Four-legged kids

Earlier this week I got a call from a man looking for a rescue to take four of his horses. He and his wife had hit hard times financially after they moved here from TN and were going hungry themselves so they could feed their two toddlers and six horses. Eventually, even that sacrifice wasn’t enough to keep all of the horses fed and their neighbors started calling animal control and threatening them with media coverage if they did not do something about the horses.

Remember Chessie and Duchess? When their owners had trouble feeding them, their neighbors brought them hay and feed to help out. So what went wrong here??? Is it because this family was not from the area? They were outsiders, therefore, not deserving of a little compassion?? Granted, the horses are thin. But not because they are neglectful or uncaring owners! When we got there the horses all had hay and three of them didn’t look bad at all. They called other rescues, but either never got a return call or were turned down. They had been trying to find homes for the horses for awhile, so it’s not like they weren’t making an effort. They even gave me their winter blankets, halters… and you wouldn’t believe the paperwork! They had made up a folder for each horse, complete with registration papers, medical history, vet records, a CD with pictures and videos, training summary, etc. Holly’s folder is an inch thick!

There were many tears as we drove away with two of the horses last night. Does this sound to you like people who don’t care about their four-legged kids?

Me either.

Holly is the oldest and skinniest horse of the bunch. She’s no where near as bad as Ellie was when she got here, but she’s still pretty bad and because of her age will take more time to recover than the fat cheeky little Ellie pony. I’ll be posting about Holly over on Rescue Recoveries.

Holly is a 17yo registered Holsteiner, shown successfully at second level dressage. She’s a big mare, standing about 16.3h-17h, with a very sweet disposition.

Kisses is a 3yo Quarterhorse filly. She’s already had ground work done with her and was the easiest horse to load last night. She’s a real sweetheart and loves to be in your pocket getting attention.

We go back to pick up the other two tonight. They are keeping two of the horses that are in good weight and have found a five acre pasture to move them to. Hopefully they’ll be able to stay fat and their owners can save some money on the feed bill and finally catch up.