Horses are starving. The Southwest has been hit hard with a deadly drought and countless families are struggling to feed their horses. The situation is heartbreaking. It is dire. People are running out of options, and they need our help fast.

Horse rescuer Debbie Coburn's heart sank when she read a local farmer's sign: Hay Sold Out. "I thought, 'Oh God, no.' I really depend on him." This year hay prices are five times higher, with most of the increase occurring over the past 12 months. Worse yet, in many places there is no hay left. No food at all.

And the situation is only getting worse. "The horses are already bones," Coburn says. "I just don't know what will happen if we don't get help."

This plea is urgent. Please help us save horses from starvation. Every single penny you give to this campaign will go straight to providing food for hungry horses. This is an emergency, and we need your support. We can't let them starve.

"Giving up is not an option," Coburn says. "If we do that, they will die."

** Text HORSE to 25383 to donate $10 from your mobile phone **

Update #1

Posted by Kymberlie Adams Matthews (Campaign Leader) on Oct 5, 2012

Friends,
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. A few weeks ago, we told that drought put hay in dangerously short supply across much of the nation—and that if we didn't pull together and do something, horses would die.
We asked you to help us feed horses by contributing to our Hay Bale-Out initiative…and you did.
Here's what happened next.
We told equine rescue groups the good news: The ASPCA has your back, and we can provide hay to help get your horses through the winter. We asked...
…
Friends,
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. A few weeks ago, we told that drought put hay in dangerously short supply across much of the nation—and that if we didn't pull together and do something, horses would die.
We asked you to help us feed horses by contributing to our Hay Bale-Out initiative…and you did.
Here's what happened next.
We told equine rescue groups the good news: The ASPCA has your back, and we can provide hay to help get your horses through the winter. We asked them to tell us what they needed.
Since then, equine groups have been flooding us with requests.
We're deep in the process of working closely with these groups to meet their hay needs, and our equine rescue friends tell us this assistance couldn't come at a better time.
"This year is setting up to become a 'perfect storm' for equine neglect, as we seeing a huge increase in skinny horses," Gail Vacca of the Illinois Equine Humane Center told us. "Thank goodness many will find relief due to the efforts and support of the ASPCA."
We're so grateful for your help feeding horses this year.
Thanks again,
The ASPCA Staff