SEPE Online

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

Sadly we were not able to save Rosita, as her infected wounds that had gone untreated, gave our veterinarian and dedicated team an impossible task. As so often happens, yet another mare was already on its way that was in need of our help and everyone just has to move on to the next situation. We are sure that Rosita would thank those who tried to save her and offered their time, along with those who offered financial support, as without either no rescued equine in such a condition would stand a chance of survival. Hopefully she got to know eventually that there are some humans that are caring before her short life ended. Although it is of no benefit to her the police have now informed us that Rosita?s owner who abandoned her will be appearing in court. As for the stallion that came in recently one of his laminitic feet show a serious problem on the x-rays so a meeting between our veterinarian and specialist farrier will dictate his future.

We have taken in another horse from for SOPRONA from around the Fuengirola river bed, which has been a common dumping ground for abandoned horses over the years. Many dealers
are breeding horses nearby the river and we have been asked to take in many discarded equines from this area over the years.
This horse has laminitis so it is the most obvious reason why he was abandoned to avoid veterinarian bills. Sadly this good natured stallion has had an untreated infection with its eyes, which has completely eaten his right one away; hopefully his other eye is saveable. Unfortunately everything will depend on what the x-rays show because if he has no chance of recuperation and he is in constant pain we will be forced make a decision on his future. But for the moment we have had a remedial farrier put support shoes on him and he is walking 100% better.

Local police of Malaga contacted the Society of Animals and Plants of Malaga to sacrifice a horse that was found in c/ Vulcano Malaga, after a telephone call from a passer bye that had spotted a horse in a terrible condition. The Society’s veterinarian made the decision that there was a slight chance that the horse could still be saved and requested that we pick her up. We brought the 2 year old mare to our rescue center at Alhaurin de la Torre for emergency treatment. Much of the horse’s body was covered with badly infected wounds, which appeared to have had no medical treatment what so ever. SEPE’s team worked into the night to try and clean all her wounds and get on top of the infection, the horse would have surely died a horrible painful death if it had not been spotted, it will be a miracle if she pulls through but hopefully she will be strong and surprise us all. As always our team does what it has to do in these terrible situations but the outcome can go either way. Although the horse had no micro chip the horse’s owner was located by the police and denounced.

The Lucy Rees natural horsemanship course at SEPE’s Equestrian and rescue centre at Lauro Golf, Alhaurin de la Torre was a great success and the group of Andalusia horseman who took part in the course were truly appreciative of Lucy coming down from Sierra Norte near Madrid to show them that there is a better way to train horses so they can get the best out of their mounts without the need for brutality.
Lucy has written many books such as The Horse’s Mind, which is still used as a horseman’s bible by people throughout the world. Several TV documentaries have been made on Lucy’s work for Spanish and international TV stations and there were TV crews at the center to make yet another one. The majority of the people involved could not believe how nervous and untrained horses just became cooperative and responsive by just showing them understanding and kindness. I am sure many that came on the course would admit to have started off by being skeptical but went away to their various equine establishments with a totally different outlook, hopefully to spread the word that there is another way.
Lucy travels all over the world studying the relationships of horses in the wild and uses that vast experience within her courses. Living and sleeping amongst the herds over the years she has developed a vast array of skills. Lucy had everyone’s mouth open when she was able to get out of each horse what she wanted to achieve within a short period of time by simply applying some logic to each situation. Of course when the students tried it was not quite so easy but I am sure that they will all go back and practice what they were taught. Lucy will be making further trips to SEPE’s centre to help them with other educational programs in the future. Although for more than a decade SEPE has rescued a vast amount of horses and donkeys though its centers and organized many national campaigns it is convinced the way forward is to persevere with educational courses if finances allow.

The plight of Mijas donkey taxis has been highlighted again by the many complaints we received over the summer months. Some of the complaints have been over the donkeys having their heads lashed to poles for long periods without being able to move. The other complaints have been concerning the operator?s brutality towards the donkeys and bad fitting tack that bites into there bodies producing the obvious sores and infections.
For those who do not remember, when a donkey was dragged behind a cart in the main street and died in front of tourists there was a national outcry. SEPE campaigned hard to end the barbaric treatment by the operators and it also held a public demonstration to bring about them coming under the control of the local Ayuntamiento veterinarian. SEPE was backed by over 40 national and international charities and the media throughout Spain. Unfortunately the donkey operator?s were let off the hook by a ludicrous agreement to inspect the donkeys every six months. The new agreement also included that the operators had to keep their donkeys within new published guidelines or they would lose their license, which appears uncontrolled and these long suffering donkeys certainly deserved much more.
The new mayor Antonio Sánchez has however informed SEPE that he is fully determined that the Ayuntamiento of Mijas take the reports of abuse seriously and there has now been someone appointed to take control of this who will be meeting with SEPE to discuss new measures.

We are privileged to have Lucy Rees assisting our work this September plus doing a 3 day clinic on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd at our centre. Lucy is not only well know throughout Spain, she is respected worldwide for her natural training methods and has dedicated her life to the promotion of a more natural way of getting the best from your horse without the need for violence. Lucy is a well renowned trainer plus a distinguished author of many equestrian books and a prolific writer for horse magazines.
Monty Roberts and Pat Parelli have made their training methods into very commercial enterprises with a marketing expertise you would associate with someone like David Beckham but many who are involved in the equine world believe Lucy has a truly wonderful gift that makes her second to none.
Lucy started her career training welsh ponies in her native Wales but has made Spain her home and gained much respect from the equine community here. Lucy’s web site.
For those who would like more information on the course please book early as the remaining places will soon be taken. Contact Victoria Louise 626677719.