Having followed all the back and forth exchanges between the Equine Angels Rescue and the people who had their horses removed from their properties has sure had me shaking my head. I see valid points on both sides, but in my opinion, the bottom line is whether these horses were neglected or abused. I’ve spent the past 40 years of my life working in the horse industry in a professional capacity. Some of the things I’ve seen people trying to pass off as responsible horse ownership has on numerous occasions made my stomach turn.

I don’t know anything about the care or condition of the horses taken from their owners by Equine Angels Rescue, but I sure do know there are people who are either clueless or heartless, and have no business owning horses.

In cases I’ve experienced, the harm caused to the horses was brought about by ignorance. I’m doubtful that if you could have brought all these owners together as a group and expected them to police themselves, the outcome would have been any better for the horses.

People should have a solid handle on what responsible horse ownership is before they buy a horse. Knowing what it costs to keep and maintain horses in good health, you could never convince me that there’s any way a rescue could profit by confiscating and re-selling backyard horses, and all the more so if they were in bad shape when you took them in. The auction barns are full of those and they are usually sold by the pound, and frequently for less.