December 2021/January 2022 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN December 2021/January 2022 Page 9 (Continued from page 7) Tell our advertisers you found them in East Coast Equestrian. Owner of Troubled Riding Stable Charged with Torture of Horses in Mt. Airy, who grew up in the area. “There was no supervision. Horses were always thin. They were always for sale.” Shelby Piovoso, the head trainer at Gentle Giants, said an incident 18 years ago at Misty Manor helped motivate her to get into horse rescue. Piovoso, who was nine at the time, and her father visited Misty Manor to shop for her first horse. He saw a horse that day that was “a rack of bones,” she recalled. “He recognized how bad the horses were. It was my first experience seeing a horse in bad condition,” Piovoso said. “My dad was traumatized, and we left.” The 13 surviving horses at Days End have completed the months-long rehabilitation process, said DeEtte Hillman, equine programs director. Eight horses have found permanent homes and as of November five remained available for adop- tion. Hillman, who helped eval- uate the horses at the scene and determine which ones needed to be removed, said given the pending court case, she could not speak to the specific issues of each horse, but that horses received at their impoundment facility suffer from starvation and various degrees of emacia- tion, hoof and skin diseases and dental neglect. “Horses left out in the elements have compro- mised immune systems,” she said. Fortunately, Hillman said, Reinke relinquished ownership of the horses, allowing them to be adopted. She said the horses ranged in age from about 12 and up and were of various breeds, including gaited horses, Ara- bians, quarter horses and draft crosses. Hillman said there were an estimated 80 more horses still on the property a year ago. Days End, which operates largely on private donations, spent $55,000 on the horses in the first three months of their care, Hillman said. She said the case is a good reminder for the public that if they see something, say some- thing. “Sometimes it takes a while for there to be interven- tion,” Hillman said. “But it’s important to reach out to local law enforcement.” (Continued from page 27) course. He reports that “my right arm continues to get stronger, and I feel quite comfortable driving my wheelchair by myself now, using a hand control. In addi- tion to having some movement in my toes, I’m starting to get a lot of new sensations in my legs and hips. It’s sometimes hard to explain what the feeling is, but it is along the line of tingling, or ‘firing,’ and I have been getting a lot of warmth in both legs, especially my left one. I’m very fortunate that I’ve had a lot of very good therapists reach out to me, and I’m really looking forward to these new opportu- nities. When I’m not doing my therapies, my days are kept busy teaching lessons. I’m looking forward to some more of my students coming down for season and to the beginning of circuit.” Good to hear darlings! And that’s it for Syl for 2021! Until next time, remember to S. S. S. (Send Syl Scoop) at PAEquest@aol.com . And…be careful where you step! HorseWorld Expo returns March 3-6! Learn more at horseworldexpo.com