Common Ground Foundation
.
Common
Ground Foundation is a non profit 501c3.
We run
Common Ground in addition to our Tonkawood Farm sale operation. Although this
is a separate entity, it gives us a chance to help horses find homes that may
not be suitable for our Tonkawood Farm operation. We do not turn down any horse
based on age, condition or breed.
We provide
a service to horse owners that no longer can keep their horses, have outgrown them, and need to find them a good home. Our owners care
about what happens to the horse. Common Ground can provide a tax donation to
horse owners by giving the horse to us, we find it a home, and the owner has
control over where they go and who gets them. The new owners sign a form that
they are not able to ever sell the donated horse, but if need be and
circumstances change, the horse returns to Common Ground for a new home or
stays here with us.
We have
been very instrumental in the anti slaughter movement as we believe there is a
home for all horses and no need to subject them to the unspeakable cruelty of
slaughter. To that end we provide a resource for owners to assure themselves
that there horses are safe, well cared for and new homes located.
The horses
are kept at our Tonkawood Farm until they are placed.
Some
background information on horse slaughter is available for review below.
Call Pat
@830-693-8253 for further information.
Letter written by Pat Dickey for publication the
Horse Gazette for the November 06 issue.
Just
when I thought I could not write another word concerning the horse slaughter
issue, the editorial, “Ain’t the cowboy way...so what’s the solution? “ comes
along from someone named Beth Ann and an article by Don Blazer titled ”Ban On
Horse Slaughter Emotional...Not Logical”, here I go again. I first of all note
that Ms. Beth Ann does not add her last name and therefore writes this piece
anonymously. I am also answering the article by Mr. Don Blazer, published in
the same issue.
First
of all, I am writing with my full name, Patricia Dickey, of Marble Falls Texas.
I am a horse owner, former horse breeder, a 25-year riding instructor and a
35-year show rider. I have owned
professional stables for over 40 years. I owned a children’s riding camp, was a
board member of Humane Society of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and founder of The
Minnesota American Saddle Horse Association of Minnesota. I am and have been
active in horse related organizations over the last 50 of my 67 years.
My
family and I have been involved in not only the horse industry, but were also
in the cattle industry with a herd of Black Angus cattle for 8 years. As a cattle owner, I traveled to the
I feel especially qualified to rebut Ms.
Beth’s assertions regarding the horse slaughter issue and those of Mr. Blazer.
It may
be noted that there are over 500 HORSE industry groups and leaders,
veterinarians, equine rescues and humane groups that are against this practice
and seek the passage of the Senate bill 1915. We are not all crazies’ and
“animal rights terrorists”, but concerned citizens that believe that a county
is judged on the way it takes care of those that cannot speak for themselves.
I presently own and run Tonkawood Farm which
sells and brokers over 200 horses per year.
Also our foundation, Common Ground, rescues and rehabs horses which
sometimes involves me in the confiscation issues. It may be noted that as we
are in the loop of the rescue organizations, and we have discovered that we
have never had a time where we could not place a horse in a good home. When we
deem the horse unsuitable for a family, in pain or not able to be rehabbed, we
have it euthanized by our veterinarian. Just last week, we got an email from
Meadow Haven a horse rescue organization identifying a horse that needed a
home. When I called to take the horse,
the woman stated that within one hour of Sandra Burger’s email she had 8 calls
of folks to take the horse, and calls from as far away as South Carolina. I was too late to get the horse. It may be
noted that it was a 25 year old ex roping horse with bad knees that went to a loving
home to live out its days. My daughter is delivering as I write two Tennessee
Walking horses that we found homes for.
There
are a number of issues that need to be answered to Ms. Beth and to Mr. Blazer.
Time, space and the respect of my reader patience and time limit me to two main
issues I have with Ms. Beth’s article. I
will address Mr. Blazer at the conclusion of my letter.
The
first issue is what does trashing the organizations that support the ban on
horse slaughter have to do with the issue of the horse slaughter? By trashing
legitimate organizations that have animals care and concern their mission have
to do with the cruel practice of slaughter?
Clouding the issue of the intense cruelty of the horse slaughter
process, which is what we are against, in rhetoric of fear, does not work for
me or anyone that has worked tirelessly on this issue. HSUS, Fund for Animals
and Farm Sanctuary and their activities have nothing to do with the basic issue
of the cruelty of the horse slaughter
process when human consumption is the objective.
The
second issue I have with Ms. Beth Ann and where she lost me was when she
described her adventure with her horse, Buford.
