Helping out abused, neglected horses
Mi Yehenraine Riding School in Loumarina held a two-day fundraiser for the rehabilitation of its adopted abused horses.
The Mi Yehenraine Riding School in Loumarina held a two-day fundraising event for a good cause on Saturday, 4 and Sunday, 5 August.
The funds raised are to be used for rehabilitating the abused and neglected horses that have been adopted by the riding school, and at the same time, to help abused and neglected children* by giving them therapeutic horse riding lessons.
Jessie Bunge, the Mi Yehenraine co-founder, said, “At the moment we have 21 rescued horses, and 68 children, some of whom are disabled and disadvantaged and come here for therapy, and some of whom are here just because they have a passion for horses. Many of their parents cannot afford to pay R150 per hour for a riding lesson.”
According to Jessie, the children help run the facility by cleaning it up and assisting with the rehabilitation of the horses. Once the horses are rehabilitated, some of them are used to the benefit of children who suffer from disabilities or are disadvantaged. She added that not all the horses are used for this purpose as some of them are not able, as a result of the abuse they have been subjected to, to interact safely with people.
Daniel Venter, a horse trainer, said the horses come from people who phone in, requesting assistance with their maintenance.
“We go and fetch the horses, because we do not believe that a horse should be put down. People do not have the right to make decisions about a horse’s life, and we will always try to rescue every single horse that people cannot look after,” Daniel said.
He added even though the rehabilitation process can take up to two years, depending on the degree of the animal’s suffering, at the end of the day, the aim is to get the animal calm and peaceful enough to interact with people again.
Daniel said some of the rescued horses have been tied down, or overworked, and some have gash wounds.
“One horse was locked in a room when I found her. She was fed through a small window and did not know about life outside the room.”
The Mi Yehenraine Riding School said support from the community in any form would be much appreciated.
• Details: Contact Lorraine Gouws on 062 826 4637 or Jessie Bunge on 083 208 4495.
*None of the girls pictured were/ have been abused or neglected. They were at the school to support the cause and/ or enjoy a horse ride – Ed.
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