Help Survivors of the Hanging Barn
Donation protected
Bright Futures Farm is a 501(C)(3) charity that is in it's 16th year of helping horses in need. We are accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and work primarily with ex-racehorses. This week, we were moved to help a group of horses barely hanging on to life.
I wrote a press release yesterday with optimism in my heart. The first paragraph read,
“Eleven starving horses that have been living an abominable existence for far too long will finally see the light of day again, today, May 3, 2016. They have been locked inside a dark, dank barn and neglected for so long that their hooves were over a foot long and curling like elves shoes. Their skin is dry, their feet are rotting, many of them are emaciated, and five of them have been hanging in makeshift slings from the rafters, their feet barely touching the ground. Four more were found locked in stalls with no hay or water.”
As of 11:00 yesterday morning I had to rewrite it. My heart sank and I cried. The first paragraph of our press release now reads:
“Six starving horses that have been living an abominable existence for far too long will finally see the light of day again, today, May 3, 2016. With heavy heart I grievously report that five were so severely neglected that there was no hope of saving them. This is the hardest part of what we do. Eleven horses lived in squalor for at least three years, admitted their previous owner. Today we found poor quality hay just two feet out of reach of some of them. They had no water. Knowing what time we were coming today, this man made no attempt to put any hay or water in the stalls - not even “for show.””
Just a few days ago, I received a call from the Clarion County Sheriff's office asking for assistance. Already responsible for the care of 25 horses, and knowing the cost to vet, and rehab this many horses would quickly become thousands of dollars - and not knowing where the extra money would come from - I never hesitated to help. When you hear any living creature can be forced to exist under these circumstances, how can you say no?
After coming to terms with my anger over the five that didn’t survive, I realized that there is still an inspiring story of courage that has a lesson for all of us - don’t give up! These horses have been at their lowest point for years and they survived. The Palomino stallion - the only survivor that was suspended from the rafters in a sling made from rubber, chain and rope - survived solely because of his spirit.”
Bringing these horses back from severe neglect is a daunting undertaking. They will need more frequent hoof care to carefully shorten and shape their hooves so that they can walk comfortably again. They all will need dental care, wound care for the “bedsores” on their hips, and skin care as they all have dermatitis due to poor nutrition. The three stallions will need to be gelded and we will need to secure more hay very soon to get them back on the road to good weight.
I knew this was going to be a tough day. I didn’t know how emotionally challenging it would be until I walked inside the barn, and then had the repugnant job of taking photographs of the five dead horses to provide evidence of the neglect they all endured.
Our farrier will be here for the first of many visits tomorrow. Our vet will be out later in the week to do fecal exams, dental exams and advise us if we need radiographs of any or all of the horses feet since they have been neglected for so long.
We need your support to provide these horses what they need over the next few months to regain their health. Please give what you can to help them recover and have the kind of life all eleven of them deserved, but only six of them can have.
I wrote a press release yesterday with optimism in my heart. The first paragraph read,
“Eleven starving horses that have been living an abominable existence for far too long will finally see the light of day again, today, May 3, 2016. They have been locked inside a dark, dank barn and neglected for so long that their hooves were over a foot long and curling like elves shoes. Their skin is dry, their feet are rotting, many of them are emaciated, and five of them have been hanging in makeshift slings from the rafters, their feet barely touching the ground. Four more were found locked in stalls with no hay or water.”
As of 11:00 yesterday morning I had to rewrite it. My heart sank and I cried. The first paragraph of our press release now reads:
“Six starving horses that have been living an abominable existence for far too long will finally see the light of day again, today, May 3, 2016. With heavy heart I grievously report that five were so severely neglected that there was no hope of saving them. This is the hardest part of what we do. Eleven horses lived in squalor for at least three years, admitted their previous owner. Today we found poor quality hay just two feet out of reach of some of them. They had no water. Knowing what time we were coming today, this man made no attempt to put any hay or water in the stalls - not even “for show.””
Just a few days ago, I received a call from the Clarion County Sheriff's office asking for assistance. Already responsible for the care of 25 horses, and knowing the cost to vet, and rehab this many horses would quickly become thousands of dollars - and not knowing where the extra money would come from - I never hesitated to help. When you hear any living creature can be forced to exist under these circumstances, how can you say no?
After coming to terms with my anger over the five that didn’t survive, I realized that there is still an inspiring story of courage that has a lesson for all of us - don’t give up! These horses have been at their lowest point for years and they survived. The Palomino stallion - the only survivor that was suspended from the rafters in a sling made from rubber, chain and rope - survived solely because of his spirit.”
Bringing these horses back from severe neglect is a daunting undertaking. They will need more frequent hoof care to carefully shorten and shape their hooves so that they can walk comfortably again. They all will need dental care, wound care for the “bedsores” on their hips, and skin care as they all have dermatitis due to poor nutrition. The three stallions will need to be gelded and we will need to secure more hay very soon to get them back on the road to good weight.
I knew this was going to be a tough day. I didn’t know how emotionally challenging it would be until I walked inside the barn, and then had the repugnant job of taking photographs of the five dead horses to provide evidence of the neglect they all endured.
Our farrier will be here for the first of many visits tomorrow. Our vet will be out later in the week to do fecal exams, dental exams and advise us if we need radiographs of any or all of the horses feet since they have been neglected for so long.
We need your support to provide these horses what they need over the next few months to regain their health. Please give what you can to help them recover and have the kind of life all eleven of them deserved, but only six of them can have.
Organizer
Bev Dee
Organizer
Cochranton, PA
