Article Contributed on: 5/20/2009 4:01:29 PM
"Two little colts arrived Monday night from the Nebraska Ranch."
Terrified and fragile they stepped out of the trailer. We expected the worse and that's exactly what we got. You could easily count their ribs and just shake your head at the condition of their coats. Born in the wild, one was about three months old, the other estimated at six months. In such a short period of time, these little guys had seen the worse side of life, including disfigured hooves, lice, worms, starvation and death all around them.
The Humane Society of America, the Human Society of the U.S. and various other organizations had swiftly stepped in to care for and save as many of these horses and burros as possible from a ranch in Nebraska. Reputable horse rescues such as The Horse Protection League (www.cohpl.org) located in Golden, had volunteered to take in two. They requested the two be the most extreme cases. The Humane Society bestows body classifications upon each animal. A body class of one would be the worse shape and needed the most care, they received two "ones."
Under the watchful eye of a local veterinarian, the colts are being fed grass hay and plenty of water. No grains or supplements can be given until they become more stable. No care can be given for their hooves until they become more trusting of people. This will take a long time.
I salute the folks that came out to help these precious animals. I know that some people may be of the opinion that these animals are wild and should just be left for dead or taken to slaughter houses out of the country. Thank goodness I don't know people like that.