Daily, in our own backyard, horses are bought and sold recklessly, neglected and abandoned. Sharing the heartache and reality of horses like these is not easy, but it is what rescue is all about. Each life is precious, and we will fight to respect it daily at Horse Haven.
On September 13, the Horse Haven staff was alerted to the harsh reality of 3 horses in desperate need of rescue. A gray mare, a sorrel gelding and a bay mare were barely holding on. A group of horse advocates sprang into action and gathered the money to release these horses from a quarantine lot – however they had nowhere for the horses to go. As an Ultimate Act of Compassion, Horse Haven partnered with the team and headed out to southeast Tennessee. 
Just before arrival, Horse Haven learned the gray mare had nothing left to give. Too weak to stand, she had laid down and would not stand again. Driven now to rescue the 2 remaining, Horse Haven staff hurriedly delivered the 2 to UT Vet School. The sorrel gelding, Chip and the bay mare, Dale are fighting for their lives.
Upon arrival at UT, Dale weighed in at a heartbreaking 350 pounds and Chip at 370 pounds. No one involved has seen horse frailty like this. Each horse was scored at a 1, because less than that is not an option. X-rays show that Chip suffered a broken jaw approximately 3 weeks ago. His hunger to live is more powerful than his pain, thus the fight to survive will continue. The expert care being provided at UT coupled with the incredible desire to live will no doubt incur sizable fees – we need your help to cover the initial vet costs for these 2 warriors.