On Saturday I received a call from a lady in the Oliver area that had rescued a small horse that had collapsed in front of their property. She and her husband went out and had to physically help the horse back onto her feet. The little mare was extremely emaciated and weak. They took the horse onto their property where over the last month they have nursed her back to health. Not being able to keep the horse they called me, Theresa Nolet , O.A.T.S Horse Rescue, which stands for One @A Time Success. With the generous help of Ken and Dawn from D-Bar-K ranch in Oliver we went up and took possession of the young mare which was named Tahini. Tahini will be available to be rehomed as soon as she is back up to full weight and health.

That is the happy part of this story, and Tahini is the lucky one. The sad part of this story is that once again the feral horses in the area of Oliver on the way to Mount Baldy are in horrific condition, virtually walking skeletons.This is so wrong on so many levels and yet this problem persists year after year. Why is this allowed? Is this really the picture the tourist industry wants to represent the Okanagan Valley? Is this the picture that the residents of Oliver and area want connected with them? It is high time someone addressed this issue once and for all.

What many people do not realize is that these horses, at least the ones that survive the winter, are rounded up in the fall of the year and sold for slaughter for human consumption overseas. This is cruelty from start to finish and it needs to end. Why is it that no one will take ownership of these horses when they are in distress but when money is to be made it is a different story?

Questions that need answers.