ASPCA Grants $7,000 to Hidden Springs Horse Rescue

Funds will help Florida facility rehabilitate 14 neglected horses
July 19, 2012

NEW YORK—The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced that it has awarded a grant of $7,000 to the Hidden Springs Horse Rescue (HSHR) in Marianna, Fla., which will be used to fund the rehabilitation of 14 neglected horses seized by local law enforcement last January. The grant funding will help cover the cost of hay, feed, and vaccinations, as well as veterinary, dental, and farrier care for the horses while HSHR works to restore their health and place them into permanent homes.

"We were saddened to hear about the suffering these horses had to endure," said Jacque Schultz, senior director of the ASPCA Equine Fund. "The ASPCA has an extensive history of helping equines around the country, and we're glad we were able to assist the HSHR in nursing these neglected horses back to health and finding them loving homes."  

"The grant that HSHR received from the ASPCA has been instrumental in allowing us to provide food and veterinary care for a large number of horses," said Melanie L. Higdon, executive director of HSHR. "Additionally, the grant has enabled us to continue our operations and rescue more horses that are in need. Many of the rescued horses have been returned to their former majestic forms, and none of this would have been possible without the assistance from the ASPCA Equine Fund."

Last year, the ASPCA Equine Fund awarded nearly $1.5 million in grant funding to 165 non-profit equine welfare organizations in 38 states whose focus and expertise is concentrated on reducing the suffering of equines who have lost their homes or been cruelly treated.

HSHR is a non-profit equine rescue that assists law enforcement and animal control by taking in abused, neglected, and abandoned horses.  The organization provides veterinary care and places the horses into loving, permanent homes through their adoption program.  For more information about HSHR, please visit www.FloridaHorseRescue.com.