Give a gift to a ‘visiting god’

The saying “There’s something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man” has been attributed to many famous people, from Socrates to Winston Churchill to Mark Twain. Actually, all these people might well have uttered the words – and why not?

Horses are beguiling, and simply looking at them can lift the spirit. It’s something about their inner stillness; wildness allied to fragile trust. This is poignant because humans, in particular, often don’t warrant such trust from animals.

Someone else described horses as “visiting gods”, which rings true as one leans on a paddock rail and watches a horse canter. You can only marvel at the engineering of the thing, never mind the beauty.

It is hard to understand how people can inflict hurt upon such ethereal creatures.

Horse racing is inhabited by a wide spectrum of humanity: from loud and obnoxious to unassuming and timid, not to mention rich and poor. The common purpose is thrills and making money – but also a love of horses.

It’s gratifying that racing contributes a substantial wedge to South Africa’s various Horse Care Units – which rescue, hospitalise, rehabilitate and re-home horses that have fallen on hard times.

It’s not just old racehorses that need help, but other horse breeds, donkeys and mules – victims of ignorance, neglect, mistreatment and downright savagery.

There is regular monitoring of working animals in townships and rural areas, with advice, vet care and tack being provided for free. But these worthy efforts can never be enough – mainly because there’s never enough money available.

Stats on the Highveld Horse Care Unit website tell the story: 6,000 horses and donkeys are assisted every year, 600 stables are made available to horses in need every year, 3,000 rural horses and donkeys are dewormed annually, and 45 animals are being rehabilitated every day at the unit’s farm base in Meyerton.

Racing operator Phumelela is one of the major sponsors of the HHCU, along with feed companies, a property agency, chemical labs, vehicle distributors and the Oppenheimer family. The National Thoroughbred Trust, a racing a breeding body, provided initial funding for the HHCU in 1991.

A few years ago, Princess Charlene of Monaco gave the HHCU a spontaneous gift of R100,000 so moved was she by the selfless efforts of its small band of heroes. Rich racehorse owners regularly donate cash and vehicles, vets give of their time, artisans help with maintenance of facilities.

And “ordinary” racing folk, seized by the Christmas spirit of giving, are urged to also make a contribution to the agency of their joy.

Hundreds of people make small donations or volunteer to help in various ways. The HHCU site explains how you can become a “Friend” for as little as R100 a year, or sponsor a stable for R10,000 a year and get a plaque with your name on it. Go to horsecare.org.za.

It’s worth going to the Highveld Horse Care Unit website anyway, to get a feel for the great work done. The site is not as emotion-wrenching as it used to be, with the worst case-histories no longer detailed in all their horror.

But there are still images of emaciated and injured horses pitiful enough to loosen the purse strings. Other pics of rehabilitated horses – like mascots Alfie the Shire Horse and Stevie the Donkey – help soothe the anguish.

As someone said, horses are good for the inside of the person – but so is giving.

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