What If "Freedom" Rhymed With Horse

Emmanuelle Salberter - Member and Founder of EquiLibriumEmmanuelle Salberter, is a young woman of 40 years, she is from La Louviere, near  Brussels in Belgium (Bruxelles en Belgique.)  Her friends call her Manu and she is adept in natural resources; e.g. medicine in a global approach; but she is also well recognized by her generous gifts. Taking care of horses, suits her well.  She just loves them and will do whatever it takes to protect them.  In her quest to protect her beloved horses, she offers us some food for thought:

Did you ever imagine yourself riding a wild horse? Did you ever envy the connection the Indians of America had with their equines, riding bareback and free like the wind? Did you ever stop at the vision of a beautiful horse in a field?  Manu explained to our TW team “the reality of the domesticated horse is often different to those idyllic images and their freedom is mostly a legend rather than their ever-day life. Did you ever wonder what the actual basic needs of horses are, as written in their genes for thousands of years?  Open spaces, movement, herds, grazing…does it make sense to you?  It doesn’t to many horse owners.

Diego et Dam'Pie - Saturday June 28, 2009 - photo by EquiLibrium asbl“Open space … because as prey animals, horses need to see far around and know they can flee at any time to feel secure. Their body is built for them to be able to run away from danger, including highly developed lungs that thrive on fresh air. Humans offer them tiny confined spaces in dark and dusty stables with high walls where all they can see, if they are lucky, is the same horizon always. They live in their prison sometimes 24/7.”

Movement...  horses need to be in constant movement to be healthy. Every single organ, every single cell in their body needs movement to function properly. In the wild they would search for food most of their time and move over miles in order to find it. Instead, their owners ask them to stand still in their stable for over 20 hours then to perform short and intense efforts during working sessions in a sand arena or on competition grounds. Their feet that are natural circulation enhancers essential to their whole health and should be used to carry the horse around, on a variety of soils and surfaces, are shod, stopping them to do their natural job by keeping them contracted in a metal frame, weakened by the constant pressure and the invasive nails.

Babouche is trusting us now - photo by EquiLibrium asblHerd … Horses have in common with humans their need to live in society. The bonds they create with other horses can be extremely deep. Their life and security depends on the herd and their instinct dictates them that without the herd their life is in danger. Each herd member has a role and the communication between them happens through smell, grooming, and body language. Yet, we cut them off from their peers, without any possibility to touch or smell or sometimes even see other horses. We ask them to travel alone to unknown places and forbid them to flee by trying to control them with powerful and painful gadgets. 

Emmanuelle Salberter - photo by EquiLibrium asblGrazing … In the wild, horses move around in search of a large variety of herbs that they select carefully according to their needs, for hours on end. Horses’ digestive system is built to eat small amounts all the time. They are grazers and their diet should be essentially made of fibers. Yet, we distribute once or twice a day large quantities of grain, a high-starch concentrate that overloads, burdens and stresses the organism of our horses and unbalances their whole digestion. Horses are left to suffer in silence the rest of the time with cramps or even spasmodic colic from the lack of gut activity.”

Emmanuelle Salberter adds: “Is this love we give our horses and ponies?  What and who do we think of when we force them into the most extravagant positions, use spurs or whips to get them to move forward against their own instinct, get them to jump higher each time, run faster each time, train them until we strain them then abandon them when they are worn out ?

Athos - April 5, 2009 - Obourg Vanderaa Jean-Marc - photo by EquiLibrium asblWhere do the over-exploited riding school ponies end when they no longer can carry happy tourists or novices; and those family horses whose livery fees or general costs have become too high? What happens to those champions or show horses when they age?  What happens to those who could not take the stress and violence and now fear humans and are considered dangerous? Or to those broodmares who no longer produce every year; or those small ponies bought as garden ornaments or children’s toys that are no longer wanted or have been outgrown?

They are to be found at the dealers or in online adverts, virtually given away to the first buyer, moved from pillar to post until they will be going for their last trip in the death row at some slaughterhouse. That’s where our organization will be meeting them, skinny, lame, worn-out and abandoned by those to whom they gave so much during their whole life.

Vanderaa Jean-Marc - photo by EquiLibrium asblThey are sold for very little money as their state usually won’t bring much in meat money. Neglected, starved, untreated, denied their most basic needs.“

“EquiLibrium was created as a non-profit organization only recently and functions essentially on funds brought in by memberships, donations, as well as the help of foster families who temporarily look after our rescues. Everything is done under protection contracts clarifying the kind of treatment the placed equines are to get. The lack of place and funds is the only stop to our organization’s further development.

Abraxas looking very sad - photo taken the day of his purchase in December 2008 - photo by EquiLibrium asblWe are supported by equine professionals in equine dentistry (Mr Sébastien Tirtey), equine barefoot trimming (Mrs Bénédicte Mahieu), equine osteopathy (Miss Vanessa Soyeur), as well as various specialized veterinaries. We use natural products made of high quality plants only (AJC Nature) and try to keep the rescued horses in as natural an environment for them as possible: Companionship, healthy diet, open stables, no shoes, no rider. The oldest will stay with us until the end, leading a quiet, happy life. Those that can be re-homed will be so under adoption contracts.”

Abraxas learns how to live again and appreciates all the love and attention given to him - photo by EquiLibrium asbl“And even if it’s constraining, complicated and time-consuming - the help, the nursing the training, the management, the paper-work, the accounting, the broadcasting, the promotion, the research… all carried out outside our full-time jobs that are essential to keep EquiLibrium financially afloat - All of this is worth it when we see the progresses made by our rescues, the friendship and trust they give us. Every morning, we go to see to them, to feed them, to treat them, to love them and to listen to them. Every evening, we sit with them, observe them and share with them, and they teach us so much. Simply seeing those horses, free at last, in their herd, playing and being horses, together, learning to communicate again, enjoying life, is magical.” Nothing is too much for those lives saved.
 
Nothing will make us accept and turn a blind eye to the pain that horses still suffer everywhere. It’s time for the world to change. It’s time to open people’s eyes and show them they are responsible as horse owners, as horse lovers. The horses bring us so much more than we will ever bring them. Our motto: be shaken but dare to act and never, ever turn away!

EquiLibrium asbl logo“That’s the history behind the creation - the reason to be - for the Belgian non-profit organization, EquiLibrium.   Jean-Marc and Emmanuelle, both in love with those magical creatures whose suffering is silent - a horse never complains - it became evident to us that we had to save those horses at the end of their tether and offer them the love and care every horse should receive.

We try to show them that mankind can be good to them, without any hidden agenda and with only their needs at heart. The road isn’t easy of course, but it’s a choice Jean-Marc and I, have made, day in day out, surrounded by a small motivated and dynamic network… we answer calls for help, we act where we can… because it is impossible to save them all unfortunately!

Those horses - the old, ill, wounded - are then taken in by our organization, treated, nursed, cared for, and we witness every day the changes in them, physically as well as psychologically. Most of them will cost us a fortune before they are finally back on their feet, literally. The recovery is long, the scars sometimes lasting.”

Ma devise ? Tremblez, mais osez !  (Feel the Fear, and Do it Anyway)

Website: http://sauvetages.kazeo.com/ - Sauvetage de chevaux