Lucky escape for trio
Mare gives birth after slaughterhouse rescue
IT was a lucky escape for this horse and her three-day-old foal, both rescued from the slaughterhouse, but their biggest fight may be yet to come.
The former eight-year-old Queensland racehorse had already been moved eight hours south to NSW when she was given a second chance by charity group Save A Horse Australia. The slaughterhouse was a world away from the former racer’s previous life, where she had been mated with a well-bred stallion two years in a row.
“We noticed a large belly on the mare and suspected she might be pregnant,” committee member Jennifer Malloch told the Bulletin.
“They were never meant to end up where they did, they fell into the wrong hands. Their owner passed away and these horses fell through the cracks.”
Ms Malloch said when they realised where they were headed, they knew they had
Saturday, October 19, 2018
to act. “Horses are slaughtered every day for pet food and human consumption,” she said.
“The meat buyers pay anywhere from $50 to $250 for a horse. Some of them have a heart and they are willing to sell them to us to save a life.”
They bought the mare, and her 12-month-old filly, who was destined for the same fate.
“We were able to get them just in time, we thought we were saving two lives, we ended up saving three lives that day,” Ms Malloch said.
The mare, named Nevaeh, was recovering at jockey Laura Cheshire’s acreage in
Claigraba when she birthed a foal on Wednesday.
It was a situation that hits close to home for Ms Cheshire, who saw her old horse, War Ends, slaughtered on ABC’s 7.30 investigation into the racehorse industry.
“It was shocking … I had no idea,” she said. “The horses that I ride for my job are in pristine condition, they want for nothing, and then at the other end of the spectrum is the rescue horses that have basically been thrown away.
“These horses leave the industry and are rehomed and the racing industry has no control over what happens to them after that.”
Ms Cheshire is lobbying for change through the Queensland Government.
Meanwhile mother and son continue their fight for survival. The mare, stick-thin and frail from feeding her 12month old filly, as well as the growing baby in her belly, is expected to regain her health and be adopted out. But the battle is on to save her weakened little miracle.
To donate: www.saveahorse.org.au