Georgia Equine Rescue League steps up for the 22 Neglected Horses in Henry County
By Cynthia Anderson, GERL Vice President
On Friday, February 21st I received a call from Patty Livingston about the 22 neglected horses in Henry Co. Patty explained that Henry County animal control had contacted her asking for GERL’s assistance with a severely neglected large herd of horses. Henry County Police was investigating the case and their Animal Control would be responsible for the care of the horses. They were going to need some help, that’s for sure!
GERL was founded in 1993 with the mission to support the GDA’s impounded equine. Over the years the GDA started to hand more responsibility for equine cruelty cases over to the counties. In response to this GERL’s mission has grown to support all Georgia law enforcement agencies that are willing to prosecute equine cruelty offenders. So here we are with our first request for assistance with a large herd. With Henry County prosecuting the offenders; GERL stepped up and agreed to pay for the horses feed and hay. As we all know this is an expensive endeavor.
Tuesday morning Patty Livingston, Linda Kundell, Cynthia Brayton and I went out to see the horses and assess the situation. Well, let me tell you it was absolutely horrific. It was all we could do not to burst into tears. There were 22 horses, according to the vet, with a body score of a .7 to about a 3.5. (I did not know you could score a horse below a 1) They are covered in rain rot just looking hopeless. They were in an overgrazed pasture with a couple of round bales of straw. Not even cow hay, just straw. For me the most upsetting was seeing the starving mares trying to nurse their starving foals. I just could not understand how someone could let this happen. The situation is just heart breaking. The intensive care and feed needed to rehabilitate these horses is overwhelming. Henry County Animal Care and Control could not do this by themselves. We had to do all we could to help these poor horses.
Working with Geri Yoder and her staff was a wonderful experience. Geri worked with the owner of the property to allow the horses to stay in his pasture. In order to follow the care and feeding instructions provided by the Veterinarian. Geri and her staff decided to set up feeding stations. The vet prescribed the horses a very specific diet, specific amounts and specific times to be fed. It consists of Nutrena Safechoice Senior, Manna Pro Max rice bran pellets, Alfalfa and Coastal Bermuda hay. Using 24 panels brought out to the pasture by Geri Yoder and her crew from Henry County Animal care and Control we proceeded to set up the feeding stations. These feeding stations ensure the horses are fed according to the vet’s specific instructions.
Once the feeding stations were in place, we went to tractor supply with animal control to purchase the feed prescribed by the vet. We also bought a couple mineral blocks and headed back to the horses. These poor horses proved to be smart and went right along with the feeding station plan. They walked in with little trouble, ate, and were then rotated out. I was surprised how quickly the horses caught on. What also surprised me was the competition for the mineral blocks. The horses just could not seem to get enough. Licking and even biting off chunks of the block. One horse tried to lick and guard both blocks at the same time. This was difficult for him for as the block were about 50 feet apart. He ended up just running back and forth. His actions necessitated moving the blocks to opposite side of the feeding stations. With feed and feeding under control we needed to find hay. With the drought last year resulting in a hay shortage we were unable to find any Coastal Bermuda hay that afternoon and the situation was desperate. I was able to contact my hay supplier and purchase 3 round bales of coastal hay. I delivered the hay the next afternoon.
A couple of days later Carla Brown with Canine Pet Rescue (they also work with horses) came out and took 6 of the worst cases to her facility to rehabilitate them. The rest are under the excellent care of the dedicated staff of Henry County Animal Care and Control. So, where do we go from here? Well, that will depend on the outcome of the criminal case. The best-case scenario will be that the owners will sign the horses over the Henry County. Then the horses can be adopted out to loving forever homes. If the owners do not sign them over, then we must wait for the case to be adjudicated.
This is one of the most heart wrenching and difficult cases I have seen. Thanks to the hard working and caring folks at Henry County Animal Care and Control, Henry County Police Department, the GDA, Canine Pet Rescue and Georgia Equine Rescue League the future for these horses is looking bright. I also want to thank all of the people who have already donated! With your help we ARE making a difference!
If you are interested in helping with the care and rehabilitation of these horses, please consider donating to Georgia Equine Rescue League and/or to Canine Pet Rescue. 100% of your donation goes directly to the care of these horses.
To donate visit GERL’s Facebook page or the website for
https://gerlltd.org/donations/
