Wednesday 18 October 2017

Wednesday Whinnies - Two Lives


#1 here. As promised, I want to explain to you  about the horse emergency that took up almost all of my Sunday and Monday.

Last Saturday, there was an auction to sell off the horses on the farm of a dear friend of mine who died suddenly in his 82nd year in February. He was one of the best Percheron breeders in France and the quality of his herd. I worked hard to get the girls ready for the sale and was there all day Saturday for the auction.

Everything seemed to go well and it looked like all the horses had found good homes. Then, on Sunday afternoon, I heard from a friend that two of the broodmares, both 12-years old, had in fact been bought by a "secret" meat buyer (someone sent by the meat man to do his dirty work). I was horrified and decided to do everything I could to bring them to safety. I spent all of Sunday working the phone and FB Messenger, trying to get financial support to buy back the mares. The guy was willing to sell them back to me at a considerable profit. I also started to look for places where I could put them if need me for a few months. I was very touched by the kindness shown by those I called and by Sunday evening, I had both funds and someone who really wanted them. Here are the two girls:

First, Reinette de Vanoise (I spent a lot of time grooming her the morning of the sale):


And Reseda de Vanoise (Photo taken last year when she had her last foal):


On Monday morning, I realised that there was an emergency that had to be dealt with immediately: When Reinette was loaded on to the awful meat lorry on Saturday evening, she was torn away from her 5-month old daughter, Heroine. That is still very young and it is best to wean foals progressively rather than brutally like that. By Sunday morning, they had been separated for 36 hours already, and it was urgent to get them back together again if Reinette was to continue providing nourishing milk for little Heroine. We therefore jumped in a vehicle and sped up the hour north to where Reinette was being "held" and brought her home (I later cleared with her new owner that she would be sable to stay with her daughter until the end of November).

The reunion between Reinette and little Heroine was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. Reinette got down from the trailer, not knowing where she was, and then she slowly understood, and started to neigh. From far in the distance, a little neigh sounded back, and a bunch of horses started cantering towards us, with little Heroine in the lead:




"Is it really you, Mama?"


Together again!


Mother and daughter cantering off into the field!



Reinette's udders were about ready to explode with milk but Heroine emptied them very quickly!

In the afternoon, we also went to bring Reseda home. They will be staying in the beautiful place where they had always lived until the end of November, when Heroine will be weaned and will go to her wonderful new home, and Reinette and Reseda will go to their new family who will treasure them and look after them.

Here, also, is a shot of Reseda stepping back onto "home" soil:


I later learned that another filly, this one only 4 months old, had been wrenched away from her mother who had also been bought to go for meat. The kind man who had bought the filly found out and went back to buy the mother as well. Dorine and little Hazelle will now go together to their new home:


I was lucky to have around me so many kind people who were willing to help in many different ways to bring these mares to safety. The mares had no voice and were victims, not of the sellers who were appalled when they heard what had happened, but of the auctioneer who, instead of selling them for a lower price to someone who would treasure them and care for them, preferred to sell them for a few hundred Euros more to the meat man's representative. Shame on him.

22 comments:

  1. that is heartbreaking... my tears are running... such things and other things around me were the reason that I decided to stay away from meat forever...it will not change our sometimes so cold world, but it's a change for me...

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  2. OMC! How awful that these beautiful horses almost met horrible ends! I'm so glad you worked so hard and saved them. I can only imagine you must have been beside yourself when you found out about the nefarious buyers.

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  3. What a story! We are so happy the ending was happy as well.
    We send you lots of purrs for the work you did to make sure these lovely horses got to live on with people to care for them.
    Purrs Georgia,Julie and JJ

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  4. Good news stories don't just happen...
    good people, kind people make them happen!
    Poupounette Central has a prize winner in their #1!!
    Lorine of the Island Chans xxx

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  5. It makes us so sad that these beautiful souls can be sold for meat. Thankfully there were angels like you and your friends to save them. We are so glad the kind man bought the filly's Mom.

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  6. What an incredible nightmare situation! Thankfully there was a happy ending. Makes one think about how many endings aren't.

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  7. I just read this with tears in my eyes. So thankful that you found out about these situations in time, and that others also stepped up to help. Three beautiful horses saved. Bravo!

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  8. We are glad that this story had a happy ending for all involved. You are these horses guardian angel for sure.

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  9. That is so terrific that those mares were saved. What a wonderful story that you helped to find homes for the mares and they will have a good life now as they deserve.Glad it was figured out where they had gone. Well done.

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  10. Même en ayant lu l'histoire sur FB, cette histoire me donne une boule au fond de la gorge et me fait pleurer.
    Pour parler clairement le commissaire priseur est un bel enfoiré !
    C'est fabuleux ce que tu as fait Virginia. Tu as soulevé des montagnes pour ces juments et leurs bébés.Tu as sauvé des vies.
    Longue et calme vie aux 3 juments et à leurs mères.
    Bonne soirée
    Natacha

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  11. Shame on them for sure. But kudos and great applause to you and all who helped make this story have a much happier ending. We just know that all the horses involved got the very best treatment because of YOU.

    Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber

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  12. That, my friend, is why you will always be #1 to so many of us!!!

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  13. good heavens - we are SO glad all those horses are now safe and will be in loving homes

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  14. That's disgusting ! You and the people who help you are the guardian angels of these mares and foals, #1 ! Paws up for your courage and your commitment ! Purrs

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  15. Seriously, you've earned a halo in heaven for your work for those horses! And those foals...thank goodness that things worked out.

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  16. How wonderful of # 1 and the whole Percheron community to help these mares and foals !

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  17. OMC. We're so glad this had a happy ending and you were there, along with others, to help these horses.

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  18. #1 I want to nominate you for the French Legion of Honor Award or some award for having a wonderful heart and doing all that you did to save those horsies from being killed for food. Plus, the babies being separated from their mum's too soon That is not a nice thing.

    Three Cheers for #1!

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  19. You are an amazing person #1. Amazingly kind and so passionate about this - how many lives have you saved here ? And how many have you made happier ? Thank you so much for doing this and sharing - it motivates Äiti to try to be a better person, especially since the world seems to be going nuts right now with all the bad news around.

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  20. What an amazing story that began with high anxiety and ended with high applause! Thank you to the whistle blower who let the right people know to whom the mares had been sold. Thank you to you,Virginia, and to all the kind hearts who set this seemingly impossibly horrific situation , right. You are now and forevermore, partially responsible for the continuing life of three, breathtakingly beautiful mares.You are responsible for giving a voice to the innocent and voiceless. I know all three mares are thanking you profusely each time they gallop their freedom song.

    the critters in the cottage xo

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  21. Oh #1! My heart goes out to you! How sad that the auctioneer was so callous to only think about the money and not the welfare of the horses.
    Virginia YOU ROCK!!!'
    Love Barb

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  22. Oh my goodness, I'm so glad you got involved and were able to gather a "village" to help. The reunion made everything so much sweeter. I think the cats should be able to forgive you for being so busy after you explained what happened. Thank you again for being an angel to the horses and their departed owner.

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