I know that one should not eavesdrop – or ‘pick up stompies’ as they say in SA, but living in a backyard stable with my mates, it is impossible not to listen in. One day, the news I overheard brought joy to my heart and a great feeling of relief. I just have to let you know what Cart Horse Protection Association has planned for our protection.
My name is Sultan – aka Push the Button - on account of the bump on my nose caused by an old injury. For the past week, I have been a guest at CHPA’s Epping clinic site receiving five star treatment from the Cart Horse team. Shortly, I will be moving to the Recovery & Rehabilitation Centre which I hear is heaven for horses! There, I expect to meet old friends and spend my days lazing and grazing in a spacious paddock, and nights in a comfortable stable.
We all hate bad drivers, none more so than us cart horses. To be fair, there are good owners and drivers, but as in any group, one finds ‘bad apples’. In this case, most of the culprits are drivers. They arrive in the morning, harness us up without permission from the owner, and use us for thieving, or collecting refuse which they dump illegally. As if this were not enough, they overload, drive at top speed all day with no let up, and show total disrespect for us and other road users.
I fell victim to these ‘bad apples’, but thanks to the Cart Horse team, my story has a happy ending. One day, just past midday, after working at break neck speed from early morning with no rest, sweat was running down my legs and pooling at my feet during too brief robot stops. I was totally exhausted… kept on my feet only by the shafts. With huge relief I saw the Cart Horse bakkie and horse box approaching. Inspector 
Karin Bothma immediately realised there was something wrong and stopped the driver.
Karin unhitched me from the cart when I fell to the ground, my legs no longer able to keep me upright. I vaguely remember her calling for help, aggressive drivers resisting the inspectors, and police intervening. I also recall soft hands and kind voices coaxing me to my feet and walking slowly to the sanctuary of the horse box.
I was taken to the Epping Clinic for treatment, and monitored throughout the night, as the team feared I might succumb to potentially fatal azoturia. Fortunately, I pulled through, and during my time there recovered well, thanks to the best of attention and the fantastic news that I have been confiscated from my owner. My cart pulling days are finally over.
Now for the good news I want to share with you! 2010 is the year that CHPA will issue bright yellow ID plates carrying registration numbers and names of each cart horse. These will be fixed to the back of all carts making us easily identifiable, and removing the hit and miss element in reporting abuse.
CHPA keeps a database containing all our names and registration numbers, so in future when you call and quote an ID number, the Inspector can instantly make a positive identification and give you feedback on who we are, what weight we are permitted to pull and the date of our last clinic visit. Cart Horse is also offering free training to all law enforcement agencies, security personnell and neighbourhood watches, on what to look out for when they see a cart horse on the road. With all these extra eyes looking out for us, the ‘bad apples’ will be slowly but surely weeded out.
Please share my excitement and joy and support CHPA’s drive to regulate the industry, and remove abusive drivers from our carts. I am one of the lucky ones, but there are many others out there who still need help.
Your donation will help CHPA give my working mates hope for a kinder future.
Warmest wishes and thanks
Sultan
‘Push the Button”
Push this button to donate now!
A donor sent in this letter after reading the Sultan Appeal. It warmed our hearts and is just too sweet not to share with everyone!
