August 4, 2009
GILBERT, AZ — A horse is recovering at a Valley animal clinic from a fractured elbow and severe malnourishment.
“She was in so much pain she was shivering,” said Gwen Cleary, a volunteer with Equine Voices rescue group. “She’s about 250 pounds underweight,” added Cleary.
Doctors at the Arizona Equine Medical and Surgical Centre said the horse, named Taylor, could have died if she had been left untreated.
“These horses are not wild. They’re not able to care for themselves,” said Scott Taylor, a doctor with Arizona Equine Medical and Surgical Centre.
A few months ago, Equine Voices rescued another horse named Solo Vino. He had a fractured skull from being beaten according to Cleary. The horse’s legs were also swollen and he, too, was severely underweight. Last week, after five months of rehab, Solo Vino was released to a horse sanctuary South of Tucson.
Cleary said the two cases are examples of a growing number of horses that are being abandoned and neglected.
“We just rescued three on Thursday. The rescues in the area are being overwhelmed with horses. People can’t afford [them]. They want to turn them in,” said Cleary.
Cleary blames the struggling economy saying it has overburdened many horse owners. Like so many swamped rescue groups, Equine Voices is also struggling to meet demand and needs money to help care for the horses.
“Don’t stop giving because it’s really important to help save the horses right now,” said Cleary.
