Tuesday's Horse

Nov. 2, 2004

 

Arrival, Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Vivian Farrell and volunteer Pam Bertsch arrived at Lone Star Park, Wednesday, October 27, where we received a warm welcome from Eugene Joyce, Assistant General Manager. We set up the table and got the banner raised. It was a poignant moment to see the words "Remember Ferdinand" emblazoned across it and really brought it home not only to Pam and Vivian, but also to the staff assisting us. Thank you to Allana Kereluk of ReRun who produced the beautiful and emotive graphics for us and The Exhibit Group/Giltspur who helped us with the banner stand.

Day One, Thursday, October 28, 2004

Manning the tables on Day One were Vivian Farrell and Pam Bertsch for The Fund for Horses; Cile Holloway for the Texas Humane Legislation Network; and Shelley Sawhook for The American Horse Defense Fund. Attendance was lighter than anticipated so we had a quiet day (compared to what was to follow!). We were able to speak at length with the people who stopped by, but the highlight of the day had to be the gambler who came to be known to us as the 10% man. He walked quickly up to the table, thanked us for being there and threw down a $100 bill. He said he would be back and would be donating 10% of all his winnings. He stayed true to his word, and was a frequent visitor all three days.

Day Two, Friday, October 29, 2004

Day Two attendance was significantly higher. Volunteering at the table were Vivian Farrell for The Fund for Horses; Anne Coller for The Texas Humane Legislation Network; Shelley Sawhook for The American Horse Defense Fund; and Sherrilyn Flick for Just Say Whoa. We had a steady stream of visitors throughout the day, but it was also a busy media day. Corey Johnson, President of Lone Star Park congratulated us on the good job we were doing, and Breeders Cup President D. G. Van Clief thanked us for being there. Vivian gave interviews to numerous publications. She also spoke with NBC Sports and Channel 4 Racing from England. The jockeys were also very supportive and told us to keep the pressure on. We were delighted when top jockey Chris McCarron made an appearance at our table when racing was over. A quiet man, we could see he was deeply touched by what we were doing as he talked with our volunteers, glancing up from time to time at the "Remember Ferdinand" banner standing high above.

Day Three, Saturday, October 30, 2004

It was all hands on deck for the big day. Joining Vivian and Anne were Gail Vacca for The National Horse Protection Coalition; Dr. Lydia Gray, DVM for HAHS; Nancy Scott for CANTER; and Kelly Young for Lost and Found Rescue. From the moment the gates opened at 9:00 a.m. we were deluged with visitors. Among them were racegoers as well as breeders and owners from all over the world. We stood and talked with many of the thousands of people who stopped by our table, sharing with them their feelings and answering questions. Considering the amount of materials we brought, by the end of the day there was hardly anything left.  It was an incredibly successful day.

Departure, Day Four, Sunday, October 31, 2004

Pam and Vivian returned to the racecourse to take everything down. Pam kept any remaining leaflets to distribute to Dallas area businesses. We went up to the Executive Suite to say goodbye and thank everyone there. Corey Johnson once again expressed how good we were to work with and Eugene Joyce thanked us and commented that he looked forward to working with us again.

WHAT WE LEARNED

 

The most enlightening lesson from tabling at this event was that this is not just a woman's issue as is so often portrayed. There were just as many men who visited our table, and they were obviously deeply moved by this issue. Although there were many misty eyes around during the three days, the actual tears that were shed were by men. One gentleman was so overwhelmed that he had to be consoled right at the table until he recovered enough to be gently led away by his wife.

The other lesson we learned was how many people, particularly area residents, still do not know about this issue. Many would grab a flyer and walk off, only to stop a few steps away, visibily stunned to read that horse slaughter exists in this country. A large number of them would come back and say that this has to be stopped and thank us for being there and bringing this issue to public attention.

It was also brought home to us how committed the thoroughbred industry is to this issue. As top thoroughbred trainer Nick Zito put it, "It's not right. It's just not right."

It meant a lot to people that we were there. They not only thanked us for being there, but also commented that they felt it was highly significant that we were invited to raise awareness right there in the race park.

WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED

 

We reached thousands of people who did not know that horse slaughter exists. We signed up hundreds of new people to support federal legislation to ban horse slaughter.  We discussed the issue in depth with people who wanted to know what they could do to get horse slaughter stopped. We got the issue out to the media.

 

Racegoers from all over the country and outside commented to us that they sat around talking just as much about the horse slaughter issue as the horses that were running that day, and that it was also being talked about all over the racecourse.  They also added that instead of being a detraction from the racing, it actually made people feel that they were participating in an event put on by an industry who actually cared what happened to their horses, and this made them feel good about it.

 

Vivian also overheard the horse slaughter issue being talked about by many of the passengers on her flight home from Dallas to Houston.  When they found out that she was on board, they all gave her a cheer!

OUR APPRECIATION

 

Thank you so much to our members who supported us with their donations and well wishes. Thank you to the incredible crew of volunteers who donated their time and resources and who worked so hard and reached so many people. Thank you to Mike Shaw, Deputy Chief of Police and his officers for their support, who kept an eye out for us, many of them making donations and signing up for Action Alerts so they can continue to help.

Last and certainly not least, a big Texas thank you to Lone Star Park and the Breeders Cup who gave us this wonderful opportunity and then ensured that we had everything we needed to make it such a big success.  Their incredible staff made us feel like part of the family and we are always gracious regardless of how busy they were in the midst of putting together this huge event.