Monroe nonprofits kick in to save mule

His name is Henry, but the kill tag crudely glued to his hindquarters identified him as 4084. Slated for death, Henry was temporarily housed at a kill pen in Rochester, Washington, where he awaited his fate.

Northern California resident Traci Gee happened upon his photo, and decided she couldn’t let that happen. Now, thanks to a collaborative effort involving Monroe nonprofit Equine Aid Horse and Donkey Rescue, the Northwest Equine Stewardship Center (NWESC), Gee and several others, Henry is safely receiving medical care, along with liberal doses of love and affection from all those who meet him. He will eventually be transported to Gee’s farm in Calistoga, California.

Founded by Monroe-area residents Geri Vincent and Doug Arneson, Equine Aid’s mission is to provide rescue and sanctuary for at-risk equines and serve as a voice against all abuse. Equine Aid offers rescued equines for adoption, volunteer opportunities and lifetime sanctuary when needed.

The organization takes a proactive stance in reducing the number of neglected animals through its Hand Up program, which helps families care for equines in times of hardship, such as illness or job loss.

Located on 10 acres just outside of Monroe, Equine Aid has been a 501(C)3 nonprofit since 2010.

Henry is temporarily being housed at NWESC while he receives medical care from founder Dr. Hannah Mueller, who operates Cedarbrook Veterinary Care and NWESC at the same location. He will stay at NWESC for around two weeks, after which he’ll be transported to Equine Aid, located nearby on Bollenbaugh Hill Road. He will reside there until Gee is ready to bring him to his new forever home in early October.

“I think he knows he’s in a safe place,” said Equine Aid volunteer Michelle Hoch.

Indeed, Henry seemed to understand right away that he had been brought to sanctuary. Mueller is used to providing acute medical care to rescued animals, at times sleeping in the barn with new arrivals to make sure they don’t have an emergency in the middle of the night. She had a notable bonding moment with Henry shortly after his arrival. 

“I had a magical moment with Henry tonight, he is so appreciative of love and had a big sigh of relief as I was scratching his face and ears,” Mueller wrote in a text message to Cedarbrook Veterinary Care liaison Lisa Dobbin. “I love my job!”

Last week, NWESC and Equine Aid volunteer Bethany Garvan snuggled with the large Bay John mule, who frequently used Vincent as a rubbing post for his head. A very social animal, Henry enjoys human contact and has a sweet-tempered disposition as he seeks out attention from those who come to say hello to him. Newcomers stopping by Henry’s spacious new digs were greeted deliberately.

His eyes are gentle, expressive and curious.   

“His demeanor is lovely,” Vincent said. “He gives off really good, calm energy. He’s a great guy.”

It was his expressive eyes that compelled Gee to save him from the slaughter pipeline.

“I was not in the market or even looking for a mule,” Gee said. “He looked sad and depressed. He clearly was in urgent need.”

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), 130,000 American horses are slaughtered each year and shipped overseas for human consumption. According to the Humane Society, the meat is sold in places like France, Italy, Belgium and Japan, and is considered a delicacy. Commercial horse slaughter does not currently occur in the United States, so the horses are transported to Canada and Mexico, often in unsafe, overcrowded conditions. The journey itself can kill them, as they are shipped for more than 24 hours at a time without food or water, according to the ASPCA and Humane Society.

If they were killed humanely, that would be one thing, Vincent said. But once they arrive at the slaughterhouses, death is anything but easy.

In Canada, they use a captive bolt, a device designed to strike a powerful blow to the horse’s forehead. The animals are forced into a kill chute, but because of a horse’s natural instinct to flee, they don’t passively succumb. As a result, it can take several attempts to effectively apply the bolt. Due to this intrinsic fight or flight response to trauma, there is no way to humanely conduct commercial slaughter of horses, according to animal welfare advocates. In Mexico, where even fewer considerations are given to the humane treatment of the animal, a knife is used to sever the horse’s spine.

Every week, more horses are shipped to Mexico for slaughter than any other animal. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a total of 1,780 horses were shipped to Mexico during the week of Sept. 17 for the purposes of slaughter.

