SEPE Online

We had to say goodbye to our oldest resident Rica, who had been with us for many years. She was 43 years old and although she had quite a problem with arthritis in her later years she had been otherwise quite strong. She was rescued with another horse that had been abandoned on some land next to the American military base at Cadiz . When the people involved were transferred away from the base that had look after them they asked us to take them in. As she was like family we will all miss her very much.

Lucy Rees has informed us that she will be doing another course on Natural Horsemanship for us later in the year, so we need to know who will be taking part this year as early as possible as last year we had many people that were disappointed because they had missed the date, so please let us have your details if you wish to take part.

We have been very fortunate recently to have had some excellent knowledgeable volunteers stay at our Malaga centre that have helped us bring on horses that can be of use for either classes or for future training courses. Even those horses where we eventually decide can go out to new homes for adoption need to be brought on so they have a better chance of being re-homed. Apart from some very older equines we have several that have permanent injuries that will more than likely always with us, as it is very difficult to re-home these, even as companions. We get told by many so called experts that it would be more viable to put these horses down but whilst they are otherwise healthy and not suffering this will never be our policy.
Apart from always needing financial support, we still could do with further regular experienced volunteers that are able to help us with schooling as well as those needed for grooming and general welfare. Please contact if you could give us a little of your time.

2009 it has to be a year of change by trying to bring in experienced helpers and volunteers who are dedicated to improve the lives for the Spanish equine and wanting to see a better life for them. As this has been a very hard task in the past. We of course need dedicated people taking over key positions that have the expertise.

We need to have a total rethink on funding issues as the small social events do not pay even a fraction of our running costs even though all funds are always gratefully received. We desperately need the look at the broader picture and seek what help the commercial sector can offer us, we also need to look for grants and those supporters who are willing to make regular donations each month however small. Otherwise we can never hope to establish ourselves enough to lay the foundation for a better future for many equines that will need our support Our work and goals have to be from within our constitution, which needs to go far beyond the work we do at our shelter in Malaga.

We would like to thank all those who have pledged their help to us for the months ahead. We know as a society we have many people who have made provision for us in their will, which will hopefully make our society stronger for the next generation to take over and we truly thank all those people for their kind consideration and generosity.

In the picture our latest guest!

We have managed to find many horses from our Malaga centre new homes as we have put a lot of effort into advertising and finding them suitable situations. With the recession biting and all animal charities suffering financially, we feel to be able to run any type of emergency service for the police as we have over the years, we have to keep the monthly outlay to a minimum.
Some equines have been with us for a while and will be sadly missed but we know they will be happy in there new homes. We feel that with many people being out of work more horses, mules and donkeys will be abandoned due to the lack of finances and will need our help and support. It seems that terrible situation are arising regularly somewhere in Spain where the owner has run out of money and his horses are left to starve.
We of course are not backed financially by any authority in any way and unfortunately we can only take in what our finances will allow. Where some welfare situations have arisen there have been up to 30 horses needing support but we are just not able to cope with large numbers without financial backing.
For those who want to help support our work even if they donate 5 Euros on a monthly basis, this builds up and can give us the revenue to be able to offer a service to the police, who already have a difficult job with little support.

The picture is of our latest arrival who we have called Tapas after a local group that has supported our work.
She was taken from a building site near Cartama estacion although when brought in she was covered with black grease from the cranes on the building site she appeared very healthy compared with 99% of the animals we take into our sanctuary at Alhaurin del Torre. She of course has no micro chip so it is unlikely that the owner with try and claim her without having any documentation.
Although we still try to run a 24 hour service for many of the local police forces and take horses, mules and donkeys into our care that are abandoned or in accidents we still do not get any financial assistance from any Juntas or Ayuntamientos and the total cost of transport, veterinary fees, post-operatory care and farriery, as well as feed, bedding and all other maintenance costs of the Centre, is met with money from donations and funds raised by our collaborators.
For all the above, SEPE wishes once more to thank all the collaborators and volunteers who ensure its continued existence and help to better the lives of many animals, who cannot speak for themselves

We are pleased to announce that Lucy Rees is with us once again at SEPE ‘s centre on the 24th, 25th, 26th October for part 2 of her natural horsemanship course, which will be announced officially in the near future in the Spanish national equestrian magazines. For those who took part in the first part of the course we will be glad to have you back and for those who did not manage to attend part one of the course Lucy will try to bring you up to speed to include you. Unfortunately we can only have limited number of people on the course and those who book first will be accepted on a first come first served basis, so to avoid disappointment please let us know as soon as possible if you are enrolling.
Lucy is a renowned author and has a very natural way of communicating with horses from her studies in the wild. Maybe Monty Roberts and Pat Perelli are better know in Europe especially as they are great showman but many of Lucy’s supporters around the world think she has a very special talent second to none.
You can find out more about the course on Lucy’s web site.

