10/14/13

"NOT" For Profit - A Lucrative Loophole for Equine Rescue Programs?

After a lively and informative discussion of not for profit corporations, we had to do some research.  The question was posed, why would you become a not for profit instead of a non-profit 501c3?  It appears that there are some very good reasons to go the way of Not For Profit.
Not For Profit is a state designation, rather than federal.  It's significantly cheaper than filing for 501c3 status as well.  For $125 you can file as a Not For Profit in PA.  You may need to hire an attorney to assist you with the articles of incorporation, docketing statement and ascertaining if you will need any other governmental  approvals (for example, using words that are regulated such a financial institution, insurance, etc).  However, it's still a quick process and you can become a Pennsylvania Not For Profit in about two weeks, according to the PA Dept of State.
Pennsylvania requires publication of your incorporation in one legal journal and one newspaper of general circulation.
So you become a Not For Profit.  You avoid the rigors of paying $800 and waiting a year for the IRS to designate you a federal charitable institution.   You don't have to file a 990 that could be subject to public scrutiny.  Pennsylvania law requires every nonprofit corporation to have a President, Treasurer, and Secretary (i.e. officers who perform comparable duties) and a single person may hold all three offices.  You can also file for exemption of sales tax.

And, perhaps most importantly, you can pay yourself a salary.  You can solicit for donations, not that they will be tax deductible, and you can pay yourself a nice salary to support your work.
In the equine rescue world this seems nothing short of brilliant.  We should all become non-profits.  It limits personal liability, allows for a nice salary, in some cases you can file for exemption of real estate taxes and you can buy everything you need free of sales tax.  And, you can ask the world to send you cash in the name of rescuing horses.
Excuse me, but I have some documents to go fill out. 



9/30/13

The Secondary Horse Market - Internet Sales - There is No Difference Here



There's a reason we hate broker owned programs.  Kill buyers and unscrupulous partners profit from these poor creatures.  Horses disappear.  Sometimes, they reappear on other BO lots and then there's lots of finger pointing between the adversaries.  How many times have we seen that in the last few months?  Well intentioned people lose their money and have their hearts broken.  In a world where real rescuers should unite, we've got a group of bottom feeders sucking the donors dry.

And then it happens again.  Horses very much wanted and paid for "go missing."

It's been stated that such great relationships have been forged  with these kill buyers, how could such a thing happen?

Troubling news, folks. The horses we network are kept at a layover barn separate from the rest of the horses the KB buys. When he went to fetch them this evening ready to take them to New Holland tomorrow morning (for transfer to their new owners), the TB and STB (the last 2 standing) were not there. He believes they were stolen. The person who bailed them has been refunded (though if the horses are subsequently located in his main pen we'll let the buyer know). Meanwhile we will be at New Holland tomorrow as planned to hand over the two pintos and the hinny to their new owners (the Walker Twins already went home).

That upstanding citizen, Mr. Rotz wouldn’t have even bought these two horses if he didn’t have a great marketing team to dispose of them.  They are skinny, “not of good flesh,” and one is a Thoroughbred, which Richelieu Slaughter House has vehemently said they don’t want.


(A few excerpts from the article):

the plant advises all his suppliers to not BUY those thoroughbred[s] and overall not have them ship to us. . . . For us, thoroughbred[s] are definitely banned from our premises.”

Asked whether Richelieu had told him to stop buying Thoroughbreds on the company’s behalf, supplier Bruce Rotz of Shippensburg, Pa., said: “They did. I buy horses for them. We never did bring them too many Thoroughbreds. We tried to stay away from them. They’re just aggravation.

Richelieu supplier Rotz says anti-slaughter advocates, not Canadian regulations, were his biggest headache in buying Thoroughbreds for slaughter.  “I had a lot of hassle with it,” he added. “I don’t even want one [a Thoroughbred] on my premises.

