Do unwanted horses face an increased risk of neglect and/or abuse?
Whenever there are large numbers of unwanted horses, there is always concern for the welfare of these animals. Neglect of horses takes many forms and is due to a variety of factors. Some reasons may include an increasing number of uninformed horse owners unfamiliar with proper horse care; economic constraints created by a downturn in the economy; and lack of affordable and accessible ways to dispose of unwanted horses in some locales. There is no central system in the U.S. for reporting and maintaining data about equine neglect cases, so it is hard to quantify the level at which neglect is occurring. However, depending on the location, some equine veterinarians and others involved with horse rescue have noted an upsurge in abuse and neglect cases in the last three years.
