SCOTT COUNTY REGIONAL HORSES ASSOCIATION – HORSE RESCUE

Anyone interested in adopting an abused or abandoned horse or pony, please click the following link and send your name, address, phone number, and a little information about you and the type of horse you would be interested in adopting: Horse Adoption Contact.

Scott County Regional Horse Association (SCRHA) is comprised of people

(like you) who love horses. So, it is no surprise that SCRHA is dedicated to the well being of all the horses in Scott County. Since its inception, through the combined knowledge of its members, SCRHA has proven to be an invaluable source of information and support to horse owners. Questions about farriers, feeding, behavior problems, training tips, or vets? Someone will have an answer for you. Like horses, we humans find safety and comfort in “our herd”. Unfortunately, where horses are concerned, some people take on more than they can handle, they do not ask for help, and it is all too often the horses who suffer.

Virginia Law Code Section 3.1-796 provides protection to animals from “neglect, cruelty or abandonment”, but does not provide the necessary equipment or resources needed to care for these animals. Horses due to their size pose a particularly difficult challenge. So, in 2006, at the request of Animal Control Officer Rick Barger, that SCRHA found itself faced with a new challenge. Would SCRHA assist in the rescue and rehabilitation of abused and neglected horses? The answer was “absolutely yes”, and since then SCRHA has rescued and placed 16 horses into loving “forever” homes. Not all rescue efforts have happy endings. Sometimes, the calls from concerned people are too late, and the horses are dead when rescue arrives. Others are beyond help and have to be euthanized. SCRHA encourages concerned people to call Scott County Animal Control Officer Rick Barger (276-386-6521) if they have concerns regarding the abuse or neglect of any horse in Scott County. Your call will be confidential and your concern may save a horse’s life. Scott County will uphold the law and SCRHA will be available to assist.

SCRHA is unique in its approach to horse rescue. Unlike many other rescue associations, SCRHA does not rehabilitate rescue horses and then sell or auction them, instead they find good adoptive homes. SCRHA and the adoptive families do not receive any monetary benefit from rescuing horses – the benefit is much greater. I know – my husband and I have had three rescue horses, the last being a SCRHA rescue. I suppose I could tell you horror stories about how bad rescue horses look in the beginning, ribs bulging, beautiful heads hanging down, spirits broken, fear in those lovely big eyes, but I would rather show you what success looks like. All the hard work it takes to rehabilitate a horse is worth it when a healthy, happy horse calls a greeting to you from across the pasture and runs over to place a soft muzzle in your hand. Please, if you are concerned about a horses safety, call before it’s too late.

Four years ago, the black horse in this picture was abandoned, lame and alone to a slow death from starvation in a rocky field. Fortunately, someone called for help.