Our Mission

Phuket Horse Rescue Seeks to Remedy Abuse and Neglect in Horses Used Commercially.
Phuket Island, Thailand.

At this time, there are no laws protecting horses, or any animals in Thailand, from abuse or neglect. There are NO minimum standards for horse owners, no land requirements, nothing.

Currently, PHR cares for 4 horses and is seeking help in establishing itself as a registered charity within Thailand.

At this time, PHR CANNOT accept monetary donations as it is not a registered charity.

Volunteer visiting equine experts are needed for dentistry, hoof trimming, (correct tools needed too!) diagnosis, advice and support !

The conditions in Thailand that many animals are forced to endure are sickening. In the winter and spring of 2006 , I witnessed and took pictures over several months at an "upscale" beach rental stable and at its breeding farm, ( now closed ) of grotesquely neglected and seriously ill horses, pictures that would make you cry - and that in the US or Great Britain would land the proprietor in jail and unable to ever own horses again. Everything from feeding cow food, filthy water buckets, and festering in wounds to a foal unable to stand rotting on a stall floor and a seriously ill gelding literally starving to death and unable to walk because of hooves distorted from neglect.

The rental stable has improved somewhat from that time though the management practice of nepotism is still in place.

A lack of compassion for animals is prevalent in the general Thai public. For instance, tigers are allowed to be kept in grossly inedequate, department store zoos. Baby elephants are routinely beaten so as to be subdued and their mothers killed. Next time you pay to take a picture of a cute baby elephant surfing at Bang Tao Beach, ask where its mother is.

This is a side to Thailand that is not advertised or readily visible to tourists and we strongly urge any visitors to please, DO NOT patronize any kind of animal attractions including zoos or elephant camps and particularly, the beach horse rental stables.

"Horse Family"

Philosophy

Horses deserve quality of life and that includes space to move and opportunities to be horses. At PHR, they are kept in a natural manner on a two rai plot ( 3200 Sq. meters). Allowed to mingle 24 hours a day, they are NEVER locked into stalls except at feeding times and are encouraged to move about their shelter and field as much as possible. The two lame horses, Angie and Siam, benefit mostly from this as they do not ever experience stiffness that so many horses suffer from with traditional, locked in cells most of the time- horse keeping practices.

How this cruel habit of incarceration remains acceptable with people that honestly love horses, is a complete mystery to me.

Barefoot trims are performed on hooves as needed and there are patches about the exercise field of varying grades of gravel to provide a naturally abrasive footing. It is found the hooves are self cleaning and rarely suffer fungal infections.

In keeping with a natural philosophy, horses at PHR are not shod. Equine hooves pump blood with every step they take which is yet another reason to not confine horses in stalls for any length of time.

Many vets received training before it was known just how important hooves are to the circulatory system and thus may be ill trained about one of a horse's important functions.

It is shown that horses onto whose hooves are hammered metal plates can suffer up to 30 % reduction in blood pressure. The rubbery frog, like a bellows- pumps blood but a shod horse never gets it close to the ground.

The natural flexibility and shock absorbency is severely curtailed. Furthermore, joints, tendons and bones suffer undue stress because the natural thin wedge shape is purposely reshaped into a thicker brick to facilitate nails.

I realize most find this view radical. I ask they consider that shoeing is still acceptable, nurtured into prevalancy because it takes at least nine months for a new, undamaged hoof to grow in- trimmed correctly. Most are not willing to have use of a horse restricted for that length of time. Restrictive laws in GB, EU and US intent on protection by forbidding horseowners to trim hooves themselves- further reinforce the practice.

I plead to anyone who may doubt the damage chronic shoeing causes to consider this essay by a former farrier..

http://www.yourhorsecare.com/the_unfettered_foot.pdf

The Horses


Lamburg....

....A gelding, is a Little-Brown-Horse, though really pony-sized and is a Dark Bay with a bushy mane and generous tail. Probably a Thai and western mixed-breed, he is a perfectly formed little horse. Born around 2001 in Phuket, long time local horse-people tell me his first name was Beauty.

