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Last month we told you about a horse found in Utah's West Desert that had been abandoned and was near death. Tonight, the horse has new owners and a new home.
The horse is now in Eagle Mountain is getting acquainted with its new surroundings. It's a much better life than the one it was living when it was discovered abandoned on June 27 in a remote area of Millard County. Photos show the horse was suffering from severe malnutrition.
Kim and Karen O'Donnell saw our story and contacted the Millard County Sheriff's Office. "Nobody called with any interest in him whatsoever, which really surprised me, and she asked if I was interested in him, and I said, ‘Yes, defiantly, and I would love to take him in.' No one was going to," said Karen O'Donnell, with Friends in Need Animal Rescue.
Employees at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) office in Millard County have been taking care of the horse, and a Millard County deputy brought the horse to its new home.
"He's in probably twice as good of condition as he was when they found him," Deputy Rick Carter said.
Officials hope this horse's story will discourage others who may decide to abandon an old horse in the desert if they can't afford to keep it. "A domestic horse just doesn't have a chance out there. It's not a good place for them. It's better, it's more humane, to put them down than it is to turn them loose," Carter said.
The O'Donnells have named the horse Titan because of what he had to go through to survive. "We'll take care of him forever, and we'll make sure his health is checked out on a regular basis. And he's just going to live his live out here," O'Donnell said.
It's a second chance for Titan, a chance most abandoned horses won't ever get.
The Millard County sheriff is still investigating who abandoned the horse and will file charges of animal neglect if the person can be identified.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