It’s absolutely heartbreaking to know that before the secondary market was created, Rotz wouldn’t have even bid on these horses.  Now they are missing and the people who planned to adopt them are probably heartbroken.  And this isn't the first time it's happened.  Here's another post from a commenter:

Bill N Kelly Parmenter Isn't this the SECOND time this has happened? I remember this happening with the Leopard Appy and a few other horses that week that were " lost "............this is unacceptable! The people responsible for these horses and their sales have a duty to the buyers. If they can't take that responsibility then they shouldn't be in business!

Just a short time ago Bruce didn’t even want a Thoroughbred on his premises.  Sadly, all that has changed.

This happened over a week ago.  Requests for updates have gone unanswered.


These broker owned horses are nothing more than a commodity and money maker for the brokers and their partners. 

We hope the horses are safe, somewhere.




The final disclaimer: " aside from the fact that the item for sale is an animal, it is no different than if you buy something on Amazon only to later find it is backordered or sold out and they can't get more... they refund you. There is no difference here."

9/16/13

What Sound Does a Lemming Make?


Sometimes you encounter levels of stupidity so high you just don’t know where to start.  However, it seems so important to correct the misinformation being put out there by the mouthpieces of these broker owned programs so that intelligent human beings who seek the truth will find it.

Over the last few days we’ve watched some of these women (who apparently have nothing else to do with their days except endlessly post their uneducated assumptions) really step up to the misinformation cliff and lead their lemmings over the edge.

While the Broker Owned Programs are constantly vying for each other’s supporter’s dollars by coming up with a better sad story than the last, the jackpot just may have been achieved in emotional blackmail by portraying horses loading onto trucks and proclaiming them lost to slaughter.  We got to see the sad pictures of several who were “shipped” a few weeks ago, and last week the tale was told of four more being “loaded” despite promises of cash and it was even alleged that Brian Moore tried to get them off the truck after he’d sent them on their way.  Yes, and unicorns fly.

It’s been said before, but these brokers like Rotz and Moore have many outlets for their horses.  Gail Christman, of Venture Farms in Germansville is just one of the places Moore shuffles horses to:


Remember Steppins High Beauty?  She was being sold by both a BO program and Venture Farms at the same time.  And it’s not the first time we’ve heard that story, is it?

The also load them onto trucks and take them to other auctions.  The horses being purchased for these programs are largely unsuitable for slaughter.  As we’ve stated numerous times in the past, these purported rescues have simply created a whole new market for the brokers with horses they would not have bought to ship to slaughter.  The broker gets his cut, the “rescuer” gets hers and the money clips get a little thicker.  Many people are catching on to this ruse, so they’ve now developed this latest emotional blackmail of  showing horses getting on trucks and assuring everyone they’ve died a horrible death because they were unable to collect enough cash.

Where does this leave the legitimate rescues, with vetted and evaluated horses?  Sigh.  They simply cannot compete with this kind of heart wrenching drama.

Of course a number of enlightened human beings saw through the ruse and called these lovely ladies on it.  That caused a tantrum among the mouthpieces that has been going on for days.  We are going to show you a few of their comments and correct the fallacies they are spreading.   There is either a total lack of education or else a carefully orchestrated attempt at continuing to keep the blind donors, well, blind.

Fallacy #1: Fallacy #1: This statement was made in response to Brian’s alleged request to get horses off a truck he had already shipped:

                Horses are not released once they enter the slaughter house. Consider the basic fact that the horses are received in a sealed truck at the Canada border. Consider the fact that the horses do not need health certificates.  They are only shipped with coggins.

We can have a field day with this one.  Horses do NOT ship with Coggins.  They do ship with several pieces of paperwork.  The VS 10-13 is the manifest that shows all the horses on a load.  Each horse also has to have an EID form (http://www.kistlivestockauction.com/horse_eid/Canada_Horse_EID_Form.pdf).


Before being loaded on a truck, each and every horse is inspected by an independent veterinarian.  The, a second veterinarian inspects the load, one who is certified and compensated by the USDA.  NO COGGINS REQUIRED.  Both vets are required to sign off on the horses, assuring they "certify" the horses are physically able to be shipped to slaughter.

