"My dream as a little girl was to have horses," soccer great Michelle Akers told the Sentinel's Gary Taylor on Saturday. The 1996 Olympian had just given refuge to an emaciated, abused horse that will now spend its days living at Aker's spacious Central Florida spread. "I was going to be a cowgirl one day and then soccer kind of overtook that," she said. Aopting strays is nothing new for Akers (left with the horse). She has three dogs that all came from animal shelters. But horses are her first love and has four others to keep the new arrival, formerly known as Sue, company.
The horse arrived in Chuluota in southeast Seminole County on Saturday and started munching on grass as if it hadn't eaten in days. From the looks of the animal's emaciated frame, that might have been the case.
"This is a sweet mare," said Lori Tankel, who helped rescue the horse and got Akers to adopt the mare. "She doesn't deserve this."It didn't take long for Akers to agree to adopt the horse. "How could I not?" she said. (Tankel in white shirt shows Akers a wound on mare's foot).
"It just makes me sick to my stomach when I see something like this that's totally preventable and doesn't have to happen," she said. "It needed help and I can help."
The horse was discovered Friday when Seminole County deputy sheriffs were called to a pasture west of Sanford to investigate reports of a man trying to bury a horse alive.
That horse could not be saved and was euthanized by a veterinarian who came to the scene. Nearby was Sue, a 15-year-old horse that was not in much better shape than the one that had to be put down.
The owner, who has not been identified, signed over custody of the second horse to Seminole County Animal Services, creating the opportunity for Akers to adopt her.
The Seminole-Brevard State Attorney's Office will decide whether the owner should face animal cruelty charges.
When a lead was placed on the horse Saturday, she showed no resistance and walked into a waiting trailer for the ride to Akers' 10-acre place. "At one point, somebody loved and care for her," Tankel said.
The horse appeared to be a Hanoverian, a breed that originated in Germany and is known for its wonderful temperament, athleticism, beauty and grace, Tankel said.
The horse ate grass for several minutes before being led to a stall in Akers' stable, where she and 2 1/2-year-old son Cody alternated bringing the animal handfuls of feed.
It may be a long road to full recovery for the horse formerly known as Sue, but for Akers there is one task a little more immediate. "We're going to come up with a new name," she said.
Print
RSS
Back to Articles