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(Lexington, KY) - Thousands of individuals responded to yesterday’s USEF appeal for donations of shelter and much-needed services for the equine refugees of Hurricane Katrina. E-mails came from all sections of the United States and Canada and ranged from offers of 350 stalls in San Antonio to two pint-size stalls for Miniature horses in the Midwest. Because of this huge response, only e-mails, not voicemails or phone calls, will now be accepted and only from the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Arkansas.
The list is a cooperative effort between the USEF and the AQHA to create a master list of donated shelter and services, and it will be posted on both organizations’ websites. The list will help those in the stricken areas find help for their horses and ponies, in addition to what the various states are able to organize. Unofficial reports from the hurricane area indicate that feed and hay is scarce, and that fuel is extremely difficult to obtain, making it difficult to transport horses out of the area.
As information trickles into the USEF from each affected state, the location of their emergency veterinary response services, and any state coordinated shelters will be posted on the USEF website, www.usef.org. The information is located on the right side of the homepage, click on the Hurricane Katrina Equine Relief button.
~~~For more information, please contact Maria Partlow, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications on (859) 225-6941 or via email at [email protected]. USEF press releases are available on our web site at www.usef.org.