Nine horses were rescued from a shed in East Dorset, Vermont, where they had been trapped for years in stalls filled with up to five feet of frozen manure. Their elderly owner had become overwhelmed and unable to care for them, leading to the horses living in horrific conditions without sunlight, movement, or routine care. Rescuers from Dorset Equine Rescue, aided by the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, worked in freezing temperatures to carefully shovel out the manure and free the animals.

The rescue was complex and emotional, requiring improvised solutions such as building a ramp from hay bales and manure to help a stallion named Courage safely exit his stall. Four stallions, one mare, and her filly were transported to an equine hospital for veterinary care, while three other mares were placed in foster homes. The team continues to process the trauma of the horses’ prolonged suffering and the challenging conditions they endured before being saved.