very sad

[xchrom]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/world/europe/21ireland.html?_r=1

Hardships of a Nation Push Horses Out to Die

But the horses that are such an enduring part of Irish culture are paying a price, too. For generations, keeping horses has been an Irish passion — for those who like to enter them in flat-racing, steeplechase and show-jumping competitions, for those who keep them for recreational occasions like hunts and equestrian events, and for still others who see horse ownership as a symbol of prosperity, much as other people find pleasure in owning luxury cars.

How many horses and ponies have been abandoned is a matter of informed guesswork. Irish laws require all owners to have their animals registered, and tagged with microchips for identification, but the laws have been only sporadically enforced. What is certain is that the boom years brought a rapid growth in breeding, and that tens of thousands of people who could not previously afford a horse or pony entered the market, many of them keeping their animals in gardens, on fenced-off building sites or on common land like the Dunsink tip.

[midnight]

1. I hope some very rich person will come and rescue these beautiful animals.

[xchrom]

2. that's just too sad for words, you know it?

but yes it does seem like a worthy cause -- something that could get very good PR and dollars.

[DainBramaged]

3. They'll send them to slaughter for dog food

I read this article earlier today and could not post it here. It is just too sickening to comprehend.

[mimitabby]

5. dogfood

slaughter for dogfood is better than slow starvation.

[safeinOhio]

6. or France for

people food.

[beam me up scottie]

4. That it is.

It's happening here too, several farmers have had their horses seized because they were starving to death, some horses even had to step around their dead herd mates' bodies to get water.

Bf wanted to buy me a horse for xmas, I told him to wait until we can go to a rescue ranch that's located the middle of the state. There are so many abandoned, abused and neglected horses, ponies, mules and donkeys it only seems right to start there. Horses are herd animals, they need company, we won't be coming home with just one of anything.

[xchrom]

7. Good for you. Donkeys are very sweet. Nt

[beam me up scottie]

10. Intelligent, loyal, protective.

Some livestock owners keep them with their herds because they will go out of their way to kick a coyote's ass.

Our storage unit is near a miniature horse ranch. If you want a pet with personality, man those little dudes are awesome, too.

[xchrom]

11. I love minis -- and they really really need a person. Nt

[Hannah Bell]

8. proles give themselves airs. only the rich can afford to keep animals.

[xchrom]

9. Sadly, it's working out that way. Nt