The Unwanted - by Christina Keim (Paperback)

About the Book

"Any horse, but for a change of circumstances, can become unwanted. The unwanted are racetrack rejects, excess ranch stock, foals that did not live up to their breeder's expectations. They are aged Amish cart horses, horses with chronic lameness issues, the pony a child outgrew. They are show horses, pleasure horses, the pretty horses and the plain. They come in all colors, sizes, and shapes. The US equine industry consistently produces more horses each year than the number of appropriate homes, leaving thousands of animals with nowhere to go. Recently, as many as 150,000 of these horses have shipped annually to equine slaughterhouses in Canada, Mexico, and abroad. Others are sold at auction, given away, starved, abused, and abandoned. Just over 1,000 rescues and municipal organizations across the country equipped to handle horses at risk report they are consistently close to or at capacity. Most are stretched to the breaking point when it comes to finances, material resources, and human power. Horsewoman and journalist Christina Keim, a veteran of the equine industry, believes the unwanted horse crisis urgently needs our collective voice and attention. Solving it, she suggests, requires a sea change in the face of not just fundamental values and beliefs, but also hard economic realities and deeply held cultural attitudes. In her meticulously researched study of this devastatingly real and present problem so many choose to ignore, she travels the country, bringing readers to livestock auctions, rescues, and therapy centers, describing work and life behind the scenes, and the animals who find themselves there. Keim interviews industry experts, including veterinarians, lawmakers, welfare advocates, and shelter workers, and reviews published data to help separate unwanted horse facts from fantasy. She works to dispel common myths and misconceptions surrounding the "slaughter pipeline," without taking away from the harsh reality horses face once "in it." And perhaps most importantly, she showcases the work of many dedicated individuals and groups who are collectively helping to carve out a new niche for the horse that both honors his heritage and can help to preserve his future"--

Book Synopsis

A
compassionate, fact-based examination of the incredibly complex and
extraordinarily divisive issue of too many horses, not enough homes.

Any horse, but for a change of circumstances, can become unwanted.

The unwanted are racetrack rejects, excess ranch stock, foals that did not live up to their breeder's expectations. They are aged Amish cart horses, horses with chronic lameness issues, the pony a child outgrew. They are show horses, pleasure horses, the pretty horses and the plain. They come in all colors, sizes, and shapes.

The US equine industry consistently produces more horses each year than the number of appropriate homes, leaving thousands of animals with nowhere to go. Recently, as many as 150,000 of these horses have shipped annually to equine slaughterhouses in Canada, Mexico, and abroad. Others are sold at auction, given away, starved, abused, and abandoned. Just over 1,000 rescues and municipal organizations across the country equipped to handle horses at risk report they are consistently close to or at capacity. Most are stretched to the breaking point when it comes to finances, material resources, and human power.

Horsewoman and journalist Christina Keim, a veteran of the equine industry, believes the unwanted horse crisis urgently needs our collective voice and attention. Solving it, she suggests, requires a sea change in the face of not just fundamental values and beliefs, but also hard economic realities and deeply held cultural attitudes. In her meticulously researched study of this devastatingly real and present problem so many choose to ignore, she travels the country, bringing readers to livestock auctions, rescues, and therapy centers, describing work and life behind the scenes, and the animals who find themselves there. Keim interviews industry experts, including veterinarians, lawmakers, welfare advocates, and shelter workers, and reviews published data to help separate unwanted horse facts from fantasy. She works to dispel common myths and misconceptions surrounding the "slaughter pipeline," without taking away from the harsh reality horses face once "in it." And perhaps most importantly, she showcases the work of many dedicated individuals and groups who are collectively helping to carve out a new niche for the horse that both honors his heritage and can help to preserve his future.

The Unwanted asks all of us to examine our unconscious and deeply held beliefs about horses, while suggesting ways to better understand how that perspective shapes our opinion about how they--and other non-human animals--should be treated. For there to be hope for a restorative and harmonious solution to the unwanted horse crisis, Keim professes, we must be ready to come to the table well informed, open-minded, and prepared to work for the horse's best interests, rather than our own.

Review Quotes

"Unwanted is the book that every horse-lover must read. It's a hard subject to face but in order to solve the problem, we have to look at it. My initial discomfort was transformed into hope and inspiration with the stories about heroes taking actions to keep horses safe. Horses give us so much and this book makes the case that by saving the unwanted horses we are actually saving ourselves." --Karen Rohlf, Author and Creator of Dressage Naturally Educational Programs

"The unique role of the horse in our history and current consciousness is thoughtfully explored in Christina Keim's Unwanted. Clear eyed, Ms. Keim explores the causes and some of the many solutions to a complicated problem created by people, not horses. Ultimately history will judge us by how we manage the future of a species that has carried us to war, worked with us in the fields and mines, and brought healing love to millions of people through the centuries." --Meris J. Bickford, Esq, Recipient of the EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award (2023)

"Unwanted is essential reading for all horse professionals and equine veterinarians. The book is incredibly well-researched and presents many real-life scenarios that result in an 'unwanted' horse. I hope this book is widely read and encourages the horse industry to put more effort into preventing and taking care of the nation's 'unwanted' horses." --Stacy Anderson, DVM, MVSc, PhD, DACVS-LA, Executive Dean and Professor, Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University

About the Author

Christina Keim, M. Ed., M.F.A., is an award-winning equestrian journalist. Her work has appeared in The Chronicle of the Horse, UnTacked, Equine Journal, Practical Horseman, The Eastern Equerry, Northeast Equestrian Life, Green Mountain Horse Association Magazine, Woodstock Magazine, and The Plaid Horse, among others. With long-time collegiate equestrian team coach Sally Batton, she is the co-writer of The Athletic Equestrian and Equicize. For nearly two decades a top intercollegiate hunter seat coach, Keim now teaches compassionate horsemanship and offers equine-assisted coaching out of her Cold Moon Farm in Rochester, New Hampshire (christinakeim.com).