Jan 17, 2008 6:07 pm US/Mountain
Sick Horses Benefit From 'Pay It 4ward' Project
Written for the Web by CBS4 producer Libby Smith
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A husband and wife (Carol Martin) in Park County face charges of animal cruelty after sheriff's deputies removed dozens of animals from the Flying Ah Horse Ranch near Fairplay. Authorities said four of the animals starved to death.
CBS
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pay it 4ward, pay it forward
CBS
The idea behind CBS4's Pay it Forward Colorado project is to give $1,000 to a Coloradan (or group of Coloradans) who will use the money to change someone else's life. Below lies CBS4's Jan. 17 report. PARK COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A Park County horse rescue ranch was shutdown after Sheriff's deputies found four dead horses. On Dec. 26, Animal Control officers from the Park County Sheriff's Office seized 12 horses from the Flying Ah Horse Rescue Ranch. All the horses were suffering from severe malnutrition as well as various other health problems. Officials determined the four dead horses had starved to death.
"I just don't know what happened to allow animals to get to the condition they were in, and that's the sad part here." Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener told CBS4.
On Jan. 9, Park County Sheriff's Animal Control officers when back to the ranch and seized 10 more horses. Officers found two horses living in the ranch owner's house. On Jan. 15, officers seized the remaining 13 horses from the property. The ranch owner faces seven counts of cruelty to animals.
"They care very much for the animals, there's no disputing that," Wegener said. "It's just that they didn't adequately take care of them to the degree that they needed to be."
Twenty-four of the rescued horses went to another horse rescue operation in Pueblo. Julie Demuesy has 850 acres called the Double J Ranch. She and volunteers from the Dream Catchers Equine Rescue agreed to take in the dying horses and nurse them back to health.
"I was appalled. I've never seen horses in this bad of condition," Demuesy said.
One 4-month-old foal in particular captured the hearts of the rescue workers. He was living inside the house at the Park County Ranch. He was attacked by the family's rottweiler and had his ear torn off. Rescue workers call the foal "Vincent Van Gogh" because of his one ear and they say that he's eating constantly and will recover from his injuries.
"He's healthy as a horse. He's just a little thin. All you've got to do is a little love, a little food, and they come right around," Demuesy said.
Demuesy is spending thousands of dollars to care for these animals. The horses eat 150 bails of hay a week, not to mention grain and antibiotics to heal their wounds. It's a major rescue effort that requires major dedication. That's why Michelle Eberhart asked to pay it forward. She wanted $1,000 to help pay for the care and rehabilitation of horses that otherwise would have died.
"If they can get these horses in really good homes, it's a second chance on life," Eberhart said.
Additional ResourcesIf you would like to help this horse rescue effort, you can make a donation to the
Dream Catchers Equine Rescue organization.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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