‘Emaciated, weak’ young horse was ‘barely able to stand.’ Then rescuers stepped in
A young horse was found lying in a western Massachusetts field for several days because she was too weak to stand on her own, rescuers said.
Someone called the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals “when a young Percheron filly named Astrid had been down for several days in a Franklin County field,” the agency said in a March 24 post on social media.
“Astrid was emaciated, weak, and barely able to stand,” the agency said in posts on Facebook and Instagram. “Our team, with the help of local authorities, got her up, got her safe, and got her the urgent care she needed.”
A pet care fund covered intensive treatments the horse needed but rescuers couldn’t provide at the Hospital for Large Animals at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the agency said.
A photo shows the black horse standing up next to a doctor and wearing what looks like some kind of red material likely to protect her front legs.
“Astrid needed a lot of time in the hospital as she built up the strength to stand on her own,” the agency said, adding that it would bring her to a farm now that she’s been able to recover in the hospital. “We will need to keep her on a refeeding plan to get her to a healthy weight, and we will work on socializing her at the farm.”
After that, rescuers hope to find a good home for her.
“Young animals are so resilient, and we are hoping to get her ready for adoption as soon as her body is healthy enough,” the agency said. “She’s in great hands!”
Officers with the agency’s law enforcement arm are investigating “the circumstances that led to Astrid being found in” such poor condition, rescuers said.
Several people in the comments called for those responsible to be prosecuted.
“I hope whoever treated her that way gets locked up,” someone said on Instagram. “I hope she continues to get better with time.”
Others simply thanked rescuers for helping her and wished Astrid well.
“Aww she looks so relieved now this is so sad,” someone said. “Grateful for humans like you guys.”
Franklin County is about a 35-mile drive north from Springfield.
