Partners, Horse and Man, in Prison Pasture - NYT

[goforit]

This is a wonderful example of the unconditional love of
animals and their purpose here on Earth.

A true GOOD vs. EVIL epic in action:

<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/10/sports/10HORS.html>

"Partners, Horse and Man, in Prison Pasture"
By MIKE WISE


WALLKILL, N.Y., Aug. 7 — About nine years ago, a chestnut thoroughbred named Creme de la Fete was assigned a new groom, Efrain Silva. He gave the horse antibiotics, scrubbed his mane and forelegs, dewormed him and, in Mr. Silva's estimation, prolonged his life for about three years.

But when Creme, as he affectionately called the horse, grew old and weak, Mr. Silva was not ready for it. Creme had become his second family, the only living being he had any meaningful relationship with on many afternoons.

Told that Creme, a former racehorse, had been euthanized while he was at lunch one afternoon, Mr. Silva wept openly in front of his fellow inmates in the mess hall at the Wallkill Correctional Facility, the medium-security state prison here.

"I fell in love with that horse," said Mr. Silva, who was sentenced to 15 years to life for shooting a man to death while intoxicated in front of a Bronx liquor store in 1981. "The day I met him, I looked into his eyes. I says: `I'm going to take care of you, Creme. You watch.' "

Through a partnership with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, the nation's largest and oldest thoroughbred-rescue operation, the prison has operated a work program for the past 18 years for inmates to care for the former champions, runners-up and perennial losers. Most of them no longer have practical economic value — other than the $600 a meat buyer might pay — before they come to a pasture in upstate New York to live out their years.

(con't)............

[MuseRider]

1. I think there is a lot to be said

here. It seems the partnership of animals and humans always seems to make us better. Here we have prisoners who train dogs. What could be more rehabilitating for some of these lost souls than forming attachments with a dependent other? Many prisoners have not had strong attachments or healthy attachments in their lives. There are so many unwanted animals and a partnership for some prisoners, possibly all, would really help them I feel. This is a wonderful and a sad story all at once but it certainly shows that even the locked up among us can learn to feel.

[Skittles]

3. AMEN MUSE

Animals, with they penchant for unconditonal love, can teach the unloved and unwanted so much.

[BigBigBear]

2. Great story

I bookmarked it.

Thanks.