Meet River, Part 1

In Dec. '07, Days End received an impoundment of four horses suffering from neglect. One of them was a six year old Appolossa gelding whom we named River.

Because we only take horses who have been siezed by Animal Control over 90% of them are arrive starved and emaciated. Authorities use the Henneke body condition chart to score the severity of the starvation with a "1" being described as a horse who has no fat or muscle over the skelton. The horse is in eminant danger of dieing and is often afflicted with skin funguses and infections. Of the four horses we received, River was the worst at a "one".

Horses in this condition have little interaction with the world around them. River was lethargic and depressed.

It takes months, maybe even years for a young, healthy horse like River to reach this condition. It is a deliberate choice to withhold food and water, shelter and care. River and his herd mates lived in a small, dirt enclosure and were fed just enough to keep them alive. If that were not enough, Animal Control agents learned that the horses were ridden on a three hour trail ride the day before the impoundment.

But Days End is all about new beginnings. It's one of the reasons I believe in this organization and why I love my job so much. There are so many rewards in saving a life, in helping a horse regain faith and trust in humans and learn to anticipate good things coming from our relationship.

I didn't spend a lot of personal time with River for the first two months of his recovery. Days End was in the middle of moving to a new farm and I was lucky to have 10 minutes a day kissing on a horse's muzzle, but today he eats right outside my office window. I get to see, and touch, and kiss and visit with him every day. He' a wonderful boy and I can't wait for you to see him now.....