The other thing is that a lot of these

758
00:41:15,273 --> 00:41:18,162
rescues in the database now have formed coalitions.

759
00:41:18,163 --> 00:41:19,948
So if they can't help you, they

760
00:41:19,949 --> 00:41:22,012
know someone who can help you.

761
00:41:22,013 --> 00:41:24,428
And just because they're not local, they will

762
00:41:24,429 --> 00:41:28,032
help facilitate a rescue further away, helping you.

763
00:41:28,033 --> 00:41:31,072
So it's pretty incredible, the capacity for

764
00:41:31,073 --> 00:41:34,288
aid out there and all of the

765
00:41:34,289 --> 00:41:37,260
teamwork and coalition building that has happened.

766
00:41:38,190 --> 00:41:41,184
Again, if you need help, ask for it. It's out there.

767
00:41:41,185 --> 00:41:42,388
It might take a little while to

768
00:41:42,389 --> 00:41:44,000
find it, but it's out there.

769
00:41:45,010 --> 00:41:47,012
Well, and it's nice to know that there are

770
00:41:47,013 --> 00:41:52,920
so many organizations that are working towards equine health

771
00:41:52,921 --> 00:41:56,100
and harmony and that they're helping each other.

772
00:41:57,670 --> 00:41:59,512
So important to do that.

773
00:41:59,513 --> 00:42:03,752
I'm looking through your list of nonprofit members and

774
00:42:03,753 --> 00:42:08,412
recognizing a lot here in my area that I

775
00:42:08,413 --> 00:42:13,186
am personally associated with, including the Wild Horse Rescue

776
00:42:13,187 --> 00:42:19,808
Center located in webster, Florida, because mustangs will always

777
00:42:19,809 --> 00:42:22,140
have a special place in my heart.

778
00:42:23,390 --> 00:42:26,848
But I love to see all of these organizations that

779
00:42:26,849 --> 00:42:31,814
are out there working towards helping at risk horses.

780
00:42:31,815 --> 00:42:33,972
And just because they're listed here doesn't mean

781
00:42:33,973 --> 00:42:36,884
that as a horse owner, they're just going

782
00:42:36,885 --> 00:42:38,298
to be willing to take your horse.

783
00:42:38,299 --> 00:42:39,876
They're going to try to educate you

784
00:42:39,877 --> 00:42:42,210
about how to keep your horse.

785
00:42:42,211 --> 00:42:45,380
Because I think that's what we really want ultimately is for

786
00:42:45,381 --> 00:42:48,728
people to keep their horses and take care of them for

787
00:42:48,729 --> 00:42:51,928
a lifetime and then have a plan for what happens to

788
00:42:51,929 --> 00:42:55,150
them if they can no longer take care of that horse.

789
00:42:55,151 --> 00:43:00,010
We found that it's 65% to 75%.

790
00:43:00,011 --> 00:43:02,450
I should know this off the top of my head, but I don't.

791
00:43:02,451 --> 00:43:06,562
65% to 75% of horses being surrendered

792
00:43:06,563 --> 00:43:11,222
to shelters are from owners experiencing financial

793
00:43:11,223 --> 00:43:14,176
distress, and the majority of the time

794
00:43:14,177 --> 00:43:17,450
it is a short term financial distress.

795
00:43:18,190 --> 00:43:21,270
And there are programs out there with the goal

796
00:43:21,271 --> 00:43:24,292
of helping you through that short term problem so

797
00:43:24,293 --> 00:43:26,394
you can keep the horse in the long term.

798
00:43:26,395 --> 00:43:28,884
The goal long term is to keep the

799
00:43:28,885 --> 00:43:32,400
horse from having to come to the shelter. Absolutely.

800
00:43:33,810 --> 00:43:36,702
Talking to dog and cat organizations,

801
00:43:36,703 --> 00:43:38,248
too, are saying the same thing.

802
00:43:38,249 --> 00:43:41,208
That really their goal these days is to what can

803
00:43:41,209 --> 00:43:44,462
we do to help the pet owner keep that pet?

804
00:43:44,463 --> 00:43:46,994
If it's a short term financial situation or it's

805
00:43:46,995 --> 00:43:52,508
an emergency health care situation or I'm working with

806
00:43:52,509 --> 00:43:56,962
another organization for people who are in the hospital

807
00:43:56,963 --> 00:44:00,112
or who are in rehab who just need that

808
00:44:00,113 --> 00:44:04,358
little extra boost during that time period of rehabilitation

809
00:44:04,359 --> 00:44:06,368
so that they can keep their pets, not that

810
00:44:06,369 --> 00:44:08,570
they have to rehome their pets.

