Show Delia, Kansas That We Support A Woman That Fights For Our Horses, And They Should, In Turn, "Love Thy Neighbor".

There are hundreds of thousands of people who suffer from diseases or disorders in the world today. Some can never be recovered from. What if an animal was the key to making an affected person's life normal? What if that animal was a horse? Horses are known for having the ability to trust, bond and communicate with people for years. There are many situations in which horses are used throughout history and even in modern day times, to help humankind thrive and survive.

I am writing on behalf of my dear friend Jaime Cowan.  Although I am 30 years older than her, I look up to this woman in so many ways.  Some of you know Jaime as the dedicated horse lover she is.  But most of you probably know her for her advocacy work on Facebook that she has joined in memory of her horse Rhapsody Rhose, who was stolen in April of 2011.  I have watched her grow and blossom into not only a stronger and more powerful horse lover, but an animal advocate and the most unselfish person I have ever met in my entire life.  I have been a RN for 30 years and have never seen anyone with her courage, endurance, passion and determination.  I have been by her side in this fight.  I am not on the battlefield, so to speak, but on the sidelines cheering her along as she goes.  It took me some time to realize just how miserable she was, until one night, she arrived at work distraught.  When I asked her what was wrong, she told me that the sheriff investigating the case of her stolen horse and friend of 20 years, had told her that evening that her horse was confirmed crossing the Mexican border en route to slaughter, and that the auction house owner that bought her from the thief, did say that she was in fact, slaughtered.  What happened next still breaks me down.  As she got near the doors, she was trying so hard to hide the tears and continue talking, when finally she dropped to the ground.  For almost 2 hours, I watched her weep.  I watched her say the most horrible things about herself.  I watched her vomit.  I watched a young lady that was so full of cheer and lightened every evening with her hysterical sense of humor and wisdom, completely fall apart and break down.  And all I could do is put my arms around her and tell her that it would all be okay.  But I knew that was a lie.  Because I think she has went so quickly from rescue and return to investigate and incriminate, that she forgot to allow herself the chance to breathe and miss her friend.  And now, more than anything, she fights harder than I have ever seen someone fight, to end the slaughter of all horses and find homes for the ones that fall at risk for being sent on to the same ending that Rhapsody did.  No one here offered her the sympathy that her friends on Facebook would give her.  So while she has been criticized and harassed by her “loving” husband, and rumors have been spread about her “time spent obsessing on the computer”, it doesn’t take a genius to see why she has resorted to that.  

The ability that Jaime has, to put herself in another’s position and experience their feelings, is often looked at as a flaw.  But I, on the other hand, see this as a quality.  Those of you that know Jaime, know of her story and know of the huge amount of compassion she has.  One would have to be very strong to endure what she has.  Not only did she have her horse stolen and sent to slaughter by her BEST FRIEND, but she was mocked, laughed at and tormented for displaying these signs of severe, emotional distress.  She hurts.  She hurts immensely.  Did any of you City Council Members that are also her neighbors, care that she had just experienced more trauma and heartache than some could ever imagine, or more than some will ever be forced to feel in your entire lives???  To many of you, this may just be a horse….but to those of us that love that great animal, a horse is a very strong and noble animal fully capable of holding a close relationship with its owners and/or caretakers.  I personally do not own a horse right now, but I did have many Arabian’s years ago, and I know the heartache that the death of one brings.  But mine died in a peaceful way.  In their end, I was by their side petting their manes.  She didn’t get that farewell.  Jaime loved her horse.  She grew up on that horse and she planned to allow her children the right to do the same.  By looking at that horse, Jaime was allowed to be reminded of all of the fun times she spent with Rhapsody as a child and remember the innocence.  I remember the day that she got her.  I have never seen that happiness return to her face.  Actually, in 9 months, I have watched her show more signs of pain, agony and heartache that I cannot fathom how she has managed to stay alive.  I have watched that twinkle in her eye that she had each time she talked about Rhapsody, slowly fade away along with any signs of hope or happiness.  In combination with the hurt she felt from the betrayal involved, she has also felt the loneliness of a broken heart.  And each time her feelings and anguish are ignored, she drifts further and further from recovery.  At this rate, and surrounded by people like you, she will never get better as I see you all making her life a living hell. 

Jaime mentioned something that had hurt her, to me in a conversation on the telephone.  She stated to me that she was sad and her feelings were hurt.  Her husband, in less than 2 years, had been hospitalized with life threatening emergencies 3 times, which meant months of lost wages and severe financial trouble.  On the night that she called, her husband had just been home for one day, and there was a fund raiser for someone who lived in another town.  And weeks after, another fundraiser was hosted for another family.  It made her sad that though these committee members were supposedly her friends, no one ever reached out to them in any way.  No one offered to mow her lawn for her, or water her garden, or check her mail.  Only one neighbor, an elderly couple, offered to feed and water her outdoor dog for her and she appreciated that.  But she didn’t understand why no one ever offered to help her and her husband in any way.  And that is a damn good question.  This brings me to the reason I decided to construct this petition.

Don't these people  have any compassion or empathy at all?  How can they call yourselves human, while they knowingly raised money and made donations for a family in another town(that had multiple fundraisers for them, I might add) when they had a family that was suffering in so many ways, just houses down from them.  Perhaps to ignore someone’s pain is the easy way to cover the fact that they are weak people that are so hung up on themselves, that a phone call or friendly gesture is just TOO MUCH!  So to raise money for someone that is more popular, or very well known, would make them as a city look fantastic.  Well, they sure look fantastic now. 

