Rescued Horses Given Brighter Future At Ranch Near Homestead

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HOMESTEAD (CBSMiami) -- Star is a horse that got a second chance. She was saved from misery and death.

In October of last year, she was one of several horses rescued from a slaughterhouse.

"There's a good possibility that Star may have been slaughtered for her meat, " said Laurie Waggoner who runs the SPCA Ranch near Homestead. "Now she'll have a very bright future."

Part of that bright future is a filly that follows close behind her.

"She was pregnant at the time. She had her baby about a month ago," explained Waggoner as it ran by. "The baby is happy and healthy as you can see."

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Right now, there are more than 60 horses on the mend at the SPCA Ranch and most have an incredible story.

One of the horses is a great granddaughter of horse royalty. It's lineage is from the last Triple Crown Winner.

"This is the one that was rescued from the slaughter farm," Waggoner said pointing to another horse named Randy.

In January of last year, Randy escaped the clutches of death but three of the horses with him had to be put down.

For all the horses that died, more were saved.

"He was just abandoned in the Everglades," said Waggoner about a horse name "Solo." He got his name because he was found alone. A "before" picture of Solo showed an emaciated horse with protruding bones. Now, Solo is a healthy animal.

Samantha Merz  takes her work home with her – in the most literal sense.

"I adopted three rescues," Merz said with a smile. "They're like potato chips, you can't have just one," she laughed. "So I ended up with three!"

Taking care of these animals is expensive, about $650 a month per horse. About 75 percent of the SPCA's budget comes from donations.

On May 1st the SPCA is holding its 11th Annual Golf Tournament, silent auction and dinner at the Miami Beach Golf Club. For information, click here.