I met Lamburg and seeing he was miserable and wanting to save him from future rentals, purchased him on February 15, 2005 and continued boarding him at a stable near Bang Tao beach. It was a year later after I came to Thailand to reside permanently that I came to notice the lack of care and compassion the horses endured.

One day the stable manager bragged to me about Lamburg,

" He'll eat anything, pizza, beer- anything we give him!"

He is healthy and energetic but was taught to bite by a prior owner. He also was encouraged to develop other badly aggressive manners but he is much improved after almost 3 years of loving, non-threatening care. He has some dressage and jumping skills and is quite lively to ride. Under 60 kilos is his weight limit.

Lamburg was a beach rental pony for many years at two different stables. He wore a bitted bridle and ill fitting saddle and bridle while entertaining oversized tourists for hours every day. However, no one ever noticed that he misbehaves and hates the bit as it is painful because of an extra " wolf " tooth. Turns out Lamburg is a well mannered mount under just a halter. He was also mis-saddled at some point and bears the scar on his spine from that misfortune so has a permanent sensitivity to saddling. Lamburg would love to have a "treeless" ( soft, not rigid form) saddle that fits him properly.

Lamburg can have an allergy to the dust or mold in old hay. First, his eyes will water, then he'll start coughing. If he's allowed continued access to the hay, he'll begin to have difficulty breathing which he shows by propping a forefoot up on a rail in an effort to get air into his lungs. We keep a shot of antihistamine around just in case it ever gets life threatening. So, if he starts showing symptoms, Lamburg's hay needs to be soaked in water for an hour and he has to be kept away from the other horse's hay. Luckily, fresh, clean hay has been available lately so he's allowed free-range to be the alpha-male of our small herd.

He loves all treats but gains weight easily so just small amounts, please. Bannanas are his favorite.

Siam...

...Is a very handsome, leggy and big Thoroughbred gelding with an obvious Arabian influence. His colouring is a rare Strawberry Cream Roan and he has a forehead star and silky blondish mane and tail. His forelock is very long and from the way he peeks out from behind it, his nickname is Pretty-Boy.

He was born around 2003 and was used for racing but probably,like most racehorses, was trained before he finished growing and because he is so big, possibly the pelvis joints did not form properly so now it seems he cannot lock his hips. If he falls asleep without parking his rear end against support, he gradually begins sliding back until he loses his balance and wakes up with a start.

He also sustained a back injury and has a problem with a rear leg as there is no portable x ray on Phuket, not sure of the exact injuries, but I've never seen him buck and all together, walks rather clumsily and can fall easily, especially on uneven terrain. His gait seems to normalize though, when he wants to run. Even if Siam is able to carry a rider, for safety, he probably never should.

Siam was rescued from a Nai Yang beach rental stable, since closed, where

he was leased to unwary tourists in his crippled, unstable and dangerous condition. Still, he ran like the wind.

A caring English/German couple bought him out of that situation and have entrusted his care to PHR.

He is a very good boy and is quite well mannered on a lead, but may threaten to bite if he feels you've intruded upon him without invitation- usually it is just bluster.

Siam loves bannanas too but because he's already an energetic young Arabian/ Thoroughbred, sweet treats are restricted to just mornings.

Beautiful-Girl...

...Is a sweet tempered Chestnut with a broad blaze, probably mixed Thoroughbred mare. Just barely a horse at 14 1/2 hands, she was born around 2002. Not much is known about her beginnings, but in early 2006 she was found languishing, untrained in a stall and was about to be sent to breed at the nearby stud farm where the conditons were appalling.( This is where the sick horses were sent to keep their neglect from public view, it closed about a year later.)

Reportedly, at one time she was tied up and sustained head injuries when she tried to break away, this may be why she is blind in the right eye, has nerve damage on the top of head and exhibits some signs of neurological dysfunction. An untrained wild child-

she spent most of her developmental stage locked in a stall with no exercise. When at first allowed into a paddock, it seemed she did not know how to run properly. Perhaps from this abusive neglect, her pasterns are slung flat.