From the moment animals enter the slaughter pipeline, their lives are not respected, Vincent said.

In Washington, unwanted horses are sent to auction, where they are frequently purchased by “kill buyers,” who eventually sell them to slaughter. Kill buyers temporarily house the animals in feedlots or kill pens, as was the case with Henry.

Luckily, Henry’s photo was sent to local advocate Sabrina Connaughton, who posted it on her Auction Horses website. Connaughton travels to feedlots frequently and photographs the horses, in hopes they will be saved. Gee stumbled across Henry’s picture after Anne Houghton, founder of the Aureole Ranch Horse Rescue in Calistoga, shared it on Facebook.

“Traci had initially inquired about getting our rescue to step up for him, but before I could even get an answer to her, she was bailing him herself,” Houghton said. “She’s one of those people who, when she puts her mind to something, she does it with gusto.”

Gee said she just couldn’t get the handsome 16-hand mule out of her head. Within a couple days of seeing his photo, she realized she couldn’t stand by and do nothing. She dug her heels in, ready to navigate the challenges of accomplishing an animal rescue from two states away. She sent an email out to numerous rescue organizations in Henry’s immediate vicinity.

Equine Aid was one of those rescues.

“I got one rejection, and one email from Geri at Equine Aid stating that they would agree to help,” Gee said. “She and others saw what I saw — a beautiful creature that deserved more and to not be discarded away like trash.”

She purchased Henry on Thursday, Sept. 8.

Farrier Shelby Marchesano played a part in Henry’s story, transporting the mule from Rochester to NWESC for a reduced rate. The paperwork that came with Henry identified him as 29 years old, but Dr. Mueller has aged him closer to 20, based on his teeth. He’s been treated for parasites and will receive all necessary medical follow-up while he’s in the care of NWESC and Equine Aid, funded by Gee.

“He’s got the classic kill pen horse situation,” Vincent said. “His teeth are terrible, he had an extremely high parasite load and his feet were a mess.”

The problem of horse slaughter is overwhelming, because it is so vast, Vincent said. Equine Aid actually had to step back from accepting kill pen animals, shifting its focus to getting ahead of the problem, preventing equines from ending up in the slaughter pipeline in the first place.

“We didn’t want to buy in to supporting those kind of people and also we redirected our mission towards intercepting horses before they go to the slaughter pipeline,” Vincent said.

Henry’s case worked well for Equine Aid.

“As far as our mission to help good people with equines and be advocates against slaughter, Henry was a really good fit for us,” Vincent said. “Traci was willing to do whatever it took to save him.”

Equine Aid’s Hand Up program is designed to interrupt the slaughter trajectory, Vincent said, but is currently out of funding. Equine Aid is entirely funded through grants, private donations and in-kind donations, and resources are always tight. The rescue has capacity to serve around 25 horses, mules, donkeys, ponies and “hinnies,” which are part donkey (mom) and part horse (dad).

Equine Aid seeks to raise awareness of the dismal realities of horse slaughter. Vincent said 80 percent of people polled in America affirm that they oppose horse slaughter, according to one survey. She is hopeful those people will use their voices to help support the Safeguard American Food Exports Act (SAFE), which would prohibit the sale and transport of equines for the purposes of human consumption.

In addition to commercial horse slaughter not being humane, there are safety concerns, Vincent said. Unlike pigs and cows, horses in the U.S. are not raised to be eaten. The majority of horses sent to slaughter have been treated with a multitude of drugs known to be dangerous to humans.    

“The SAFE Act has been introduced in different forms for several years,” Vincent said. “It doesn’t usually get passed by the senate, but we keep trying.”

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene was a cosponsor on the 2015 SAFE Act legislation.

Equine Aid is always accepting monetary donations to help support its programs. Monroe Co-op accepts feed donations as well, and has been a big supporter over the years, Vincent said.

Volunteers are always welcome.

“What I really want people to know is they don’t have to agree with us. They don’t have to not eat meat or anything like that,” Vincent said. “We welcome everybody and their opinion, as long as they’re willing to be kind.”

More information about Equine Aid at equineaid.org.