ATHENS, TEXAS—
It's been a long journey from misery to sanctuary.
Vince, a 10 year old Mustang was neglected and abused in Nebraska along with nearly 300 other horses.Now he's getting a new lease on life with the help of trainers such as Brieze Lafferty, a Texas A&M vet student. She says, "A lot of them have fear issues definitely. We're basically getting them to walk comfortable beside a human, so they realize we're actually nice people. We're not going to hurt them."
In April, the Humane Society of the United States rescued 200 horses. They were starved and covered in parasites. Many suffered from untreated medical conditions. About 80 were found dead on the property.
Beth DeCaprio, Executive Director of the Grace Foundation in California rescues horses and then utilizes them to work with children with special needs. DeCaprio says, "There was no food available for any of these guys. And you've got babies, these are tiny two year olds."
MORE: EquineOnline MORE: The Grace Foundation
Most of the horses were adopted out in Nebraska. The remaining 84 were brought to Athens, Texas which is being leased by Black Beauty Ranch. They'll stay here until they're rehabilitated.
DeCaprio brought in a medical team. She says, "They've since been vaccinated and wormed. Every horse has had blood work done, we gilded 23 stallions."
They're on their way to recovery and hopefully a loving family. DeCaprio adds, "We have these beautiful horses that desperately need a home and if you have room for a horse we would love to have you contact us."
