IT’S TIME TO STEP UP AND HELP OUR FRIENDS & NEIGHBOURS!

Many things that Heath says in his discussion regarding EI with Horse Deals recently (4th October) seem so close to the mark it is a bit scary especially having to wait this disease out. In reality though, WHAT DO WE DO FOR ALL THE BATTLERS WHO ARE FIGHTING TO STAY AFLOAT AT THE MOMENT?? Does anyone have any thoughts on what we can do to help out so many of the people who are hurting at the moment especially the ones who seem to be “falling through the cracks” (i.e. non-EFA registered horses ineligible for funding for example) in this particular crisis? What worries me is some individuals are already starting to talk about shooting their horses. We can not let people get to this point of desperation! The problem though is that most non-horsey people think of this industry as a luxury that most others can not afford. What many of these people do not realise is that for many of us it’s a LIFESTYLE CHOICE. Quite often it means going without other necessities of life (such as trips to the dentist, etc.!).

The EFA and other types of horse organisations do not seem to be doing much for many of the non-elite owner/riders so is it feasible to start thinking about our own grassroots fundraising for so many of these people that are in dire straits? How feasible would it be to approach one of the big banks and discuss trying to get a fund started to help cover costs for families that are having trouble feeding their animals? It would be designed much like Drought Relief, etc. Another idea would be to keep it a more local thing and have local Pony Clubs or local riding clubs do something like what the Boy Scouts have done in the past to raise money by doing odd jobs as a type of fundraising. All the kids are bored to death at the moment (including my child) and probably would love to have some sort of project that would help others and help keep them involved in the horse world even if they are not able to ride.

I know that my farrier is barely staying afloat at the moment and that at least one saddlery has closed its doors in our area and they are both in the green zone of NSW! I am sure that this is partly because they are very close to both red and amber zones and much of their business has come from those areas in the past. I am sure the other reason is that because no one is competing they are not buying or using the services of equine professionals.

Does anyone out there have any thoughts on this as it is only going to get worse not better for most areas of NSW and QLD? Some DPI personnel are saying it may be Easter of 2008 before this disease burns itself out. What state of decay will much of the Australian Horse Industry be in by then? So perhaps it is time to start thinking about how we are going to keep this industry afloat especially if we are looking at another 3 or more months down the road? I am ready to put my time and effort (some money!) to helping do this but unsure where to start. Let’s start tossing some ideas out there so a plan can begin to come together.

Cathy