Maple Valley Rescue works to save starved and neglected horse 'Lilly', urges reporting of neglect cases

MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. - A horse rescue in Maple Valley is working to save the life of a horse named Lilly, who was found starved and neglected in Pierce County. The rescue emphasizes that Lilly's case serves as a reminder: if you see something, say something.

"If we hadn’t gotten her in here, she’d be dead. That’s how bad she is," said Patricia Clark, Owner of Serenity Equine Rescue & Rehabilitation.

Clark credits a quick-thinking good Samaritan for helping to turn things around for the horse. If it wasn't for their persistence, Lilly might not have survived much longer. When the woman saw Lilly struggling to survive on a property near Sumner, she took action and contacted Clark.

"There’s nothing here," said Clark, pointing to the horse's back. "I can feel her spine right through her neck right here."

Lilly is a Thoroughbred and should weigh up to 1,400 lbs. However, Clark says she only weighs in at around 830 lbs currently. Clark says she's so thin and weak, she can't even lay down to sleep.

"The first time she lays down, I’m going to celebrate because that means she has the strength to get back up," said Clark. "She’s too weak to lay down. She won’t be able to get up. She’s pretty sleep-deprived at this point." 

The volunteer staff at Serenity Equine Rescue & Rehabilitation typically cares for around 20 abused and neglected horses like Lilly at a time. Her pasture neighbor, Patrick the horse, was once stabbed and suffered other injuries before being rescued in Eastern Washington. He now resides at the Maple Valley rescue and keeps Lilly company on their nightly walks back to the barn. 

Clark says Lilly is currently eating a measured amount of food every six hours.  

"We can’t just throw hay at them and say, ‘eat whatever you want until you get your weight back’, because they’ll go into cardiac arrest or their organs will shut down because we put too much pressure on them," said Clark.  

When her blanket comes off, it's clear to see that Lilly is still not out of the woods. 

"Look at how far her bones are sticking out here, it’s just unreal," said Clark. "This should be her top line should be flat like that, and she just doesn’t have anything left." 

She says if you see a horse like Lilly, call it in immediately. 

"The really sad part about these kinds of cases is hundreds of people drove by where she was at. They could see, and nobody did anything. Nobody called the sheriff or animal control. This had to be going on a long time for her to be this thin," said Clark.

Clark says that early intervention in cases like this can make the difference between life and death for the animal. 

"One of the mistakes that people make is that they don’t ask for help and usually when they are asking for help, it’s too late to be asking for help, and the horse is really in bad shape," said Clark.

The team tries to stay positive, especially around the rescue animals. 

"I say this to my volunteers, don’t go up to the horse and say, ‘Oh poor horse. I feel bad for you’. I want them to look at her like she’s whole, and well, and give her that kind of positive energy that she needs to heal. If we are going to cry, we can cry someplace else," said Clark. 

If you'd like to help Lilly or the other animals at Serenity Equine Rescue, you can check out the rescue's Facebook page or website for more information on donations or volunteer opportunities.