Back in the Saddle, so to speak

Well, it has been a long while. Most of you subscribers have given up, I am sure. But is am back for good. There is so much to talk about. I have learned so much in the last few months.

One thing that really worries me is the economy and the shape of things to come in
the horse industry. You know what I am talking about. Some of us are marginal horse owners, at best. What I mean is, we used to be in the socio-economic middle class, but the downturn is making our dollars stretch less far. But we have horses that we may have had for years, and they are family. We struggle to keep them as we always have, but the cost of feed is rising at an alarming rate.

My friends in Washington State met last week to try to determine how to solve the problem of unwanted horses, or those that can no longer be kept by families falling on unfortunate times. I spent some time lurking on WA blogs about how horses are being purchased as "dealer" horses and being sent to Mexico to be killed. The issue of slaughter in the USA is a difficult one. If the horse is in pain or cannot be used, perhaps it should be destroyed. If you just Google bad equine rescue
you will discover a whole plethora of so called rescuers who are nothing but hoarders or dealers...of poor horses that are in pain or otherwise unsuitable for the beginners who are "saving" them from death.

Tough subject.

Let me hear your thoughts.