She describes how she misses him; how she tried to rescue him and the
“thousands of dollars” she spent on this horse.
As she describes his behavior, especially his “shaking”, did it ever
occur to her that the horse may have been formally abused and acting out a
learned response? Perhaps was trying to tell her of a physical problem by his
behavior, and needed help? Horses are
intelligent animals, and in my experience, bad horses are MADE, not born that
way. My Native American friends taught
me that a good horseperson
will listen to the animal, and find out what his or her “song” is. It is the
job of the human to listen to the voice of the animal. They cannot speak but by their actions. A
good horse person looks for a cause of misbehavior as all horse live to serve
their people, not the other way around. Horses are not bred or raised for meat
in the United States.!
Ms.
Beth, states that she spent “several thousand dollars, months of time, and lots
of love on him and brought him to the point where I could ride him.” When the
time came to “give up” and ship Buford, I find it incredulous
that she could not spend the last few dollars to humanely euthanize this horse
by a licensed veterinarian. She states, “she did not want to stand by and watch
him be put down or have to deal with disposing a carcass.” A veterinarian would never ask a client to
watch when he or she did not want to. The horse could be disposed of by a
licensed animal hauler. Most vets will
have disposal of the carcass information for owners before the “deed is done”.
If Ms. Beth could not watch the administered
shot by her vet, could she watch the process she sentenced him to? By her
statements, she wanted him dead so he could not “hurt anyone.” Could she
instead follow his path to the slaughter plant and watch that? Could she watch
while sold away from his secure surroundings, shipped in a small confined
trailer, piled in with many horses, scared to death, loaded into a pen for
slaughter, deprived of water for two days for the hide to peal better, forced
into a chute and pray that the stun gun hits the right place in his brain,
pulled out alive and hung on a hook alive to bleed out? It may be noted that our reason for
opposition to the horse slaughter plants is the live hang that must accompany
meat being processed for human consumption. The heart of the horse must be
beating to pump the blood from the animal and render the meat suitable for
human consumption. To be sure the horse is properly stunned every time is
ludicrous. In house videos and first
hand observations of the plant statements are available for review of many
horses still kicking and fighting as they are hung on the meat hook. As they
thrash, they have their throats slit and their blood flow into the blood vats.
That is what you sentenced your Buford to Ms. Beth. Your choice for sure, but
need you to know what you did not watch. By
choosing to “ship” this horse Buford you have sentenced him to this
procedure rather that ‘’watch” the needle process. You alone made the decision
as a “property right” owner to sentence this horse to the death method you
choose and were unwilling to “deal with it”. I respect your right to do so. We
are a free country and you may exercise your right to dispose of your property.
Is this
the love you are so eloquently speaking about?
Beth
Ann states that she “cried, felt terrible”, which again I find
incredulous. Why not put the horse down
humanely and solve all her problems? She states that she just did not want to
deal with it. Not dealing with it Ms. Beth, is NOT what may be considered, responsible
horse ownership.
Please
do not answer me about the American Veterinary Medical Association stating that
this is humane euthanasia. The board of
directors has made that statement, not the thousands of working horse vets that
serve horses every day. I have personally talked with these AVMA folks and been
told it is a board decision. To my
knowledge no questionnaires have ever been sent to the veterinarian members
asking for input on this issue. Yet we
see this stand taken by the AMVA championed by the pro slaughter folks.
Although
I could go on for pages on this issue, and the misnomers of her article, time
and space, plus the “eye glazing” effect it would have on the reader prohibit
me from doing this.
Those
of us against the practice of horse slaughter are not vegetarians, not animal
rights “terrorists”, not idiots, but horse owners by the thousands that deplore
the practice of the slaughter plants and oppose the practices that require the
kill methods for human consumption. Using horse carcasses for any purpose after
they are dead by humane methods of a shot to the head, or a veterinarian’s
needle is fine with us. A humane death
is what we are talking about here Ms. Beth! It may be added that zoo’s used rendered
horseflesh for years. I happened to be
actively involved in Minnesota when we lived there with the Minnesota Zoo. The big cats were fed horsemeat. This was
flesh from a horse that was shot or euthanized and hauled to the rendering
plants after death for processing into zoo food, hides and glue. Most of the
animals that we had to euthanize in our Minnesota days were handled that
way. Many of the carcasses went to mink
farmers that fed the horsemeat to the mink. The hooves were rendered for glue,
and the hides sold. The major difference was the horses were dead first! The
old adage, glue farm came from this process.
