Protecting the Horses

Posted by Gabe on March 1, 2010 under Featured Hero, Kids are Heroes | Be the First to Comment

We recently met Alannah Raven through her dad Eddy who tours the country speaking about disaster preparedness. As a matter of fact, Alannah often goes with him and speaks about the same subject. But it was her passion for the protection of horses that sparked this interview. A word of caution here: If you are at all squeamish when it comes to animals being harmed or tortured, you may want to skip this post. We try not to go into too much detail but I feel it is important to raise awareness about what is going on in this country. I personally had no idea. And kudos to Alannah for having the courage at such a young age to confront these horrors.

I am very interested in your work for the salvation of horses. How did you discover the atrocities that are being leveled against them?

I knew about soring from my work with horses in the area. I have also seen horses being sold for slaughter at auctions. One of our family rules is that as we kids tour more we have to choose a cause so I looked for an organization that needed help raising awareness and the International Fund for Horses seemed like the best fit for me.

Without being too graphic, can you describe what is going on?

It’s hard not to describe it so it is not gross. Wild horses are being rounded up and slaughtered for meat. Pregnant mares are tortured for years to collect their urine in a certain way to make medicine. Show horses are sometimes tortured to make better shows. Every day we read news stories of people that put horses out to pasture to watch them starve rather then finding them a good home.

How many wild horses are in the US?

There are less then 25,000.

Why are horses so important to you?

Horses are important to me because, out of all the animals I have, they are the most sensitive to people. I have always liked horses since I was a little girl. Through history horses are the one animal that helped up build our country but now are to often neglected and abused. They are amazing animals. They are strong and so beautiful and if you care for them they can be so much fun.

Besides donating to the International Fund for Horses, how can people help?

Awareness is the biggest thing. It is expensive to try to do what the folks at the International Fund for Horses are doing, but money is not always most important. I have links on my website people can use on their websites to help create awareness, they can assist in horse rescues, and horse owners could even help themselves just by considering how important it is to have disaster plans for there own horses!

What do you want to accomplish with the horses and what do you think you can accomplish?

I tour a lot around the country and I get to speak to thousands of people every year. As a member of Chasing4Life, I am building a good following and I hope I can motivate all of my friends to help me keep the International Fund for Horses going. Of course, I intend to keep rescuing horses personally as long as I have room to keep them.

I know you tour the country speaking about disaster preparedness. Do you speak about the horses too? What kind of feedback do you get from kids? From adults?

This spring will be my first horse-focused tour in the last two years as I have toured with Chasing4Life. I have been well received by grade school kids and older adults. I expect (and hope) that it will be the same.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

I would hope to still be involved with the International Fund for Horses perhaps as a board member. I am looking into school for Pre-Veterinary Medicine at the Nebraska College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

Do you have anything you would like to add?

The International Fund for Horses has accomplished so much already and thankfully there are no slaughter houses left in the United States but there is so much to do. I have raised a little money so far and I think that my efforts have raised quite a bit more awareness too. Just today while doing a photo shoot for IFH ads, I came across a neglected horse with no one to care for it and am bringing it to our farm. Making a difference can be done one horse at a time.

We are so lucky to have kids like Alannah. She truly gives us hope. I must say that before I met her I had absolutely no idea this was going on. My personal feeling is to live and let live and to each his own, but transgressions against animals are always sickening to me. I just cannot understand how people can lose their heart for the sake of their personal monetary gain.

So please visit the International Fund for Horses and check out their web site. (Twitter: @Fund4Horses) In their “Issues” section you will see exactly what we are dealing with. Be forewarned though, some of their images are very graphic and indeed disturbing. In the “Horse on the Hill” section you can see how they are attempting to affect change. There are lots of ways you can help. I just spoke with Vivian Grant, the president and founder of this organization. She is a very learned and determined woman who is working tirelessly for these horses. She loves the fact that Alannah is in her camp. Her biggest need are volunteers. The good news is that most of her volunteers (currently 80+) work out of their homes and set their own hours. She has volunteers all over the globe helping her. If this is something you think you might want to be involved with, you can really make a difference. Contact Vivian directly by email, or go right to the volunteer section of her web site and sign up. The phone numbers for the Int’l Fund for Horses are 917.675.3453 (NY) and 713.893.7813 (Houston). If this is not your cup of tea but you still want to help neglected horses, she can even help you find a local horse rescue in your area, no matter where you live.

Please take it upon yourself to spread the word as much as you possibly can for them and for the horses.