Noir was found in a slaughter pen, waiting—although he didn’t know it—to be transported to Canada or Mexico where it is still legal to slaughter horses for food. A volunteer from New England Equine Rescue (NEER) spotted the black gelding. He was clearly bright. He had obviously been highly trained. And he also had sarcoids on his ear, sheath and chest. The presence of the sarcoids (cancerous growths) suggests the reason he was in the slaughter pen. Sarcoids are expensive to treat, difficult to cure and sometimes fatal. That an animal with sarcoids could even be considered as a food source, provides a peephole into that nasty world where horses are killed to provide “gourmet” meat to places on the globe where horsemeat is considered a delicacy.
NEER volunteers patrol the slaughter pens on bailout missions, looking for horses to save and hauling them into the rescue network. The black gelding was one of the lucky ones. Mary, his rescuer, called him The Trick Horse when she discovered that someone had taught him to bow, to beg and to rear on command and balance on his hind legs. That owner may have fallen on hard times and perhaps sold the horse to a new and less caring owner. His story will probably never be known. Horses in slaughter pens are acquired without disclosure, and fraud and misrepresentation are common.
Now with the new name of Noir and with half of his ear missing—a casualty of the sarcoid treatment—the little horse is regaining his health. When Noir “graduated” from a three-week stay at Myhre Equine Clinic, NEER declared him their poster boy and began searching for the right home and the right rider for him. They hope he is the horse to advertise their good work and generate support for it.
Last fall Noir’s show technique was buffed up with training by Alexandra Arthurs of Clearview Farm and international rider Tom Noone, and he appeared in a demonstration at a Mendon, Massachusetts show. Liz Russell was his rider. You can see their performance on www.youtube.com. Search on Liz and Noir.
NEER claims that no horse is safe from slaughter. Despite the closing of most horsemeat processing plants in the United States, more than 100,000 horses went to slaughter in 2008, and the numbers of animals headed down that road are increasing. According to USDA data, more than 90% of the horses slaughtered were sound and in good condition. Other shocking statistics from NEER are: 80% of the horses slaughtered are under age ten. 96% of those killed had no behavioral issues.
NEER, a federally recognized, all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit, is a branch of a nationwide equine rescue organization in the U.S. The organizations in this network are dedicated to providing direct intervention for horses that are abused or bound for slaughter. They assist in horse placement and through fundraising, actively support the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.
Volunteers often operate a sort of equine underground railway. People with an extra stall sometimes make 
room to foster a horse. Some folks in the NEER network who may lack stall space, keep emergency hay in their barns in case a local family falls on hard times and can’t afford to feed their horses. Volunteers network madly on behalf of rescued horses, transporting the animals from dangerous situations to safer ones. And sympathizers without the physical means to stable or foster the rescued horses, help with donations of hay, grain, medications, and money.
I spent most of last winter worrying about Noir, for Liz is my daughter and whether I wanted to hear the sad details or not, I listened to his ever-changing story. Now that spring is here, Liz has found a neighbor with an extra stall and Noir is only a few feet down the country road from Liz’s own barn. After she exercises and cares for her own horses, she heads down the road to do the same for Noir. Show season is coming. NEER’s poster boy has some good work to do.
Tags: Animal Rescue, Clearview Farm, equine rescue, Myrhe Equine Clinic, NEER, New England Equine Rescue, Tom Noone