The truck is not "sealed."  The horses are off loaded and inspected at the border.  Some are rejected and end up on other farms and holding areas.

Fallacy #2: The next two equine experts stepped up and said:

                Not to long ago I heard a wild tale of two TB's that supposedly made it off the Canadian slaughter house floor. I knew it was BS as did most people. I think it was just another sham to scam money and make a name.

That would be cafe cactus and canuki?

Cactus Café and Canuki were very much rescued from Richelieu.  Here is just one of many articles on the pair:


Their trainer, Mark Wedig, is who consigned them to slaughter:

In an Aug. 21 interview, Wedig said he never intended to sell the pair to slaughter and that he was unaware that Bauer, to whom he sold the horses, was a well-known agent for the Richelieu plant.
 
After horse welfare advocates raised the alarm about the horses’ whereabouts and the search began to generate publicity, Wedig started getting calls from horse advocates. He said he called Bauer, who told him Canuki and Cactus Cafe had shipped to Canada.

“I contacted the firm up there to purchase them back,” Wedig said. “It’s never been done, and it’s extremely hard.”

Wedig said he “can’t reveal” specifically what he did to retrieve the horses and said that when Bauer gave him Richelieu’s phone number, “at that time I didn’t know what it was.” Wedig said Richelieu was “very accommodating,” and he drove his trailer to Quebec to pick the horses up from a holding pen

The really sad part of the endless blathering of these mouthpieces is that some of the lemmings continue to follow them and their misinformation over the cliff.  None of them live in close proximity to the rescue they so ardently defend.  None of them have ever picked up a brush and helped care for the poor horses trapped on that barren dry lot.  The laugh disrespectfully about the FBI and joke about “calling Charlene.”  

Not one of them commented when Jennifer gave birth to a dead foal.  Any tears for her dead baby?  Any shock that Snuffy ran loose mounting mares for months before being gelded?

No tears, no remorse, no shock, just uneducated drama queens looking for the next person to blame their troubles on.  They’ve certainly secured their place on the Karma Bus.  It’s going to be delightful to see their reactions when it arrives.

###########

For the horses killed this week our hearts are heavy.  RIP dear souls. 



8/27/13

It's All About the Horse, Right?



Fantastic blog by Ray Paulick today, about another rule breaker racing at Penn National.  Please click on the link and read the article as well as the comments below the article.


Drugs were administered illegally, and as a result two horses from that racing barn were not allowed to race:

(From Ray’s article)

When questioned by the Paulick Report about why Strong Resolve and Side Party Ralph were listed in the Equibase charts as scratched by the stewards, the stewards deferred comment to the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission. They also wouldn’t comment on whether a hearing will be scheduled or a complaint filed against Trish Rogers. Multiple messages left by telephone and email with the racing commission have gone unanswered.

Twenty-four hours later, everything appeared to be business as usual. Kelly’s Endeavor romped by seven lengths at Penn National for Mike and Trish Rogers, and the following night they had another winner, Ninety Five South, who won his race by 4 1⁄4 lengths.

Rogers vehemently defends his wife’s actions:

“He had bled tremendously before,” said Rogers. “This BS that horses don’t bleed is insane. They actually bleed so much, they’re drowning. What she did was wrong, but all she was doing was trying to help the horse.”

Rogers said his wife “has never had a blemish on her record in 30 years. She’s worked very hard, and to have something like this happen is a bad call. She didn’t deserve that.”

And we just have to share these comments.  They really say it all:

Darlene Allison Anders Sanner
horse bleeds that badly it should not be racing

    LaraHa
                that's what i was thinking. so much for thinking of the horse first.

    ziggypop
That was my thought, exactly. The body is telling us something. Perhaps we need to stop the drugs and listen.

Cathy R
I have bad asthma and get chronic sinus and lung infections....Can I stay home from work?

 slewcat        
That depends on you. However if your bleeding internally and I was your boss, I would suggest you going to Hershey Medical Center ASAP. Am sure the Doctors there wouldnt permit you to try out for the 440 meter time trails in 2 hours.

