Cotton went to the vet immediately after we picked him up

Andi was picked up by the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Department and brought to Easy R

Ginger was picked up by the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Department and brought to Easy R

Gracie came to Easy R with a horribly neglected and foundered hoof. She eventually was euthanized because of the pain and irreparable damage

Gracie’s foundered hoof

Pilot was picked up by the Sheriff’s Department with Ginger and Andi. His first stop was the vet to be gelded

Rescue.  “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter”–Proverbs 24:11. Before we officially started Easy R, one day I was reading my Bible, praying about the future of our horse rescue dream, and jotting down some notes.  I was reading in Proverbs and this verse almost jumped off the page at me.  And while I knew the scripture was referring to humans, I believed it was a very accurate depiction of what the main mission of Easy R was to be.

Easy R gets horses from various situations.  As you can see in these pictures, some come to us in pretty rough shape.  Cotton was dropped off in a driveway at a house out in the country.  Andi, Ginger, and Pilot were picked up by the sheriff’s department from a local resident who was neglecting (probably more out of ignorance than malice) all the horses in his possession.  Gracie was owned by a lady who had several horses that needed medical intervention.  By the time we got Gracie, her hoof was so badly foundered that most of the coffin bone had disintegrated.  Several months later we made the decision to euthanize to save her from the excruciating pain she was constantly in.

We also get in horses who aren’t neglected or abused.  In fact, some of them have been well cared for.  But owners come upon hard times for various reasons and have to find other placements for their horses.  We get many inquiries from people wanting to “give” us their horse.  That “gift” becomes an immediate expense for Easy R, so we evaluate the situation based on the owner’s situation, the condition of the horse, available room at Easy R, whether or not the owner has other placement options, etc.  The majority of the time, we require a $300 equine donation fee to help cover the initial costs of vetting the horse and integrating it into the herd.

Easy R receives many calls every year from people who are concerned about the welfare of a horse in their community.  Sometimes, they are calling for guidance.  Others are wanting us to “just go pick it up”.  Easy R does not conduct abuse/neglect investigations.  That is the job of the local law enforcement agency.  Nor can we just go onto someone’s property and get a horse we think might be in danger.  We have to follow the same procedures that we recommend to other people if they are concerned.  And that is to call the local police department if the horse is on property that is in the city limits, or the sheriff’s department if the horse is in the county.  Each state/county/city has laws and regulations about animal welfare, so be sure and check with your local law enforcement in order to prevent violations of laws and regulations.