Christine Animal Posted September 4, 2005 Share Posted September 4, 2005 There is a new association in the Tarn et Garonne saving trotteurs. The président of Irunblack, Syvie Gorisse, says that out of 12 million trotteurs in France 8 million finish at the butcher's. She says that on the day the horses are qualified, the butchers are at the hippodrome with lorries and take the unqualified horses to Spain where they are used to make chorizzo!They say they are wonderful horses, perfect for hacking, etc. Irunblack purchase trotteurs, educate them and offer them to good homes against the charges incurred. To continue they need a lorry and members.If you are in the South-West and you can offer a home to a horse :Irunblack, Bois Jourdan, 82340 Donzactel. 05 63 29 22 09http://pageperso.aol.fr/irounblack/mapage/autresassoslocales.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted September 5, 2005 Author Share Posted September 5, 2005 And here's another one, in the Tarn.Virginie and Françoise started last January saving retired horses at the Ferme Equestre Saint-Beauzile:"Leur Bonheur est dans le Pré", Les Grèzes, 81140 Saint Beauziletel. 05 63 33 12 65 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAN_S Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 As an owner of ex-race horses in the UK and here I would say to anyone considering this, DO NOT DO IT unless you are experienced with horses and prepared to own a horse that has been bred/trained to do only one thing, ie race. It can take a long time to get the racing bug out and in the case of trotteurs, they are not even allowed to canter or gallop and probably don't get actually ridden at all.To say that in principle these horses would be "perfect for hacking" is just stupid and for anyone not experienced, downright dangerous.It is a sad fact that a lot of race horses are sold for meat when their career is over, but they have usually had a good life when alive, and are probably better off than in the hands of people who do not know how to look after them properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted September 6, 2005 Author Share Posted September 6, 2005 If it is just stupid to say they would be perfect for hacking then here below is what was put in French, I hope you will be able to fully understand it Ian:"Des semi-remorques emmènent les chevaux non qualifiés en Espagne où ils serviraient à fabriquer du chorizzo. Or, ce sont des chevaux extraordinaires, parfaits pour la promenade, pour peu qu'on les rééduque". "Irunblack rachète les trotteurs, les travaille puis les confie à des familles d'accueil (contre le prix qu'ils ont coûté et avec un contrat).""in the case of trotteurs, they are not even allowed to canter or gallop and probably don't get actually ridden at all."You seem to know all about trotteurs Ian, then surely you know that there are "courses montées".Over the years we have saved three trotteurs, all three were perfectly used to being ridden.I think that the assocation Irunblack would take all necessary precautions to see that the horses are not put in the hands of people who do not know how to look after them properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 I have a Trotteur, there are tons of them for sale every week in the local paper up here in Normandy, he is the kindest, sweetest, most gentle horse I have ever owned - yes, it has taken a while to get him to canter, as, you are quite right, Ian, they are not allowed to canter or gallop, but it is really just a case of treating them as 'green' horses, most of them are still young when they 'retire' anyway - especially if they don't make the qualification 'cut', my Farrier says the Trotteur breed in general has a wonderful temperament, and I would have a dozen more like him if I had the money, time and space!Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAN_S Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 Yes, points taken. If you have had good experiences then that's fine. I had a bit of a rant yesterday because I have known situations where very unsuitable horses that were very cheap or free, were unloaded on unsuspecting people without them really knowing what they were taking on, and eventually of course it was the horses that suffered when the owners got fed up with all the work and possibly no riding at all for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cary Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 i bought a 5 year old cob in the UK and have not owned before. Did some work in the local stables to learn about looking after horses. Viewed her she was lovely, rode her she was lovely. 2 weeks later got her and she was not lovely. For 5 months i struggled with her she ran away with me, scared me and wouldn't do anything i asked her to. Got some help from a girl at the yard and luckily now here in France as i am not afraid of her anymore and will soon put her in her place she is lovely again!! So it happens to us all no matter what breed we buy. And us in-experienced people have to start somewhere, unfortunately some have better luck than others!! If i had more land i would save a horse, but unfortunatley don't have enough grazing for the 2 i have. One being a 3 year old pony bought here from a french farmer. So i believe i have given one french horse/pony a better life!