Many people today think that the horses go for glue. Not true anymore!
This
letter is also addressed to the article of Mr. Don Blazer. His article “Ban on Horse Slaughter Emotional....Not
Logical” is the same old mantra written by the proponents of continuing the
practice of horse slaughter. Mr. Blazer
states that “nearly 100,000 horses go to slaughter in the US every year, and
“what are you going to do with them if they don’t go to slaughter?” Mr.
Blazer, these horses are purchased for the purpose of slaughter.
That is the market that they fall into by the existence of the slaughter
plants. What are you going to do with them? My answer is selling them to
another owner, give them to the numerous rescue groups, or destroy them
humanely Mr. Blazer.
These
horses provide the raw material source for the operation of the slaughter
plants. The fact that 100,000 go to
slaughter does not mean that
they are unwanted. They are needed to supply the
slaughter plants their inventory of raw material. There horses are not
unwanted, clearly they are wanted Mr.
Blazer. They are fat, healthy good horses in most cases their bodies are needed
to produce meat for the foreign owned companies that call it Texas Pride! That name is stamped on every case of
horsemeat shipped. They are procured and needed for the human consumption foreign owned and foreign consumed
horsemeat business. These companies called Dallas Crown and Beltex are located
in Texas. These companies are completely foreign owned and pay virtually no US
taxes. This thriving business is a multi million dollar enterprise, money that
goes overseas, seeks exemptions from US taxes, hires expensive lawyers to
subvert the wishes of the towns people, and violates a Texas state law that
prohibits the sale of horse meat for the purpose of human consumption. Their
lawyers took the case of breaking Texas law by their shipping the horsemeat for
human consumption to the federal court. The people and the state of Texas lost.
It was stated that Texas could not make a rule that interfered with interstate
commerce. Interesting that we as a state and our people can speak, pass laws
and be overridden by the federal government for the benefit of a foreigner owned
company that profits by breaking state law and paying no taxes!
During
the fight that was undertaken by some legislators to legalize this human
consumption issue in the 2003 Texas legislative session, it was stated by many
of us that were opposed to this practice is that if a foreign company can
“manufacture a product”, i.e. horse meat by saying that it is not consumed in
the United States and subvert state law, why can’t someone start up marijuana
fields, and ship it to a foreign country? Why don’t we just slaughter our dogs
and cats here in the US and ship their flesh to the Asian countries that
consume dogs and cats for food? Aren’t there millions of “unwanted dogs and
cats”? Would this product also be called Texas Pride?
It may
be noted that the bill to legalize the horsemeat plants in Texas failed and
many legislators stated that they had never had as many calls on any issue as
the horse slaughter issue. It was noted that over a million calls came in. Recent polls indicate that over 77% of the public
are against horse slaughter for human consumption. The people have spoken, the House of
Representatives voted overwhelmingly for the anti horse slaughter bill, and we
are now awaiting a Senate vote as we speak
After
the anti slaughter bill HB 503 was passed overwhelming by the House of
Representatives, the Senate bill has not
been brought to a vote. Anyone interested in why the Senate bill 1915 is not
being heard by the Senate please contact your Senator John Cornyn. His phone number in Washington is 202 224
5922. His associates can properly answer
the question of why Senator Cornyn has placed special requirement on the vote on this bill and why it has not been
voted on in the Senate as a result.
You may
also ask them about his sponsorship of the animal terrorist bill.
I am a
strong advocate of property rights. Our esteemed Senator Cornyn opposes Senate
bill 1915 on the property rights platform. Our esteemed Congressman Mike
Conaway also voted against the bill in the House of Representatives on that same
issue. That is their right as elected officials to vote as they choose. I
believe in the freedoms we enjoy here in our
It may
be also noted that all my statements can be backed up by fact and court records
regarding these foreign owned slaughter plants processing and the agony of the
people of Kaufman as a result of the horse slaughter plants. You can read it on www.kaufmanzoning.com. I
will be happy to provide further documentation of any of my statements for
anyone needing further information.
We do
not eat our horses here in the United States. If these horses were old and
sick, what kind of meat is that for the gourmet tables? The justification for
torture of animals is not a justification for not wanting to deal with a problem that can be solved by humane
methods. If you take on horse ownership you take the responsibility for the
well-being of an animal that cannot speak for itself.
