No, Macon County did NOT go to slaughter, and was not even close to it. He was not put into our program, but I know the horse and his trainer well. The woman who found him a home is so relieved to know that he was re-adopted (not sure of the details), but it certainly shows that our network of interested and caring people works.
To answer Dick Hertz’ question: no one has lost stalls at Pha. Park. Last year, before we set our zero tolerance policy, and right as our program was getting underway, two trainers gave horses to a trainer who did indeed take them to New Holland, where Christy Sheidy pulled them, informed us, and we took measures to insure that that trainer would not do that again. The next weekend, at our general membership meeting (this was last May, 2008), we told the trainers and owners that we were setting the zero tolerance policy and what the repercussions were–loss of stall, an edict directed by the management of the track. And to help them, we formally announced the start of our program.
Although I now keep a list of “persona non grata,” ie people who should not be given horses, many of the trainers did not know this, and one other earlier this year gave a mare to a man that took her to New Holland. She was not found in the kill pen (although a story in the Delaware Valley Horse incorrectly reported that she was). She was in the broker’s pen and Chrsity also removed her, and had the trainer pay her for 30 days quarantine, as well, as the $500 broker’s price, and he has since been taken her home to his own farm.
We did not say that all horses that are retired have to go to Turning For Home, but we have been (in our latest newsletter, as a matter of fact), trying to educate the trainers as to who and how to find the safe homes for these horses if they do not want to put them into our program.
Look, the program is a year old as of this week, and we have tweaked things here and there to make it work in the best way possible. With the 200th horse into the program Monday, we have grown fast. Education is a huge part of solving this problem, and working together with other retirement/rescue/adoption programs is just as important.