This little white mare is one of the latest animals to arrive at our Alhaurin de la Torre sanctuary. We were asked to collect her by the Spanish Civil Guard after she had reportedly been abandoned in a field near the town of Casabermeja, tethered but with no shelter, no grazing facilities and no access to water. Very underweight, she did not have a microchip to locate the owner, as is often the case with equines who come to us; the owner would, of course, be liable for a hefty fine if he ever claimed her, so that is an unlikely occurrence. After being cleaned up and wormed, and put on a suitable diet, we have named her Tulipán (=Tulip) and feel she has a bright future. If anyone would like to sponsor this gentle mare please contact us.
Some other animals which came to us recently had been reported to the Málaga police force as wandering loose along the road. One of them, a small, four-year-old pony, was in a very pitiful condition, full of mange and completely undernourished but, given time, we are confident we shall manage to get him back to full health – he is already responding to the care and attention given him, and has been named Trueno (=Thunder) for his playfulness. Again, like so many other deserving and grateful animals at the sanctuary, he needs sponsors to help support him and, if possible, to visit him and put a little more TLC in his life.

SEPE has launched one of its biggest ever national campaigns to try and improve the lives of thousands of carriage horses. SEPE receives many complaints each year especially towards the end of the main tourist season, when some horses are literally worked to they drop with their operator having very little regards for their welfare.
Last year we had reports of horses collapsing in there harnesses due to being in poor condition and fatigued. We have not only been asked by our supporters to tackle this problem but from international equine charities who have also received many complaints from their own supporters.
Some horses can be on the streets for 15 hours or more without a break and we also had reports where horses were not even being unharnessed at night. The local authorities should be taking on the responsibility of controlling this but as this hugely varies from town to town, there needs to be legislation from central government for the regional governments and onto the local authorities.
Miguel Valdés Vázquez, diplomado ECVS, ACVS, a SEPE committee member and one of the most respected veterinarians in Spain has set out clear guidelines that can be implemented by each local authority.
SEPE understands that the operators have to make money whilst they have clients in abundance but not at the detriment of their horse’s welfare.

Although many people may have been away on a vacation over the Christmas period, for numerous workers at animal protection associations throughout Spain it was business as usual. Not only do we all have the added problem of many of our colleagues taking a break, it sadly becomes a time when countless sick or older animals are abandoned.
In the picture is one of the abandoned equines that we took into our horse and donkey sanctuary at Alhaurin de la Torre, which needed urgent medical treatment. SEPE has in previous years taken in up to 20 horses over the holiday period and the cost has to be entirely raised from the generosity of their supporters unless the police manage to trace the animal’s owner.
Anyone who has made a 2,008 New Year resolution to help out at an animal sanctuary, why not contact us today as your help would be truly appreciated. It is not just about looking after the animals as there are huge costs to meet each month, which has to be raised by volunteers running all kinds of money raising events. There is always plenty of maintenance work, which needs doing at our facilities as this is also all done by our supporters. If you are interested in helping us with our work in any way, please contact us. In addition if you wish to visit us and see the rewarding work we do first hand we will be pleased to show you around the installations at our centre.

As we come to the end of yet another eventful year it is time to review what we have achieved and try to make plans for the New Year. As always we are looking at how we can expand on our work and at the same time fund it, we are especially working to improve the lives of the working equine. It is also a time to thank all the people who have supported us in the past to get SEPE where it is today. It is also a time to ask for their future support, both with looking after the animals in our care and those who financially support us, so we can keep making that difference. We would also like to remember those supporters that have sadly passed on during the year and also the equines that we were not able to save. We also need to thank those who give up their spare time working on fund raising events and of course those who work with all those equines that pass through our centre at Alhaurin de la Torre.
On behalf of all the horses, donkeys and mules in our care THANK YOU.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR