“Don’t put your hand in the fire”
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“If you put your hand into a fire, does anyone have to tell you to move it? Do you have to decide? No: When your hand starts to burn, it moves. You don’t have to direct it; the hand moves itself. In the same way, once you understand, through inquiry, that an untrue thought causes suffering, you move away from it.” Byron Katie.
This post will not be the same as our typical blog posts but we feel it is important to share.
What is fire? Fire is something that you can admire, provides warmth, enables us to cook, helps to repel insects or predators, can be used in industry, in ceremonies and even in entertainment.
At Communities For Horses, we consider social media as “Fire”. We learn from an early age that if you put your hand in the fire you will get burnt. However, many people have lost that direction, the instinct to move away from danger, as the danger is not perceived as danger. Social media is part of life for many, living in modern society, but comes at a price...
For our children, it can signify keeping in touch with friends, family and loved ones, or searching for advice, acceptance or to be part of something. They can find anything they wish within the realms of the platforms, but there are downsides - children taking their own lives using instructions given on line, bullying occurring, predators lurking for ill intentioned purposes... The lists are endless. It’s not all bad, but the ability to distinguish danger is blurred.
For animal lovers, it’s the same, there are ways to help fulfill your desire to help, assist, rescue, support, social networks the lists are endless.
Everything within reason. Posing a question on a social media group and getting thousands of likes, emojis, comments and ideas, does not make it correct, true or the best course of action to take. We see a huge number of horse owners turning to Facebook for advice, posting questions describing really serious situations that can and should only be answered by experts.
Hoarders are sometimes honoured and supported online. As with all things, we only see what we want to see and what the people want us to see. An illusion in its greatest deceitful form - that appears as a live video feed, an image, a scene set - feeding our desire to confirm our support; a magical fix, to alleviate all your horse’s behavioural issues, which must work and be true because it has thousands of followers. We have heard of multi-million-pound equine industries that have been scientifically proven to cause harm to horses and other species; their leaders aware of the consequences of their teachings, however the commercial need for the product / service far outweighs the balance of moral conscious.
For humans much the same, the uploaded Instagram selfie, that doesn’t get the followers, likes and vanity, can turn sour, eat away at the self esteem of the individual. Then the lurking predators inflict their worst, cause unmentionable outcomes.
There is a use for these platforms, just like fire itself, peer pressure for change, education, help groups and topics that are run by affiliated organisations, can be most helpful.
On the flip side, most unhelpful. Recently we have seen images from members of the public uploading images of horses, that appear unkempt, therefore in their minds ill-treated, suffering and in need of rescue. Owners, named and shamed publicly humiliated, bullied, some even receive death threats. The glory hunting organisations fighting for your money, rush to scene and publicly humiliate and bully individuals, in some cases totally unnecessarily.
We recently attended a call that we were alerted to, on our arrival we discussed with locals what had and was happening and what actions had been taken. We could also see that the owner had made adjustments and was taking actions to try and make things better. We discussed with the owner preventative measures that could be taken in the future, ways to alleviate the potential risk of repeat of the situation. They had done everything that they could but this did not stop the actions of others. Drones were used to fly over the area, uneducated and dangerous actions were taken, which resulted in herds being broken up, therefore jeopardising the safety of the horses. Let alone the foolish actions of glory hunting individuals. They made very bad decisions that fortunately did not end tragically this time. However, the wanton for glory has cost many lives. Previously.
Vigilantes, some so honoured are called upon, “tagged” rush in and cause unimaginable outcomes. We have seen horses die from the actions of groups of well intentioned, disillusioned individuals. Horses chased to their deaths, with the promise of a supposed better life; which, in this instance was in the hands of appropriate organisations, however actions were taken to prevent a favourable outcome.
Sick and injured horses dragged into horseboxes and travelled hundreds of miles in pain and suffering immensely. No thought for their health, or what pain they were in. Just the mirage of the promised land in the distance - the mirage that disappears on arrival. After the photo shoots and media campaigns, the hero seeking, funds and emojis disappear, so does the care and support. No longer a viable product, for ill-gotten gains, turned away, with only, if lucky basic needs met.
We have been contacted by owners of horses under veterinary treatment, some spending their dying days surrounded by their family, where attempts to steal them were fortunately scuppered by neighbours. This all due to social media and well-intentioned individuals, who have not taken the time to report to appropriate authorities. However, a wonderous bounty for the predators, with no thought for the individuals involved, human and horse.
Recently another story, with a less fortunate outcome, again. Actions taken by individuals, where a horse whom was proposed to be under veterinary care, was taken, its history and background unknown. The, rescuers, intent on doing good, hampered the horse’s chance of survival. Treatment was halted and the horse died several days later.
Another, a horse cast (stuck in horsebox) should never have been moved without veterinary treatment and the owner’s permission. The horse suffered for hours while emergency services worked to release them from the position, that they should never have been in, and later died from the very thing that caused it to go down in the box initially.
The lists of suffering brought about by peer pressure and glory hunting are far too many and painful to list. No person, or animal should have to endure this torment at the hands of others. They are predators, disguised as friends, supporters, teachers, leaders and heroes.
The flames of modern life. Our ability to extinguish the flames, hampered. A fire itself is useful and always has been for as long a man has been around. Fire has its uses and is a necessity for life. As part of our evolution we have learnt to control it and monopolise its power for our own use. We however are only just realising the power of the platforms and destruction that is left in its path.
There are modifications being sought after to preserve life and prevent the predators from causing the suffering. However, these are slow and still only in the early stages. We are pleased that actions are being taken to control the flames of destruction and pain. We are a long way off the favoured outcome. The oxygen that is fuelling the fire of lives. Is yet to be controlled, as you may be aware, we are still trying to control the flames around the world, that cause death and destruction in many countries, that occur as a natural disaster or other.
Society has a long way to go, to control the flames of social media.
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Support us this winter by buying one of our gift postcards. We rely on generosity and donations to keep our Equine Welfare Officer in the field, working in the community to help horses. They cost £5 each for an e-version that you can send on or print out yourself, or £7.50 each for a printed version we will post to you or your recipient.
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Equine table top sale
23rd November, Three Crosses Community Centre. SA4 3QJ.
We are hosting a horsey table top sale where you will have the opportunity to sell your unwanted, reusable equine items. Tables are £5.00, bookable in advance. Please contact us if you'd like to have a table. Or grab a bargain.
There will be rugs, bridles.tack, riding wear and essentials available, even some horsey Christmas crafted gifts from our stall holders. Please come and join us If you are in the area, Hot Chocolate , tea and coffee available.
The sale will run from 2.00 - 6.00pm, giving you all a chance to tend to your horses, ride etc, before the sale and we will close in time for you to complete your evening equine duties!
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What has our equine welfare officer been up to?
Last month we attended an array of welfare calls including horses in flooded areas and challenges brought by adverse weather conditions. We assisted owners with the rugging needs of horses, when, how, sizing etc. With the closure of one very large urban stable yard, we have been assisting owners, with trying to locate other suitable ethical and appropriate facilities that have availability for livery and are accessible by public transport as many of the owners we work with do not have their own means of transport. We advised some owners on the benefits of weighing horses prior to worming them and on the use of weigh tapes. We have given some advice on the law and practicalities of rescue the do's and don'ts.
We also attended the AWNW (Animal Welfare Network Wales) AGM - we are proud members of this network - working together and sharing knowledge is so important.
"The Animal Welfare Network for Wales (AWNW) is an independent initiative set up to bring together all organisation with volunteers in the animal welfare world in Wales."
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How can you support us?
You can support us whilst you do your shopping! On Amazon Smile UK, just enter Communities For Horses as your chosen charity and Amazon will donate. 0.5% of the value of your order directly to us. The cost of your product does not change.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1180625-0
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Give as you Live
Every time you shop online you could raise FREE ££'s for us! It takes 2 mins to sign up to @GiveasyouLive and they'll turn a percentage of everything you buy into a donation to us.
💸 It's free
📱 There's a handy app
🛍️ There are over 4,300 stores!
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Use Your Vote
BREXIT FREE ZONE
The insurance company SEIB run an annual campaign, giving equine charities the opportunity to win some funding. SEIB Giving campaign is back and will be giving away up to £50,000 to numerous charities chosen by you! Public voting is now open so please nominate us, you have until the 28th November 2019.
It only takes a minute to vote. Click the link to nominate your favourite charity. #SEIBGiving www.seib.co.uk/giving
We would love you to vote for us.
Why? Because "Sometimes, it just nice, to give the smaller organisations a chance. "The fact of being an underdog changes people in ways that we often fail to appreciate. It opens doors and creates opportunities and enlightens and permits things that might otherwise have seemed unthinkable."
Malcolm Gladwell
Use your vote, to assist us in achieving our goals and creating opportunities where it matters. Our registered charity no. is 1180625.
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Thank you Monica Ward for your donation. We would also like to thank our regular donors Sarah Smith, Holly Thomas, Jenni Nellist and Liam Millinship for thier regular donations. We would also like to welcome Sally Lovegrove, whom has also become a regular donor. The donations that we receive enable us to cover some of the costs associated with attending welfare calls. Many of the calls that we attend allow us to change the welfare status of the horses for the better - whether the horse is compromised regarding mental, environmental or physical welfare.
To support us in making changes, you too can help. To donate please go to https://www.paypal.com/donate/…
To offer support by means of volunteering, please contact us. enquiries@communitiesforhorses.org
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