I am in a strong position to review the Highveld Horse Care Unit’s value to equines in particular and society in general, having for 7 years shared the adoption of Thandi, their first rescuee.
In the late 1980s, when the Vereeniging SPCA rescued this little animal from pulling a coal cart, she
looked more like a shrivelled sheep than anything equine. Bev Seabourne, the then SPCA manager and her staff pitched in to do something about the crying need for more help in the area. Several years later, the Highveld Horse Care Unit had grown so big that it became a separate organisation with premises of its own.
In June 1990, they rescued a thin, injured 9-year-old mare (who looked like a worn-out coir door mat) from a situation which, I believe, would have killed her in a very short time. Although at rock bottom, she moved with pride and dignity. We adopted her and now, 22 years later, our bright chestnut Larkspur is still a loved and respected member of our family.
These are just two good-news stories of very, very many that the HHCU have helped to write. Yet the crying need remains, particularly in Lesotho and among the donkeys of South Africa. Knowing the Unit and its people as well as I do, I am certain that they will all keep working tirelessly and selflessly bring out the best in people and their animals, to the benefit of many, because compassion is contagious.
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