From magnificence to mange

This just breaks my heart.

Refugee Lipizzaners a sorry sight in Serbia

Reuters

NOVI SAD, Serbia
— The emaciated horses standing forlornly in a dusty field in northern
Serbia are all that is left of a magnificent herd of white Lipizzaners.

There were nearly 90 of the famous breed when they became war
refugees in 1991, losing their stables in the town of Lipik to shelling
as Croatia fought for independence from Yugoslavia and Croatian Serbs
rebelled.

Recent pictures of eight remaining horses at a farm near the city of Novi Sad have alarmed officials and animal lovers.

More: Globe & Mail

While a bunch of bickering jackasses argue politics over their skeletal bodies, and a greedy farmer tries to extort a fortune for the care of animals he has clearly neglected, these magnificent creatures are dying.

More: The Independant

I recall that Stan in Richmond B.C., who has himself rescued a few horses, once told me that of all the neglected and abused animals that share our lives, none suffer more than horses. I believe it.