In our last newsletter I spoke about my pending meeting with Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black. I have since had that meeting and I must say that it was “informative”. Commissioner Black assured me that they have no immediate plans to close the Mansfield impound. That is a good thing. Other than that, I came away with the certain knowledge that those in the meeting had no idea how many thousands of dollars GERL contributes to their impound program each year, nor does that give us any right to question any of their policies. He told me that his department would be taking on a regulatory role with regard to equine neglect or abuse cases. The State inspectors would be turning their cases over to the County for prosecution and the DOA would be serving in an advisory role.

For the past 8 years I have put a lot of effort trying to in convince the Department of Agriculture to embrace and promote (or at least, read!) our Equine Get-Well Plan. During the meeting, I found out that they have their own agenda and I respect that. Although it has not happened in the way that I would have liked, I do see a lot of common ground in our respective goals for this program. Educating law enforcement and involving them in equine neglect and cruelty cases, is an example.

A week after the meeting I received an email from Mark Murrah, the Department of Agriculture Animal Protection/Equine Manager, letting me know that my request to have the inspectors do a follow-up visit on the horses sold at auction was denied. That had been one of my main reasons for requesting the meeting. I was disappointed by their decision but will cling to the Serenity Prayer as I “accept those things I cannot change”. He said that their legal department had confirmed that they have no legal authority to  perform the inspections and that they had redrafted their contract to reflect this. He also said that they will investigate any legitimate complaint alleging that the equines are not receiving humane care.

On a more uplifting note, I was recently pleased to receive an invitation, along with 5 other equine leaders around Georgia, from Dr. Cobb, the GDA State Veterinarian, inviting us to participate on a new Equine Health Advisory Committee. This committee would meet several times a year for the purpose of generating recommendations that address Georgia equine issues and needs, current regulatory concerns and future industry direction. Currently, Equine Infectious Anemia; Equine Piroplasmosis; Temporary Coggins Reports; Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVI); Extended Equine CVI; and Animal Identification are hot topics that need discussion. The goal is to establish a plan and be prepared to do what is best for the Georgia equine industry. I accepted his invitation and am honored to be a part of this important panel.

I must remind myself since my meeting with the Commissioner, that the many things GERL does for the GDA is not all that we do for horses in Georgia. While we have worked very hard since our inception to support the GDA impound program, we also maintain a very active foster care program of our own in which we rescue, rehabilitate and find homes for many horses with a variety of needs. GERL has changed in a number of ways over the 10 years I have served as President. It seems that, as time has passed, we have more and more of our eggs in the GDA basket. I realize that I cannot control or influence the decision-making that goes on with a government entity, nor do I wish to. GERL has other programs and goals that don’t necessarily have anything to do with the GDA and let me say this about that…I expect there will be a shift in the amount of energy and attention we will expend in the future to obtain those goals!