Good Things Come

We were nearing the end of a particularly wet monsoon season. The grasses were tall and lush and the animals at our ranch, Horse’n Around Rescue, were full and round. However, just a few miles down the road from us, three emaciated horses were standing—starving—in bare stalls.

Though surrounded by acres of abundant, nutritious grass, they had access to none of it. Nor did they have protection from the sun, wind, or

relentless monsoon rain. They had no food for their bellies and no water to slake their thirst. If only someone would open the gate, allow them to graze, and give them some water. But no one ever did.

It took some work, but eventually Arizona livestock officers were able to arrest the owner and commit the three horses to our care until the court hearing. We named them Justice, Magnificent (Maggie), and Liberty.

They were in heartbreaking condition when they came to us. Justice scored a 2 on the Henneke Body Scoring Condition Chart and poor Maggie barely scored a 1. Liberty, a pony, fared slightly better and scored a 3 (ponies are so hearty!). An equine dentist determined they had relatively healthy mouths; their condition wasn’t due to underlying health issues, just pure neglect.

Three weeks later, Justice, Liberty, and Maggie were awarded to Horse’n Around Rescue. They would never go hungry again.

After surviving starvation and neglect, three rescue horses get a new lease on life.