Nothing but skin and bones horses in Örkénytábor riding stable

Nothing but skin and bones horses in Örkénytábor riding stable
2012.03.05.

Horse riders usually think the same about Örkénytábor: the Hungarian Royal Riding Teacher School’s old teachers whose lessons are still remembered. Hungarian equestrian culture was world-class there between 1930 and 1944. Now some of us (animal rights activists, vets and horse lovers) thinks something else about this place.

We received a notification about at Táborfalva (Örkénytábor) riding hall where horses were starving to death.

A horse was looked after there and when his owner visited its horse after three months (the owner had a surgery so he wasn’t able to visit his horse for a while) the situation was terrible. His horse was nothing but skin and bones, it could barely stand on its own legs. When he led out the horse it basically collepsed. The owner called for a vet and fighted for two days until the horse was well enough to travel to Üllő Clinic. The owner of the riding hall didn’t seem to care about the situation, he was home while the owner of the horse spent two days with his horse in pretty cold climate.

The vet who was called checked the other horses at the riding stable and he was shocked. There were six horses and one of them, a 20 years old female was dying on the ground. It was said that the horses had been ridden a few days before but there was only manure under them and no food. That’s when the chief veterinary and the authorities were called.

The owner of the riding stable was asked about the situation but he didn’t asked for the vet’s help, he said that if the horse wasn’t better by the very next day he would call the deliveryman of the slaughterhouse. The authority vet told him that because he couldn’t show the horse’s papers it’s forbidden to deliver the horse. The most humane solution would be to give the injection to the horse and dispose it by following the law. The owner said he couldn’t afford this procedure. They also asked the owner to show up the papers and valid blood test results of the other six horses by next morning.

This is when we, tha Noah’s Animal Shelter arrived. We offered the delivery and treatment of that very sick horse if the vet thinks it can be saved. The owner has never contacted us.

By next morning the sick horse disappeared dispite its condition. The owner gave it away to someone ’who makes animal food from animals like this one’. It’s terrible to think about the procedure how they put that very sick horse to a van. The owner has to take responsibility for this act as he wasn’t allowed to have that horse delivered and the horse had no papers or blood test results so it couldn’t have been cut off.

The other horses’ papers were not complete. Only three out of five have passport and only two of them have valid blood test results.
The owner got one month to complete those papers. The vet says that the horses are thin but not abnormally thin and the owner has four bales of hay the horses can’t be taken away. It was also said that the owner has to double the ration of the horses.
By next morning when the vets arrived there was some lucerne and hay in front of the horses. No one was surprised when the vet was called at noon that one of the horses has mulligrubs and they need Buscopan. They didn’t ask for treatment only for the drug. Fortunately the horse felt better after that as it didn’t have mulligrubs. It’s stomach was simply too sensitive after the meal. For how long hasn’t he eaten?

This has been the story so far and now what’s behind the scene.
The owner of the riding stable offers riding lessons and horse keeping. Anyone can find his homepage (but it’s strange that there are no photos on the homepage.) Can anyone imagine that these horses are ridden? When a parent goes there with its child can’t they see that the horser are nothing but skin and bones?

Keeping horses? The owner hasn’t even got enough fodder for its own horses. It is said that several horse owner left him. Why didn’t they notify the authorities? Why did a horse have to die and an other one have to be in a terrible condition so that something can happen?

No one HAS TO KEEP HORSES in Hungary. Those who do has responsibility to keep them on a right way and to comply the Animal Protection Act. If they don’t have money ask for help or sell the horses. No animal should suffer just because its owner has no money.

Unfortunately owners like this know very well that if they can show up only one bale of hay that’s enough for the authorities so those animals can’t be taken away.

It’s worrisome what will happen to those horses in the next month. If the owner don’t have money he can’t buy fodder and complete those papers. It’s impossible to sell them in this condition. He could give away his horses to an animal shelter but he probably won’t do that because he wants to earn money.

Since then we’ve heard that the other horse died in Üllő Clinic and probably not only because of starvation but because of some kind of illnes. The investigation is under process.

We have already worked together with the local chief veterinary on several caces and this gives us a small relief. We know that he is a good expert who always focus on animal welfare. We are in contact with him continously and although the official check up will be in a month he checks the horses every week.
There has already been several rumours and half information and we don’t know if they are true or not. All we know is that Noah’s Animal Shelter, as usual wants to help to animals in trouble.