Jason and Tawnee have been swamped with horses in need in Tennessee. It seems that in the summertime there is plenty of grass growing for the horses to all be fat and happy. In the wintertime when the grass stops growing there are horses that their owners cannot afford to feed them. Other owners seem to be completely unaware that their horses need additional nutrition in the wintertime.
We are starting to be recognized in the community as a horse shelter and the calls are starting to come in. We recently received a call from a concerned individual who stated that there were 5 horses that were not getting supplemental feed and the pasture was bare.
When Tawnee and a volunteer photographer, Sarah, arrived at the location, one of the horses caught their attention immediately. It was very thin.
The other horses were thin but not as bad of condition.
While they were documenting their findings, one of the horses caregivers came to talk to them. She admitted that they were struggling financially and couldn’t care for the number of horses they had.
She said they were wanting to get rid of 3 of the horses. One was a 2 year old black Tennessee Walker / Sheltand Pony cross named Titus. Another was a 7-8 year old Palomino mare named Ella.
The third one was the emaciated 5 year old Tennessee Walker / draft cross named Nivla.
The next day Tawnee and Jason hooked up the trailer and went to pick up the 3 horses that were being surrendered. They also took 30 bales of nice hay for the 2 remaining horses that the family was sure they could afford to keep. If something changes they know we are here to help.
After the paperwork was signed and the hay was unloaded they started catching the horses. They thanked us multiple times for helping them. They said they would have asked for help long before if they knew we were in the community. Up to this point there has been no options for people struggling with their horses except taking them to auction where they will no doubt ship to slaughter.
One by one the horses were led to the waiting trailer. The trailer is obviously oversized for the number of horses that were being rescued, but it’s always nice to have a bigger trailer than you need instead of having too small of a trailer!
The horses looked out at their old home with wide eyes, wondering what was happening, wondering what their future would hold.
We always wish we could tell them that everything is going to be OK and that they don’t need to worry.
Their first stop was at the vet to get their coggins test and to get checked out. They vet made good use of the big trailer and had them all done in no time.
Back at the temporary facility the horses unloaded, curious about their new surroundings.
Titus measured at 13.3 hands and weighs 606 lbs on the weight tape.
Ella weighed 595 lbs and is 13.3 hands tall.
Ella’s hooves are in pretty rough condition.
Nivla is 14.3 hands tall and 796 lbs. She will no doubt be a stocky horse when she is filled out.
The horses were extremely happy to get turned out into their pasture. They couldn’t believe all the grass and the big round bale of grass hay waiting for them.
We need your help! The costs incurred with rescuing this group of horses is already well over $500. Please donate right now to help, every dollar really helps! To donate to help with this rescue, click here. Thank you!
Donations can be mailed to: P.O. Box 485, Hohanwald, TN 38462