Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

I've never doubted the compassion of our young generations!
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2018/0 ... o-students

Nice .

What a great deed these kids have done. Beautiful story! In the '60's an older brother of mine worked with the great Northern Dancer at Windfield's Farm. Thanks for sharing.

i have to laugh when i read great great great great grandson of northern dancer.....with the advent of AI and shipping semen there are literally hundreds (if not more) foals and fillys out of northern dancer - in fact when i was at guelph vet college we AI'd at least 10 mares with semen from one of his sons LOL. it is a great feel good story.

I thought thoroughbreds had to be bred live cover only? A friend of mine worked at Windfields in the early 2000s. we used to go up and see the foals (Dance Smartly was there one time). We got to see how its done, complicated and risky as far as I could tell! I hope nobody is offended but one guys job was to wash with disinfectant the stallions penis. I would not like to be that close to those hooves on a hyped up male!

Its a great story but lots of rescues end right back at the slaughter house. Feeding and boarding a horse is very expensive, just feeding is very expensive plus vet bills often people don't think of that and he could easily live for another 10 years. Sorry but I'd sooner rescue a youngster and give them a chance.

Nice story but not a fan of horse "rescues" I wish horses were treated more like livestock and less like pets. I've had horses for 44 yrs and my first horse is buried in my backyard. I have 3 of the beasties out back right now. I love them. But, 18 with arthritis? Maybe his owner felt that it was time for his over 1000 lbs body to be put to different use by feeding somebody. Just my 2 cents.

With all the medications that go into horses in general, and racehorses in particular, I sincerely hope he wasn't destined for the meat market.
I have zero qualms about eating horse meat if from a horse raised with that purpose in mind, and I don't feel any worse for horses waiting for slaughter than I do for more 'socially acceptable' food animals.
That said, I know most people in N.America view horses as pets/companion animals, and are appalled by the notion that one might be lined up for the bolt gun or hung in a cooler, and it always warms my heart to see young people find a cause they're passionate about and see it through. I'm really surprised, and a little disappointed, that with all the funds and support these wonderful people raised to "rescue" this horse, that NOBODY offered to give him a home. Not one person wants to 'charitably donate' a stall and a little bit of pasture for an animal that has (presumably) earned his retirement? He could live another 12 years or more, which means his medical costs alone could run into hundreds of thousands. He will be a charity case for the rest of his life, and rescue (a.k.a. reseller) dollars are already stretched thin. Most horse lovers are at or over capacity for what they have money and time for, and simply cannot take on just one more, and animals are bounced around like luggage until they end up right back in the place they were rescued from, with even more medical needs and bad behaviours, which I find more heartbreaking than if they'd just been left to face the butcher in the first place.

About 40% of all registered thoroughbreds today have Northern Dancer in their pedigree. He was an exceptional horse and an exceptional sire, in that he passed along specific traits that made for winning foals. Some triple crown winners and other very good horses did not consistently pass on those genes to their foals.

Second, there is a place for horse slaughter. I just erased a whole bunch of stuff telling why, but there is a time and reason to make this the thing to do for the animal and for the owner.

I agree nice story, good job to the students, but does not sound like thy really thought it through, since they don't have a long term plan for the animal. I know nothing about horses but carrying for an 18 year old horse with arthritis can't be cheap. If done humanely I have no issue of horse going to slaughter just like other livestock. I bought this last week in Ottawa Byward Market.