Do not
demonize those of us who believe that we are “our brother’s keepers” be it
animal or human and wish for the humane responsible care of our animals by
calling us terrorists, emotional and the various epitaphs that were stated in
these articles. We are not stupid, and are not emotional, nor are we
terrorists. We are American citizens and responsible animal owners that
believe in caring for our animals and giving them the respect of a kind humane
death when the time comes. To those individuals that do not act responsibly, we
have State and County confiscation laws, police and animal control agents,
humane societies, and horse care rescue operations to take up the slack.
All we
are asking is that the voice of the people be heard, the politicians allow the
vote on the anti slaughter bill, S1915 go to a vote. If it is the will of the
people, all the people, that this horrible practice be banned, let it
happen. We will take care of our own. If
not, we accept it and go forward. - Patricia Dickey,
The mission of Common Ground is to purchase and rehabilitate
injured and "throw away" horses from sales barns, and cattle auctions
in the state of
JUST A HORSE !
From time to time, people tell
me, "lighten up, it's just a horse,"
or, "that's a lot of money
for "just a horse".
They don't understand the
distance travelled, the time spent, or
the costs involved for
"just a horse." Some of my proudest moments
have come about with "just
a horse."
Many hours have passed and my
only company was "just a horse," but I did
not once feel slighted. Some of
my saddest moments have been brought about
by "just a horse,' and in
those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a horse" gave me
comfort and reason to overcome
the day.
If you, too, think it's
"just a horse," then you will probably understand
phrases like "just a
friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise."
"Just a horse" brings
into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure
unbridled joy.
"Just a horse" brings
out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.
Becasue of "just a
horse" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the
future.
So for me and folks like me,
it's not "just a horse" but an embodiment of all the hopes
and dreams of the future, the
fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.
"Just a horse" brings
out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself
and the worries of the day.
I hope that someday they can
understand that it's not "just a horse" but the thing that
gives me humanity and keeps me
from being "just a woman/man."
So the next time you hear the
phrase "just a horse" just smile, because they
"just" don't
understand.
Criteria for getting a Common Ground horse
1.. You need to purchase the horse. We
use the money for upkeep, vet work, farrier work and
rescuing and purchasing slaughter bound horse.
2. Your facilities must be commensurate with good care, and a
safe environment.
3. The horse may not be sold unless Common Ground is notified.
4. You will be asked to sign a contract as to the care, and non
sale of the horse.
5. Common Ground is a 501c3 tax deductible corporation therefore
you are allowed to take a deduction not only for the donation of a horse, but
for the purchase. Each tax issue must be
estimated and approved by you or you accountant.
Donation
On occasion people will donate a horse to Common Ground. There are various reasons, but tax right offs
are one of the major issues. These horses are offered for sale to the qualified
buyers with proper contracts. Health is also an issue and some do not want to
take the time or expense of rehab. These
horses are part of our Common Ground program in addition to the rescued horses.
Common Ground has no decision nor do we indicate a cost of a
donated horse.
A horse purchased through Common Ground will be issued with a
contract and a bill of sale.
Who are we and why do we care?
A mother daughter team formed the Common Ground Foundation.
Pat Dickey and Pam Holeyfield have been working
together as a partnership for 10 years. Pat has been in the horse business for the
last 30 years. Pam started riding at age 2, and has competed in major events
throughout the
Each sale has the "poor souls" that come through the
sales ring, and are whipped to move through the viewing arena. They are
confused, frightened and do not know where to go, as they are used to being led
and handled by professionals. After they are "sold" they are
"run" with a whip, out of the ring into waiting holding bins with the
many that are unwanted. They are then loaded unto Kill Trucks with many
other horses generally in free open trucks like cattle. Most of the times as a
part of the process, the horses are frightened and struggling for secure
footing in a slippery wet environment. Some horses go down and are trampled.
Most survive but are injured by flashing hooves, during their struggle to stand
up during transportation. It is horrifying to us to see such noble animals in
pain and distress. The meat barns are a horror of waiting death with confused
sometimes injured horses that generally do not know what happened to them Where
are their people???. They are looking for the secure structures they have
known, and it is no longer there. This sale barn scenario goes on in every
state in hundreds of locations. The market that many do not know is human
consumption in Europe of horsemeat shipped from the
It is the "forgotten" or throwaway horses that are the
focus of this association.
How can you help?
Donate Funds or Donate a horse to Common Ground that
can be resold to a suitable home.
The Common Ground Foundation is
a federally registered non-profit corporation with a 501c3 designation. We are
presently registering in the State of
do I send a gift?
Common Ground Foundation
·
· Fax:
830-693-6177
Email:
Pat@tonkawood.com
BAN
are represented by Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal, a