Beach
Yes, if your work involves running a mile or so around a track. Trust me--you'll probably code without medication, which could be illegal for this "work". Thus, it's probably better to find some other work. You can make that choice for yourself, the horse cannot. I'd bet he should be retired, and perhaps someone with decency and compassion will find the right decent and compassionate home for him. My prayers are with him.

The comments are painfully accurate.  This horse should not be racing.  Our racing industry is broken, but those words have been screamed by many and the fix is not appearing on the horizon.

Just a few days ago, we released shipping documents for Brian Moore, who lives a few scant miles from Penn National.  The documents revealed that 11% of the horses Moore ships are thoroughbreds.  And while we can only speculate where he collects all those thoroughbreds from, Penn Gaming has a zero tolerance policy for race horses to be shipped to slaughter.

Yet it goes on and on.  Remember Prince Michael a few weeks ago?


The “agent” for the owner of Prince Michael was allowed to resign.  The owner appears to have avoided any punishment.  On Saturday, August 17th, Thomas McKay’s filly Wild Imagination finished second in a $15,000 claiming race.  A quick Google search shows he’s racing horses regularly.


In some cases thoroughbreds end up in the broker owned programs.  They are often unidentified to protect the people who dumped them in the hands of the horse meat brokers.  These groups are just as guilty of facilitating the broken system and allowing the trainers/owners to break the rules, all of whom continue on a lucrative course at the expense of the horses.

Where is the accountability?  What value is the zero tolerance policy?  How many of Penn National's race horses are ending up on the truck to Canada?

8/21/13

The Shipping Details of Brian Moore, Horse Kill Buyer



Here is the long promised analysis of the shipping paperwork of Brian Moore, kill buyer and horse dealer from Jonestown, Pennsylvania.  While the most recent information was requested, it is difficult to be sure of some of the shipping dates as Moore seems to submit paperwork that isn’t dated, by and large, and apparently the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is unbothered by that detail.


(you’ll need to download it and it’s a large file)

The sobering note is, that these 790 pages of paperwork document the slaughterhouse deaths of 7,140 equines.

Rest in peace.

Of those 7,100 plus horses, only 18 were documented as ponies.

38 were gray horses.  That translates into 1% of the horses Moore ships.

153 were documented as drafts, which is 2% of his shipping numbers.

The number of Thoroughbreds he’s shipping is significant.  He listed 800.  That amounts to 11% of what he ships.

Most folks know Moore and other local kill buyers have their direct to kill pens – the horses that come off that backside and never get run through auctions.  And Moore’s farm is in very close proximity to Penn National.  Of course not all of those TBs came directly off the track, but considering Penn Gaming’s zero tolerance policy, makes you wonder how many did, doesn’t it?

A few other things of note.  We’ve all heard dozens of times that once the horses are tagged and on the manifest, they cannot be pulled off.  In this particular case there are numerous cases where a horse is listed, then a line is put through the listing and it says “not on the load.”  Take a look at pages 476, 505, 546, 629, 638, 709, 713 – and there are others.

On page 534 they slipped in a page from Leroy Baker.  Note he shipped a mustang, and four horses listed on his load didn’t get shipped.

Now it’s possible these horses were rejected at the border, but it certainly belies the assertion that they are absolutely gone once tagged, or written up – you know the mantra.  We can’t be sure why those horses were removed from the load.

So repeat after me --- Brian Moore doesn’t ship ponies to slaughter, especially minis, week after week after week as the broker owned programs are telling you.  And he rarely ships gray horses – one in one hundred.  Very few drafts are shipped by him – two out of a hundred.

What he does like is the big, healthy, beefy quarter horses.  And lots of horses listed in the “other” category, which is likely a lot of Standardbreds and Paints, breeds of good flesh and less bone.  The horses you never see on the broker owned pages.  Consigned to their deaths without a chance because they are healthy and will yield lots of good meat.

Lots of thoughts swirl through your head after looking over the documentation.   But horse dealers are horse dealers, right?  Some folks call them unwanted horses, but for these dealers they are very much wanted, and will make good use of them, dead or alive.