Eric Martin in the middle of his horses. - No more hair

  • The association "Ne crin plus rien" collects mistreated or abandoned horses by their owners.
  • Based in Izon and Génissac, she takes care of around twenty animals every day thanks to a small team of volunteers.
  • Today, she is appealing for help in the face of a growing herd.

"We receive calls every day", Eric Martin is not yet harassed. But that will not be long. Since this rider decided to collect horses in great distress in 2018, his phone rings daily: “Just this weekend, I made three interventions in the department. We are oversold! ", He says. Since the creation of his association "Ne crin plus rien" a year ago, this Girondin has already managed more than 60 files and currently deals with 25 abandoned or mistreated horses.

"At the start, I took one then two then three ... And without even communicating on it, people started calling me from all over France," explains Eric Martin. So how do you explain this phenomenon? For him, there are several reasons:

There is outright abandonment where we take the horse for a piece of furniture. We let it languish in a meadow without even water. You have the racing world that no longer wants certain horses because they are not efficient enough. You also have the equestrian centers who do not know what to do with the retired horses and then you all those who are injured or sick who no one wants.

A small team of volunteers

Here is the profile of the animals taken care of by the seven volunteers of the association in the municipalities of Izon and Génissac in Gironde. Yolande joined the team a few months ago: “Sometimes, we found horses in a terrible state. I take care of feeding them and making the dressings most of the time. We organize ourselves to take it in turns. I go there twice a week for almost 3 hours. "

Example of a horse treated by the association. - No more hair

Taking care of all these animals is of course time, but above all money. "The slightest thing costs money" explains this former rider while Eric Martin recalls that "everything is the responsibility of the association". For example, a horse costs around 1,100 in food per year according to his calculations. And even when he finds them a host family, she only takes care of the food, not the veterinary costs.

Need help on all floors

For now, the structure is holding up thanks in particular to its founder who finances 70% of the budget (8,000 euros in 2019) and donations. But it can't last forever. It is for this reason that this Girondin calls for help today: “We need everything. Of course money because I think we would need an annual budget of about 30,000 euros but we are also looking for new volunteers or new structures to accommodate all these horses. "

At the start of the year, the association launched online crowdfunding to try to raise funds. In the space of a few days, “Ne crin plus rien” obtained 1,280 euros. To raise awareness, volunteers also communicate on social networks, in particular through a Facebook page. And as they have the good will to resell, they also come to welcome two donkeys and two goats. The herd is growing and this is not necessarily a good sign…

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