Some very distressing news was brought to our attention this week about the death of at least 16 horses in Spain owned by a British woman called Suzy Jenkins.  These horses have been kept on scrubland and it is reported that they have died of starvation.  The links below give more information about this very disturbing matter and some even more distressing photographs.

We sold several horses some years ago to The Singing Stud for their breeding herd and they have onward sold a number of our "babies" in a large batch of horses to Sue Jenkins about 3 years ago who at the time lived in Gloucestershire.  She subsequently moved all the horses to Spain where this dreadful neglect has happened.

We have been in tears about this dreadful suffering and are trying to make contact to see if we can bring any surviving Holme Trakehners in the group back to UK and nurse them back to health.  

14th August 2008

We do not have much more news other than we now have a list of the names of our horses that were sold to Suzy Jenkins

Holme Grove Laluna (HG Solomon/HG Liebe)
Holme Park Serene  (HG Solomon/HP Schakara)
Holme Park Suleika  (HP Krug/ HP Schakara)  - Dead
Holme Grove Dior     (HP Krug/HG Donauwoge - her last foal in the year she had 2 colic surgeries and the foal survived!) - Dead
Holme Park Veuve    (HG Prokofiev/HP Velvet) - Dead
Holme Grove Boizel  (HG Prokofiev/HG Barbarella) - Dead
Holme Grove Galaxy (HG Istanbul/HG Genesis) - Dead

I am informed by Marleen that the Spanish authorities will not release any of the horses to return to UK.  The RSPCA are involved and the biggest thing they need to secure is that the Spanish authorities will allow the surviving horses to live as the normal procedure in cases like this is to put all the horses to sleep!  When I get more news I will let you know.

Thank you so much to everyone who has emailed me with offers of support including offers to transport horses or give them a home.  Believe me if there is anything that can be done we will do it. 

***

Latest news received (14/08/08) from a German Freelance journalist called Maren Jonasdofsky :-

15th August 2008  -  I have now been supplied a full list of the names of the horses who have died - unbelievable!

List of Dead Horses !

Full list of Trakehner horses in Spain

28th August 2008

Progress is very slow at the moment due to holidays in Spain for the whole of August - we hope that in September we can make progress with the Authorities.  Antonio of the CACMA is still working hard to ensure that food and veterinary attention reaches the horses although he is not allowed to see the horses personally.  He has to be careful not to antagonize the Guardia as there is still the risk of the surviving horses being PTS. The CACMA is a charity and desperately requires donations to help to continue to support the horses until they can be moved from Spain.  There are still about 36 surviving Trakehners who we are hopeful will be saved from this nightmare with Suzy Jenkins.

There was a small article in Horse and Hound last week but nothing compared to the enormity of this tragedy.  I have spoken again to Horse and Hound and they have kindly agreed to give this more publicity and appeal for support.  There is now a new editorial on the Horse and Hound Website and you may have indeed found your way to this page from their link.

I have also had lengthy conversations with Lesley Aitken in Devon who together with family and friends offered to help and took care of some of Suzy Jenkins horses last year at their farms in Devon after they had been alerted to the state of the horses in Gloucestershire.  Suzy delivered 16 of them in a dreadful state early summer 2007   By November 2007 and a summer at grass these horses had recovered and were round and healthy.  Mrs Jenkins then announced she was taking all her horses to Spain and despite the pleading of Lesley and family and friends not to take them they could do nothing to stop the horses leaving.  They tried to buy some but were told they would be £12,000 each !  Even though in the condition they arrived they were worth nothing.  Lesley called the RSPCA and then the  ILPH but they could do nothing.  The ILPH promised to monitor the horses when they went to Spain due to the 'At Risk' status - this does not appear to have happened and now 16 of over 50 horses that she took to Spain are dead !  What is the point in the ILPH if they cannot save horses?

One of the horses who had been brought back to health in Devon was Singing Holly shown below....... who is now dead.  (The photo on the left below shows Kim a Groom for The Singing Stud just after she backed Holly 3 years ago before she went to Jenkins).

Singing Holly by Holme Grove Prokofiev out of Holme Grove Hawaii

For those of you out there who wish to help we would appeal to you to send a donation.  Every pound will help !  If you are not sure how to transfer just a small amount of I know it would be easier for you to transfer funds to a UK account and I am therefore in the process of trying to set up a charitable account in UK with LLoyds TSB and will hope to publish the bank details very shortly.

If we are successful in getting the horses returned to the UK (Have no idea how long this will take or even when the horses would be well enough to travel)  the next project will be to find loving homes for the horses where they can be cared for and returned to full health.  This re-homing will probably be done under the control of the RSPCA but this is all still in negotiation.

If you wish to send your comments or offers of support then please email me at SusanAttew@holmetrakehners.com

8th September 2008

I have been receiving a lot of updates from Spain but no progress has been made.  Jenkins will no longer receive hay or feed from the CACMA and the only vet allowed onsite is the OCA (agriculture and farming authority) Vet.  As far as we know the horses are just receiving straw which will not help them to recover and become strong enough to travel. 

The donations that we are raising are still very valuable as will be used to feed the horses and look after them until they are well enough to travel once they are hopefully finally released to from Jenkins.

There is talk that more horses have died but I have no verification of this and do not know which ones.

Sorry we have no better news but look forward to the day that we can let you know that the horses are finally released and in safe hands.

Thank you

Susan.