http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv%5C28679.html

Horse rescuer earns national recognition


Shawsville resident John Holland wants no more horses sent to slaughter.


By Jill Hoffman
The Roanoke Times
New River Current

SHAWSVILLE -- John Holland is fascinated with his horses.

He loves to ride them and care for them, but even more, he loves to watch them -- their human-like interactions and their societies.

Whether its his quarter horse and Tennessee walker named Sugar and Spice, or any of his eight other horses, Holland just likes watch6

ing the lives of what he calls "majestic creatures."

"You begin to understand how intelligent and how beautifuAdvertisement

l they are," said Holland, an electrical engineer who works from home doing automation consulting.

The first time he rescued a horse in the summer of 2003 intensified Holland's relationship with all horses.

The rescued horse, Whisper, a mixed-blood Arab mare, came from North Dakota as part of a dwindling industry that uses pregnant mare urine to manufacture hormone replacement therapy drugs. Whisper was the first of several horses rescued.

Studies have shown the drugs may have unsafe side effects, so their demand is waning. The Centers for Disease Control reports that hormone replacement therapies may increase individuals' risk of breast cancer.

Now, thousands of mares, mainly in Canada but also in the United States, are no longer needed and must be rescued or sent to slaughterhouses, Holland said. Their meat may be sold in Europe and other places where it is considered a delicacy.

"As I found out about the farms and the lives of these horses and the fact that their foals were just treated as a byproduct of Premarin production, I got very angry," Holland said. "That led me to others who were in the fight against horse slaughter."

Holland started volunteering for groups such as the United Animal Nation, a lead animal rescuer in North America. The group recently awarded him the 2005 Heart and Soul Award for his work rescuing horses on so-called "Pregnant Mare Urine" farms.

As part of his efforts, Holland networks with horse rescuers and ranchers across the country to find safe homes for endangered horses. He spends a great deal of time on PMURescue.org, where rescuers and ranchers post horses for adoption.

Horse rescuing is a controversial topic, with national groups squaring off on various sides of the issue.

Norm Luba, executive director of the North American Equine Ranching Information Council, a group representing PMU ranchers in Canada and the United States, said there is no evidence that horses on these farms are going to slaughterhouses. He said his group has sold 17,000 horses from PMU farms since October 2003, when an effort began to find homes for the offspring of formerly pregnant mares.

But Robin Lohnes, executive director of the American Horse Protection Association, said the offspring of PMU mares are often sent to slaughterhouses. Her group opposes the use of pregnant mares to make hormone replacement drugs because, she said, the industry places economic interests above the mares' health and there are alternate drug treatments on the market.

"Certainly, we commend any individual or organization in trying to find safe alternatives and homes for horses that are by-products of industries like PMUs," Lohnes said.

Holland has joined an effort to pass two bills in Congress that are intended to stop horse slaughter in the United States. Both bills are being sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Sweeney of New York.

The Hollands' rescued horse, Whisper, died in February 2004 from a bacterial disease called Listeriosis that attacked her digestive system and brain.

Holland and his wife, Sheilah, grew up in Cincinnati, and they each came to love horses at different points in their lives.

Holland was stationed in the Army at Fort Gordon in Georgia in 1969 when he learned he could skip physical training if he did a sport, so he chose to be an equestrian. After serving a year in Vietnam, he moved back to North Carolina and Roanoke and eventually settled on 20 acres in Shawsville.

Sheilah Holland started riding horses in fifth grade when she was a Girl Scout.

"What is it about horses?" she asked. "It's just a very noble animal. I think they're just a combination of beauty and power."

The couple's brood of animals has grown to 10 horses, 13 dogs, three cats and an unknown number of koi.

They paid $700 for Whisper and his transportation from North Dakota.

Holland said he knows of 50 PMU farms that are closing in Canada and the United States and of at least 5,000 horses that need to be rescued.

"A lot of them are gonna die," Holland said. "It's so sad."

I first became aquainted with John and Sheila Holland when we adopted PMU mares from the same farm thru UAN. I can't thnk of anyone more deserving of this award than John.

I just want to thank Karen and UAN again for this wonderful honor. I hope that the publicity will help expose the issue.

The best part of the article was the photos which are not available on line. Spice chased the photographer and reporter trying to get loving, and in one picture she has her nose right in the camera lens!

John

Congratulations, John, on such a well deserved honor. What a great article! Great PR for the adoption push before Fall!

John,
As a fellow equine rescuer I would like to say Congratulations on receiving the Heart and Soul Award!

Congratulations to you John!!!

Keep up the Great work out there that you are doing for those that can't speak out for themselves!

Wayne, Kay, Katie, and Patricia,

Thank you so much for the warm comments. The truth is that I am but a small part in a great effort involving a lot of tireless and talented people. Someday I hope the whole story can be told because there are so many people working out of the public eye to save the horses. The story would make a great feature movie with its many brilliant and unlikely characters, and their amazing team work. I accepted the honor, but it truly belongs to them (you) all. When HR503 passes, I predict there will be a huge party!