Horse rescue operations are an unfortunate, but necessary, part of the landscape these days. And the people who take it upon themselves to care for abused and neglected horses should be commended. They also should be warned. A big heart does not entitle anyone to a pass when it comes to compliance with animal welfare statutes. Nor does ignorance of the law.

A case on point: Two years ago, Terry Lynn Sullivan was President of the Fern Leigh Equine Foundation, a non-profit rescue facility in Virginia. One of the horses at Fern Leigh was an older mare named Dip. One morning in April 2008, Brigette Berbes was driving past the rescue and noticed that a horse (Dip) was lying down in the field. The woman drove past Fern Leigh again later the same day, and saw that the horse still was down. By the evening, Sullivan, Berbes, and an animal control officer gathered in the field. The mare reportedly was very thin and in serious distress