The Face of Neglect . . . and the Hips and the Barrel and the . . .

  • Bay mare
  • Entry Date – 9/22/12
  • Type of rescue – Surrender
  • Reason – Starvation
  • Special needs – Special Foods

By the time Equamore Foundation was called by authorities, Lady was rated as a “1” on the Henneke nutrition scale. Horses so rated are within days of death if they don’t receive help. Lady’s pictures show her desperate conditioin. Here is what Linda Davis wrote about this unfortunate mare, who was left too long neglected.

Sunday, September 22, 2012:  I just got back at 7:00 from picking up this horse from the Applegate with Anna Clay. It was a neglect case that was reported months ago and the case was closed one month ago because the Deputy from the Sheriff’s Dept. was told that the horse was “just old”.  We now have a golden opportunity to prove to the Sheriff’s Dept. that they can never believe that excuse again. This is the second such case like this in the last two weeks. The other horse was put down.
She is in a stall with her head in a feed buck and plenty of hay and water for the night. Physically she is in extremely poor condition, but her spirits are up and she has a big appetite. We will feed her up slowly for a couple of days with lots of smaller meals of special feeds and all of the hay she can eat.
She actually looks much worse than these photos. I will take some better pictures tomorrow when I can take her out into the natural light.

Sadly, Lady left us a week later. Linda wrote:

Sunday, September 30, 2012: This is sad to report but I am sure you would want to know. Lady died yesterday morning. She was out in her run when the guys were feeding. She came into her stall, put her head in the feeder to eat and fell dead. There was no struggle. She went very quickly. I’m so sad for that little mare.

 In the last year alone, three aged and neglected horses have come to Equamore Sanctuary to live out the short time left to them on earth. Lady’s story is above. Shane was clearly visible in a field adjacent to East Main St.  and ignored by people who drove by and  simply didn’t recognize that he was starving. He succumed to colic within a month of his rescue.  Sapphire was rescued on January 17, 2013. She had only one good meal before dying in her sleep that very night.