LES MARTINES

One of our first seizures took place at Les Martines. We had received various complaints, so as we always do, we went to corroborate if it was really true. Unfortunately it was. The complaints were because someone had seen a decapitated horse in an enclosure and many more terrible things that were happening in that place.

We denounced this to the authority several times and the seizure procedure was also organised twice because every time we arrived there to rescue the horses, they had disappeared. It was obvious that someone was squealing that we were going to do it. So finally, the third time we were lucky and we could rescue these poor horses.

When we arrived there, we found a kind of bullring full of mud, dirtiness and stagnated water. In the middle of it there were four undernourished foals, a mare and a horse. One of the foals was lying on the ground and when we approached him, we saw that he was dead. We decided to take the other horses away. We had to reach the horsebox, so we went uphill nearly 400 metres. Nevertheless the foals were very weak. It was a long and slow path because we had to stop almost in every step due to their weakness. They arrived to the truck exhausted and then we helped them to get into the truck. We were afraid because we were not sure whether they would bear the trip to their new home or not. Moreover, in the way to the truck we also saw a hung goat in a fence post.

On the one hand, when you are in a situation like this, you make a supreme effort because the whole image and the ambience of the scene is so negative and dantesque that you cannot imagine so much cruelty in one place. It has no sense at all. There are things you have to live, because I think nobody can transmit this feeling which is a mixture between impotence and nightmare. But on the other hand, you feel hope to know that these animals will have a better life and they will not end their life having a terrible existence without knowing what it mean to receive a stroke from a human being. The most important is that they will have a second opportunity. However the pity is that I do not think we have to arrive to these extreme cases to solve the problem, as many horses had died in this place before we could finally rescue these six.

All the horses went to our Retreat, except one of the foals who was directly sent to the hospital because he was between life and death. The rest recovered well and now they have a better life with good people who take care of them. M.

Henry


And here their are.

Chess And two more.

Phoenix

Nené