The term “Love Thy Neighbor” is a quote from the Bible.  I am not a religious person, so to speak, but I know common sense and I do believe in God.  I have read the Bible and I understand its readings. 

 

“Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

Eight times in the Bible we are told to love our neighbor -- one of the Bible's most repeated commands.

Loving your neighbor is the opposite of selfishness -- the common human practice. Acting in divine love demonstrates that unselfishness is possible for a human -- showing a reality that cannot be ignored or denied.

Whether they appreciate you, or respond to your love, Jesus's command is still valid: You must show love to your neighbor in a practical way.

 Who Is A Neighbor?

When Jesus was asked by someone who his neighbor was (Luke 10:29), Jesus responded by telling the story of the Good Samaritan -- who helped a stranger in need by the roadside. Then, in verse 37, Jesus told the man to go and do like the Good Samaritan.

 A neighbor is someone who is near-by wherever you are.”

 

Jaime has fought her heart out for these animals .  She has shown her true abilities as an animal advocate as she fought vigorously to successfully rehome 52 horses entirely on her own and 1 horse she featured on Facebook and found him a home.  She does this with no expectations of any “benefit” except the one that she feels in her heart.  She does this day in and day out.  She does it because she is compassionate.  She is selfless.  She would go above and beyond, and further yet just to help another. 

I am writing to ask the members of the City Council of Delia, Kansas to stand by their word, and leave the horses that reside at 422 Delia Ave alone.  They belong to Jaime Cowan, and she does not deserve what will be forced upon her if they are taken away.  I ask you, Delia City Council Members, do you have the slightest idea what Jaime is experiencing?  Do you have any idea what losing those horses would do to her?  Did it ever occur to you that what you are doing is against the law and is very common the beginning of ugly lawsuits….where the victim’s rights as an American win in the end? 

-           The last time I came to Jaime’s house I made her get on the scale.  A young woman that probably weighed 120 pounds MAX 9 months ago now weighs 86 pounds.  She has lost over 30 pounds for sure.  She cannot eat without vomiting because her stress is so severe. 

-           She cannot sleep at night because of the fear that some heartless creep might take her horses.  Horse theft is sure to increase now that horse slaughter has become legal in the United States again as of mid- November.  So now, that fear is even worse.  She calls me often, and I know why she is up. 

-           She lost her job and now is legally unable to work due to her health problems.  So financially, their family is SOL and I assure you of that. 

-           Jaime has NO support system within the community(obviously), a small one within her family, and 2 little girls at home that root for her every day.  The one that does not support her is the first one that should.  Her husband, an alcoholic that is recorded on audio telling her that she is at fault for the death of Rhapsody, mocks her while she is crying (laughing and saying boo hoo hoo, wow, real mature!).  This man that you all find so “cool and laid back” is the biggest catalyst to Jaime’s illness.  He does nothing but force her to feel regret, guilt, and hopelessness.  And you all hang out with him and think he is a perfect gentleman.  Well you are wrong.  I have seen his behavior and I have listened to over 4 hours of audio that is just unspeakable.  It makes me dread what this poor woman must go through every day.  Not only does she blame herself for the illegal acts of another person, but now she is forced to be reminded of the final moments of her horse friend’s life as her husband buries her nose in her guilt every night.  She told me via text message “I would rather be beaten by him (her eldest daughter’s father) every night than be battered with this pain and guilt every night.  I don’t need Kelly to remind me how much I should hate myself.”  That statement puts knots in my stomach to know that she hurts that bad and no one, not even the physically closest people to her, could reach out and see if she is okay.  And she is the last person that should ever feel guilty for what has happened.  And the saddest part of all, is that if this were the other way around, if any one of you needed any sort of help at all, she would be the FIRST person willing to sacrifice everything to help you.  She is the opposite of you.  She is selfless and she is caring.

Jaime has notes from her doctors that confirm that she suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, an ailment that is listed and protected under the ADA.  It is this same law that protects her right to own and keep those horses, as they are documented as providing her with the comfort and support she needs.  Without those horses, Jaime would not be able to function PERIOD. To take them away would be ripping away the safety net she has known them as.  You would rip away the one piece of hope she has left.  If you don’t like them, then by God, build a fence around YOUR yard and leave this poor woman ALONE!! 

According to a document written by Bonnie Conrad, an ehow contributor, Jaime is within full compliance and expectations with regards to the size of her horse pen.  Keep in mind that realistically, we would all love 100 acres to let our horses run freely as if they were not penned at all.  But in this world, where land costs money and it’s no longer safe to have your horse unsupervised out in the middle of the country, the area Jaime has her horses in, is plenty big enough and is much better than where they would be right now if Jaime wouldn’t have taken them at all.  The article states the following, and I have provided the links for anyone to research themselves.  There are two links from the same author, one describes the minimum size of area a horse needs to live comfortably, and the other describes the minimum size of area for 2 horses to live comfortably. 

One horse-       “In order to be comfortable and have room to move around, the minimum amount of space each horse should be allotted is 30' x 40'.”

http://www.ehow.com/how_6622628_layout-horse-pens.html

Two horses-     “Each turnhould, In Turn out area you create should be at least 100 feet long by 75 feet wide, especially if you plan to keep more than one horse in that area. If more than two horses will be housed in a single pen, double that size.”

http://www.ehow.com/how_5843245_lay-out-horse-pens.html

Thank you for your support in this matter!!  And there are things in her life that only her closest friends know.  Some things I have been asked to remove, so I did that to honor her wishes and protect her safety.  I hope everyone that reads this will keep that in mind if comments are made.  If she would have wanted the world to know it, she would have let me put it here.

 

Thanks Again, 

Angel Hoffman