She cannot be enclosed or restrained in any way or suffers panic attacks though is halter trained, but barely. Somewhat of a Savant, she can undo any gate latch that isn't tied shut.

Because of her blindness, Beautiful-Girl has the most endearing way of looking at you with a sideways tilt of the head. She is very loving and the only horse here that doesn't occasionally try to bite. Just stay away when she's eating as she's got a nasty round-house punch with the rear foot and remember she can't see you if you're on her right side,

so watch out, she can slam you with her head or her 400 kilogram body might run you over... Schwham!

Angie...

...Like Siam, is a Strawberry Roan and became so instantly attached to Siam upon his arrival that I wonder if she might be his mother! Her mane is a slightly redder shade than his but when viewed together, they look very much alike.

She doesn't like to be touched by other horses and has the most hideous bellow," Weeeow, don't touch me!"

Born around 1994, she's a small Thoroughbred horse but from the brandings and location of spur and whip marks was raced at least for a short time. Most likely she was bred many times.

Angie has a bad habit called cribbing; biting on surfaces that is changing the shape of her teeth. The rescue desperately needs expert dentistry help to deal with this before she can no longer chew food properly which can lead to many digestive problems and colic, even death.

She was found in the same beach rental stable,

also rotting in a stall, ( for how many years?) filthy, covered in mange and so severely depressed from inactivity, she didn't react to anything. When I asked her name, I was told, " Bad Skin."

Angie has a chronically swollen rear leg due to lymphangitus that swells even more under stress. Her left front ankle joint is calcified from arthritis and is so rigidly fixed, she cannot trot properly though I have seen her turn it on and gallop for fun on rare occasions.

Angie's mate, Khun-Phan died last September and the next morning she was down, laying on her bad side with the leg severely swollen. She seemed to not want to go on. A call was made that if she didn't get up by nightfall, we would ask her if she wanted to be put down.. But with some IV fluids, she soon got up, deciding to live and was strong enough to spend some time roaming purposefully around the field looking for Khun-Phan.

Next to Angie's stall at the rental stable was Khun-Phan and he was the one who started it all...

Khun-Phan...

..Was a loving, affectionate gigantic Draft/Standardbred gelding who hobbled over one day

and by putting his muzzle in my hand, asked me to help him.

He was the identical twin of Lamburg, only literally twice the size!

Sadly, horribly Khun Phan passed away September 20, 2007. His memorial page has more detail on his life and death but he too was rotting, confined in a stall.

Lame, his front hooves were severely chipped and mishapen from laminitus. The previous year untrained staff had clipped them so short, they bled.

He recovered from this atrocious care and was on a special diet for laminitus, possibly on his way to soundness when he died quite unexpectedly from what is thought to have been an intestinal rupture.

I have cried at least once a day since, thinking of his lost life, how happy he was and missing him terribly and think I always will..

It is because, and for Khun Phan's Memory, that Phuket Horse Rescue is formed.

About Myself.

My name is Christy Sweet and am American though as an Air Force Officer's Brat, grew up all over the world. My father was stationed in Thailand flying fighter jets as an honorary member of The Royal Thai Air Force.

I learned to ride at the Bangkok Polo Club when it was owned by Mrs. Rhodes and spent many a day on rental ponies at Pattaya beach, bearing the squashed baby toe of a flip-flop clad rider.

After moving to England where I continued lessons at a Banbury Cross stable, my time with horses came to an abrupt end due to the death of my father. My family and I moved immediately back to the US and settled in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.. Though I rode sporadically throughout my teens and early adulthood, horses were not part of my life.

After some real estate investments payed off I decided to move to a country where I could afford to board a horse and thus I came to own Lamburg.

But I could not ignore the conditions the stable provided its own horses and so I purchased ( for top money,) three more and began paying to board to ensure their care.

