PPHI - FIRST FABULOUS WEEK UPDATE - SAT 20th October

Good Afternoon Equine Lovers,

Well, what an amazing first week for everyone involved. Absolutely, first and foremost, I want to Thank the equine community for sending me (on behalf of your new Committee) all your emails of unqualified support, unity, 'Finally a united', Thanks and Congratulations etc. I personally have received over a thousand emails this week (on behalf of your committee) and it's only the first week! I want to apologise to those emailers that I took a few days to respond to. On one recent night, at 1am, I still had 126 new emails in my inbox. I have received emails from as far and wide as Tassie, Charters Towers, Cloncurry, Rockhampton, Adelaide, Cairns, Canberra, right throughout Sydney and surrounds. And I sincerely Thank each and everyone of you. I want to especially and sincerely Thank you for your stories/emails of tragic losses. Your stories are now being heard, passionately cared about and finally acted upon. Your losses will never be forgotten – they are each/all extremely important and I know I can speak on behalf of your Crisis Committee that your information will only further encourage them both, individually and collectively as a unified voice to engage govt on your behalf and to never allow this to happen again! These committee members are within your/own equine communities and are living these stories on acting upon them. This is exactly the reason for the formation of this Unified Positive Working Crisis Committee to speak with a united, positive and passionate voice to those we pay. You are not alone – we hear your suffering, your anger and frustration and the inequity of how the entire equine industry is being treated and this is exactly why your committee was formed. This committee is only as good as what information and requests we give them. It is OUR committee – yes, we own it and it up to us all individually and collectively through your own pony clubs and many varied disciplines to support this committee. IT IS OUR COMMITTEE REPRESENTING US ALL WITH POSITIVE UNITY AND UNEQUALLED PASSIONATE.

Each committee member was asked to submit their top five (5) highest priority issues that they knew of within their own 'equine worlds' and from their own vast individual experiences and from chatting with their own equine colleagues, friends and neighbours. So, here ya go, from a total of fifty (50) possible varying issues and various priorities – this group (yours/our reps) of passionate, intelligent equine colleagues came up with eight (8) combined/interlocking/inter-woven priorities that are the highest priorities across the entire equine community. Talk about unity, talk about positive re-enforcement from all the varying disciplines, groups, clubs, associations, retailers, produce stores, farriers, vets, allied service industries et al.

WELL HERE, FELLOW EQUINE COMMUNITY IS YOUR PROOF OF A UNIFIED AND INTELLIGENT COMMITTEE COMMITTED TO WORKING ON YOUR/OUR BEHALF AND NOW WE ALL HAVE IT IN BLACK AND WHITE ON OUR SCREENS IN FRONT OF US – RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW. IT HAS HAPPENED ! AND AGAIN, THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST WEEK !!

So, I honourably present to you (on behalf of your committee) those eight (8) highest priority combined/ interwoven issues from across the entire community in no particular order: and I quote:

From our meeting on Wednesday ( !7th ) we agreed on
8 Agenda / Priority Points.

1. Demographics of the Horse Industry.

2. Eradication of the disease

3. Equity of movement and vaccine distribution.

4. Identification of Horses ( including vaccination process, microchipping / passports? )

5. Publicity & Communication (divided into horse industry & general public inc GOVT )

6. Financial Assistance Equity ( availability all needs review )

7. Recovery Planning & Strategy

8. Industry Confidence & Optimism . HORSE WELFARE & Emotive Issues.
end quote.

I can also report that the committee members have had very high level meetings within the entire equine community and there are more meetings at the highest levels this week coming. We have not only achieved all of the fabulous unified successes from this first week BUT this next coming week of scheduled meetings is even at the highest state government levels with even more federal meetings as well. AGAIN, HERE IS THE PROOF OF A UNIFIED ACTIVE VOICE ACTING ON OUR BEHALF, TAKING OUR ISSUES/MESSAGE FORWARD EVERY DAY AND THE RESPECT FOR THIS COMMITTEE (OF WHOM THEY REPRESENT) IS GROWING EVERY DAY WITHIN STATE, FEDERAL GOVT LEVELS AND ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE EVEN BROADER EQUINE COMMUNITY.

