When Andy, a yearling Appaloosa, arrived last week, he collapsed to the ground when he stepped off the trailer. We lifted him gently—this young boy who should weigh 700 pounds weighs at best half that—and he inched forward on wobbly legs to his stall.

In starvation cases, a rating system known as the “Henneke Scale” is used by veterinarians to describe horses’ body conditions. Horses are rated between “1” and “9” on the scale, with “1” being the worst possible score for an animal that’s still alive--a score that represents extreme emaciation. Andy was called an “extreme 1.”

Andy has been so starved for so long that we’re concerned that his body might be shutting down. Instead of manure, he passes water. His urine is dark brown. He leans against the stall wall to support himself, but is unable to stand for more than a minute or two. So instead of 1 1/2 wheelbarrows full of wood shavings, the normal amount for our stalls (each of which is already padded with half-inch rubber), Andy gets three.

Andy’s owner, a breeder from Poughkeepsie, has been arrested and charged with four counts of cruelty. While the courts play out her fate, we will do everything we can to heal this lovely boy, who already senses that Catskill Animal Sanctuary is a safe place. After just two days, he wobbles on unsteady legs to his front wall, leans out, and nibbles a hat or a cheek. Too weak to muster a full whinny, he tries to call out “hello” to everyone he sees.

He’s a trooper. And we’re rooting for him.