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parelli Student Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 If only ALL horse owners were to study the Parelli programme BEFORE they were allowed to purchase a horse in the first place, there would be very few problems, ridden or handled. Almost every reaction of a horse is based on the need to survive, there are only 4 things that are important to a horse, safety, comfort, play and food. Inside every wild horse is a gentle horse and inside every gentle or domesticated horse is a wild horse. It's up to us as owners to learn how to communicate with our horses and have a partnership, they do not respond to punishment they respond to reinforcement, you can't 'show him who's boss' and they don't react to win, they just want to survive. Love, language and leadership as Pat Parelli says!! If you are a horse owner or thinking of becoming one please look up Pats website, he has got ALL the answers and is THE horseman all of us should take a lesson from. I've had horses for twenty years and am still learning and always will. The feeling from having a partnership with my horses is amazing. TRY IT, anyone can do it, you don't have to be born with savvy you can learn it and it is great fun. www.parelli.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 Never owned a horse but I guess it's like all animals and as I would say about dog's of which I have had a few, there is no such thing as a bad one, just a bad owner. That does not always mean they beat the animal but more to the point they don't understand them or know how to treat them. I am a great believer in some form of licence, not for the animal but for the owner (or potential owner).Rather than see the dog licence defunct in the UK I would have liked to have seen it's scope widened to include all animals and to be compulsory. Perhaps to get your licence you should have to receive training for the type of animal you want. This could also be used for buying, make it illegal to sell animals to those that don't have a licence. Animals tagged from birth and their details recorded (as in France for dogs) and those of the owner/s kept on a central database, including who sold them. Still pie in the sky, will never happen etc, etc. What inspired me to add this was the other posters who took time to recieve training before, or immediately after taking ownership of their horses. They seem to be quite sensible to me shame others don't to the same (a general statement not aimed at anyone on our forum by the way).With regards to horse meat, fine if you want to eat them, in fact fine if you want to eat any animal. BUT you must have rules and I would suggest that they should be identical to the european rules on beef and sheep in as much as they should be tagged etc from birth and their movements monitored. I think this would stop some of the sharp practices we currently see just by the fact that everything is traceable from the butcher/shop to the place and farm of birth.Anyone remember the incident in Sandwich (Kent) a few years back when a shop was forced to take the sausages off the shelf because they contained 'donkey meat'. The people concerned were one and the same that picketed a famous circus visiting Margate because they didn't like animals being used..... even thought the circus had a big sign up all the way round and published the fact (in the local press as part of their publicity) that they did not use animals full stop. In the case of the sausages further inspection by the department of health or whoever discovered all they contained was pork although it was actually not illegal to sell sausages imported from France with donkey meat in it. Anyway I digress. If racing greyhounds can be re homed with the public I can't see that a horse bred and trained to race can't be, it just needs a bit of extra TLC, and you need to be aware they are a lot bigger and stronger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 Hi, Christine - do either of these asso's / people have an E-mail or web site before I put them on my link page? Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted November 5, 2005 Author Share Posted November 5, 2005 Lucky you asked Chris, because I have now found that Irunblack do have a site and have edited the first post with it. Here is a description in English about Irunblack's work from the Association Equestre de Quercy with a link to Irunblack :http://quercyequestre.free.fr/forum/010.htm I couldn't find a site for Leur Bonheur est dans le Pré, but came across this one with an interesting forum for horse lovers along the lines of what is mentioned above by Quillan and the Parelli student : Aude et Etoile "Les amoureux du cheval et des techniques dites douces, naturelles ou éthologiques trouveront ici leur bonheur."http://aude-et-etoile.forumactif.com/ For horses, ponies, donkeys, etc. there is also La Ferme des Animaux Sauvés de la Mort in the Vendée :http://site.voila.fr/sosanimaux/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Thanks - you're a great source of information Christine - keep it up! Bon courage, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le