Friday Morning Feed from Ovation

Each Friday we give a Standing Ovation to an individual or organization that is working to make a difference in the horse world. This week, we honor the Equine Rescue Network.

Equine Rescue Network is an electronic network of equine advocates working together to help slaughter-bound, neglected and abandoned horses in the United States. ERN’s Equine Protection Registry provides protection for horses that are microchipped and registered in its database.

Janine Jacques, founder of ERN, explains, “Being a horse person, you probably understand how a horse can be valued one day and wind up at a meat auction the next… I see nice horses, once loved by someone, now lost in the system of horse auctions then to slaughter.

“I have a MBA, MSCIS and Ph.D in computer science, and FINALLY have put my education to good use and designed a database and process to help slaughter-bound, neglected, lost and abandoned horses,” she explains. “The Equine Protection Registry allows owners to microchip and register their horse in our database.”

ERN has a vast network of individuals, volunteers and animal control offers who scan for microchips. If a microchip is found on slaughter-bound, neglected or abandoned horse, ERN is notified so that it can search for a match in its database. If a match is found the previous owners are notified and, until they can be reunited with their horse, the ERN will often provide funds to temporarily remove the horse from harm’s way.

“We store five emergency contact numbers for each horse PLUS the medical history. If a horse has received Phenylbutazone (bute), they are prohibited from slaughter. If the horse has the microchip, we have evidence that the horse is unfit for human consumption — and therefore worthless to kill-buyers.

“But a record in a database doesn’t solve the problem. What solves the problem is our unique network of volunteers that scan auction and slaughter-bound horses. If a horse is found lost, neglected, abandoned or reported stolen, we are notified and post notice to our ERN followers who share through the social media.”

Here’s one example of an Equine Rescue Network success story:

So, how can you support the movement? From EquineRescueNetwork.com:

Learn more by visiting the website here, and be sure to join ERN’s 200,000 followers on Facebook here.

Go Equine Rescue Network, and Go Ovation!

If you know someone who deserves a Standing Ovation, we would love to recognize them in a future post. Email the name of the person or organization along with a message about the good work they do to [email protected]. Photos/videos are always welcome, and include a link to their website if applicable.