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Harrah Equine Rescue Takes In Dozens Of Horses From Eastern Oklahoma Hoarding Case
Blaze's Tribute Equine Rescue in Harrah is nursing dozens of severely malnourished horses back to health after the Wagoner County Sheriff's Office uncovered a massive hoarding case in eastern Oklahoma. The rescue is now asking the community for help covering veterinary bills that run about $300 per horse.
HARRAH, Okla. â Dozens of horses rescued from a large-scale hoarding case in eastern Oklahoma are now under care at Blaze's Tribute Equine Rescue in Harrah, where staff are working to restore their health after what the organization's founder described as deplorable conditions.
Natalee Cross, who founded the rescue, said the Wagoner County Sheriff's Office contacted her organization for help with the investigation.
"We got a call from Wagoner County Sheriff's Office that they were investigating a very large hoarding case that they were going to need assistance with," Cross said.
Hundreds of animals were removed in the case. Many had been kept in makeshift pens, and some had no access to sunlight, Cross said.
"The living conditions were deplorable," she said. "If you can't care for an animal, you shouldn't have them."
Among the animals now at the Harrah facility is a filly believed to be about a year old. Cross said the young horse arrived in critical condition.
"She is extremely emaciated. She's anemic. She's bloated with parasites. Her legs are not in good shape. If she had not gotten the help she got, those legs would have just eventually crashed underneath her," Cross said.
The recovery will take time. Staff are focused on bringing the animals back to a healthy weight and addressing medical problems, and many are receiving veterinary care for the first time. Initial checkups cost roughly $300 per horse, according to the rescue.
"With the way that everything keeps raising in prices, it gets tough, but I'm going to make sure these animals are fed," Cross said. "It's tough."
Cross said cases of this kind are arriving with alarming regularity, with only a two- to three-week gap before another one surfaces.
Despite the strain, she said the animals appear to understand that help has arrived.
"She's sweet. I think she knows. I think they all know that they're getting help," Cross said.
Blaze's Tribute Equine Rescue is asking the community for donations to help cover the cost of feed and medical treatment and to give the animals a second chance at life.