April 26 – National Help a Horse Day

Posted on April 26, 2016

I wasn't sure what the deal is with Help a Horse Day, but it turns out that there are people running equine rescue and sanctuaries – and of course, it costs a lot to feed and provide care for horses. There is an ASPCA Equine Fund that helps those people who are helping horses providing resources, providing experts in laws that protect horses, and collecting donations to help defray horse care costs.

Help a Horse Day is celebrated with special events by local organizations and rescue centers. The day is supposed to increase awareness of the plight of horses and the good work that is already being done on the behalf of horses, plus of course to let community members know how they can help.

So...what is the plight of horses?

Apparently the wild horses of America often face brutal treatment by the government agencies one would hope would be protecting them; public outcry has caused some reforms, but more changes are needed.

Use Google to find a local
equine rescue organization.

And of course some horse owners neglect or mistreat their horses. Whether a horse is being overworked, or underfed, or beat, or denied needed medical attention, the Humane Society, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and local rescue organizations must sometimes seize at-risk horses from their environments.

There are many unwanted horses: horses that are too old or injured to do what their owner wants, horses that are hard to manage, and horses whose owners moved, lost their jobs, or lost their interest in horse ownership!

I tried to find out how many unwanted horses there are – and I discovered that in the U.S. alone around 138,000 horses were sent to slaughter in 2011, and a research-based estimate of unwanted horses was 170,000 in 2007. So...we're talking about a lot of horses!

Also on this date: