American Quarter Horse out to pasture
A gray filly approximately two years old was found June 30, 2009 wandering in the desert. She was found near Round Mountain, Nevada which is about 235 miles south of Reno, in the middle of the state. It is bad enough that the filly had just been abandoned to fend for herself and one might think that the people who left her had just tried to leave her in wild horse country. They might even have innocently thought she would join a wild herd and be happy.
A closer look at the filly would soon disabuse you of any altruistic motives on the part of the people who so cruelly left her. On her hip a big hunk of skin had been cut away. Why? To remove her brand so she could not be traced back to her owners via the ranch she was originally from. So, this was a purposeful act by someone who just wanted to ,or had to, be rid of the animal.
An award of $5,000.00 is being offered for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons that committed this cruel act. If anyone out there knows anything about this act of unspeakable cruelty, please get in touch with the authorities. You should call the Nevada Department of Agriculture at (775) 738-8076 to make your report.
Folks, I live in this area of Nevada. It is rugged country. Abandoned horses don’t just walk off into an ideal life by joining a wild horse herd. For one thing there are not that many wild herds left and the ones that are don’t just welcome any and all strangers into their company. If this filly had not been found, the likelihood is her wound would have become infected and/or she would have fallen to predators. Either way, the scenario would end in a dead horse.
As the economy has worsened, Nevada has found itself in tight circumstances, just like the rest of the country. I fear that this is not the last horse that people will abandon out here along with dogs, cats and other domestic animals. When these pets are left to forage on their own, it is a death sentence in most cases. The same is true in other areas too.
If you find yourself in a position where you feel you have to take such drastic measures, I beg you to contact your local Humane Society or Animal Rescue. If they cannot take the animal it is likely they can put you in touch with someone who can.
If you contact us, fluffyfeet will do all we can to help you find the proper organizations that can assist you.
You can read about the abandoned filly and her progress here.