811
00:44:10,050 --> 00:44:12,628
I think most pets would prefer to

812
00:44:12,629 --> 00:44:14,930
stay with their owners as well.

813
00:44:14,931 --> 00:44:16,388
That's the idea.

814
00:44:16,389 --> 00:44:17,796
That is the idea.

815
00:44:17,797 --> 00:44:19,988
Okay, so what would you leave us

816
00:44:19,989 --> 00:44:25,454
with today, ashley and One and Emily?

817
00:44:25,455 --> 00:44:26,888
I'll let you do one, but

818
00:44:26,889 --> 00:44:29,320
what's your last little tidbit for?

819
00:44:29,321 --> 00:44:32,632
Read the word that there are resources out there to

820
00:44:32,633 --> 00:44:36,764
help owners just reach out and reach out in a

821
00:44:36,765 --> 00:44:40,892
timely manner before things get to a point where your

822
00:44:40,893 --> 00:44:43,122
horse is put in a situation where they're at risk.

823
00:44:43,123 --> 00:44:47,548
So there's such a great network out there now, and

824
00:44:47,549 --> 00:44:51,872
it's a lot better than what it was and we

825
00:44:51,873 --> 00:44:54,510
want people to reach out, reach out for help.

826
00:44:54,511 --> 00:44:55,260
Definitely.

827
00:44:55,870 --> 00:44:58,544
And Emily, what would you say? Have a plan.

828
00:44:58,545 --> 00:45:00,006
Have a plan for your horse?

829
00:45:00,007 --> 00:45:01,760
Have a plan for you.

830
00:45:03,010 --> 00:45:05,316
When you bring a horse home, go into

831
00:45:05,317 --> 00:45:08,442
it with a plan for any contingencies.

832
00:45:08,443 --> 00:45:10,080
So just have a plan.

833
00:45:11,170 --> 00:45:12,506
Excellent advice.

834
00:45:12,507 --> 00:45:15,118
We're talking with Ashley Harkins and Emily Stearns

835
00:45:15,119 --> 00:45:17,928
with the United Horse Coalition and you can

836
00:45:17,929 --> 00:45:21,022
find them at UNITEDHORSECOALITION.ORG

837
00:45:21,023 --> 00:45:23,256
And we're going to post their information on

838
00:45:23,257 --> 00:45:27,502
our website as well at act for pets.org.

839
00:45:27,503 --> 00:45:30,668
And you can catch this podcast there.

840
00:45:30,669 --> 00:45:33,228
So thank you for joining us, everybody, and we

841
00:45:33,229 --> 00:45:35,052
hope you'll join us each and every week.

842
00:45:35,053 --> 00:45:36,796
And you know my motto, until

843
00:45:36,797 --> 00:45:39,196
there are none, please adopt one.

844
00:45:39,197 --> 00:45:42,038
And until then, happy tails.

845
00:45:42,039 --> 00:45:44,480
Thank you for joining us on All My Children.

846
00:45:44,481 --> 00:45:47,430
Wear Fur Coats with your host, Peggy Hoyt.

847
00:45:47,431 --> 00:45:49,366
We hope you learned something valuable

848
00:45:49,367 --> 00:45:51,238
for the benefit of your pet.

849
00:45:51,239 --> 00:45:53,482
We want to keep loved pets in loving

850
00:45:53,483 --> 00:45:56,666
homes by educating pet parents about the importance

851
00:45:56,667 --> 00:45:59,604
of ensuring every pet has a forever home.

852
00:45:59,605 --> 00:46:02,612
Get more information about creating a legacy for

853
00:46:02,613 --> 00:46:09,220
your pet at ANIMALCARETRUSTUSA.ORG  or LEGACYFORYOURPET.COM.

854
00:46:09,221 --> 00:46:12,170
Buy a copy of All My Children Wear Fur Coats

855
00:46:12,171 --> 00:46:15,050
how to leave a legacy for your pet on Amazon

856
00:46:15,051 --> 00:46:18,338
on join our email list or make a donation.

857
00:46:18,339 --> 00:46:21,266
Pet professionals and advisors are invited

858
00:46:21,267 --> 00:46:23,650
to join our trusted advisor network.

859
00:46:23,651 --> 00:46:25,570
Until next time, happy tails.