April 9, 2009

Solo Vino, pictured above, is on his way to making a full recovery from a traumatic head injury, thanks to strangers' donations, which have totaled $12,000. (Photo Courtesy of the Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary)

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Nearly $12,000 has been raised to aid the recovery of a severely injured and abandoned horse in Mesa, Ariz.

Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary, an Arizona-based horse rescue organization, learned of the horse, now known as Solo Vino, in the beginning of March. A woman contacted Gwen Cleary, saying she found the 6-year-old thoroughbred near her property, in extremely bad shape.

Cleary is now fostering the horse and monitoring his progress.

"He was very weak, very thin, and could barely walk down the street," Cleary recalled.

She quickly placed a call to Karen Pomroy, founder of Equine Voices, knowing that they would not turn Solo Vino away.

"We got a call and were asked if we could help and we said, 'Of course,' " Pomroy said.

Yet the case was more intense -- and costly -- than Pomroy had anticipated. The horse suffered a three-and-a-half-inch gash in his head, which had caused his skull to shift five inches.

"That is just how severe the blunt force trauma was," Pomroy explained of the bone's movement and fractures.

The horse also displayed signs of ringbone, a condition that is offset by "excessive impact on horses' legs," Pomroy said.

"This is not something that happened naturally to him."

The initial veterinary costs were estimated at $7,000, a daunting price for the small nonprofit devoted. Media outlets caught hold of the story, and within weeks, the publicity proved to take a life of its own, Pomroy said.

To date, more than 240 people from across the country have sent in monetary donations, totaling $12,000 -- the extra money, the founder says, can go toward Solo Vino's continuing rehabilitation and future medical procedures.

"I've been blown away at how much support we have gotten," Pomroy said. "I have never seen such a public out cry and it is really just amazing. It has kind of made me renew my faith in humans."

Cleary also weighed in on the fundraising success, saying that people "are sick and tired of the abuse.

"They want to hear good endings and happy stories and not awful things like this," she said.

There was a brief moment of panic when Pomroy realized how much it would take to help Solo Vino get well, she said, noting that she considered fundraisers and grant writing as two potential options.

"Regardless, we were definitely committed to making sure he received the care he deserved," she said. "I'm not one who says the money isn't out there, so that's it. It's like, 'Let's do this, let's figure out a way.' "

In the end, though, the public figured it all out for Solo Vino, Pomroy and the other organizers at Equine Voices.

Now in the care of his foster family, Solo Vino continues to get better.

"His spirits are lifted and he is eating really well," said Cleary, noting that Solo Vino has gained more than 100 pounds in the past month.

"I'm just happy I was there to help -- that's just what this is all about."

Investigators don't know what happened to the horse, but glue on his tail indicates that he had passed through auction circuits some point recently.

He is tame, albeit a little timid; Pomroy says she hopes the horse can find a permanent home in the coming months.

"He's very gentle," she said. "Obviously he gets a little nervous and can be shy at times, but he is a sweet, sweet boy."

Aside from caring for abused horses, Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary also serves as a "voice for women who are faced with the difficult decision of whether to take PREMARIN or an equivalent HRT drug," according to the organization's Web site.

PREMARIN, an acronym for "Pregnant Mares Urine," is a hormonal drug commonly taken by women. Female horses are sometimes subjected to becoming pregnant repeatedly, and then producing urine for pharmaceutical companies.

Equine Voices tries to rescue the mares and fowl that are eventually disposed of, and sent to auction houses.

To learn more about the organization, visit EquineRescue.org.

Amy Lieberman is a staff reporter for Zootoo Pet News. She can be reached at alieberman@zootoo.com.