West Virginia's Abandoned Horses in Mine sites: http://www.wvhorserescue.org/mine.html

• published: 14 Sep 2014
• views: 1615

West Virginia Abandoned Horses: FAQ Thousands of horses are abandoned on reclaimed and active mine sites in West Virginia Q. How do the horses end up abandoned ? 1. They are abandoned and turned out by horse traders and other local residents. The traders can keep a large amount horses at no cost to them by turning them out on the mine sites. 2. They are turned out when owners can no longer feed or sell them. 3. Some have "owners," but they are left to wander at large and receive no real care at all Q. What are the dangers of the horses remaining on the sites or remaining free? 1. Food sources are very limited, especially in winter. The greenery is mostly brush and weeds, the soil is rocky, and the grass isn't particularly nutritious. 2. Breeding and continual abandonment creates a population that is unsustainable. The local ecosystem is damaged; destruction of trees when the horses start to starve in winter, serious erosion on previous mine sites that are in various stages of the reclaiming process, and eating the flora that local wildlife needs to survive. 3. The horses themselves pose serious dangers to each other as well as humans on the mine sites and roadways because they frequently wander onto the roadways and congregate. Q. Why not just move the horses off? 1. Horses are considered livestock and the legal process of proving the horses are abandoned is lengthy. The counties must take that action and it must be done for each and every horse which would be time prohibitive and nearly impossible due to the number of horses covering many thousands of acres. 2. Many local people claim these horses to be theirs and would have hostile reactions to outsiders coming in trying to move the horses. 3. The county governments are sympathetic to the public's desire to leave the horses on the mine sites and have, in the past, let us know they would not support mass removal of the horses. 4. The land is private property. The land companies (usually) will not claim ownership of the abandoned horses and do not want groups of people, thus a liability, trespassing on their land. 5. Local people do come in and move horses. Sometimes traders and kill buyers pick the horses up; however, it is not legal and is not a suitable solution for rescue groups to attempt this. 6. The horses are in areas that are hard to access, especially with a horse trailer. Local people are often on these old roads with ATVS and trucks and they would know if strangers were attempting to remove horses. Q. What are the sensible steps to solve this issue? 1. We need legislative changes that provide cooperation with/from the land and mine owners (with much of the typical red tape for abandoned livestock waived). We need a process that gives the state the authority to allow 501(c)3 rescues that have properly trained personnel to remove any and all horses found on mine sites. 2. Rescues will need to be given legal protection to remove these horses 3. We need laws set in place to levy heavy fines on those dropping horses on reclaimed or active mine sites 4. Safely rounding up the non-feral adoptable mares and foals, as well as gelding of colts and stallions through a group of voluntary veterinarians. 5. Only working with trained teams that are able to handle, sort, and load horses to accomplish safe removal. 6. Euthanasia of the severely injured and dangerous feral horses 7. The general public should not be allowed to remove the horses. The horses should only be allowed to be taken to established non-profit 501(c)3 organizations or private homes that have been pre-screened and approved. 8. Create a list of rescues nationwide willing to assist over the long term. Q. How long will this process take and how will the process be funded 1. The legal changes/bill introduction should begin immediately as well as the removal of the highly adoptable horses; this needs to take place now, during the 2015 WV Legislative Session. 2. We need to establish whether any emergency legislative action can be given to address horses that are in danger right now due to very poor body condition. 3. We need to seek out all land and mine companies willing to lobby and work with rescues to see this issue humanely addressed 4. We need to establish teams that are given permission to be on sites to document the herds. 5. We need to gain funding from the land and mine companies as well as through grant programs to finance the 501(c)3 organizations willing to remove the abandoned horses.