Horse Illustrated Magazine

It seems horse news has been inundated with negativity lately. A quick search and we find article after article about neglect, abuse, death and more. Unfortunately, this one is no different… except for the fact that there is hope these miniature horses will make a full recovery.

“It just hits you in the pit of the stomach. You’re like, ‘Oh, God, how can somebody have let them go that long,’” Ron Barnett, co-founder of the Horse Shoe Equine Rescue, told KWQC.

Barnett was speaking of four miniature horses the Horse Shoe Equine Rescue assisted in removing from a home in Vigo County, Indiana. Animal Control was also part of the rescue efforts. The horses were found confined to a small area. Their hooves were so overgrown they curled back on themselves. It is believed the horses suffered several years of neglect.

Barnett told KWQC, “They were in a really small area, and they were standing in what started out as about 20-inches of manure and went up to about 30-inches of manure. Their tendons are all stretched in different directions now, and they’re going to have to re-learn to walk. It’s going to take a while before they can actually get back to the point where they can walk straight again or even run again.”

Barnett says that even though a veterinarian will ultimately make the decision, the Horse Shoe Equine Rescue is optimistic that none of the horses will have to be euthanized.