I did go out and shoot my first story for the Sound Slide presentation. My group is doing a multimedia package on the impact of the economy, and, as I've mentioned before, I'm looking to cover animals being neglected and losing their owners.
My trainer Gayle started a 501(c)(3) horse rescue charity many years ago called Horse and Pony Rescue, Inc. (H.A.P.R.I.) They got a call about some badly neglected horses a couple of weeks ago and one of Gayle's other students, Scott, decided to take on a thoroughbred mare and her three month old filly. Molly--whose name has now been changed to Montana--and Willow arrived at Davis Ranch on Saturday. The filly is beautiful, despite having caught her leg in something at the place from which they were rescued. The mare is emaciated, but in much better shape than she had been when first rescued about a month ago. The interim holding ranch managed to put about two hundred pounds on her, but there's a long way to go.
This is what Molly/Montana's backbone and ribs looked like when she arrived on Saturday, after two weeks of good food. She was giving everything she had to feed her baby. Apparently, the place that owned her was feeding the horses Pig Chow. From the description, it sounds like the place was the horse equivalent of a back yard puppy mill.Scott built a really nice 24 x 30 stall for the horses which will be divided into two 12 x 30 stalls when the baby is weaned. They will be well cared for by the entire Family Equestrian Connection.
I'll be taking follow-up photographs of the horses to show how they progress. I'm also supposed to be setting up a news and color blog as part of the class (as if I need to be writing another blog) and I'll post the name as soon as I come up with one.
4 comments:
That's wonderful that mother and daughter could be rescued and well cared for. It's a good feeling to know they will have a caring home.
I just wish these horse breeders and others would stop abusing their horses,my thoughts are why have horses if you can't or won't feed and care for them. It boggles the mind how much this goes on.
What a good thing to rescue this lovely mother and daughter - Why do people even think you can feed a horse pig chow? It makes me so angry and sad to see what people are doing to horses as we go through this economic mess that we're in - Luckily, there are people like you and your friends to help the horses.
Oh, that filly is adorable! Thank you so much for rescuing two lives! PIG CHOW? What IDIOT does that? Thank you again! :-)
Scott did a great thing taking on these two. They are both learning to lead. Montana will walk on a lead line--right past the walker, apparently. Once they got the halter on Willow, she refused to move forward or follow her mother. Gayle says she just plants herself, so they're using a butt rope to give her the idea. I'm sure she'll have it down shortly.
The woman who brought the two animals down to Davis said she was worried about a little chestnut mare who also looked in foal. She wants to get her out and call animal control on these people. Sooner rather than later would be better, I think.
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