bouffon Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Maybe if the price of horse meat came down more people could afford it and there would be no need for them to have people trying to find homes for them,judging by the amount of french people waiting to be served at the horse meat butchers today a reduction in price would go down well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted November 5, 2005 Author Share Posted November 5, 2005 Of course, how clever of you to have thought of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le bouffon Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 No never,I like my horse steak really rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted November 8, 2005 Author Share Posted November 8, 2005 Here's another one "Sauve Qui Peut" in Normandy (Calvados). They save orphaned foals and horses and show how well trotteurs can adapt to a "change of use". Some have even crossed the Channel...http://sauvequipeut.monsite.wanadoo.fr/index.jhtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted April 20, 2006 Author Share Posted April 20, 2006 ... and here's another one Association Tanka at Bendejun, Alpes Maritimes.(there's an awful donkey story on their actions page). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted July 23, 2006 Author Share Posted July 23, 2006 please click here The American Mustang http://www.ispmb.org/index.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cally50 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I have bought a 2 yr old rescue trotter from sauvequipeut ( calvados )and she is very very gentle natured and a pleasure to have around . I believe sauvequipeut have a lot of trotters to choose from so they choose the most gentle natured to rescue so they adapt easily to a new life . Most are priced about 600 - 900 euros with papers and puce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted July 26, 2006 Author Share Posted July 26, 2006 Thanks Cally, it's good to hear stories from people who have rescued some. It would be nice to get more...Two years old, she's just a baby, many happy years ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fil Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Hi,I have to say that I have worked with horses all my life, in racing, riding schools, studs etc and owned my own for 35 years. When I worked in racing for the trainer Paul Cole in Lambourn (85 skittish racehorses) the stable lads used to do all sorts of things on the horses! I well remember going out for just a walk or trot instead of galloping, and being behind a lad who was doing round the world on his skittish (not) racehorse. They get handled far more than some kid's ponies. They are not always wild and fast and skittish, I can tell you from experience.I also read in Horse and Hound a funny letter from the daughter of an elderly racehorse trainer who had decided in his advancing years, to ride a connemara pony instead of an ex racehorse on the gallops - it was wild as a deer and took off at every opportunity. He went back to the ex racehorse!Any horse can be badly handled and schooled. Just being an ex racehorse does not mean they will be unrideable. Lots of kids ponies are like that because people have made them like it. I admire the work this organisation is doing and wish them luck. Unfortunately my four are more than enough for me!Fil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mozman Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 'round the world'...oo that takes me back a bit. I wonder if I could do it now....or if I would get stuck half way round.Agree entirely about the way racehorses are stigmatized as 'skittish'. People tend to form that opinion by what they see on the racecourse. They are althletes and they are 'on' and there is a noisy crowd, an unfamiliar set of companions etc. Who wouldn't be skittish? Look at the athletes in the Olympics....they are probably relaxed and friendly usually...but it would not be wise to try to chat with them before a race. Racehorses can be quite young...so many of their characteristics are down to being young and green rather than being racehorses. I think the old steeplechasers...seen it all before and in their teens....are a world away from a green 3 year old.This has got me thinking. I had considered having a horse when /if we moved to Normandy permanently. Now I know of s good source should that ever happen...thanks for the links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jollity Farm Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 My daughter took on an ex-racer who had just two speeds...100 miles an hour and stop!! It has taken her a year of patience and perseverance but she can at last get him to walk not jog out on a hack. He is the sweetest animal to handle on the ground and her sheer bloodymindedness on not giving up and handing him on is at last paying off. Kindness, firmness and endless patience do pay off in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 Thank you for all your replies... please keep them coming... and here's another one! this time in the Beaujolais at Villefranche sur Saône (69), l'ARChe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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