I found out about SCAR though a friend of a friend... on Facebook. I decided to contact them about a young horse they have recently taken in and the possibility of adding him to our team at Horse and Rider Naturally in order to help him develop mentally, emotionally and physically.
What I discovered on my first trip to SCAR opened my eyes to a world I had only glimpsed sparingly before. It is a world full of animals, of all shapes and sizes, animals that did not ask to be brought into our world but who were at some point or another invariably failed by their human guardians.
SCAR rescue, rehabilitate and rehome horses and ponies, but they also help other animals... cat, rabbits, guinea-pigs, ducks, chickens, geese, turkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, cows, they even had peacocks and magpies. I've been to commercial petting farms that have less animals. But SCAR is not a petting farm. None of these rescue charities are. The work they do is serious, it is not to make money for themselves but to try to make up for the injustice in the world and the poor way that many humans choose to be with animals.
I could go into trying to work out how people find them selves unable to provide adequately for the needs of animals in their care, or what is going on in the mind of people that abuse or seriously neglect an animal but I can't. I don't understand. There are a few clear facts though. One, too many animals are being bred into a world that cannot provide for them. Two, too many people take on animals without realising the commitment they are undertaking. Three, without support the kind hearted and generous people like the volunteers that run SCAR would not be able to continue the work they do.
Take the story of Victor, for example. Victor is a young cob colt that was abandoned on the road outside the premises of SCAR with a Shetland pony (Rosie). The volunteers at SCAR managed to catch Rosie and Victor followed them up the lane to their sanctuary. He was terrified of being touched and had no idea that the humans were trying to help him. His hair was heavily matted with lumps hanging from him. His tail and mane were a complete tangle. His skin was rough and flakey, his coat dull and weathered. His hooves were massively flared with chips and cracks from neglect. His ribs stuck out for the world to see. And he was a baby. He had suffered all this and had yet to learn that humans are capable of being caring, loving and affectionate. He had never learned that a human could provide for him, nurture him and value him. He was a baby and he had already been abandoned.
Six weeks of TLC have already done young Victor so much good but he's a long way from the condition he should be in.
And then there is Lilly. Lilly was a little pony mare that arrived at the rescue in foal and with a foal at foot. Over night the rescue had to find provisions for three more lives that depended on them. Lilly was wearing a headcollar that was so tight it had cut into her head and she cold not bear to be touched. Months on she still cannot be lead or handled around the head. She is nervous of people and has taught her foals to be wary too. Her older son has learned that attack is the best defence! The treatment of his mother in his early days, and possibly his own treatment, has meant that as an infant he has already decided that humans are bad news and should be resisted at all costs.
After a little healing, Lilly and her son, Oliver. Oliver was born at the rescue but looking after such a young foal is tricky when his dam has known nothing but fear of humans.
And who could forget Bluebell? Bluebell was a sweet and beautiful pony. She had given her best years to pulling traps and trying to please the humans around her, to the point that her hind legs are wrought with problems. And then she got sick. Bluebell was abandoned whilst at death's door. She was in foal when SCAR came to her rescue but the poor mare was as thin as a hat rack, critically ill with Salmonella and Colitis. She is still fighting for life with the loving help of her rescue heroes, but her vet fees so far have already racked up to £5,000 and she is not out of the woods yet. Many people would give up on a horse like Bluebell, but she is fighting to have a chance at a normal healthy life being a horse in a herd. As we speak Bluebell is on a tailor made diet, trying to help her recover from the debilitating illness she has suffered. Her digestive system is damaged and the road to recovery is long and unsure. At least Bluebell is no longer alone, but there are many more Bluebells out there.
Bluebell gave her all and was abandoned when she needed help the most.
Rescue centres like SCAR work tirelessly. They work year round. They feed and clean up after other people's neglected and abused animals. They campaign tirelessly to raise funds for food, care and maintenance essentials, vet bills, worming, passports, microchipping and more. They work endlessly to find safe, loving homes for these animals to move on to.
The story of how a modern society, that prides itself on how well it treats others whilst the most vulnerable and dependant are failed day after day is a tragic one. It is a tale that does not seem to have an end any time soon. But there is a small ray of hope.
With the work of charities like SCAR these animals can learn what it is to be loved, that they are valuable and treasured, that they are protected and provided for.
SCAR, and charities like SCAR cannot do this alone. They rely on donations, on volunteers and on finding foster and adoption homes for these beautiful souls.
We can all do our bit, no matter how small it may seem. If we all touch one life, even for a moment, we bring purpose and meaning to our own lives. Maybe you have old equipment? Maybe you can make a financial donation or organise a fund raiser? Maybe you know someone who is looking for a special friend and can suggest they adopt? Maybe you have skills you can offer from mucking out or building enclosures to promoting awareness or managing a website. There are many people out there ready to take advantage of the kind hearted people behind these rescue centres and so they need even more people to support them and help our world to become a better place.
Paul McCartney once said “You can judge a man's true character by the way he treats his fellow animals.” The same can be said of a society.
Let us be a people who love, a people who look out for those less fortunate than ourselves, a people that stand up against injustice and cruelty. Let us be a people that give those that have suffered a second chance at a life worth living.
To find out more about Second Chance Animal Rescue Click Here
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