The committee is formulating sub-committees to focus on each priority point to be accountable for and to report back to the main committee. Equine community, this is a fast-moving, fast-reacting committee of highly passionate and intelligent equine folk. If this was such an easy task, I believe it would have been done decades ago. But, it wasn't and hasn't been done up until now, and now these committee members are having to move to & fro to make this whole thing work. I personally have absolute trust and confidence in them both individually and collectively.

MY FELLOW EQUINE COLLEAGUES – WITH THIS UNIQUE NATIONAL SITUATION – IT HAS BEGUN, IT HAS ALREADY ACHIEVED BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL RESPECT BECAUSE THEY ACT AS A POSITIVE UNIFIED VOICE FOR US – ALL OF US.

A sincere and genuine THANKYOU for each and everyone one of you/us who have read the emails and forwarded them onto your own networks, websites, friends, neighbours and equine colleagues. OUR EQUINE COMMUNITY NETWORK IS VERY ALIVE AND VERY HEALTHY. (I received emails that told me how some people received the same email up to seven (7) times from all their own individual network of circles and friends and NOT ONE COMPLAINT !! all these people felt included within their own circle of email networks and also within the wider equine community – I myself, received my own email back several times J. And all these emails Thanked this committee of positive unity and everyone who sent the information through to them. We absolutely must keep it going !

I REPEAT THAT WE HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN - WE MUST KEEP GOING – THIS UNIQUE NATIONAL STORY WILL BE TOLD TO OUR KIDS AND OUR GRANDKIDS BY WE ADULTS OF WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR HORSES AND FOALS AND OUR ENTIRE INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW IN 2007 – 2008. WHAT WE ARE ALL DOING IS BEING A PART OF AND CREATING NATIONAL HISTORY – A UNIQUE AND TRAGIC STORY/ CHALLENGE OF HARDSHIP THAT WAS THEN TURNED AROUND INTO THE MOST POSITIVE AND UNIFIED OUTCOME THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED IN THIS NATION. AND THE ENTIRE UNIFIED EQUINE INDUSTRY IS SO MUCH BETTER TODAY BECAUSE OF OUR ACTIONS AND DECISIONS BACK IN 2007. THIS PERIOD WILL BECOME NATIONAL FOLKLORE CHATTED ABOUT CAMPFIRES AND AT WEEKEND EVENTS OVER A RED OR TWO.

AND THEN, IN 2010, WHAT VERY IMPORTANT ROLE I PLAYED IN EQUINE INDUSTRY. THIS IS EQUINE HISTORY IN THE MAKING – RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW AND YOU/WE ARE A HUGE PART OF IT. PLEASE ALLOW ME TO BE RESPECTFULLY BLUNT – HERE IT IS – WHEN YOU LOOK YOUR CHILDREN/GRAND-CHILDREN IN THE EYE – EXACTLY WHAT STORY DO YOU WANT TO TELL THEM?

IT'S UP TO US TO TELL OUR BELOVED THAT GREAT FABLED STORY AND IT’S UP TO US TO PLAY THAT ROLE. RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW – TOMORROW, MAY BE TOO LATE? WE NEED YOUR UNIFIED SUPPORT AND ACTION RIGHT NOW !!

This is now our time and our situation, (make no mistake this damn EI was not our fault, but it is our problem and the effects are ever far reaching) but now, we are being heard and your information is now being acted upon, your committee is working endless hours on your/our behalf and they need our continued support.

I personally and passionately ask you: "What can you do to further support and unify this committee?" I ask you as the minimum, as extremely important support is to further send this email on to as many as possible and as far and wide as possible, please.

Sent for and on behalf of your PPHI - Working Crisis Committee.
Stay tuned, ready and available for further regular updates coming from your committee. We have just begun!!

Wishing us all a speedy and successful recovery …. I can feel it coming, can you?

Mark FreemantlePasture and Stable Services