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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Nursemare Foals - Racing Industry By-Products.

I follow the goings on at Pregnant Mare Rescue on a regular basis. It is a small, local group of people trying to make a difference, one horse at a time. Today their blog enlightened me regarding a little known shame of the racing industry, Nursemare Foals. Below is a grab from the PMR blog, which you can find through the link above my profile. They update every couple of days.

   Athos! Hi I'm the little guy at the top! I am qtr horse Appy cross...I'm coming to PMR!! I'm so excited..but I need a nap..more soon:)

What is a nursemare foal? It is a by product of the racing industry…Working moms, the mares that race, foal (Have their baby) and go back to work. Their foals are placed on mares that have just given birth. What happens to the baby that mare just had? They become a by-product…discarded. Some countries relish butchering and eating raw foal meat..other simply dispose of them.
Athos (Meaning eternal life) is one of those babies. Born 7 days ago, he and two pals got lucky. They are saved and heading to California. While his two pals go to forever homes, Athos is coming to PMR. We are raising money and purchasing foal lac, (foal formula)..He will be bottle fed for a few days, unless he’s already doing the bucket…I also have a lovely mare that may take him on and be a surrogate.

20 comments:

  1. That is so appalling.
    Are there no laws controlling the greedy bastards running the racehorse breeding system?

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    Replies
    1. Helen, I cannot wrap my head around the sheer numbers of nursemare foals there must be.

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  2. This is so horrible. How can this even be legal?

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    Replies
    1. Birdie, they're a "commodity". Unfortunately there's a huge chasm between Right and Legal.

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  3. My daughter keeps on me pestering me for one of the wee horse breeds that she has seen. Falabella they are called, what's your thoughts on the subject dear lady?

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    Replies
    1. Chef, Let me preface by admitting to no first-hand experience with Falabellas. That does not, of course, preclude my having an opinion:)
      When I look up Falabellas, the first paragraph twice mentions "significant inbreeding" to achieve their diminutive size, not what I would want for any animal or human who was to become part of my family.
      They are small and cute and fashionable, presumably expensive. Your daughter would not be able to ride, unless she's some kind of mini-person.
      With your connections to Ireland, it's almost sacrilegious to be thinking of sourcing your equine anywhere else. In addition, during the recent financial hardships, a scandalous number of wonderful horses have been abandoned in Ireland. Spain has a great equine history as well.
      Give me more parameters of what your daughter wants in a horse and I will happily narrow down some ideas.

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    2. Great, most kind. Ideally she is looking for a horse that is obviously bred without forced trauma and is in no way unhappy being kept in a sometimes rather cold climate. It would be pretty much pampered and not required for riding, more for shows and local events. My daughter is very good with all of our animals, but my own knowledge is limited when it comes to anything equine, especially a breed of which seems to be somewhat controversial. Your advice would be appreciated.

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    3. Chef, I've no doubt that anyone associated with you would be kind to their animals. I'd start by having her attend some local horse shows, to meet the breeders and see what options are out there. If you buy from a local breeder, there's a support system in place to help teach her the ropes. A subscription to Horse & Hound Magazine would also be invaluable as they have an extensive list of horses and ponies for sale as well as many informative articles.
      I've learned that tow-truck drivers are the ones who know the true reliability of any make of car. Chat about the breed and breeder with the local vets, before purchase. Good Luck.

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    4. Many thanks dear lady, some good advice and I will be sure to speak to our local vet tomorrow.

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  4. How terrible. Hopefully this practice will end when more people find out what's going on.

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    Replies
    1. Stephen, that's part of the reason I'm spreading the word.

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  5. Another intolerable abuse. I don't even know what to say at this point. Poor little babies. Hope something can be done to end the practice.

    As for your advice to Chef--good. But rather than purchase, how about adopting? There are many horse rescues out there with perfectly wonderful horses to be kept as companions, or even used as riding mounts. I have two adoptees and if I ever get another horse, I will adopt again.

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    Replies
    1. Jean, I totally agree. I mentioned in my first reply that there were many abandoned horses in Ireland in recent years. It does sound as though Chef's daughter wants to compete in in-hand show classes, in the northern climes of the UK. Hopefully a local vet will have good advice to share.

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  9. You are just wonderful. There is a lot less I can do nowadays, lack of time, looking after Beloved and Millie, both a bit of a handful, the garden and daily walks, but reading you I really would like to put in a few hours a week for an animal rescue charity.

    My problem would be that I’want to take them all home.

    Must explore further.

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  10. Friko,
    The internet means that I get to see what's going on around me, even when I don't have time to participate in person. Sometimes sharing the story is the most I can do, and the occasional small monetary contribution, which helps financially and is a morale boost for the real rescuers.

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  11. >Working moms, the mares that race, foal (Have their baby) and go back to work.

    It is extremely, extremely rare for a mare to go back to racing after foaling - in fact, I've only heard of it once, and I personally know that mare and she is a standardbred, not a thoroughbred. It would take far too much time for most people to bother returning a mare that's been bred to the track, as carrying and giving birth to a foal will do funny things to her body. Add in the fact that if it were at all profitable to continue racing her, they'd just continue racing her - they wouldn't take her out of work for six months to a year, that's six months to a year they could've made a profit on racing her.

    The "nursemare" industry is also not as big or common as people would like to make it seem. Any halfway decent TB farm keeps the foal on its TB dam unless she rejects it, dies, or becomes otherwise unable to care for it. Contrary to popular belief, the foal is not pulled off the mare when she goes to be re-bred - either the foal goes with the dam and is accommodated at the stud farm, or if it's a local trip, the foal is left at home for part of the day while the dam is re-bred.

    I'm not saying it doesn't happen, just that it isn't as common as people seem to think.

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