Horses rescued on Monarch Pass

Along the border between Gunnison and Chaffee Counties, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) came across a broken down pickup truck and trailer with four horses, four adult dogs and three puppies on Monarch pass. When the agency reached out to the Colorado Humane Society & S.P.C.A., Inc. (CHS) for help, the horses lives changed forever.

The driver was unable to provide CSP with proof of ownership for the horses and told the officers that he picked up the horses in Texas after his ex-wife was accused of mistreating the equines and fled. It was reported to CHS that the horses were in the trailer for five days without food and water. The horses were transported to the Buena Vista Arena, and when the owner expressed no interest in keeping the horses, CHS was contacted about the horses going to the Dumb Friends League Harmony Equine Center.

While the horses were at the Buena Vista Arena, a retired inspector evaluated the horses and noted that all four were very thin with a body conditioning score of two. (A body conditioning score is used to assess the amount of fat on a horse’s body. Scores range from one to nine with one being poor and nine being extremely fat. An ideal range for most horses in between four and six.) The Appaloosa, the white and brown colored paint horse, the bay and the Palomino also had hooves that were in poor condition and in need of a ferrier. Despite their circumstances, the horses were friendly, approached the CHS agent when she entered the arena and appeared to be docile and gentle.

Reneging on his promise to meet the Brand Inspector and CHS to sign over and relinquish the horses to the organization, the owner simply did not appear at the designated meeting place, and the horses were transported to the Harmony Equine Center. The four horses became the property of CHS after the allotted period, and they will be available for adoption after receiving rehabilitation and training at Harmony. The owner left the seven canines at the Ark Valley Humane Society where they will be put up for adoption.

To learn more about CHS and the work the organization does, visit coloradohumane.org.