In a recent issue of the Floral Park Dispatch, the editorial “Decadent and Depraved” served as a voice for horses, speaking out against racing in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. This editorial continues the fight to just let horses be horses.
I recently went to Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard and Horse Rescue. It is the first vineyard on Sound Avenue and, aside from wine and a good time, it serves as a home to rescued horses.
After receiving an email about horse slaughter, Baiting Hollow’s co-owner Sharon Levine was compelled to protect these majestic creatures and realized that she could do more with her property than just grow grapes. Upon seeing an image of a 1½-year-old filly in a kill pen, Levine decided to begin rescuing them. That was in 2007. Today, Baiting Hollow has rescued more than four dozen horses, some of whom have been adopted after a thorough check to make sure the environment would be safe for the animal.
Visitors can come to the farm and ride the horses or go on a tour to learn about them. Four horses, Angel, Mirage, Savannah and Isis, have inspired horse rescue wines, which donate 100 percent of the proceeds to the horse rescue.
In a country where most people do not consume horse meat, Levine was shocked to learn that more than 250,000 American horses have been massacred to be served as delicacies in Europe.
When polled, about 80 percent of Americans stated that they were vehemently opposed to horse slaughter.
So, why does this country continue to race horses into the ground and kill them before they have the chance to live their lives? What ever happened to owning a horse for the love of caring for the animal or wanting to give it a better home and enough land to roam freely?
For those who oppose these views, and I know many of you do, I welcome your letters. But, the next time you look at your pet dog, cat or bird, an animal you love so much and consider part of your family, remember that horses are living creatures, too, still fighting for a place to call home and be left alone.
