We’re happy to hurdle the language barrier!
Last updated 14:33, Thursday, 09 October 2008
Staff at an animal refuge near Carlisle are learning French so they can issue commands to the four horses which have been saved from the slaughterhouse.
The horses were saved after staff stepped in and bought them.
The first of the lucky horses arrived at the Animals’ Refuge in Wetheral from the Loire Valley in France on Tuesday night.
They were advertised on a French website which tries to find horses new owners before it’s too late.
And now the staff are learning French so they can communicate with the two pregnant mares and their foals.
The horses – Do Blexa and Lak Trois – were destined for a slaughter yard in Italy, where horse meat is seen as a delicacy. France and Italy are the biggest consumers of horse meat.
Heather McLean, director of the refuge at Oak Tree Farm, said: “We heard about the plight of the horses and we just had to do something.
“We decided to buy pregnant mares with foals at foot because that way we’re saving three lives instead of one.
“We plan to get more.
“The first one that we bid for had a sad ending as the bid came in too late and it was already on the wagon to the slaughterhouse. I was upset about that.
“The horses that we’ve got now will never leave our ownership.
“I don’t care if they eventually spend their days in a field eating grass and enjoying the sunshine. They will be with us and will be safe,” added Heather.
“I think they’ve been baby machines for quite a while so we’re going to give them a rest after they’ve had their latest additions.
“We’ve been saying ‘bonjour’ to the horses and making a fuss of them.”
Heather said the charity, which celebrates its centenary next year, does not have an issue with horse meat if the trade is carried out under proper conditions.
She said it is the cruel way the animals are transported around in cramped lorries for up to 24 hours without food, water and rest that is the problem.
Heather said: “The animals made their way from France into the UK and then they had a rest overnight in Wiltshire before heading up north to Cumbria.
“They had a very comfortable journey and were fed and watered and happy when they arrived.”
The National Equine Defence League has been helping horses for almost 100 years.
In 1936, the league’s director Alf Brisco travelled to Europe on a fact-finding mission on the horse meat trade.
Heather said: “Alf was a tireless campaigner for animal welfare and would have been horrified at the routine suffering caused by the long journey to the slaughter that horses endure today.
“Staff and trustees at the refuge are keen to do what they can to help more horses in this situation.”
Anyone who would like to help Alf’s Fund to support the rescue of the horses, or anyone who wishes to make a donation, should contact the refuge office on 01228 560082.
You can also visit the World Horse Welfare website for their Make a Noise Campaign, and you can go to www.makeanoise.co.uk
