Saving Private Ryan

Private Ryan is a horse. I first saw him on the 'Kaufman Kill Pen' Facebook page after my friend suggested that I look into buying a horse from the Kill Pen, as this would literally save a horse's life.

A little background to help me explain this Cause:

There are people out there that make their living buying cheap unwanted horses advertised on craigslist or other places, they are called 'Kill Buyers'. After the Kill Buyer collects enough horses to fill a large stock trailer he will, or will contract another person to haul the horses to a distant 'Kill Lot', where they are weighed and sold by the pound. Recently, it was brought to my attention that some Kill Lot owners are beginning to soften their hearts because they don't actually want to see these horses slaughtered, they will advertise the home-able horses in hopes that those horses will be adopted (at a price that reflects their weight) and will go to new homes. Horses at the Kill Lot typically have only 3 days to be adopted, and if they are not, they are shipped to Mexico or Canada (depending on the Kill Lot location) for slaughter. New horses are shipped into the Kill Lots daily so they can't possibly hold onto them for very long.

The word "slaughter" is not to be taken lightly, but literally. I have watched Youtube videos (and you can too) of the Mexico slaughter house process and it is a gruesome nightmare. Horses are dismembered (legs sawed off) while they are still breathing, awake and screaming. Know this; a Kill Buyer is not discerning nor selective with his equine victims. He will buy young healthy horses, baby horses, pregnant mares, geldings and stallions, as well as the sick and the lame. I don't know how this extreme cruelty is legal anywhere in the world, and I don't know how Kill Buyers sleep at night, let alone show up for church on Sunday.

Because horse slaughter was made illegal in the USA a few years ago, these horses bound for slaughter must cross international boarders, and thus there are no regulations on their humane treatment. I'm not against horses being eaten, there is a food chain on this planet. My complaint is the unmonitored suffering involved with their demise. Because the United States cattle industry is regulated by the USDA, cattle in this country are treated with at least half as much humanity as they deserve. Horses, are not.

Why I need your help:

A few nights ago I got onto the Kaufman Kill Lot's Facebook page and as I viewed the many available horses I came upon 'Private Ryan'. I saw him and instantly KNEW I had to pay his bail and get him to safety! Admittedly, I hadn't thought things through very well at that point, but he literally had only ONE DAY LEFT TO LIVE, and as a passionate horse-lover since childhood I couldn't turn away from that! His name wasn't Private Ryan then, he was wearing tag #7273 and had no name. I gave him that name after I paid his "bail" and made him my responsibility.

I have taken in starving or unwanted horses a few times through the years, but I've never adopted one from another state and I wasn't absolutely clear on the required processes nor the actual costs involved during those processes. I've learned that before a horse can be moved to another state he must spend a minimum of 14 days in a private quarantine before a health certificate can be issued, which is required to cross through any state line.

Financial breakdown:

I need to pay $500 to cover his 30 day stay in quarantine (30 days because he is now sick), and another $250 to cover his shipping fee to the quarantine location (about 250 miles from the Kill Lot). I was fortunate enough to find a woman to provide these services in advance of payment. This morning I was informed that PR had a buggery nose and needed antibiotics, so I need to allow for some veterinary expenses as well. After he is well enough to travel (hopefully within 30 days) I will need to hire a transport service to deliver him to Prescott Arizona, another $1625.00 if I have to pay the going rate of $1.25 per mile (New Caney, TX to Prescott, Az).

My sentiments:

My campaign is not only about me wanting to get this horse home to me, nor is it only about Private Ryan himself. It is also about public education regarding the epidemic of unwanted horses and what ultimately happens to so many of them. I am told that unwanted horses are largely a result of over breeding. Just as the ASPCA fervently promotes responsible adoption over breeding, those in the horse world need also to hear this vital message!

This campaign will be ongoing. Beyond the funds needed to bring Private Ryan here to his forever home with me, I will continue to "bail" horses as the funds are available. Obviously I won't be able to keep them myself but there are horse rescues all over the country that operate to house these homeless and unwanted horses. The hardest part for most rescues is to afford the "bail" on these slaughter bound horses.

Reward offered:

The average price to "bail" a horse out of the Kill Lot is $800. I am a professional Wordpress website designer and I will build a website (up to 5 pages) for anyone who donates $800 to this cause. This is a discount of over 1/3rd off of my regular price but I want to offer a win/win, a deal that is hard to refuse. When you donate $800 you will receive a professionally designed website AND you will be saving an actual Life!

In closing:

Donations of any amount will help to save a life. $5 $10 $20 $50 $100, it all adds up so donate what you can, as often as you can. Tithing can actually grow your pocketbook, did you know? ;-)

quote: "Compassion Is Never Wrong" -unknown

~THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP~