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Happy Tail: A tribute to horses Horses have long history of serving humans. Their sacrifice, particularly in wartime has been super heroic. They bond with people as closely as any other animal. Peg Schaeffer writes of examples from history and from her own experience to plead for the utmost in humane treatment. Click on headline for complete column with photo(s) The next earlier Peg Schaeffer column: Happy Tail: If you can't adopt, sponsor or provide foster care Posted January 12, 2014. By Peg Schaeffer HRTV had a very interesting program about the horses' integral part in the Civil War. Horses and mules were used in all branches of both armies during the Civil War. They were used to pull supply wagons, artillery, and soldiers. Between both armies there were over 130,000 horses in active duty. Many were lost due to incapacity and malnutrition. Others were lost on the battlefield. By the end of the war 1,500,000 (one million five hundred thousand) horses and mules died. They told how it was nearly impossible to feed the horses. There were supply wagons with the required feed for the animals but many of the caravans of horses with soldiers, horses and mules pulling supply wagons and artillery were 60 miles in length. It would take days to get food to the horses in the front. Since both armies had large numbers of equines forage was hard to find. One army traveled out of their way to Pennsylvania just to graze the horses since Virginia's land was bare. Kentucky was another state that had forage for the horses. Many of the armies purchased fresh horses in Kentucky. The horses were ridden so hard and were so malnourished the soldiers would often unsaddle them and leave them on the side of the trail. They would then wait for the fresh horses in the rear to catch up. During battle the horses were on the front lines. Often the horses were the first to be shot because without their equines the soldiers would be incapacitated. Lee's horse, Traveller, was original named Jeff Davis One famous war horse was General Robert E. Lee's "Traveller". His original name was Jeff Davis. He was bred in Kentucky and purchased for $200. Lee led eight major campaigns and battles on Traveller's back throughout most of the war. The horse was a big grey horse with a flowing black mane and tail. He was an excellent mount with great stamina and wasn't frightened by gunfire. It was Traveller that General Lee rode to Appomattox for the surrender of the Confederate armies to General Grant. Traveller retired with General Lee at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA. Lee would ride him often along with his daughter riding a mare named Lucy Long. When General Lee died Traveller followed his coffin walking slowly with his head down as if he knew his owner had perished. Just a year later Traveller died and is buried near Lee's office just a few feet away from the family crypt near his master. In a bit of trivia...The stable where the horse was kept still stands. A tradition continues to this day...the doors remain open in symbolic gesture allowing his spirit to wander freely. When I was a kid I read every horse and dog story I could get my hands on. I watched Fury, The Lone Ranger, My Friend Flicka, Lassie and Rin Tin Tin on TV. I always had a dog but I didn't get my first horse until I was in the 8th grade. I spent the majority of my time with the horses when I wasn't in school. I never joined after school programs - that would keep me away from my horses. I rode every day - rain or shine. Horses bond with people as well as any animal People who have never experienced the companionship of horses don't realize how you can bond with an animal of such massive size. You can't bring them into the house to sleep in bed with you or ride in the car to the grocery store but they are just as capable as any animal to bond with you. They'll nicker to you when they see you coming. I have a mare "Whitney" and no matter where she is in the pasture when I call her she will race to the gate. It's very flattering. The movie Spirit never fails to bring tears to my eyes. The Red Pony, National Velvet, Secretariat, and Seabiscuit are just a few of the movies about horses. I haven't seen War Horse yet but I've heard it's another tear jerker. Watching the program about the horses' part in the Civil War and other ways horses took part in our history is amazing. So it saddens me to see these beautiful creatures being slaughtered. Snowman, a famous jumping horse, saved from slaughterhouse for $80 I am against horse slaughter. When I lived in Connecticut there was a horse slaughter house not far from us. I never went there but I know several people who would go and buy horses from the meat packers. Many of the horses were healthy and sound. Snowman, a famous jumping horse, was purchased from a slaughter truck for $80. There have been stories of famous race horses that ended up in slaughter. When the meat packing plants were open the meat buyers would pay more for a good horse than the average horse buyer could afford. I'm glad they closed the slaughter houses in the United States but sadly they didn't do the horses any favors. People now abandon their horses if they can no longer feed them. The market for horses has fallen so there is no longer a profit to be made. But the worst thing that happened is that we can no longer control the treatment of these magnificent animals before they are slaughtered. They spend more time being transported to Canada and Mexico in horrible conditions. We can no longer regulate how they are killed and many are tortured. In order to insure the safety of our horses I ask you to contact your congressman to pass the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1094/S.541). This legislation will prevent the cruel slaughter of America's horses as well as their export for slaughter abroad. Please help to keep these equines that were so important in the history of our country from becoming a staple on the dinner table. Peg Schaeffer, Sugarfoot Farm Rescue, 860 Sparksville Road, Columbia, KY 42728 Telephone: home 270-378-4521 or cell 270-634-4675 email: sugarfootfarmrescue@yahoo.com This story was posted on 2014-01-19 06:30:51
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