A few posts ago, I had to hear from some early 20's riders who were eager to assure me they are not idiots despite their age. Well, I never said they were, but to be fair, I'll give you a great story today about a young man who saved a horse!
Getting involved when you see a neglected animal is something that many fifty year olds do not have the guts to do. They are afraid of revenge/reprisals or just don't want to stir things up. If something finally is done, they will say, oh good, those horses have looked like that for years. It never seems to occur to them that the horses' suffering could have ended much more quickly if they had simply filed a report!
This mare was rescued by JD Acres thanks to a report from a neighbor. "The neighbor, a 20ish guy is the one that called us. He works for a local market here and was throwing her the produce scraps he could take from work and giving her water. He probably saved her life doing so. He said he they have had her for years, and he saw them riding her last year and she was fat and well taken care of. Not sure if money became an issue or what happened. They really didnt think she was that bad. They disagreed with me when I said she was emaciated, they said she was just a little underweight!" Uh, yeah. This is not a little underweight!
Fortunately, Lexie is doing well now that she is safe and has food she can eat: "Lexie is a fighter. She is bright and alert, and so happy to be around other horses. She was in a backyard with only dogs before. Her owners stated she was a hard keeper in the winter, and that was the reason for her condition. They had unopened bags of SR feed and new bales of hay, not sure why they were not feeding it to her. AC is involved and they will face a judge next week. Dr. Bravos came and did a full exam, her only reason for being so emaciated is lack of food. He feels she will make a full recovery. We will have her teeth done as soon as she gains 100# or so. Its hard to get pics that truly show how emaciated she is. "
Kudos to JD Acres, to Animal Control, and HUGE kudos to the neighbor - the guy who WASN'T afraid to get involved! And yes, I am sure JD Acres would appreciate any contributions to help with Lexie's expenses. I only wish we could also buy the neighbor a case of beer - he surely deserves it!
