ABOUT ABUSE & NEGLECT

Many of the horses now cared for by Redwings were owned by people who didn’t know how to care for a horse, didn’t care, or thought that a trained horse was created through physical violence. Take Pearl as an example.

Pearl upon discovery

A local SPCA sent Redwings photos of a horse they said had been abused and needed a permanent home among people who could handle a traumatized horse. The photos showed a white Arabian mare with welts and abrasions covering her body and eyes so swollen she couldn’t open them. Her owner, trying to halter-train her, had beaten her with a 2x4. When she finally fell, he left her with her legs tied to a fence.

Pearl at Redwings

By the time she arrived at Redwings, she wasn’t recognizable; wounds nearly healed and weight nearly normal, all due to the care of the SPCA and her temporary guardians. But her personality showed all the signs of her past. She cowered from people, and it took the most experienced Redwings staff to work with her. Today, anyone speaking softly and moving quietly can approach her, and her curiosity overcomes her fear.

Kitty shortly before her death

Far more common are horses that are neglected. Pokey for example had been well-cared for until his owner passed away. Pokey and his mother, Kitty, were willed to a friend who left them to roam a pasture—without food or water. The grass was soon gone, and they began to starve. A humane officer, upon finding shocking photos of Kitty, went to investigate. She found an emaciated and tick-covered Pokey standing by the even-more emaciated body of his mother. When Pokey arrived at Redwings, he was found to be largely blind.

An ultimate goal of Redwings is that no horse will ever again have to go through what Pearl, Pokey, and the rest of the horses of Redwings did. That starts with you simply reading this page and becoming aware of what horses have faced, and helping to make it stop.

REDWINGS WEBCAM

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