Tough Times for Maryland Horse Rescue

Elle Williams sees things every day that would make the rest of us cringe.

Some horses come in so malnourished their ribs are showing and they can barely stand. After help from Elle's Horse Net Horse Rescue , their health improves dramatically.

But Williams doesn't focus on the sad stories.

"It doesn't affect me any more because I don't see what's on the outside, I see their heart," Williams told FOX 5.

Now it is Elle's heart that's feeling the strain-- the strain of running an animal rescue in a tight economy. Elle says they're just "getting by."

One horse will eat a bail of hay a day. That's $200 a month to feed just one horse. If you have 100 horses and donations are down, that's bad news.

Donations have dipped 40 percent. The one thing that is coming in? More mouths to feed.

With the economy taking a plunge, fewer people can afford to adopt horses. And those who do sometimes can't keep them.

Now, Elle's seeing horses she already placed - returning to the rescue. She says people have showed up sobbing after losing a job and now having to return a beloved horse. Elle has 100 horses now.
About 10 percent of the horses are blind. That makes them especially difficult to place. But Elle believes all horses have value.

"They're honest as the day is long," she said. "They don't cheat. They don't pretend to be anything other than exactly what they are."

Horse Net Horse Rescue needs lots of help. You can volunteer time, donate money. You can even donate hay for the animals to eat.

Follow this link to find out more about donating to Horse Net Horse Rescue.