Wow, are there ever a lot of articles on the subject these days.

Recap of this week's news:

Aug 2—Wild horses wait as fate is decided [link]

With holding costs approaching $30 million this year, the BLM's suggestion is to euthanize some of the more than 33,000 horses ... officials argue it's the humane way of dealing with the problem instead of letting them die of thirst or starvation on the range. Adoptions have been declining. Part of that could be because of rising costs in feed and fuel. At this time last year, grass and alfalfa feed was going for about $9 a bale... the price has doubled to about $18.

Aug 3—People Abandoning Animals, Blaming Economy [link]

...animal rescue groups say some people are abandoning or neglecting their pets and livestock. "The only thing wrong with these horses is malnutrition, and lack of care... The economy is tight and people don't have money. They're letting animals go out in the county. Not just dogs and cats, we've seen goats and llamas... We're going to see horses and cattle let loose in the county as well."

Aug 4—Starving horses seized near Mims [link]

...deputies seized eight malnourished horses Sunday... found the underweight horses, including a mare nursing a foal, without food and living in filthy conditions... The mare was so weak it could not stand.

Aug 5—Shelter rescues neglected horses [link]

Many of the 50 horses, ponies and other large animals come to Horses' Haven with serious injuries and the scars of neglect. ...the saddest day was when they had to put down 15 out of the 57 abused horses they rescued ...there are always more needy animals than they can accept on the 22-acre ranch... Baker has seen more abandoned horses than ever. "We see a lot of horses that have been turned loose in a field and are starving."

Aug. 6—High hay costs pose problems for horse rescue [link]

... the $100 a month it gets in donations isn’t enough to cover the cost of the 100 tons of hay it needs annually. Hay cost $90 a ton last year but now costs $225 a ton.

Aug. 6—Farm Bureau expresses serious concern on equine issues [link]

"We first need to address the growing problem of abandoned horses before causing more unintended consequences by further restricting how horse owners may dispose of unwanted animals."

Aug 7—Local Horse Rescue Reaches Critical Need [link]

...never thought she'd need more than five stalls, but now she's in desperate need of help... with 40 horses in 33 spots, Jones is over capacity, saying she has had to turn away 300 horses. Jones has little money and lacks the know-how to build a barn. Last year, she doubled up on stalls and now, she needs a miracle. With only two barns and another damaged by a storm, the horses spend day and night outside.

Aug. 8—Surviving seized horses are improving, caregiver says [link]

The horses were underweight, and their hooves were overgrown and bleeding, officials said. They were kept in small stalls, which had doors nailed closed with openings where hay was likely thrown over...

Aug 8—Woman Gives Emaciated Horses TLC [link]

...the odds are now in the favor of a handful of horses found in deplorable conditions... Three mares and a yearling, four of eight horses found sick and starving are getting TLC.

Go to Google, click on News and enter the word "horse" along with your choice of buzz words surrounding the epidemic at hand (abandoned, neglect, abuse, slaughter, rescue) and you'll find plenty of current articles. I didn't even TRY to find one for each day ... I just limited my search to the past week, and cruised the first 5 pages of results. Horrifying.