Fresno couple rescues abused horse, accepting donations for food

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno family is taking action to foster a horse in need of some extra care, but the rising costs of food and supplies are taking a toll.

It was back in May when Kate Freitas received the call from Fresno Humane Animal Services, that a horse needed help.

"I kept looking at the picture and a horse is a big deal to take on," said Freitas.

FHAS found the horse injured and abused.

"We received a call from someone working at a dairy in Riverdale that they had a horse wandering on their property," said Fresno Humane Animal Services Field Supervisor Elisa Milton. "Super emaciated, injuries to his legs."

Dumbledore, or Dumble as he's now called, needed round the clock care and fast so Kate and her husband rose to the challenge.

"I thought he was on death's door. I thought we were getting a horse that might die within two days," said Freitas. "We slept with the window open that night so we could hear if he went down."

With proper food, medicine and kindness, Dumble became a whole new horse.

"It was quite quick. I thought it would take six months or more to get him to the condition he's in now," said Freitas.

But the Freitas family has noticed the increasing price of food -- caring for Dumble costs roughly $700 a month.

"Every little bit of extra goes to him," said Freitas.

So the couple got creative, starting a GoFundMe and even selling water color portraits, painted by Kate, but FHAS says cases like Dumble's are becoming more common.

"Recently in the last few months, we've gotten more calls than previous for skinny horses and people not being able to feed their horses," said Milton.

If you can't feed your horses FHAS is reminding owners to reach out or rehome.

"We want people to know if you aren't able to care for your horses then reach out and ask for assistance," added Milton.

As for Dumble, he'll be staying with his new family for the foreseeable future. If you'd like to support the Freitases, you can donate to their GoFundMe or even purchase one of Kate's paintings.