I believe because I complained incessantly about the conditions I witnessed, I was evicted with 4 day notice. I threatened to send pictures to every animal welfare organization and local newspaper unless I was given 30 days to find another property. I was. ( But sent the pics off anyway !)

I rented a property with a small home to live in and built a stable.

I had no previous experience caring for horses other that a pony camp stint 34 years earlier. But with the help of the internet and a wonderful natural-horse care discussion group, soon learned enough to provide a healthy and natural environment for the herd. I also seem to be unable to say no to needy cats and so

the property is also a sanctuary for about 11 felines. Thai cats are unusually affectionate and do not shed. Lately there are a few refugee roosters escaped from the Cock-Fighting neighbors.

Feb 20, 2008

Paid Staff Needed

  • Thai National Expert groom (full time)

  • Thai Nationals Only; Handyman/Gardener (weekly basis)

Volunteer Staff Needed

  • Equine experts desperately needed for training , dentistry, hoof trimming, (correct tools needed too!) diagnosis, advice, etc..

  • Lawyer to prepare documents to apply for Charitable Foundation Status.

  • Thai translator to help procure hay, feed and other supplies with no "Farang" Tax.

  • EXPERIENCED grooms. Please note: riding on and actually caring for horses are two very different things.

  • Horse sitters, no contact necessary.

  • Picketeers and letter writers to pressure existing rental stables into better treatment of horses and lobby for national legislature to protect their welfare.

    At this time there are no laws protecting horses from abuse or neglect, NO standards of minimum care or facilities.

Wish List

  • Visiting equine experts needed for dentistry, hoof trimming, injury diagnosis, advice,support. Bringing various remedies and tools in would be much appreciated. Anyone have portable X Ray ?

  • Pangola or any grass hay.

  • Barley or horse feed. Metavite ( Australia) X-tra Cool is best. CP 001 Race Horse feed (Thai) is OK.

  • One handed hoof-nippers, trim knife. Pete Ramey Do-it-yourself hoof trimming instructional DVD's

  • Files for teeth, mouth speculum.

  • Antisceptics: Povidine concentrate,( Betadine ), Iodine tincture, Gentian Violet.

  • Imaverol concentrate, Malaseb foam ( available in local vet clinics) or other fungicidal skin remedies. Shampoos, mane and tail conditioner.

  • KoperTox ( Copper napthenate) for hoof fungus. Apple-cider Vinegar, Chlorine dioxide (CL2, aka " White Lightening") Magnesium Sulphate ( Epsom salts ). Hoof soaking boots.

  • De-wormers, Panacur ( Fenbendazol ) and Eqvalan ( Ivermectin ). Both needed on 6 week rotational basis.

  • 2 wheeled, tilting wheelbarrow. Assorted rakes, brooms, buckets.

  • Plain bleach, Dettol disinfectant.

  • Plastic brushes for grooming.

  • Mosquito netting.

  • Nails. 4 inch diameter tree railings or planks to repair stable, fences. Barbed wire.

  • 1/2 inch cotton rope.

  • Water storage tank.

  • Untreated wood shavings or shredded coconut husk for bedding.

  • Nagasunt fly repellent power (available at drug stores).

  • Sterile cotton, rubbing alcohol, 20 ml syringes, 18 gauge needles, 5 inch wide, rolled bandaging.

  • Antibiotics, Powdered Glucosamine. Powdered calcium, magnesium, phosphorous supplement 2:1:1/4 ratio. Please, just powders needed as ground up tablets may contain added adhesives that can cause blockages within intestines.

  • A Taxi-Ride to SuperCheap. ( Best discount venue on Phuket ! )

  • Truck or car. Any wreck will do!

  • Any style home on land, 2-5 Rai with a 3-10 year lease ( or just land) with MONTHLY payment. Near an uncrowded beach, Phuket, Krabi, Phang-Nga, etc..Please, no busy roads to cross.

  • A date (or more) with Marcus Schenkenberg