Charlie’s Angels Horse Rescue Inc. has been invited to attend this year’s “Equitana” in Melbourne, from the 18th to 21st November. Two of our members, Joanne Schoenwald (President) and Eileen McLean (Secretary), will travel to Melbourne to present education sessions on horse welfare in Australia, the opportunities for improving the future of horse welfare, and starting up and running a horse welfare charity.

This is a great opportunity for Charlie’s Angels to share their campaign ideals and shed some light on horse slaughter and the horse meat industry in Australia, information that is still largely secretive.

If you can help us to get to Melbourne, we are looking for two return flights from Brisbane to Melbourne. Donations of money or frequent flyer points (or similar) that we can use will be greatly appreciated. (Donations of $2 and over are tax deductible!)

We try hard not to include overly disturbing images on this website because we know that the content can be disturbing enough for adults, let alone children. We try to celebrate the positives where we can, and share the love of horses. So enjoy the new kids’ page and feel free to download them and try them at home. Here’s two of the pages to get you started.

One trip to a dogger saleyard (such as the Gympie saleyard where this photo was taken of a tiny foal) will show you just how many unwanted horses there are that go through the trauma of being shipped around for weeks at a time, starving, injured, ripped from their mothers, and ultimately killed.

We are launching a campaign to introduce mandatory regulation and microchipping of horses and tough restrictions on the breeding of horses.

Many people think that the horse that they breed will be okay, because they have a great pedigree or because they are a ‘good’ breeder. But the reality is that conservative estimations place at least one in every two horses bred in Australia as having its destiny in the slaughterhouse. Everyone thinks their horse will be fine, but the reality is otherwise. What happens to your horse after you sell it? You will never know.

We understand the desire to breed a foal and bring a new life into the world, nurture it and give it the best start in life. Why not pick up a pregnant mare at the sale yards? The sale yards are full of pregnant mares and foals, many just days or weeks old. We understand that a small minority of people make their living off breeding horses. But there are many other fantastic ways to earn a living working with, and loving, horses.

The simple fact is that there are more horses in Australia than there are places for them to go to. Every year, horse breeders pump out hundreds of thousands of horses, the majority of which will end up in a slaughterhouse. The racing industry alone can ’start’ 200,000 young Thoroughbreds into racing in a single year.

If you want to see an end to the suffering and cruelty that so many horses endure before they are killed and butchered, then STOP breeding. It’s as simple as that.

The massage workshop covers the principles of a good massage, types of massage (e.g. effleurage, petrisage etc.), canine anatomy, techniques for small animals, hands-on practice on dogs, contraindications, and case studies.

The course is aimed at those people who wish to take a first step into animal massage, either as a way of treating their pets, or to explore the beginning of a new career.

$150, includes comprehensive take-home manual and certificate upon completion.

Email Lucy (lucygabrielle@live.com) if you would like a registration form, want more information, or have questions.

equine ultrasound unit by physiosupplies

We’ve just added and Equine Ultrasound to our list. Ultrasound has been shown to be the most effective form of electrotherapy. It is particularly useful for tendon and muscle injuries, to help reduce swelling and aid tissue recovery. Many of our rescue horses come in with injuries. In fact, many horses marked as “dogger” horses actually end up in the saleyard because of injuries that could be treated with the right attention.

We are lucky enough to have Alwyn Blayse (Founder/Campain Coordinator) on our team because Alwyn is a full time physiotherapist. We think this ultrasound machine would be a wonderful addition to our rehabilitation program.

You can find out more about the Equine Ultrasound unit HERE. If you can help us, we’d love to hear from you! You can email us at charlies-angels@live.com.au.

Joanne has a certificate in Equine Nutrition and will be covering information such as: proteins, roughage, starch, fats, vitamins and minerals; grazing horses; seasonal variations; laminitis; body scoring; weighing your horse; and more! Attendees will get to take home detailed hand outs of information that they can start applying to their horse straight away.

This is the first of the “Charlie’s Education Series” that Charlie’s Angels is committed to bringing to the community in their efforts to help spread education within the horse community.

This session is FREE to members of Charlie’s Angels. Non-members can attend for just $5.

Where: ‘Terah Creek’ saddlery and cafe, Mackenzie Street, Dayboro. 7.30pm

(A FREE information session about Charlie’s Angels will begin at 7pm beforehand. All welcome!)

“Zazen” arrived off the float into care at Samford, where he will spend some time being assessed and any rehabilitation needs taken care of. He is a seven-year-old chestnut gelding, with a beautiful white blaze. He is a former racehorse. He suffered an injury in his race days that means he is unable to race. Facing an uncertain future, in which sending him to the doggers was on the cards, he has been surrendered into our care for re-homing. He is unable to jump anything other than very small jumps (under 60cm) but the vet has said he should be fine for any other riding pursuits.

day 1 in foster care

We are very grateful to the owners and caretakers involved in his surrender, and congratulate them for standing up for his right to go on to live a long and happy life in a forever home. As a surrendered horse, “Zazen” becomes one of the Charlie’s Angels horses and will be protected for life.

We expect him to be up for adoption in the near future!

EAGALA is the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, which has its home in America. But the organisation has grown over the past 10 years and now offers training all around the world.

“EAGALA is committed to setting the standard of professional excellence in how horses and humans work together to improve the quality of life and mental health of individuals, families and groups worldwide” (www.eagala.org).

The EAGALA model works on a two-person team approach to assisted growth and therapy, with one horse specialist and one mental health practitioner. “The beauty of this form of therapy is that the horses are the ones doing the greatest work. And it’s amazing how many times they do exactly the most powerful thing at exactly the right time to really generate an incredible impact on someone’s life,” Joanne says. “Just by horses doing what they do best, they are able to open windows into the psyche that might otherwise stay shut.”

EAGALA therapies are solely ground-based: no riding is involved and there is no instruction on how a client should work with a horse. It is entirely client-directed, and the horse is entirely able to do its own work on its own terms.’

“What I love most about this therapy is that it clearly shows us the incredible worth and value that horses bring to humanity just by being a horse. They’re value does not have to rely on how much “work” they can do, how many ribbons they can win, or how much income they generate. They are amazingly special just because they exist.”